Applications open until October 25 at 11:59 p.m. Atlantic time at impactxsummit.ca
St. Francis Xavier University will host the third annual Impact X Summit on Entrepreneurship and Social Change on November 20 and 21, 2026. The two-day summit brings 85 high school and university students from across Atlantic Canada to Antigonish to learn, connect with mentors, and pitch ventures that create social impact.
Impact X is a collaboration between campus partners building a dynamic entrepreneurship ecosystem at StFX. DiscoverBox at Coady Institute, the Gerald Schwartz School of Business Entrepreneurship Program, the Bachelor of Education Business Concentration, and the StFX Alumni Association, host the annual summit with support from the Nova Scotia Department of Advanced Education.
ROOTED IN THE COADY TRADITION
Social entrepreneurship is not new in Antigonish. Nearly a century ago, Father Jimmy Tompkins and Dr. Moses Coady led the Antigonish Movement, helping fishers, farmers, and miners build cooperatives and credit unions so communities could solve their own problems. Coady Institute carries that work forward today with community leaders, both locally and around the world.
Through DiscoverBox, Coady brings that belief to students: that people working together, with the right support and connections, can build ventures that strengthen their communities.
“Coady and Tompkins knew that good ideas don’t go anywhere on their own,” Paula Brophy, Project Manager, Local Engagement, Coady Institute, says. “People need each other. That’s what Impact X is about. Students arrive with ideas, and they leave with mentors, peers, and a community that wants to see them succeed. That’s the Antigonish Movement, just with a new generation.”
A FULL CIRCLE MOMENT
This year’s founders’ panel includes a familiar face. Ella Teasdale took part in Impact X 2025 as a high school student, competing against university students in the five-minute late seed stream and placing fourth. She pitched The Arisaig Mermaid Café, the business she runs in Arisaig, Antigonish County.
“I figured that I would take the chance and compete against university students because I had already started to put my idea into action,” she says. “I was extremely passionate about the café coming to life, and I knew that would be evident when I was pitching.”
The seasonal café had a successful first summer and Ms. Teasdale plans on reopening next spring.
“Impact X gave me the confidence to pursue my entrepreneurial ambitions,” she says. “It also showed me just how many people were rooting for my success. This gave me confidence in myself that helped me get through the challenges of opening a business.”
Now a first year StFX student, she returns this November as a panelist.
“It feels like a full circle moment,” she says. “I’m so honoured and excited to be able to share my experience and hopefully inspire others who were in the same position as me just one year ago.”
Impact X shows how collaboration at StFX is having an impact beyond the university.
“Our high school participants bring such dynamism to the event. They are willing to learn, receptive to feedback, and eager to compete in our pitch competitions,” Dr. Greg Hadley, associate professor and Chair of Entrepreneurship Education, Faculty of Education, says. “These are the next generation of entrepreneurs, and we know that when someone learns about entrepreneurship at a young age, they are far more likely to engage in entrepreneurial behaviours later in life. In that sense, Impact X is planting an important seed.”
WORKSHOPS, SPEAKERS AND UP TO $13,000 IN PRIZES
Impact X is built around three tracks, so every student finds a place to start:
• Learn--for students curious about entrepreneurship;
• Refine--for students developing an early-stage idea; or
• Pitch--for students ready to compete for funding.
Students can pitch for up to $13,000 in prizes in one of three streams: High School (one minute), Early Seed (one minute, university), or Late Seed (five minutes, open to high school and university students). The top three in each stream advance to a public finale on Saturday afternoon, with winners announced at the closing banquet that evening.
“Everybody who participates is a winner,” Alex Dorward, Entrepreneur in Residence, Gerald Schwartz School of Business, says. “I know it sounds cheesy, but it is true for entrepreneurs, oftentimes the biggest leap is the first one. Very few entrepreneurs are successful on their first venture, but it’s not failure until you give up. Impact X gives students a unique opportunity to take that first step in a safe environment.”
This year’s keynote is Andreas Robinson, an Indigenous Afro Nova Scotian social entrepreneur and founder and CEO of Infinitus Academy is slated to give this year’s keynote address. Infinitus Academy is, a social enterprise that builds emotional intelligence in schools and communities. Past keynote speakers include Tareq Hadhad of Peace by Chocolate, Mallory Yawnghwe of Indigenous Box, and StFX alumnus Cameron Sehl.
Ms. Teasdale’s advice for students thinking about applying is simple.
“Do it! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain,” she says. “Impact X is such a positive and supportive environment. It’s a chance to network, learn from experienced professionals, receive valuable advice, try public speaking, and most of all, have fun!”
Impact X will take place November 20 and 21 with applications open until October 25, 11:59 p.m. Atlantic time. Apply at impactxsummit.ca
