We Don't Teach.
We Co-Found.
BCI Innovation Labs was born from a simple but radical idea: traditional education asks students to memorize answers, but the real world demands they solve problems nobody has solved before.
Dr. Mark Weyers
Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer
Learning Scientist, EdTech Innovator, and former Senior Teaching Fellow at University College London, UK. Developer of the Lean Education Framework, merging Lean Startup methodology with competency-based learning. Co-founder of the British Canadian Institute of Technology (BCIT), an Ontario Private College that implemented the Lean Education model.
"The best way to bring the real world into the classroom is to make the real world the classroom."
Dr. James MacAskill
Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer
Cross-border innovation specialist with a PhD and MBA, bringing 20+ years driving innovation, enterprise solutions, and entrepreneurial development. Co-founder of the British Canadian Institute of Technology (BCIT), an Ontario Private College that implemented the Lean Education model. Former Principal of the British Institute of Technology & E-commerce (BITE).
"Education should transform would-be entrepreneurs into successful business builders — through building, testing, and launching real ventures."
Our Story: Built by Outliers, For Outliers
“Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently... Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”— Steve Jobs
The Problem We Lived
We weren't built for lecture halls. We were the ones doodling business plans in the margins, questioning why we needed to memorize formulas we'd never use, and getting labeled 'difficult' because we refused to stop asking 'why.' The system wasn't broken for everyone — but it was broken for us.
The Insight We Earned
After years inside traditional education, Dr. Weyers saw the pattern: the students who struggled most in classrooms were the same ones who thrived when given real problems to solve. The traits that made them 'bad students' — curiosity, restlessness, contrarian thinking — were exactly what made them exceptional founders.
The Solution We Built
We stopped trying to fix outliers and started building for them. BCI Innovation Labs became a startup factory where the curriculum IS the venture you build — and your qualification is earned not through exams, but through building, measuring, and learning with real users.
Dr. Mark Weyers knows what it feels like to be an outlier. He spent years inside traditional academic and corporate systems — watching brilliant, restless minds get crushed by structures designed for conformity, not creativity. Students with extraordinary potential were labeled "difficult" simply because they questioned everything, challenged assumptions, and refused to accept "because I said so" as an answer. He saw himself in every single one of them.
The breaking point wasn't a single moment — it was a pattern. The students who struggled most in traditional classrooms were the same ones who came alive when given real problems to solve. The kid who couldn't sit through a lecture would spend fourteen hours building an app. The "troublemaker" who questioned every rule turned out to be the one who saw what nobody else could see. These weren't broken students — these were future founders trapped in a system that wasn't built for them.
So he did something radical: he stopped teaching and started co-founding. BCI Innovation Labs was born not as a school, but as a startup factory built by misfits, for misfits. A place where the round pegs in the square holes could finally find their tribe — and build something real. Where the curriculum isn't predetermined — it emerges from building real products for real users, alongside co-founders who've been in the trenches themselves.
That Steve Jobs quote isn't just inspiration on a wall — it's the founding principle of everything we do. The qualification and the venture are the same journey. Students earn recognized credentials not by sitting exams, but through the Lean Education Framework: building, measuring, and learning through real startups. Because we believe the people crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do — and they deserve an education system that was built for them, not against them.
A Transatlantic Partnership
Two countries, two co-founders, one mission: build the global startup ecosystem for outliers.
London, Ontario, Canada
BCI Innovation Labs' North American headquarters. Home to Dr. Mark Weyers and the core startup factory operations — where ventures are co-founded, validated, and launched into market.
Chelmsford, Essex, United Kingdom
Home to Dr. James MacAskill and the British Institute of Technology & E-commerce (BITE). The UK hub connects BCI to European markets, cross-border enterprise solutions, and hybrid education models that bridge traditional academia with entrepreneurial practice.
Why Transatlantic?
Startups don't respect borders. By operating across Canada and the UK, BCI provides ventures with access to two markets, two regulatory environments, and a truly global perspective from day one. Our co-founders bridge startup investor language with educational research across both continents.
Why Outliers?
Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.
The Misfits
Those who don't fit conventional academic or corporate molds
The Rebels
Those who question everything and challenge the status quo
The Troublemakers
Those who see problems as opportunities to build solutions
The Crazy Ones
Those crazy enough to believe they can change the world
"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently... Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."
— Steve Jobs, Think Different campaign
Our Vision
A global ecosystem where outliers, misfits, and rebels don't just succeed — they thrive. Where unconventional thinking isn't punished but celebrated. Where the next generation of founders builds the future on their own terms, earning their qualifications through the ventures they create.
Our Mission
Co-found ventures with young entrepreneurs who reject conventional paths. Transform education from passive consumption to active creation. Replace "how many answers do you know?" with "how do you produce knowledge when you don't know the answer?"
Proven Track Record
Real results from real ventures co-founded with real students
A Global Ecosystem
BCI Innovation Labs isn't just one person — it's a worldwide network of entrepreneurs, academics, and innovators who believe in building, not just teaching.
Experienced Co-Founders
Serial entrepreneurs who've built, scaled, and exited real ventures — partnering with the next generation of builders
Academic Innovators
Researchers and educators who challenge traditional pedagogy, grounded in OECD frameworks and competency-based learning
Global Network
A transatlantic ecosystem connecting Canada and the UK, with alumni, partners, and advisors building across borders
Are You an Outlier?
If you're a misfit, a rebel, a troublemaker who wants to build something real — we want to co-found with you.