Venture For Canada
Venture For Canada is a Toronto-based registered Canadian charity that equips young Canadians (ages 21-29) with entrepreneurial skills through paid Internship and Intrapreneurship programs, a Fellowship Academy, and Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition bootcamps, connecting graduates to Canadian startups and SMEs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersToronto, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Venture For Canada does
Venture for Canada Fellowship Institute (operating as Venture For Canada / VFC) is a registered Canadian charity and national nonprofit headquartered at 720 Bathurst Street, Toronto, founded in 2012. Its mission is to equip young Canadians aged 21-29 with entrepreneurial skills, mindset, and workplace readiness through a portfolio of experiential programs: paid Internship and Intrapreneurship placements for post-secondary students, the six-week Fellowship Academy (Sales & AI Edition) for recent graduates ($699 CAD per participant), post-program Fellowship Alumni support, and the Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) Academy 101 (Virtual) and ETA Bootcamp: Montreal ($2,300-$2,600 CAD) for mid-career professionals pursuing business ownership. Supporting offerings include VFC Workshops on human skills, the A New Wave of Entrepreneurship podcast (Seasons 9-11), and the annual All Things People Conference, which drew 290+ attendees from 38 organizations.
VFC operates a hybrid revenue model anchored by Government of Canada funding (which subsidizes internship wages and 100% of intrapreneurship support) and supplemented by participant fees, corporate sponsorships (notably TD Bank Group for the Perspectives blog), individual donations, and tailored workshop pricing for organizational buyers. Distribution is multi-channel: direct self-serve enrollment through ventureforcanada.ca, a dedicated employer hiring portal, government-funded program channels, and organizational partnerships. In May 2026 the organization launched a 9-member AI Advisory Council spanning AI research (Amii), policy (U of Toronto), startups (LawZero, Aperture AI), and corporate Canada (Deloitte Canada, Radical Ventures) to guide AI integration across programming. CEO Steven Wang was appointed in September 2025, succeeding founder Scott Stirrett, and testified before the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade in February 2026.
The organization employs 11-50 staff and has disclosed cumulative funding of approximately $5.88M CAD across two 2018 rounds ($4.4M from the Government of Canada, $1.48M from Ontario Centres of Excellence). VFC addresses Canada's youth unemployment (cited at 13.8%) and the experience gap between post-secondary education and employer expectations by providing vetted talent to Canadian startups and SMEs alongside training pathways. Its AI maturity is curriculum-level: VFC teaches AI fluency as a workforce-readiness skill rather than building proprietary AI products, with no disclosed models, patents, or AI/ML research function.
Venture For Canada firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Venture For Canada
- Legal name
- Venture for Canada Fellowship Institute
- Website
- https://ventureforcanada.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Venture For Canada is a Toronto-based registered Canadian charity that equips young Canadians (ages 21-29) with entrepreneurial skills through paid Internship and Intrapreneurship programs, a Fellowship Academy, and Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition bootcamps, connecting graduates to Canadian startups and SMEs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Venture For Canada industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Workforce Development & Career Training
- NAICS
- Professional and Management Development Training (611430)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Entrepreneurship, Startup Incubation & Pitch Programs (EDAMAKAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Mentorship & Coaching (Career, Academic, Industry-Specific) (EDAMAKAA), Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM)
Keywords
Where Venture For Canada is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toronto
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Venture For Canada business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Program Enrollment Fees: Revenue from participant enrollment in programs including Fellowship Academy ($699 CAD) and ETA Bootcamp Montreal ($2,600 CAD early bird pricing)
- Government Funding: VFC is funded by the Government of Canada as indicated on their website. The organization operates as a registered Canadian charity.
- Donations and Sponsorships: Individual donations and corporate sponsorships support the charitable mission. TD Bank Group is listed as a sponsor on the Perspectives blog.
- Workshop Fees: Revenue from workshop offerings including virtual, in-person, and on-demand self-paced learning options for organizations and individuals
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Fellowship Academy: Sales & AI Edition |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | ETA Bootcamp: Montreal |
| Subscription | Monthly | VFC Workshops |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Venture For Canada product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Venture For Canada operates as a registered Canadian charity delivering experiential learning programs that equip young Canadians (post-secondary students, recent graduates, and mid-career professionals) with entrepreneurial skills and connect them with startups and SMEs. Its core offerings include paid Internship and Intrapreneurship programs, the Fellowship Academy (Sales & AI Edition) career accelerator, Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) programs for mid-career professionals, and employer-facing talent-matching services backed by Government of Canada funding.
Product overview
Venture For Canada is a national non-profit charity offering a portfolio of interconnected programs designed to equip young Canadians with entrepreneurial skills, mindset, and opportunities for the innovation economy. The core offering consists of experiential programs: the Fellowship Academy (Sales & AI Edition) as the flagship career accelerator, supplemented by Fellowship Alumni for ongoing graduate support. For students, there are Internship and Intrapreneurship programs providing paid workplace experiences. For mid-career professionals, ETA Academy 101 (Virtual) and ETA Bootcamp: Montreal offer pathways to entrepreneurship through business acquisition. Supporting resources include workshops focused on human skills (values, resilience, failure, difficult conversations), the A New Wave of Entrepreneurship Podcast, and the annual All Things People Conference. The organization recently launched an AI Advisory Council to guide responsible AI integration across programming.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Fellowship Academy: Sales & AI Edition A six-week career accelerator program for young Canadians aged 21-29 that builds practical sales and AI skills employers hire for, with focus on human judgment, applied sales skills, and employer networking. Participants pay $699 CAD with scholarships available; the cohort runs April 18 – May 28, 2026.
