The software-as-a-service (SaaS) market is experiencing explosive growth in Canada, thanks in large part an influx in US investment and the shift to digital transformation fuelled by the Covid-19 pandemic.
SaaS investment skyrocketed to almost $10B in 2021 in Canada, nearly doubling the country’s pre-pandemic 2019 total.
Brampton is located in the heart of Canada’s innovation corridor and is a part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), the second-largest tech sector in North America. Given this strategic placement, Brampton is a prime launch pad for innovative and disruptive international SaaS start-ups.
Brampton’s strategic location provides incredible benefits for foreign software start-ups, including access to 30% of Canada’s university students, 15,000 tech companies, 250,000 tech workers and 5,200 tech start-ups.
Many world-class SaaS companies have their headquarters in Brampton and the nearby Toronto area, including SmartBuild, Freshbooks, Prodigy Games, TouchBistro, Altus Group, Maropost, Descartes Systems Group, OpenText and more.
Brampton is home to Canada’s first cybersecurity accelerator, Rogers Cybersecurity Catalyst and Sheridan College’s Faculty of Applied Science and Technology renowned ICT diploma and degree programs.
The city also boasts a specialized business incubation and accelerator space, Ryerson Venture Zone. This pre-seed, non-equity incubator brings aspiring entrepreneurs, current founders, and key industry partners together to build solutions that address hyperlocal issues in the community.
To support sustainable, global and innovative SaaS start-ups, BHive has developed a sector-specific incubation program to help founders scale their business and accelerate their growth in the North America market.
Access to funding
Matching applicants with suitable investors and funding opportunities.
Mentorship opportunities
Introductions to leaders in the software industry to provide mentorship, guidance and support.
Access to research facilities and lab space
Leveraging resources from one of the 21 post-secondary institutions located within an hour's drive of Brampton, including top-rated research universities in North America like McMaster University & University of Toronto.
Skilled talent Access to a skilled local workforce of tech professionals as well as thousands of students enrolled at the 21 post-secondary institutions located near Brampton.
Dedicated Sector Manager
Access to a dedicated Sector Manager specializing in software and technology to provide industry-specific advice for the Canadian and North American markets.
Our SaaS cohort is suited to game-changing early-stage start-ups that are building the future of software and automation as well as early-stage software companies looking to expand to North America.
We’re looking for energetic, visionary, coachable founders running B2B software companies that are leveraging advanced proprietary technology such as AI, ML, IOT, and networking to ease operations and processes for companies.
This cohort is aimed toward early-stage companies (pre-seed, seed, or Series), whether they have raised little to no investment or even projects (pre-incorporation), or are a Software and Automation focused startup at any stage of the company life cycle.
Companies with any or all the following are preferred:
Are you a fast-growing foreign start-up looking to expand into North America? Get in touch with the BHive team to see how we can help accelerate your North American expansion.