Last year, ONIK participated in Invest Ottawa’s IGNITION program—an intensive 10-week bootcamp designed to validate a tech startup idea and build a real business foundation. Invest Ottawa has backed ONIK in practical ways during the program and long after it ended. This is a short thank you—and a clear account of what changed because of it.
THE BOOTSTRAPPING ONIK Challenge
Bootstrapping a business is exciting. Its also fast, relentless, but it can be isolating. It can get lonely.
In the summer before we joined IO, Jeremy and I were starting to feel it. We’d always worked with teams, and now we we only had each other. We had gaps to fill:
- Community: Founders don’t just need motivation, they need a cohort of peers and fans to keep momentum and enthusiasm up.
- Support: We’re experienced builders, but startups present new problems. The Invest Ottawa coaches became our knowledgeable and reliable team.
- Network: New startups need discussion, input and feedback. The IO networking events helped us meet potential customers, partners, peers, and more.
The IGNITION Program
IGNITION is the trailhead of Invest Ottawa’s Venture Path. It’s built to help founders and new companies map the road ahead and avoid common pitfalls. The weekly rhythm is simple: show up, learn, share, and take it all in. We spent every Thursday afternoon with IO coaches, trainers, and our cohort of startup peers.
For me, three lessons really stood out.
- Customer discovery – Be an investigator: fewer guesses, more signal. Ryan Paul Gibson trains founders to think like an investigator during customer discovery interviews.
- A live demo sales call in front of the cohort: slightly brutal, but very supportive. Wayne Selman played the part of curious customer for a mock sales call in front of he whole group. After this, pitching one-to-one is easy.
- Using curiosity to gain insights: Andrew Milne showed us how to use curiosity to get directly to what matters. As curious as I thought I was, Andrew showed me there is room to be more curious.
And the curriculum is unapologetically foundational: lean startup methodology, legal/accounting/banking basics, lean product development, sales and growth, funding roadmap (non-dilutive vs. dilutive), marketing/online presence, and pitching.
Pulling It all Together for the Pitch Finale
The program culminates in a Pitch Finale—pitching live in front of a large audience (judges, peers, community, friends, family). The two-minute time constraint is unforgiving—and that’s the point. It forces clarity. This is a nerve-wracking challenge, even experienced presenters. I was floored by how supportive everyone was in sharing kind words, hugs, and cheers.
Every company in the cohort is in their own stage of the journey, and faced their own challenges. The bravery and resiliency stood out more than any outcome. The group was excited to see everyone grow.
The amazing io Support continues
Since IGNITION, Invest Ottawa has continued to support ONIK with introductions, coaching, media, and access to events. The team at IO are rabid fans of their startup graduates, and it shows. Most recently, Invest Ottawa invited us to participate in the IO showcase at the SaaS North Conference.
Paying It Forward
I’ve recommended Invest Ottawa IGNITION to most founders and small businesses—not out of obligation, but because it’s genuinely an awesome program. If you’re building and want structure, accountability, and a community that will challenge you, it’s worth a serious look. IGNITION runs quarterly and accepts applications throughout the year.
I’d be happy to chat with you about our experience.
A huge thank you to Abby, Erin, Nick, Andrew, Laurie, and the broader coaching and mentor community. You all showed up to help, and it did not go unnoticed.