Programs

Leveraging startups into scaleups

Scale Up Canada’s mission is to establish and enhance Canada as a source of world class innovation, and help accelerate success for high potential Canadian startups.

We are a not-for-profit public-private-partnership connecting Canadian innovators, industry experts, and strategic investors for global commercialization of Canada-made innovation, investor readiness of high-potential Canadian startups, and capacity building of community organizations working on the ground with Canadian founders.

Scale Up Canada has three programming streams (currently available in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta), to help bridge the success gap for Canadian startups:

 1. Canada250

  • Most scalable Canadian startups list featuring Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Waterloo and Edmonton

  • Overarching goal is to establish and enhance Canada as a source of world class innovation, and raise $100 million in capital for each region’s startups

  • Aimed to help accelerate success for high potential Canadian startups by providing them access and intros to investors and strategic customers at a global scale

  • Opportunity to gain traction, global connections, and international visibility

  • Stage and sector agnostic. Open to all startups and scaleups in the region, even if they have been on the list previously

  • No cost

Toronto50 - Applications open Jan 2026
Vancouver50 - Applications open Jan 2026
Calgary50 - Applications open Jan 2026
Waterloo50 - Applications open Jan 2026
Edmonton50 - Applications open Jan 2026

2. EA+G

  • Expert Advisory + Grants

  • Aimed at startups with high potential but barriers or challenges to access financing/capital raise

  • Overarching goal is to make larger number of Canadian startups fundable

  • Hands-on support from Canadian, US and global experts towards growth, increased traction, geographic expansion outside of Canada, new sales, new distribution/strategic partnerships, fundraising support etc.

  • Access to cutting-edge knowledge and global networks in large industry sectors, subject matter experts in specialties such as cleantech, agtech, and healthtech, global cohort of seasoned tech executives and successfully exited founders, specialists with expertise in operating and growing tech startups in US, Canada, South-East Asia and the Middle-East, access to expertise of global investor networks including Fortune 500 corporate strategics, global conglomerates, sovereign funds, VC funds, family offices, and private equity

  • Government support may be available in some regions to cover costs

  • Financial support by Scale Up Canada (up to $50K grant)

  • In-kind contribution of $2 million+ per startup by Scale Up Canada

  • Scale Up Canada support non-dilutive and non-repayable

  • By invitation only

    Grant application. If you are a Canada250 cohort startup, there’s no need to re-apply. Please contact us and we can use your existing application.

3. SuperAccelerator

  • Aimed at startups with relatively easy access to financing who want to raise and grow at a higher speed and a bigger scale

  • Overarching goal is making Canadian tech successes even more successful and world-leading in their categories

  • By invitation only