Organization · Community
Startup Canada
Startup Canada is a national nonprofit organization that empowers early-stage entrepreneurs across Canada by connecting them with essential tools, resources, and programs to help them start, build, and scale their businesses.
Overview
What Startup Canada does
What Startup Canada is
Startup Canada is a national nonprofit organization that empowers early-stage entrepreneurs across Canada by connecting them with essential tools, resources, and programs to help them start, build, and scale their businesses.
How it participates in the startup ecosystem
The current public profile supports community capabilities. Each capability below is shown separately so organization identity and role-specific information do not get conflated.
Operational profile
Organization status and context
Organization status describes the entity itself. Funding and program availability appear within the relevant capability profile.
- Operational status
- Active
- Organization type
- Community
- Founded
- Founded in 2012
- Approximate age
- About 14 years
- Structured capabilities
- Community
- Last reviewed
- April 1, 2026
Official channels
Find Startup Canada elsewhere
Open the official website or a supported primary organization account.
Capability profile
Startup Canada as a community
Community overview
Startup Canada is an organization that serves as a gateway to Canada’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Founded in 2012 by Victoria Lennox and Cyprian Szalankiewicz, it is based in Ottawa, Ontario. The organization aims to connect and empower entrepreneurs, fostering an ecosystem that drives innovation, inclusion, and economic growth across Canada.
Community focus
Startup Canada focuses on supporting early-stage founders through various programs and initiatives. It emphasizes the importance of entrepreneurship in the Canadian economy and aims to eliminate barriers for entrepreneurs. The organization provides resources, networking opportunities, and advocacy to enhance the entrepreneurial landscape in Canada.
Member value
Members gain access to resources, networking opportunities, and advocacy efforts that enhance their entrepreneurial journey. Programs like Startup Women and Startup Global provide tailored support for specific groups, while initiatives like the Startup Canada Tour connect entrepreneurs with vital resources.
Membership
- Recorded members
- 250,000
- Pricing models
- free
Format and cadence
- Modality
- in-person
- Schedule
- rolling-admissions
- Commitment
- light
Availability
- Membership state
- Accepting
Audience and fit
- Audience
- Founders · Students
- Benefits
- network-access, mentorship, and grant-funding
- Program types
- community and bootcamp
- Selection criteria
- open
- Stages
- Pre-seed · Seed
- Regions
- CanadaNorth America
Community activity
Events and activity
Startup Canada hosts the Startup Canada Tour, a national event series connecting entrepreneurs with resources and networks, with stops in major Canadian cities. The Startup Global National Pitch Competition is another key event, offering early-stage entrepreneurs a chance to compete for a total prize pool of $100,000.
Notable members
Notable individuals involved include Kayla Isabelle (CEO), Victoria Lennox (President Emeritus and Co-Founder), and members of the Board of Directors such as Brenda Halloran and Jeff Cates (President and CEO, Achievers).
Common questions
What to know about Startup Canada
Upseed classifies Startup Canada under the Community organization type. Its current public profile includes community capabilities.
Source and update disclosure
Know what this page is based on
Source basis
Public organization and program material, official websites, and structured Upseed records.
Last reviewed
April 1, 2026
Known limits
Capability profiles appear only when a structured public profile also contains decision-useful role evidence. Terms and availability can change.
Upseed is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the organization described on this page.