Concordia co-op students can turn their own startup into a co-op work term
Concordia co-op students with incorporated startups can spend a full term building their businesses — with coaching, structured goals and co-op recognition behind them.
The Co-operative Education and District 3 (D3) Entrepreneurial Internship is open to eligible co-op students. Participants spend 35 hours a week on their own venture for 12 weeks, with joint oversight from the Co-op Student Experience team and D3, the university’s entrepreneurial hub and incubator.
The internship includes a dedicated D3 coach who meets regularly with participants, access to D3’s network of entrepreneurs and mentors, and a work term built around agreed-upon business and learning objectives.
“This is about making sure Concordia students never have to choose between building their company and finishing their degree,” says Charles Gedeon, programs lead at D3. “The future of education is experiential, and entrepreneurship should be accessible to any student with the drive to pursue it, not just reserved for those who can step away from school.”
Wassim Dakka is a Software Engineering major who founded his company, FA Systems, in the second year of his program. The company builds AI-powered client acquisition systems for service-based businesses across North America.
For Dakka’s final work term, he completed a summer internship that allowed him to work on his company, following two traditional co-op internships.
He says one client has generated more than $500,000 in revenue since adopting the system, while saving more than 18 hours a week.
“D3 gave me the structure and accountability to treat FA Systems like a real company from day one,” Dakka says. “The mentorship pushed me to sharpen my operations, think beyond just building the product, and make decisions with a long-term vision in mind.”
Participants can focus on validating their market, developing a product or service, and acquiring customers or revenue, all while building skills in strategic planning, project management and leadership.
Anna Sommer, interim co-op student experience manager, says developing these combined skills is key.
“We’re excited to offer entrepreneurial students a pathway that lets them apply the learning, discipline and reflection of a work term to their own companies,” says Sommer. “It gives them focused time to build their ventures while continuing to develop the professional skills that are central to the co-op experience.”
Who can apply
To participate in entrepreneurial internship, applicants must be an active co-op student in good academic standing, meet all work term requirements, have a legally incorporated business and be committed to working full-time on their venture.
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Learn how to apply for the entrepreneurial internship.