Entrepreneur News
Remote work definitely here to stay, new study finds
BDC, the bank for Canadian entrepreneurs, released a new report today that examines the perception of remote work among Canadian businesses and employees, after more than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bulk of Ontario small businesses irate about province’s ‘slow’ reopening plan
Ontario’s slow pace of reopening is driving the province further behind the rest of the country, according to the latest data on the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB)’s Small Business Recovery Dashboard.
BDC Capital unveils $300 million late-stage growth fund
BDC Capital, the investment division of BDC, today launched its new Growth Venture Co-Investment Fund, a $300 million venture capital fund targeting late-stage growth companies.
FACE launches $291.3 million Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund
Black business owners and entrepreneurs can now apply for loans up to $250,000 through the Federation of African Canadian Economics (FACE), which will adjudicate the funds as part of the federal government’s Black Entrepreneurship Program.
Quebec entrepreneurs driving success in a post-pandemic landscape: EY
On Monday, judges named 19 businesses as finalists in the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2021 Quebec program.
Beleaguered fitness industry urges Ford government to speed up reopening
The Fitness Industry Council of Canada (FIC) Ontario Coalition said it is “extremely disappointed” in the provincial COVID-19 Roadmap to Reopen schedule announced last Thursday.
Canadians willing to buy local, even pay more, Interac survey reveals
Findings of a new survey from Interac Corp. released yesterday show that three-quarters of respondents believe the pandemic has made shopping and supporting businesses in their community more important.
KPMG in Canada targets SMBs with launch of new accounting initiative
KPMG in Canada on Monday launched Finance Plus, a cloud-based accounting offering it said is designed for “small- and medium-sized business owners who lack the time or in-house expertise to manage their bookkeeping and financial reporting.”
CFIB slams federal government for not backing new business owners
Tomorrow will mark a year since Prime Minister Trudeau publicly promised new businesses will have access to federal support, yet they remain shut out of all current programs, says the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).
VC expert delves into the 12 ‘common falsehoods often preached to start-ups’
Straight talk is the best type of talk, which is exactly what Kyle Lui, a partner with the venture capitalist firm of DCM delivered to an audience of interested entrepreneurs at the recent virtual Collision Conference.
ventureLAB expands partner network of its Hardware Catalyst Initiative
ventureLAB today added new participants to its Hardware Catalyst Initiative, which the organization describes as Canada’s “only lab and incubator” for budding hardware and semiconductor companies.
Visa and Wave launch ‘Instant Payouts’ for Canadian small business owners
Visa and Wave, an H&R Block accounting and business banking platform designed for small businesses, Monday announced the Canadian launch of Instant Payouts, Wave’s cash flow payments offering.
BDC study finds entrepreneurs building coping skills through the pandemic
Canadian Mental Health Week began on Monday and in response the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) released their third report tracking the state of Canadian business owners’ mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Precision AI raises $20 million with goal of reducing agriculture’s ‘chemical footprint’
Regina-based Precision AI, a computer vision and robotics company “empowering sustainable farming practices,” announced today the closing of $20 million in equity and grant funding.
Collision panel looks at impact running of a start-up can have on a founder
The timing of a virtual roundtable at the recent Collision tech conference could not have been better: The effects that running a start-up can have on an individual’s mental health, why it is important to talk about it and the tools available to help through any number of issues.
Tech-AdaptiKa launches ‘first virtual incubator’ in Northern Ontario
Tech-AdaptiKa, a Toronto-based firm that specializes in e-learning, conferences, and training through virtual technology, today launched what it described...
Indigenous entrepreneurs set to gain from Federal Budget 2021: NACCA
The National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association (NACCA) on Monday threw its support behind the recent federal budget saying it...
Federal budget provided some good news for hard-hit small businesses: CFIB
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has described a decision by the federal government to extend the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) and Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (CERS) into the fall as a positive step.
Tech-Access Canada throws its support behind Budget 2021
Tech-Access Canada, the national network of Canada’s 60 Technology Access Centres (TACs), has said it “welcomes Budget 2021’s support for the Interactive Visits Program and the numerous initiatives to support innovation and applied research.”
Ottawa urged to step in as strike notice filed at the Port of Montreal
Six organizations said this morning they are extremely concerned about the impact “weeks of labour uncertainty” at the Port of Montreal will have on all organizations regardless of size.
Canadian marketers value diversity but problems exist: CMA survey
Canadian marketers are almost universal in their belief that diversity and inclusion are good for business, benefit everyone and show alignment with people and with the community, according to findings released today by the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA).
Endeavor launches in Canada, Calgary selected as HQ
A Canadian division of Endeavor, an organization that describes itself as the “world’s leading community of high-impact entrepreneurs,” has been created with the head office to be located in Calgary.
Plume targets small business owners with release of WorkPass
Software firm Plume this week released WorkPass, a suite of intelligent services and management tools developed specifically for small business owners (SBOs).
Supreme Court ruling on federal carbon tax unfair to small business: CFIB
A ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada announced today upholding the federal carbon tax is “deeply disappointing for small businesses in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta,” says the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).
Futurpreneur initiative with RBC set to assist young Black entrepreneurs
Futurpreneur Canada on Wednesday announced a new funding collaboration with Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) to deliver the Black Entrepreneur Startup Program, an initiative that supports “aspiring, young Black entrepreneurs launching successful, new businesses in communities across Canada.”
New report probes resilience of small business ‘one year into pandemic’
Wagepoint, makers of online payroll software for small businesses, today announced the availability of their 2021 Canadian Small Business Resilience Report.
Alberta Enterprise invests US$15 million in fund aimed at tech firm growth
Alberta Enterprise announced this week that it has invested US$15 million into Inovia Capital Growth Fund II to support Alberta-based technology companies in scaling beyond the start-up stage.
