Develop Program - Turn Your Entrepreneurial Ideas into Reality

Thinking about starting or developing your business in NL? The Development Program-Winter 2026 (February 3-March 31, 2026) is your perfect action point. Whether you are a business student or NOT, this program will offer you, MUN Graduate Students, the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and help you develop the necessary skills.

The ETP Develop program will provide participants with core entrepreneurship themes and problem-solving skills. It represents training opportunities for participants to turn their business ideas into reality. Its training contents include Workshop modules, Special topic sessions and One-on-one or group advice sessions and support.

Workshop Modules (Theoretical lessons, self-study, online through Brightspace and asynchronous): Eight workshop modules will be delivered every Tuesday (Starting February 3, 2026 – March 10, 2026). You have one week (ideally) to self-study each workshop on your own time through Bright Space, or you are required to complete all modules by March 15, 2026.

Workshop 1: Naming & Branding

Workshop 2: Legal ABCs of Starting a Business

Workshop 3: Sales, Marketing & Social Media

Workshop 4: Managing Growth

Workshop 5: Accounting for Business

Workshop 6: Financial Management

Workshop 7: Intellectual Property and Commercialization

Workshop 8: Next Steps – Resources, Supports & Planning

Special Topic Sessions (Practical lessons, hybrid mode and synchronous): Six sessions are scheduled from 12-1 pm every Thursday starting from February 5, 2026, in-person sessions at St. John’s campus and online for Grenfell and Labrador Campus and Marine Institute students. These sessions will focus on breaking down the online materials learnt and doing hands-on exercises. Guest speakers include entrepreneurs, representatives from organizations in the entrepreneurial ecosystem in NL and MUN professors.

For graduate students in the Marine Institute, Grenfell, and Labrador campuses, we offer you a hundred percent of the Online Discovery Program this Winter. So, please don’t hesitate to grab this special learning opportunity. 

Session 1: Market Analysis for Starting a Business

Speaker: Allison Mullaly-Ring, Founder & Principal Consultant, Reflective Consulting

                   President, Canadian Evaluation Society - Newfoundland and Labrador Chapter

Session 2: Navigating the Legal Pitfalls of Incorporation and Financing

Speakers: Atanu Haldar and Christina Driscoll, Associate, Cox & Palmer

Session 3: Knowing Your Value Proposition in Building a Business

Speaker:     Johanna Brown, Tech Sales Strategist | Sales Leader & Advisor – Startups & Scale-ups| Entrepreneur

Session 4: Managing Growth – A Focus on Business Goals

Speaker:     Mandy Woodland, Director of Business Development, Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub

Session 5: Tips and Traps in Financial Management and Accounting

Speaker:  Dorothy M. Keating FCPA, FCA, FEA, ICD.D, Noseworthy Chapman, Chartered Professional Accountants

Session 6: Navigating Intellectual Property (IP) for ETP Students at Memorial

Speaker:  Dr. Dion Hicks, Intellectual Property Advisor, Research Innovation Office, MUN

One-on-one or group advice sessions and support: These sessions are available for ETP participants and alums who need support to develop their business ideas. Additionally, they are provided and connected with relevant resources and support from the entrepreneurial ecosystem and entrepreneurs in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Special policy: Students who cannot synchronously attend the Special Topic Sessions as required due to their recurrent study schedule conflict or children/family responsibility can apply for the special policy by contacting the program coordinator at dtmaihanh@mun.ca. By obtaining this policy, eligible students are allowed to review the sessions’ recordings (weekly posted on Brightspace) on their own time.

Benefits: Please note that besides the knowledge and invaluable experiences in entrepreneurship and business, you can add this program's certificate (which includes the program outline) to your resume to become a stronger job applicant for your career development in the near future. Besides, as an ETP certificate holder, your experience in this field will be added to Memorial’s Online Record of Experience (MORE). By using MORE, students will be able to catalogue their experiences, recognize specific competencies they’ve gained, quantify their experiences by time and competency development and share those competencies and experiences with various academic and professional stakeholders (such as on LinkedIn)

You can review the Program Handbook and schedule here: Winter 2026 ETP Develop Handbook.

A Certificate of Completion awaits you! Please quickly reserve your spot. Our registration form will be closed soon.