Tech Lovers: Is The Tech Scene In Canada Good For Startups?

Starting up a tech business is difficult. Click here to find out whether Canada is a good place to start up.

16:53 29 May 2023

Finding the right location for your business is important. No matter how good a concept is or how much work you have put into developing it, if you’re not in the right place for your business to flourish, you will find out about it pretty soon.

When it comes to jobs in tech, Canada is one of the most welcoming and conducive countries in the world. This means that not only is understanding how to get a job in Canada from UK simple, but the act of applying for that job and attaining a visa is too.

But what if you’re already thinking about that next step? Starting your own tech business is a scary process, and it’s crucial that you spend time adjusting to the country you’re going to be working in. But you won’t necessarily know if Canada is the right place for a startup before that happens.

Thankfully for you, however, that's what we’re here for! To help you out, below is a little run-through of Canada’s tech scene and how conducive it might be for a startup looking to build its own tech empire:

Canada Is Becoming Synonymous With Tech Innovation

Firstly, over the last few decades, Canada has been growing more and more synonymous with tech innovation. Whilst Silicon Valley in California used to be North America’s tech hub, the Silicon Valley effect has seemingly spread up north, with a number of big tech companies now choosing to make Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Waterloo their home of choice. 

This has similarly leant to a vibrant, bustling tech scene to surround these cities, spurring on investment in new tech startups and prioritising innovation in the country itself.

This first point is very important, as with strong investment and innovation comes a strong talent pool. Take Montreal, for instance. Over the last few years, Montreal’s reputation as a leader in AI tech has prompted as much as $6 million to be invested into the University of Montreal, with a further $1 million given to McGill University. This has created a brilliant talent pool which can similarly aid you in getting your own startup off the ground and involving the best people from the very beginning.

Success Is All About Competition And Collaboration

With this talent pool in mind, there are now several startup Canadian companies in existence across the country, with tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon Web Services also has added Canada to their infrastructure.

This means that, quite simply, you are going to be in good company! Whilst competition might feel like a negative when you are starting out, it’s actually very important for a tech company to succeed. Having competition in the same areas allows you to map out the routes to success, collaborate with like-minded companies and have ready-made customers to target.

A country without strong competition is a country that is not conducive to startups, so this is a very strong sign that Canada is actually one of the best countries to begin a tech business. The best thing you can do now, therefore, is to plan out the journey, experience the country, learn more about it on a first-hand basis, and then map out the perfect way to get started.