International students that are attending a program and or have recently graduated from a Canadian have the opportunity to apply for a startup visa, if they have a business plan that is supported by an investor.
The business plan must add jobs to the Canadian job market and present an idea to investors that is innovative and unique.
One of the most important aspects of this program, is that an applicant is not required to have previous management experience.
How Can You Attend a Business Incubator Event?
Universities across Canada hold incubator events periodically throughout the school year which present applicants with the opportunity to pitch their business plan to investors. Securing the interest of one of these investors is the first step to starting a business in Canada.
An investor could either be from an angel investor group, venture capital fund or business incubator list.
Example of Universities That Host Incubator Events:
Dalhousie University is an example of one the schools that host these incubator events. Shiftkeylabs which is hosted within the department of their Computer Science Program, carries three inter-university sandboxes, creating a space where teamwork within students, advisors and mentors come together to develop business ideas and transfer them into actual concepts.
University of British Columbia, Ryerson University, Simon- Fraser University, McMasters University and Mcgill University are other designated learning institutes offering Incubator events aimed at nurturing the innovative business ideas for international students.
Nadia Bhuptani
