What NEXT Canada does

NEXT Canada is a federally registered Canadian non-profit charity (registration No. 81519 8403 RR0001) founded in 2010 and headquartered at 175 Bloor Street East in Toronto, with a secondary presence in Montreal. The organization operates as a national accelerator and entrepreneurial network, delivering three distinct cohort-based programs: NEXT 36 (for students and recent graduates launching startups, with up to $50K seed funding), NEXT Founders (for founders of high-growth ventures seeking to scale), and NEXT AI (for AI-enabled startups at idea-to-pre-seed stage, with up to $150K funding and a Startup Visa Program pathway). Programming combines workspace, structured curriculum, dedicated mentorship, and access to a 500+ member network of Canadian academics, entrepreneurs, investors, and alumni faculty that includes Yoshua Bengio (Université de Montréal / Mila), Hong Luo (Harvard Business School), and Ajay Agrawal (Rotman School of Management).

NEXT Canada does not monetize its programs through entrepreneur fees; instead, it funds operations via donations, corporate partnerships, and government grants. Core financial partners include RBC (transformational, multi-year), Scotiabank, Magna International, EY, and BDC, with major family support from the Desmarais family, the Weston Family, and Tim and Frances Price. The Hatch partnership (announced July 2022) and the Flybits engagement (March 2021) add operational and ecosystem resources. Cumulatively, NEXT Canada reports 1,200+ entrepreneurs launched, 800+ ventures scaled, $5.7 billion CAD in capital raised by alumni ventures, and 4,000+ new jobs created. There is no underlying technology platform — the "product" is the program cohort itself, supported by alumni directories, the GRIT Magazine content channel, and direct application pipelines.

The organization is governed by a volunteer board (Reza Satchu, Founding Chairman; recent additions Chiko Nanji and Josh Domingues in February 2024) and led by CEO Kyle Winters, who was promoted internally from Chief Advancement Officer effective June 1, 2021. NEXT Canada has no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no traditional ownership structure; it relies on donor renewal cycles and grant inflows for continuity. Operating geographies are domestic (Toronto and Montreal), with no disclosed international footprint.

Name

NEXT Canada

Legal name

NEXT Canada

Website

https://nextcanada.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NEXT Canada is a Toronto-based non-profit accelerator running three cohort programs — NEXT 36 (student founders), NEXT Founders (scaling founders), and NEXT AI (AI-enabled startups) — funded by corporate partners and donors, serving Canadian entrepreneurs through mentorship, curriculum, and seed funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entrepreneurship Accelerator Programs

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

Keywords

• Entrepreneur accelerator programs
• Startup mentorship programs
• Innovation non-profit
• Venture development network
• AI founder programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Corporate Partnerships: As a not-for-profit, NEXT Canada relies on generous support from donors, corporate partners and government funding to provide access and accelerate entrepreneurs at minimal cost.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NEXT Canada operates three premier entrepreneur accelerator programs: NEXT 36 (for students and recent graduates launching startups, with up to $50K seed funding), NEXT Founders (for founders of high-growth ventures looking to scale), and NEXT AI (for AI-enabled startups from idea to pre-seed stage, with up to $150K funding and locations in Toronto and Montreal). The programs deliver education, mentorship from a 500+ member network of Canadian leaders, academics, entrepreneurs, and investors, plus access to funding and workspace.

Product overview

NEXT Canada is a not-for-profit entrepreneurial development organization offering three premier accelerator programs: NEXT 36 (for students/recent grads at idea to pre-seed stage), NEXT Founders (for scaling high-growth ventures), and NEXT AI (for AI-enabled startups at idea to pre-seed stage, with locations in Toronto and Montreal). The programs provide education, mentorship, funding access, and connection to Canada's strongest entrepreneurial network of 500+ leaders, academics, investors, and founders. NEXT Canada operates as a unified platform with modular programs designed to support entrepreneurs across different stages of their journey.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NEXT 36: Program for students and recent grads launching their startups
• NEXT Founders
• NEXT AI

Products and services

• NEXT 36 Premier accelerator program for students and recent graduates launching their startups. Provides up to $50K in seed funding, workspace, dedicated mentorship, access to business leaders and advisors, and a curriculum designed to help founders grow.
• NEXT Founders Accelerator program for founders of high-growth ventures looking to scale. Provides mentorship, advisory resources, and access to Canada's strongest entrepreneurial network of 500+ leaders to accelerate growth trajectory.
• NEXT AI Accelerator for AI-enabled startups from idea to pre-seed stage. Provides up to $150K in funding, workspace at NEXT AI HQ in Toronto or Montreal, dedicated mentorship, technical and business curriculum, and support through the Startup Visa Program.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,200+ entrepreneurs launched through programs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered strategic and supporting.

• HatchstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 July 2022Hatch, a leading engineering and professional services firm, teamed up with NEXT Canada to accelerate Canadian AI founders. The partnership provides additional resources and expertise for AI-enabled startups in the NEXT AI program.
• FlybitssupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 March 2021Flybits, a Toronto-based startup, joined NEXT Canada as a partner. Entrepreneurs supporting entrepreneurs - Flybits brings experience from the peaks and troughs of early-stage startups to help current participants.
• The Upside FoundationsupportingOthersThe Upside Foundation supports NEXT Canada events and programming, providing executive director moderation and resources for entrepreneur events.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Founder Institute: Global pre-seed accelerator and founder development program. Comparable in stage focus (idea to pre-seed) and in providing structured mentorship and curriculum, with chapters worldwide including Toronto.
• MaRS Discovery District: Toronto-based innovation hub supporting high-impact Canadian startups. Shares NEXT Canada's mission of building the Canadian innovation ecosystem and overlapping founder audience, particularly in Toronto.
• Creative Destruction Lab: Toronto-based, university-affiliated (Rotman School of Management) accelerator targeting science- and AI-based ventures. Highly comparable to NEXT AI in geography, AI focus, and stage, sharing faculty like Ajay Agrawal.
• Velocity (University of Waterloo): Canada's largest university-affiliated startup incubator, based at the University of Waterloo. Comparable to NEXT 36 in serving student founders, but with a stronger technical-engineering tilt and Waterloo-rooted network.
• FounderFuel: Montreal-based pre-seed accelerator. Highly comparable to NEXT AI given shared Montreal geography, AI-leaning portfolio, and similar stage focus, making it one of NEXT Canada's closest direct competitors.
• DMZ (Toronto Metropolitan University): Leading Canadian university-based startup incubator based in Toronto. Directly comparable to NEXT 36 in targeting student and recent-grad founders with mentorship, workspace, and programming.

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Large global accelerator with mentorship-driven cohorts. Operates at scale across many verticals and geographies, competing with NEXT Founders for scaling-stage Canadian founders seeking accelerator capital and networks.
• Startupbootcamp: Global accelerator operator running vertical-specific programs. Comparable in accelerator model and stage focus to NEXT Founders, with broader geographic reach and corporate-partner network.
• Y Combinator: The world's largest startup accelerator. While broader and US-centric, YC serves the same pre-seed founder audience as NEXT 36 and NEXT Founders and competes for top Canadian applicants.

Regional players

• Innovation Factory: Hamilton, Ontario-based regional innovation center supporting startups. Comparable mission and stage focus to NEXT Canada but primarily serves the Hamilton-Halton region rather than operating nationally.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/Lg7_WosvwPc
• Xx.com/next_canada

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments327 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NEXT Canada