istarthub Accelerators Program

The beautiful & vibrant province of Ontario is the economic & cultural hub of Canada. Government data says that Ontario generates 37% of the national GDP and is home to almost 50% of all employees in high tech, financial services and other knowledge-intensive industries. Ontario lies in the core of the North American Free Trade area, which includes more than 460 million people and generates a combined gross domestic product of more than $18 trillion! The Province is the largest sub-national automotive assembly jurisdiction in North America, has more than half of the highest quality ("Class 1") farm land in Canada with nearly 52,000 farms which make up almost one-quarter of all farm revenue in Canada! Along with being a manufacturing & agriculture powerhouse, the services sector is the largest part of Ontario's economy which employs about 79% of the province and makes up nearly 77% of the province's economy.

CBA recognises the province of Ontario as an economically independent powerhouse and thus has launched its istarthub acceleration program to support the most innovative Founders from the region. The program offers resources to such Founders to scale-up the business, create upward job mobility in the community and uplift the innovation landscape across industries. istarthub Ontario partners with stakeholders such as Cities, corporates, mentors & investment partners who may aspire to contribute towards building world class businesses based on Ontario.

What do startups get out of the program?

Institutional Capital

Campaigning & Pitch to Canadian & International Family Offices, Institutional Investors, VCs, PEs, Corporate Ventures, Government Grants & Lenders.

Sales Channel Development

Introductions to potential Channels & Corporate Ecosystems internationally.

Valuation Building

Preparing and staging the company for attractive multiples for investors.

Corporate Governance

Set up communication module with investors and get them involved for advise and assistance on further rounds of capital.

Advisory Group Mentorship

Introductions to pedigreed Business Function Experts on Product Development, Market Validation, Revenue Growth, Market Access & Subject Matter Experts internationally.

Media Staging

Introductions to media groups for staging the startup to promote strategic investments/potential exit.

Workforce Acceleration

Global Talent Growth Strategy & Management modeling pre & post fund raising.

Sounding Board

Personalized guidance to help Founders maintain momentum.

Ongoing

A minimum commitment of 12 months support.

What do startups commit to be a part of the program?

$25K valued convertible
note to CBA

$25K Program Fee to be addressed post completion of pre-defined milestones during program tenure

Eligibility

The program does not apply to idea stage or prototype stage companies.
For-profit, incorporated for no more than five years as of the application submission date, with a valid business registration number.
The angel/VC investment in the company is less than $3M.

Using or developing technology-based innovation or innovative processes for competitive advantage in relevant sectors which is designed for global markets.
Ownership of rights to commercialize the Intellectual Property. (e.g. patents, copyrights, trade secrets, etc.)

Team

Mentors