Entrepreneurs
RESOURCES
Explore the BEA’s free resources for entrepreneurs, founders and professionals.
Small Business Services & Centres
For small business entrepreneurs, from first idea to growth.
FedDev Ontario Small Business Services
A free service for finding government business information: guides on starting up, hiring, importing and exporting, plus a toll-free line with information officers. Support in more than a dozen languages.
Small Business Enterprise Centres
Free guidance for entrepreneurs at centres across Ontario.
Toronto Small Business Enterprise Centre
The City of Toronto's starting point for new businesses, with free consultations.
Idea Mississauga
The City of Mississauga's entrepreneurship hub.
Brampton Entrepreneur Centre
The City of Brampton's hub for free business advice, training, and programs.
Vaughan Business and Entrepreneurship Centre
The City of Vaughan's small business centre: free consultations, workshops, and grant programs.
York Small Business Enterprise Centre
York Region's one-stop shop for starting and growing a business, including Starter Company Plus and Summer Company grants. Markham, Richmond Hill, and Vaughan run their own centres.
Business Advisory Centre Durham
Durham Region’s small business centre: free consultation, workshops, and grant programs.
Technology & Startup Programs
For tech founders, from first idea to scale.
Step-Up Program
Idea Mississauga's program for entrepreneurs ready to grow.
Lab 2 Market Validate
Test your idea with real customers before you build. Run by YSpace.
Technology Accelerator
YSpace's accelerator for tech startups scaling revenue and operations.
Incubation
YSpace's tech incubator: mentorship, workspace, and a founder community for early-stage startups.
Experience Venture Challenges (YorkU Students)
Real-world innovation challenges for York University students.
Schulich Venture Academy
6-week online certificates from Schulich ExecEd, taught by people who have built and funded Canadian ventures. Tracks in venture finance, capital, operations, sales, talent, and product.
ventureLAB
York Region's innovation hub in Markham, with programs, mentorship, and lab space for tech and hardware companies.
Women-Led Ventures
Programs built for women founders.
Food & Beverage
For food and beverage founders, from recipe to retail.
Incubation
YSpace's incubator for early-stage food and beverage ventures.
Food & Beverage Accelerator
For high-growth food and beverage CPG businesses scaling distribution.
Foodpreneur Lab
A Black woman-founded non-profit backing Black food entrepreneurs with advisor-led programs and product development support.
Talent Recruitment & Wage Subsidies
Hire student and early-career talent at reduced cost.
Canada Summer Jobs
Federal wage subsidies for summer jobs for youth aged 15 to 30.
TECHNATION Career Ready Program
Up to $5,000 in wage subsidies when you hire a post-secondary student for a tech-focused work term.
Student Work Placement Program
The federal program behind student hiring subsidies, delivered through partners like TECHNATION.
Riipen
Connects businesses with students for short-term projects.
Community & Mentorship
Learn alongside other founders.
Funding & Loan Programs
Financing options designed with Black entrepreneurs and underrepresented founders in mind. These are loan programs that support Black small businesses, but it is entirely at your discretion to explore them based on your needs and comfort.
FACE
Loans for Black entrepreneurs through the Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund.
BDC
Financing and advisory services for Black entrepreneurs from the Business Development Bank of Canada.
Futurpreneur: Black Entrepreneur Startup Program
Startup loans and mentorship for Black entrepreneurs aged 18 to 39.
Scotiabank: Women's Initiative
The Women's Initiative for women-owned businesses.
Scotiabank: Black-Led Business Financing Program
The Black-Led Business Financing Program for Black-led businesses.
TD Bank: Supporting Black Entrepreneurs
Home of the Black Entrepreneur Credit Access Program with dedicated account managers and an enhanced credit review.
TD Bank: Women in Enterprise
Women in Enterprise for women business owners.
Rise Helps
Small business lending for entrepreneurs living with mental health or addiction challenges.
Taxes & Insurance
Free government and industry resources for staying compliant.
CRA Liaison Officer Service
Book a free, confidential visit with a CRA officer to go over your tax obligations, deductions, and bookkeeping. Nothing you discuss is shared with other areas of the CRA.
CRA Resources for Small and Medium Businesses
The CRA's hub for business registration, GST/HST, payroll, and webinars.
WSIB Ontario
Workplace injury insurance. Mandatory for most Ontario businesses, so register when you make your first hire.
Insurance Bureau of Canada: Business Insurance
Plain-language guidance on the commercial coverage small businesses need.
Export & Trade
For founders selling beyond Canada.
Export Development Canada
Canada's export credit agency: trade knowledge, financing, and insurance.
CanExport SMEs
Up to $50,000 in federal funding for SMEs entering new international markets. Intakes open annually.
Trade Accelerator Program (TAP)
World Trade Centre Toronto's cohort program: workshops and mentoring that end with a market-ready export plan.
Trade Events and Webinars
Events and training from the Trade Commissioner Service (their newsletter is worth joining too).
Additional Resources
General supports from university, government, and municipal partners.
YSpace
York University's entrepreneurship hub and a BEA founding partner. Home to many of the programs above.<br />
FedDev Ontario Funding for Businesses
Direct federal funding for established southern Ontario companies boosting productivity or entering new markets.
Starter Company Plus Grant
City of Toronto training, mentoring, and a $5,000 micro-grant. Multiple intakes each year.
York Region Innovation Ecosystem
A guide to York Region's innovation hubs, accelerators, and support organizations.
Digital Main Street
Free help getting your business online, including the Digital Service Squad and ShopHERE store builds.
Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub
National research and data on Black entrepreneurship in Canada.