Meet The Founders
LaunchLab Fuels Startups: John F. Wood Centre Welcomes Winter 2026 Cohort
This January, the John F. Wood Centre’s Hub Incubator welcomed a new cohort of student entrepreneurs into LaunchLab, the concluding program in the Hub’s annual three-program lineup for student entrepreneurs. Designed for University of Guelph students developing innovative solutions to real-world problems, LaunchLab supports these founders as they develop scalable businesses demonstrated by strong demand.
Over the 11-week program, participants build expertise in budgeting and financing, branding, sales strategy, and investor pitches, while being matched with experienced mentors for guidance and support.
The program culminates in a public LaunchLab Expo, where founders showcase their ventures in a trade show-style event and compete for cash prizes to help them prepare for their launch.
This term, the Hub is home to fourteen motivated student entrepreneurs representing nine startup companies, all focused on building strong foundations for their businesses. The Winter ’26 cohort spans a range of industries, including Food and Beverage, Sustainable Beauty, Equine Technology, AI and Automation, and Civic Innovation, highlighting the diversity of student-led innovation supported through LaunchLab.
Among the ventures this term is an equine-tech startup developing an automatic horse jump to enhance training and performance. The food space is strongly represented, with startups introducing protein-packed paneer snacks, probiotic mint products, superfood mini-cakes, and a plant-based, clean-label protein mix-in for everyday use.
Sustainability and wellness also play a key role, including a circular coffee body scrub that repurposes natural byproducts and a functional beverage company entering the market with hydrogen-infused water. Rounding out the cohort are AI-driven ventures addressing real-world challenges, from streamlining workflows to improving access to municipal bylaws through AI-powered search tools.
“We are excited to be part of the LaunchLab program as we continue to scale Brewed Beauty beyond a student project and into a sustainable venture with real impact. This semester, we are looking forward to refining our business model, strengthening our brand, and learning from the mentors and resources available through LaunchLab. Access to this level of support is essential as we work to turn a circular economy idea into a viable, long-term business. We are excited to see where this program will take us.”
Luca Ghizzardi & Daniel Grygorachyk, Founders of Brewed Beauty
The LaunchLab program is designed to equip student entrepreneurs with the tools, guidance, and resources needed to take their businesses to the next level. Throughout the program, participants attend weekly sessions featuring industry experts and hands-on instruction led by incubator manager Erin Young and covering the core foundations of entrepreneurship. Students are given the opportunity to develop their brand identity, refine their vision, and strengthen their business models as they work toward bringing their ideas to life.
“I am pleased to welcome this year’s student entrepreneurs to LaunchLab,” says Erin Young. These students bring strong initiative and a real drive to build sustainable businesses. It will be exciting to watch the progress they make over the term, and I look forward to celebrating their innovative products with the University of Guelph community.”
- Erin Young, Hub Incubator Services Manager
The Winter ’26 cohort will showcase their progress at the LaunchLab Expo on March 31 from 12 to 4 PM in the University Centre at the University of Guelph. Open to the public, the event invites attendees to drop-in to meet the founders and vote for the People’s Choice Award.
To learn more about the LaunchLab program, follow the founders throughout their journey and stay up to date on the John F. Wood Centre’s entrepreneurship programs, follow us on social media and visit our website.
The John F. Wood Centre for Business and Student Enterprise is developing innovators and entrepreneurs at the University of Guelph. We look for innovative and sustainable solutions to economic, social and environmental problems. It is through this mission that we empower a new generation of business leaders committed to community engagement and a sustainable future. We instill in our students a sense of social responsibility and leadership, character-building values that help develop citizenship. We help to bring ideas to life!