The Startup Ecosystem of Canada

Canada has 39 cities in the top 1000 and has a vibrant startup scene that ranks 4th within the competitive global top 10.

COUNTRY RANKING

Canada’s startup scene remains stable in 2023 on the 4th position, despite losing 2 cities in the global top 1000.

Population

38.6
Million

Regional Ranking

2nd
0
In North America

Global Ranking

4th
0
Worldwide

Ecosystem

Startup Ecosystem Overview

white yacht near high-rise buildings
Canada’s startup scene is already impressive, but it has even more potential. Considering the active approach by its efficient public sector to develop startup ecosystems, and a relative abundance of resources, there is no reason Canada should not take an even more substantial role in producing massive global hubs. For this to happen, there will have to be more Canadian startups with global impact, like those built in the neighboring United States. The climate for entrepreneurship in Canada is promising, with attractive incentives like the Startup Visa Program, the ​​Global Skills Strategy, and the promise of one of the most educated workforce in the world.
Two examples tell a powerful story of Canada’s opportunities and challenges. The first is Slack. Originally a Vancouver based startup, Slack is now headquartered and operating in Canada’s neighbor and competitor, the US. The second is Shopify, an ecommerce platform behemoth founded in Ottawa and built by a German immigrant founder. The lessons to draw here are that Canada should continue to make sure its most talented entrepreneurs remain in the country while also working on attracting high quality foreign talent. The market-oriented economic system, high standard of living, native English language, and proximity to the US all make the country attractive.
Canada also boasts a strong network of stakeholders that work on developing and promoting its startup ecosystems. At the city and regional level, initiatives from the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, Kingston Economic Development, Calgary Economic Development, and Markham City have had great impact in mapping and attracting investment to their respective ecosystems. Generally speaking, on the provincial level, Onatrio’s public sector has been leading the race to develop ecosystems as a core economic development activity. Other provinces, although active, have yet to dedicate significant resources toward startup ecosystem development, which might explain the substantial and relatively recently created gap between Ontario startup ecosystems and those of other Canadian provinces. Other national initiatives, such as Startup Ecosystem Canada and Startup Canada, are also working to connect ecosystem stakeholders in the country.
With resounding success stories like Shopify and the global recognition provided by initiatives like the Collision Conference, Canada’s startup ecosystems are raising the bar.

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ECOSYSTEM

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Ecosystem

The Startup Ecosystem in Canada

Our startup ecosystem map for Canada includes a sample of 4097 tech companies. We have identified as unicorns 22 startups that have passed the USD 1 billion valuations. Contributing to the vitality of this startup ecosystem are the 1 pantheon member entities.

Global Rank

Canada is ranked within the top 10 startup ecosystems globally.

Top Industries

Canada’s startup scene is best represented in Education, Energy & Environment, and in Social & and Leisure.

Top Cities for Startups in Canada - Ranked by StartupBlink
StartupBlink ranks the startup ecosystems of 100 countries and 1,000 cities. Download our latest Global Startup Ecosystem Report.
Rows:
2023 National Rank & Change ▲
Access subscores for 1000 cities and 100 countries
2023 National Rank & Change City
search leaderboards icon
Global Rank & ChangeTotal ScoreQuantity ScoreQuality ScoreBusiness Score
1st
0
23rd
+
1
32.630
00.00
00.00
00.00
2nd
0
41st
-
1
17.592
00.00
00.00
00.00
3rd
0
44th
+
1
15.755
00.00
00.00
00.00
4th
0
68th
+
21
9.033
00.00
00.00
00.00
5th
0
76th
+
15
8.508
00.00
00.00
00.00
6th
0
111th
-
7
6.390
00.00
00.00
00.00
7th
+
1
129th
+
13
5.531
00.00
00.00
00.00
8th
-
1
144th
-
4
4.505
00.00
00.00
00.00
9th
0
180th
+
3
3.449
00.00
00.00
00.00
10th
+
2
224th
+
9
2.282
00.00
00.00
00.00
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Startups

Notable Startups in Canada
Hootsuite startup icon
Hootsuite
SHOPLAZZA startup icon
SHOPLAZZA
Unsplash startup icon
Unsplash

Startups

Successful Education startups in Canada
Top Hat startup icon
Top Hat
Institute for Quantum Computing startup icon
Institute for Quantum Computing
Université de Montréal startup icon
Université de Montréal

Startups

Startups Ranking by Industry

Education icon
Education
#2 worldwide

On our map, you can explore a total of 1331 startups for Education.

Energy & Environment icon
Energy & Environment
#2 worldwide

In North America, Canada's Energy & Environment is in top 2. Canada has a concentration of about 540 of the region's total Energy & Environment startups that are represented on our map.

Social & Leisure icon
Social & Leisure
#4 worldwide

Canada's Social & Leisure is ranked 4th in the world. Our database contains 394 for this industry.

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