Canada needs more full-time entrepreneurs than ever given the current deteriorating economic conditions. Latest reports show Canada has significantly fewer entrepreneurs than a decade ago. Shouldn’t be easier to start businesses today? Cost of living, lack of funding, high-quality programs, and talent retention are the biggest challenges Canadian entrepreneurs have to overcome. When it comes to entrepreneurship education, Canadian universities and colleges have a big role to play, but which universities and colleges are creating the next generation of entrepreneurs in Canada? This is the ultimate question to ask.
We need to provide more support for Canadian entrepreneurs to create new job opportunities and foster economic growth. For Canada to nurture global companies, it requires funding along with access to world-class talent that remains in the country to establish these ventures. Educational institutions in Canada must cultivate ecosystems where more students and alumni can bring forth new ideas.
This becomes more and more important with the development of AI as current jobs won’t exists tomorrow. Curriculum and program development needs to focus on more “job creators”. Additionally, programs in startups and entrepreneurship needs to be taught by actual entrepreneurs. These includes advisory and mentors who have been there as a full-time entrepreneur before. Entrepreneurship is about executing and those who have been there, can inspire the next generation of Canadian entrepreneurs.
This report examined factors such as entrepreneurship programs, class sizes, support for startups, funding opportunities and access to venture capital, support for alumni entrepreneurs, and networking opportunities.
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| Ranking | University and Colleges |
| 1 | University of Waterloo |
| 2 | Wilfrid Laurier University |
| 3 | University of Toronto |
| 4 | York University |
| 5 | Toronto Metropolitan University |
| 6 | Queen’s University |
| 7 | University of Alberta |
| 8 | University of British Columbia |
| 9 | Western University |
| 10 | Sheridan College |
| 11 | University of Ottawa |
| 12 | McGill University |
| 13 | McMaster University |
| 14 | University of Calgary |
| 15 | Simon Fraser University |
| 16 | George Brown College |
| 17 | Dalhousie University |
| 18 | Vancouver Island University |
| 19 | Brock University |
| 20 | Carleton University |
| 21 | Laurentian University |
| 22 | University of Saskatchewan |
| 23 | Saint Mary's University |
| 24 | Memorial University of Newfoundland |
| 25 | Ontario Tech University |
| 26 | Concordia University |
| 27 | University of Windsor |
| 28 | Laval University |
| 29 | University of Manitoba |
| 30 | Lakehead University |
| 31 | University of New Brunswick |
| 32 | Trent University |
| 33 | Université de Montréal |
| 34 | University of Victoria |
| 35 | OCAD University |
| 36 | Humber College |
| 37 | Medicine Hat College |
| 38 | Acadia University |
| 39 | Mount Royal College |
| 40 | Cape Breton University |
| 41 | Canadore College |
| 42 | Université de Sherbrooke |
| 43 | Seneca College |
| 44 | University of Guelph |
| 45 | Bishop's University |
| 46 | Durham College |
| 47 | Fanshawe College |
| 48 | Georgian College |
| 49 | Mohawk College |
| 50 | Northern College |
| 51 | Centennial College |
| 52 | Douglas College |
| 53 | Bow Valley College |
| 54 | Olds College |
| 55 | Brandon University |
| 56 | University of Winnipeg |
| 57 | University of Northern British Columbia |
| 58 | NSCAD University |
| 59 | HEC Montréal |
| 60 | University of Regina |
| 61 | MacEwan University |
| 62 | Polytechnique Montréal |
| 63 | St. Francis Xavier University |
| 64 | University of Lethbridge |
| 65 | British Columbia Institute of Technology |
| 66 | University of the Fraser Valley |
| 67 | Royal Roads University |
| 68 | University of Prince Edward Island |
| 69 | Okanagan College |
| 70 | Conestoga College |
| 71 | Algonquin College |
| 72 | Langara College |
| 73 | Thompson Rivers University |
| 74 | Yukon University |
| 75 | Canadian Mennonite University |
| 76 | Nipissing University |
| 77 | Crandall University |
| 78 | Kwantlen Polytechnic University |
| 79 | Trinity Western University |
| 80 | Université Sainte-Anne |
| 81 | Capilano University |
| 82 | Camosun College |
| 83 | College of the Rockies |
| 84 | Northern Lights College |
