peer acceleratorpeer accelerator
Are you an indie studio founder curious about cooperative and worker-centric models? Need time and space to focus on developing your studio’s operating and business models? Our Peer Accelerator could be for you!
Apply
Apply now for Cohort 5, running June 16–December 17, 2025!
Deadline: May 16 at 11:59pm PST.
Before applying, please review the following materials to give yourself a better understanding of the program and your studio’s fit:
- Attend our info session on April 23
- Take our pre-program quiz
- Complete the Values, Goals, + Pain Points exercise in Miro
- Review the application questions in Google Docs and make a copy (File > Make a copy) to draft your responses before submitting
What is this program?
Baby Ghosts offers a six-month program of tailored support to help you explore worker-led studio models, such as cooperatives, with a community of indie studio peers. We offer you space, tools, and a $25,000 stipend to help you focus on developing a studio built on a foundation of collective values.
“The Baby Ghosts program not only gave my studio financial security for this year, it also gave me access to an inspiring and inclusive community of peers, collaborators and mentors.”
- Sam Ramsay, Cheekynauts Entertainment
“Receiving the Baby Ghosts grant and being connected with the Weird Ghosts community was a dream come true. I was granted the resources and opportunity to take my project STREET UNI X to the next level through some months of full-time development focus after years of only working on the project in my off time between day jobs.”
- daffodil, daffodil & friends
Eligibility
- Your studio is based in Canada.
- More than half of your members are from an underrepresented group in the video game industry.
- You are interested in applying worker-led and cooperative principles in your studio.
What We Look For
- Social impact
- Team alignment
- Focus on studio development
- Willingness to be in community
Baby Ghosts FAQ
Are You Ready to Apply?
The Baby Ghosts Peer Accelerator offers an opportunity to focus on your studio’s foundation and structure before pursuing external funding. Our approach helps you build value from within, so you can be sure that your studio’s development aligns with your collective values.
Before applying, consider:
- Are you prepared to prioritize your studio’s development alongside your current project?
- Can you commit the time and energy required for our program activities?
- Are you open to candid discussions about goals and values with your team and our Peer Supports?
- Do you have a support network to help you navigate potential challenges?
- Are you comfortable communicating your learning preferences and accessibility needs in English?
Time Commitment
Here’s how your time as a Baby Ghost breaks down:
Stage 1 (Months 1-2)
| Activity | ||
|---|---|---|
Workshops and discussions
| 2 hours | Weekly |
Peer Support meetings
| 1 hour | Weekly |
Asynchronous check-ins via Slack
| 30 min - 1 hour | Weekly |
Networking and social events
| 1 hour | Monthly |
Studio development work (outside meetings)
| 2-3 hours | Weekly |
Financial support
| $5,000 | |
Self-assessment
| Activity | ||
|---|---|---|
Evaluate team alignment and program fit
| 1 hour | One time |
Draft plan for Stage 2
| 2 hours | One time |
Facilitated collective evaluation
| 1 hour | One time |
Stage 2 (Months 3-6)
| Activity | ||
|---|---|---|
Peer Support meetings
| 1 hour | Weekly |
Asynchronous check-ins via Slack
| 30 min | Weekly |
Peer-led workshops and discussions
| 2 hours | Every other week |
Peer workshop preparation and delivery
| 4 hours | One time |
Studio development work (outside of meetings)
| 2-3 hours | Weekly |
Financial support
| $20,000 | |
Total estimated time commitment per person:
126-154 hours over 6 months
Note: Actual time may vary based on individual circumstances, studio size, and specific project needs. Participants may choose to invest additional time.
Workshop Topics
- Actionable Goals and Values: How to actively integrate foundational values into every aspect of studio operations, ensuring they shape your collective work culture.
- Co-op Studio Structures and Value Flow: An in-depth look at the cooperative structure in studio development, focusing on its principles, operational dynamics, benefits, and challenges.
- Collaboration and Process Development: A discussion of the nuances of decision-making and conflict resolution in a studio context, focusing on achieving consensus and effective governance in a co-op structure.
- Decision-Making and Prioritization: Looking at the elements of collaboration, process, and tool development in a collective.
- Telling Your Story: Learning about practices like collaborative journaling and communication to develop deeper connections, align values, and create a more impactful and cohesive narrative that extends beyond your game.
- Cooperative Values and Governance: An thorough look at the history of the cooperative movement, its principles, and the nuts and bolts of how they can be applied to your studio.
- Self-Evaluation: This is a self-reflective exercise to help participants reflect as a team on whether the Peer Accelerator is right for them at this time.
Peer Supports
Peer Supports for 2025 will be announced soon!
Thank you to our past Peer Supports: Brendan Campbell, Derek Kwan, Donna Knox, eileen mary holowka, Henry Faber, Hope Docking, kaitlyn dougon, Lindsay Rollins, Madison Côté, Reese Valentine, Sloane Smith, Titus McNally, Valerie St Gelais; and our inaugural facilitators bryan depuy and datejie cheko green.
With the support of:
