Risky business: The challenges of scaling a startup in Canada

For many tech entrepreneurs, the odds of success keep getting longer. In a new report, leaders from across the innovation community share how Canada can better support entrepreneurs.

While running a business has always been hard work, many in the innovation community are concerned it’s become prohibitively difficult to successfully scale an enterprise. Even if a startup survives the first gruelling five years (a benchmark not even one-third of goods-producing companies and close to half of service-producing companies achieve), the prospect of scaling operations becomes even more challenging. After 19 years, more than 70 percent of businesses in the goods-producing sector and close to 80 percent of companies in the service-producing sector have exited.

“We’re all very worried about the future of Canada from both a productivity and prosperity perspective,” says Alison Nankivell, CEO of MaRS Discovery District.

So, what will it take to de-risk technology entrepreneurship and help Canadian companies scale in this country? In a new report developed with the Conference Board of Canada, MaRS talked to leaders across the tech innovation community about what could be done to better support entrepreneurs.

Read the report to learn more.

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