I recently had the great opportunity to attend this year’s Elevate Conference. There were plenty of talks, workshops, and programs for both startups and corporates. One story that gained significant media attention was the notion of a ‘lack of ambition in Canadian tech and startups.’ While mainstream channels fueled this narrative by focusing on the perceived shortcomings rather than encouraging ‘thinking bigger,’ I had the chance to write a response here, which went viral on LinkedIn.
We have some of the brightest and hardest-working founders in the world. Using this kind of tone and narrative is out of touch, as it shifts focus away from the real issues. Check out the coverage on this story! The only publication that stood up to this nonsense was FoundersPress. Here’s what we actually need in Canada:
1. Fewer accelerators and more funding
Believe it or not, Canada leads the world in the number of startup accelerators, but we lack the funding to back it up. These two tweets by Canadian tech founders sum it up well.
2. Better Press
This is exactly why we launched TheFoundersPress.com—to bring a fresh perspective and address real stories and problems. The issue with the current press is that no one speaks their mind anymore. It’s all become fluff!
3. More Tech Leaders Speaking Their Mind
If there’s an issue with the ecosystem, speak up! Only through dialogue and conversation can we accomplish things together.
4. Try out a startup product, share it, or make intros
Supporting startups doesn’t just mean talking; it means taking action by trying their products, sharing them, or introducing them to valuable networks.
5. More Full-Time Entrepreneurs
We need more people dedicated to entrepreneurship full-time. The ecosystem needs doers, not more support staff.
6. Events Designed to Build Something
We have too many thought-leadership conferences—it’s all talk. Let’s bring people together to solve real problems and actually build something. Remember the good old days of Startup Weekend? Let’s bring that back.
7. More Venture Studios in Canada
Venture studios are designed to increase the success of early-stage startups because they embrace experimentation. When you experiment, you can swing freely and can hit it out of the park!
We need an ecosystem in Canada that puts founders first. Right now, we have more support staff than actual entrepreneurs. The reality is that few have done a startup, and even fewer plan to start one in the future. Let’s speak up to build a better ecosystem.