- Internship Program Paid work experiences for post-secondary students that provide practical learning opportunities not available in traditional classroom settings, connecting students with Canadian startups and SMEs. Wage subsidies are funded by the Government of Canada.
- Intrapreneurship Program
- Fellowship Alumni
- ETA Academy 101: Virtual
- ETA Bootcamp: Montreal
- Venture for Canada Workshops
- Hire VFC Talent Service
Quantifiable outcome
- Youth unemployment addressed through practical training programs
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Venture For Canada
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Venture For Canada technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature3 records
Venture For Canada partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- AI Advisory Council MemberscoreCouncil comprising 9 leaders from AI research, policy, technology, startups: Sam Ramadori (LawZero), Zabeen Hirji (Deloitte Canada), Jaxson Khan (Aperture AI), Salim Teja (Radical Ventures), Stephanie Enders (Amii), Abdi Aidid (U of Toronto), Rosario Cartagena (Osler/ICES), Andre Cote (TMU Dais), Marc Etienne Ouimette (Cardinal Policy). Provides guidance on responsible AI adoption and workforce readiness.
- TD Bank GroupflagshipSponsor of Perspectives blog content and TD DEI Resources section. Long-standing corporate sponsor supporting VFC's mission.
- FaskenminorTheme sponsor for All Things People Conference 2023.
- MobsquadminorTheme sponsor for All Things People Conference 2023.
- VoltaminorCommunity sponsor for All Things People Conference 2023, supporting startup ecosystem events.
- Centre for Social InnovationminorCommunity sponsor for All Things People Conference 2023.
- Canadian Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (CGLCC)minorCommunity sponsor for All Things People Conference 2023.
- Creative Destruction Lab (CDL)minorCommunity sponsor for All Things People Conference 2023.
- Future of GoodminorMedia sponsor for All Things People Conference 2023.
- BetakitminorMedia sponsor covering Canadian startup and tech news.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Venture For Canada competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Futurpreneur: Canadian non-profit providing financing, mentorship, and resources to young entrepreneurs (ages 18-39). Highly comparable as both organizations target Canadian youth with programs blending mentorship, training, and ecosystem access, and both receive government support.
- Junior Achievement Canada: Long-standing Canadian non-profit delivering entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial literacy programs to youth. Comparable in mission, demographic (young Canadians), and experiential learning model.
- Riipen: Canadian work-integrated learning platform connecting post-secondary students with companies for project-based experiential learning. Highly comparable to VFC's Internship and Intrapreneurship programs in connecting Canadian talent with SMEs/startups.
- The Knowledge Society (TKS): Canadian youth talent development program focused on emerging technologies, entrepreneurship, and human skills for ages 13-25. Comparable in target demographic, AI/tech fluency training focus, and human skills curriculum.
- Canada Learning Code: Canadian non-profit delivering digital literacy and tech education across age groups. Comparable as a mission-driven Canadian education charity focused on future-of-work skills and youth.
Broad incumbents
- MaRS Discovery District: Toronto-based innovation hub supporting Canadian startups and entrepreneurs with talent, capital, and advisory services. Comparable as a Canadian entrepreneurship ecosystem builder with talent-matching elements, though broader in scope than VFC's youth-focused mission.
- The DMZ (Toronto Metropolitan University): Leading Canadian startup incubator and accelerator at TMU connecting founders with talent, mentors, and capital. Comparable as part of the Canadian startup talent ecosystem with internship and entrepreneurship pathways for young Canadians.
Emerging players
- Lighthouse Labs: Canadian coding and data bootcamp offering intensive career-accelerator programs. Comparable as a Canada-based, cohort-based skills accelerator for early-career talent, though focused on technical coding skills rather than entrepreneurship.
- BrainStation: Canadian digital skills training provider offering bootcamps and courses in technology, design, data, and business. Comparable as a Canadian cohort-based career accelerator, though commercial rather than mission-driven.
Regional players
- Communitech: Waterloo-based innovation hub supporting Canadian tech startups and talent. Comparable in mission of building Canada's innovation talent pipeline, though regionally focused on Ontario's tech corridor and broader in scope.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Venture For Canada social profiles
Digital presenceVenture For Canada financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Venture For Canada leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Venture For Canada funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Venture For Canada M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Venture For Canada
What does Venture For Canada do?
Venture For Canada operates as a registered Canadian charity delivering experiential learning programs that equip young Canadians (post-secondary students, recent graduates, and mid-career professionals) with entrepreneurial skills and connect them with startups and SMEs. Its core offerings include paid Internship and Intrapreneurship programs, the Fellowship Academy (Sales & AI Edition) career accelerator, Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) programs for mid-career professionals, and employer-facing talent-matching services backed by Government of Canada funding.
Is Venture For Canada a public or private company?
Venture For Canada is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Venture For Canada founded?
Venture For Canada was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Venture For Canada based?
Venture For Canada is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Venture For Canada make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Program Enrollment Fees are the primary driver. The others are government Funding, donations and Sponsorships and workshop Fees.
Who are Venture For Canada's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Futurpreneur, Junior Achievement Canada, Riipen, The Knowledge Society (TKS) and Canada Learning Code. Broad incumbents are MaRS Discovery District and The DMZ (Toronto Metropolitan University). Emerging players are Lighthouse Labs and BrainStation. Communitech is listed as a regional player.
Does Venture For Canada have an API?
No public API is recorded for Venture For Canada.
What industry is Venture For Canada in?
Venture For Canada's product category is Youth Workforce Development & Career Training. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMAKAK, Entrepreneurship, Startup Incubation & Pitch Programs, with a secondary code of EDAMAHAA, Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics. Its NAICS code is 611430 and its SIC code is 8200.