Applications are open for the 2018 Volta Academy, a program put on by Halifax-based Volta Labs that helps future founders take their “big idea” and turn it into a viable startup.

Volta Academy, the newest program put on by Volta, wrapped up its first session this week. Beginning in September, the 11-week program welcomed 18 participants ranging in age from 15 to 55, and helped them to learn how to validate their ideas, outline an MVP, and grow a scalable startup.

Students received over 36 hours in training, with guidance from six Volta mentors and a session from McInnes Cooper.

"Participants came from a variety of specialties, some had early-stage companies, while others just had great ideas," said Jenn Earle a spokesperson with Volta. "There were SaaS solutions for agencies, the music industry, education, financial planning, legal, and insurance. Others had hardware solutions to help with medication adherence, carpal tunnel, and efficient solar electric vehicle charging."

The 2018 Volta Academy will take place once a week on Mondays from 5:30 to 8:30 pm for 11 weeks at Volta Labs. The deadline to apply is Jan. 17 and the first session will be on Feb. 5.

The cost to attend is $200 or $150 if you’re already a Volta member. You can apply for Volta Academy here.