Open Letter to Build Canada — Let’s Find Solutions Together

In response to: https://financialpost.com/technology/tech-leaders-launch-new-platform-build-canada

Dear Build Canada,

Let me start with a story.

In 2016, we set out to build a company in Canada. We had the vision, the talent, and a product we believed could change the world. What we didn’t have was capital.

For four years, we knocked on as many doors as we could, applying for grants, pitching to investors and navigating programs like IRAP and CMF. Each time, we ran into the same barriers: opaque criteria, endless paperwork, and a system that seemed to favor connections over merit. Others led to meetings that felt more like tests of endurance rather than real opportunities to build. By around 2020, we gave up, under the realization that raising money in Canada was harder than building the company itself.

Around the tail end of 2021, we decided to look outside Canada for funding, and within 6 weeks of reaching out to international investors, we closed our round. No hoops, no politics, no red tape nor the feeling that we had to *know* the right people.

This isn’t just our story. It’s a pattern. Canadian founders are forced to spend months to years chasing domestic funding, only to find that capital flows more freely elsewhere.

So, you launched Build Canada to fix this? Your mission is what? to champion bold policy ideas for innovation? Sounds nice, but if we’re going to rebuild trust, we need to address the elephant in the room: Canada’s innovation ecosystem is still run like a private club, not a meritocracy.

Let’s fix this together.

The Problem: Gatekeepers, Not Guides

For years, programs like IRAP and CMF have been plagued by:

1. Opacity: Who gets funding? Why? No one knows.
2. Bias: Insider networks decide who’s “worthy,” while outsiders grind through paperwork only to hit dead ends.
3. Waste: Millions flow to “zombie projects” with no commercial potential, while founders solving real problems beg for scraps.

This isn’t speculation. A 2022 IRAP evaluation report shows that a large number of firms that received IRAP funding, have multiple IRAP projects. Other reports have shown that IRAP funding tends to flow to repeat recipients (as much as 60%).

This isn’t just unfair. It’s un-Canadian.

What Build Canada Can Do Differently

You’ve proposed smart policies: immigration reforms, productivity boosts, R&D incentives. But policies alone won’t fix a broken culture. Here’s how we can ensure your ideas don’t repeat past mistakes:

First identify the problems for the startup:

Startups fail because they lack access to:

1. Quality developers: Many founders aren’t technical and struggle to hire the right talent.
2. R&D expertise: Cutting-edge innovation (e.g., AI) requires specialized knowledge.
3. Legal and marketing support: Founders waste time and money on fragmented, subpar services.
4. Collaboration opportunities: Companies work in silos, missing synergies that could accelerate growth.

The Solution: Project Lighthouse Accelerator

A builder-first accelerator that provides end-to-end support for startups, taking the guesswork out of execution.

Core Features

Shared Development Hub

• A think tank of top-tier developers who work across multiple projects.
• Startups “rent” development time based on their needs (e.g., 20 hours/week for 6 months).
• Focus on modular, reusable tech stacks to reduce duplication of effort.

AI R&D Group

• A dedicated team of AI researchers and PhDs to help startups integrate cutting-edge AI into their products.
• Partner with universities to tap into top talent, bypassing bureaucratic professors.

Legal Support

• Standardized templates for incorporation, IP protection, and contracts.
• Discounted rates through partnerships with top law firms.
• On-call legal advisors to handle negotiations and compliance.

Marketing Support

• Shared access to designers, copywriters, and growth hackers.
• Workshops on go-to-market strategies, SEO, and digital advertising.
• A marketing playbook tailored to each startup’s industry and target audience.

Mentorship Network

• Assign each startup a tech lead (a solid all around senior software engineer) and a business mentor (seasoned founder).
• Weekly check-ins to ensure projects stay on track.

Mandatory Collaboration

• Curate cohorts with synergistic startups (e.g., an AI startup + a fintech startup).
• Require collaboration on at least one joint project (e.g., integrating APIs, co-hosting events).
• Mentors routinely analyse which projects could collaborate to reduce duplicated development efforts.

Funding and Equity Model:

• Accelerator Takes 20% Equity: In exchange for end-to-end support, Project Lighthouse takes a 20% equity stake in each startup.
• Revenue-Driven Milestones:
• Tie follow-on funding to real-world outcomes (e.g., $100k in sales, 1000 paying customers).

Why It Works:

• Eliminates guesswork: Startups focus on their vision while the accelerator handles execution.
• Prevents abuse: Rigorous vetting and outcome-based funding ensure only serious founders get support.
• Fosters collaboration: Breaks silos and builds a culture of teamwork.

The Stakes

Every day, brilliant Canadian entrepreneurs leave for the U.S. or Europe, tired of fighting a system that feels rigged. Others burn out, crushed by red tape.

This isn’t just about startups. It’s about Canada’s future. Will we be a country that rewards hustle and genius? Or one that lets gatekeepers decide who wins?

Let’s choose the former.