MEI calls entrepreneurs the ‘unsung heroes’ of the past year
A new position paper released by the public think thank forum Montreal Economic Institute “lifts the veil on the efforts made by entrepreneurs to reinvent themselves, pick up the pace, and help us meet this challenge,” during the past year. Twelve months ago, today, the World Health Organization declared a pandemic.
BDC launches six new partnerships to support Black entrepreneurs
BDC, the bank for Canadian entrepreneurs, announced this week it is “expanding its commitment” to address anti-Black systemic racism and to support Black business owners by partnering with six new partners across Canada: Black Business Initiative (BBI) (Atlantic), Groupe 3737 (QC), Audace au Féminin (QC), Founders Fund (Ontario), Black Business Association of British Columbia (BBABC) (BC), and the Canadian Black Chamber of Commerce (CBCC).
GoDaddy Canada survey probes state of women entrepreneurship in Canada
GoDaddy Inc. has released a new survey ahead of International Women’s Day that provides insights into what it means...
BMO commits $1.2 million to firm that funds women-led ventures
BMO Bank of Montreal said today it was deepening its “commitment to women entrepreneurs and business owners” with $1.2...
Canada’s BETA-i launches ‘world first’ with incubator catering to Black entrepreneurs
Black Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Incubator (BETA-i) said today it is equipping Black Canadians that are passionate about entrepreneurship with the tools to become CEO’s through the acquisition of existing private, small-to-medium sized businesses.
Elevate and Moneris launch Canada’s first e-commerce accelerator
Elevate and Moneris Solutions Corp. have announced plan to launch what they describe as Canada’s “first e-commerce accelerator,” which will be known as eCommerce North.
Xero survey finds millennial small business owners overestimate their financial literacy
Xero, the global small business platform, has released the results of a Canadian small business survey which evaluated the financial literacy of business owners by generation and explored the factors barring their path to success and eventual economic recovery.
HackNotice bundles security tech with small businesses in mind
Threat-intelligence platform provider HackNotice this week released its first SMB (small and midsized business) Package, which it said makes the same security intelligence provided to the world’s largest organizations accessible to companies of any size.
Neurotech start-up Zentrela receives $850K to build database on effects of cannabis
Canadian neurotech start-up Zentrela today announced the completion of an $850,000 seed round led by Jornic Ventures.
Report IDs 8 trends shaping future of work in a post-COVID Canada
A new report released today from the Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship (BII+E) at Ryerson University explores the biggest social, political, economic, environmental and technological trends driving Canada’s labour market in the decade ahead.
Cyberfraud a growing concern for small business as pandemic forces them to digitize
The pandemic has made Canadian small businesses more vulnerable to cyberattacks, new research from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) reveals.
Anytime Fitness Franchises call on provinces to safely reopen gyms
Owners of independently-operated Anytime Fitness locations across Canada are sending letters to provincial leaders and health officials in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec – where health clubs remain closed – inviting them to work together with the health club industry to establish province-approved safety and sanitation protocols that permit these essential businesses to reopen.
Desjardins Insurance earmarks $1 million in support of small businesses
Desjardins Insurance is supporting small businesses across the country through an innovative program called the GoodSpark Small Business Grants...
BlackNorth Initiative, We Are Womxn join forces to help Black female entrepreneurs
We Are Womxn and BlackNorth Initiative have partnered to help end what they describe as “systemic anti-Black racism in the Canadian food and beverage industry” by empowering young Black women to see themselves as successful entrepreneurs and to offer them the tools to start them on their journey.
181,000 Canadian small business owners may have to shut down: CFIB
One in six or a staggering 181,000 Canadian small business owners are seriously contemplating permanently closing, putting more than...
Webinar to explore the power of Emotional Intelligence
A Wikipedia posting describes Emotional Intelligence as the capability of individuals to recognize their own emotions and those of others, discern between different feelings and label them appropriately, use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, and manage and/or adjust emotions to adapt to environments or achieve one’s goals.
The National Bank SME Growth Fund, L.P. up and running
With the participation of more than 245 private investors, National Bank Private Investment says it has completed the initial capitalization of $200 million for the National Bank SME Growth Fund, L.P.
Rapid COVID-19 vaccination critical for key group of essential workforce: FHCP
New resources released by Food, Health & Consumer Products of Canada (FHCP) will help employers understand evolving public health guidance on vaccination as the sector continues to work to ensure prioritized distribution of COVID-19 vaccines for food, health, and consumer goods manufacturing workers, the organization said this week.
EY’s Wong message to MOMENTUM delegates: ‘Time to return to better’
There is much work to be done for any organization when it comes to responding to the effects of COVID-19, but moving forward the focus should be squarely directed on innovation, says EY global chief innovation officer Jeff Wong.
Canadian IPO market: 2020 was a good year in spite of COVID-19
The Canadian IPO market surprised in 2020 with proceeds in excess of $5 billion for the year, despite fewer new issuances than in previous years, PWC Canada said in a release issued today.
EY releases five tax saving tips for Canadian private business owners
Canadian private business owners can reduce balance owing and increase the potential for a refund by preparing for their tax return now instead of waiting until April, according to EY Canada’s Top 5 year-end tax considerations for private companies that outlines the opportunities for savings.
OPSEU to Ontarians: Support local businesses during lockdown
Ontario Public Services Employees Union (OPSEU) president Warren (Smokey) Thomas is calling on everyone in Ontario to support local businesses during the province-wide COVID-19 lockdown that takes effect Boxing Day.
Amex Canada launches mentorship, grant program for BIPOC-owned businesses
American Express Canada today launched Blueprint: Backing BIPOC Businesses, which it described as a mentorship and grant program designed to support the advancement of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) business owners across Canada.