| 85 | Nicola Valley Institute of Technology |
| 86 | St. Lawrence College |
| 87 | Niagara College |
| 88 | Selkirk College |
| 89 | Portage College |
| 90 | Fleming College |
| 91 | Lambton College |
| 92 | Algoma University |
| 93 | Burman University |
| 94 | College of New Caledonia |
| 95 | Coast Mountain College |
| 96 | Lakeland College |
| 97 | New Brunswick Community College |
| 98 | Athabasca University |
| 99 | Sault College |
| 100 | Assiniboine Community College |
1. University of Waterloo
University of Waterloo is this year’s top spot. Velocity incubator has demonstrated great consistently in hosting competitions and funding opportunities for students entrepreneurs to get their ideas off the ground. One area to examine further, would be finding creative ways to bring exposure for these local startups to further scale outside the Waterloo startup ecosystem.
2. Wilfrid Laurier University
Wilfred Laurier University is at the perfect spot in the Waterloo region to help students create the next big thing. Small classes sizes and programs such as Startup Laurier are a great place for students to explore entrepreneurship. Providing more grant funding opportunities for student-led startups that are going full-time will be the key to further ignite innovation.
3. University of Toronto
There’s no doubt that the University of Toronto continues to lead the way for innovation in Canada. The University of Toronto has the highest number of campus-linked startup accelerators and incubators in Canada. The entrepreneurship week at UofT is one of the best programs, featuring expos, speaker panels, and competitions. One area that could greatly fuel more startups is providing more support for UofT alumni who wish to start new ventures. Currently, many of the programs and startup competitions only support current students and recent alumni up to two years after graduation, leaving out numerous alumni ventures with the potential to scale.
4. York University
York University has been creating more programs for students to explore startups. These program have expanded into cities such as Markham to bring more support for startups. Meetups and events organized by Schulich Startups greatly help to fuel entrepreneurship on campus.
5. Toronto Metropolitan University
Toronto Metropolitan University started one of the earliest campus linked startup incubators in Canada. While some of the programs have matured, there needs to be more ways to support startups after program completion.
6. Queen’s University
Queen’s University has some great programs for students to not only learn about startups, but also build one. Queen’s Entrepreneurs’ Competition (QEC) is one of the best startup competitions for students on a global scale. While the programs scope are extensive to create more entrepreneurs, there should be better ways to connect these startups from Kingston to Toronto and beyond.
7. University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is at the forefront of innovation in the province. With prestigious programs like the Health Innovation Hub @UAlberta and other incubators, Alberta offers a favorable environment to launch a startup, with more affordable standards of living. While the entrepreneurial ecosystem is growing, this province needs to be more in the spotlight to attract entrepreneurs and talent.
8. University of British Columbia
With close proximity to Silicon Valley, UBC can help bring these new innovative ideas forward. For the complete list of startup accelerators and incubators in BC check out here.
9. Western University
Western University is Canada’s Top MBA school and has a huge potential to connect incredibly talented students with startups. Programs need to be designed to help startups with co-founder formation, validation, and more. This is mostly under utilized.
10. Sheridan College
Sheridan College’s EDGE at Square One in Mississauga is doubling down on innovation. Along side with Idea incubator at Mississauga Innovation District, this is one of the top colleges in Canada to help students start new ventures. Grant funding at the grassroots level will be crucial for sparking innovation in the Greater Toronto Area. While Social enterprise programs are a good start at college education level, more focus needs to be on sustainable businesses that can scale to create those job opportunities.
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