Canada is a nation of entrepreneurs who drive economic growth and job creation. A fulsome understanding of the state of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship support is required to support the success and scalability of startups and small businesses across Canada.

A national census distributed to Startup Canada’s network of 250,000 entrepreneurs and enterprise influencers establishes baseline data to measure this. The strategic insights from the 2019 Startup Canada Census, summarized here, provide a snapshot of key characteristics and trends within the Canadian entrepreneurship community; persistent challenges that prevent entrepreneurs from reaching full growth potential; entrepreneur needs and wants as they start and scale; and, opportunities for the national support ecosystem to enhance initiatives that amplify entrepreneur-driven economic impact.

Note: Census data was collected pre-COVID-19. 

Key Findings

• Canada’s entrepreneurship community remains diverse, with newcomers expanding the ecosystem. 
• Solopreneurs and small businesses continue to play a significant role in the ecosystem. 
• Canada is seeing an increase in for-profit social entrepreneurship. 
• Entrepreneurs remain frustrated with Canada’s lack of business financing options.
• Entrepreneurs call upon the support ecosystem to eliminate barriers to business growth.
• Entrepreneurs are attracted to scale up opportunities, and pursue global growth opportunities.

Compare and contrast: click to view the 2018 Census report.