Led By Entrepreneurs and Supporting Organizations
At the local level, each member community acts as a point-on-entry for entrepreneurs in their local ecosystem, providing a connection to other startup founders, and easy access to mentors, space, funding, and support to start and grow their businesses. Communities do this through online resources as well as grassroots events that welcome, engage, and encourage all entrepreneurs. Each community’s leaders also proactively engage with local stakeholders in government and industry, as well as with investors, to form a partnership with a common goal of supporting the creation and growth of new companies locally.
Startup Canada works with each member community to help build these components of a healthy ecosystem, while also giving them access to a national network of peers, advisors, experts, and opportunities. Startup Communities is laying the foundation of a Pan-Canadian infrastructure to accelerate the creation of startup communities everywhere that advance the success of Canadian entrepreneurs.
Communities Program Mission:
Community-Wide Events
Startup Community leaders and stakeholders ensure that there are core events that bring together the entire entrepreneur community, so that entrepreneurs can connect in-person and digital events with each other and with those who can help them to take their ventures to the next level.
Online events like Startup Meet & Greets, in-person events such as Startup Weekend and campaigns like Global Entrepreneurship Week are typical of a Startup Community. The focus is to provide regular opportunities for entrepreneurs to connect, learn-by-doing, and promote their ventures to the wider community.
National Exposure & Connectivity
Local community leaders tap into the national network of communities across Canada and receive support and exposure through Startup Canada. Community leaders connect across Canada through monthly online meet ups; receive websites, branding, guidelines, case studies and measurement tools; and, are advised by a world-class team of expert advisors to support them in advancing their own communities on the ground by leveraging best practice, precedence and critical mass.
In addition, national networking online events hosted on a regular basis by the Communities Program Committee, bring together entrepreneurs from coast to coast, elicit knowledge transfer and peer support at a macro-level.
Everyone is Welcome
Startup Communities are not just for tech entrepreneurs. They are open to entrepreneurs of all types and at all stages of their entrepreneurial journey. Whether you are a med-tech, social or creative entrepreneur, support entrepreneurs or are simply curious about entrepreneurship, get involved, connect with others and help to build your startup community.