Build Canada

What Build Canada does

Build Canada is a Canadian non-profit advocacy organization founded in 2025 and based in Burlington, Ontario. It promotes economic growth, productivity, and policy reform in Canada by publishing policy memos authored by prominent Canadian builders and entrepreneurs, profiling historical figures who shaped the country, and operating accountability tools that track federal government commitments. The organization is led by Co-Founder and CEO Lucy Hargreaves and supported by a small core team plus a board of advisors that includes Daniel Debow, Fiona McKean, and Jeff Adamson.

Its core products are content-driven rather than technology products. The Policy Memos Platform publishes memos from contributors such as Shopify's Head of Engineering Farhan Thawar, Relay CEO Yoseph West, Neo Financial co-founder Jeff Adamson, and Globalive Managing Partner Brice Scheschuk, covering topics including taxation, immigration, AI, housing, defense, and innovation. The Great Canadian Builders archive offers biographical profiles of Canadian entrepreneurs (e.g., Chip Wilson, Karl Clark, Jim Pattison). The Outcomes Tracker monitors 603 Liberal government commitments (131 Not Started, 420 In Progress, 47 Completed, 5 Broken), and the Canada Spends project provides transparent data on federal, provincial, and municipal government revenues and expenditures. A Toronto-specific subsection focuses on municipal policy ideas, and a Substack newsletter provides weekly distribution.

Build Canada operates on donations processed via Stripe and generates no commercial revenue from products or services. Its distribution channels are primarily digital: its website, X, LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Substack, alongside an online merchandise store and event participation such as the co-hosted Built in Canada Awards with Simple Ventures and Toronto Tech Week panels. The organization does not sell to traditional customers; its target audience is policy influencers and decision-makers, with donations from the broader public providing operating funds. There is no disclosed AI/ML capability in the product set, no disclosed funding rounds, and no parent organization.

Name

Build Canada

Legal name

Build Canada

Website

https://buildcanada.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Build Canada is a Canadian non-profit advocacy organization that publishes policy memos from entrepreneurs, profiles notable builders, and tracks government commitments to promote economic growth and productivity reform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Policy Advocacy

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Policy advocacy
• Economic policy memos
• Government accountability tracking
• Nonprofit think tank
• Builder storytelling

Headquarters

HQ city

Burlington

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Build Canada is a non-profit policy advocacy organization that publishes policy memos written by prominent Canadian builders, entrepreneurs, and executives on topics such as taxation, immigration, housing, AI, and economic growth. It also curates the Great Canadian Builders biographical archive celebrating historical Canadian entrepreneurs and operates the Outcomes Tracker, a tool monitoring federal government commitments from promise to completion. The organization distributes its content through its website, Substack newsletter, and social media channels, and is funded through donations and merchandise sales.

Product overview

Build Canada is a policy advocacy organization (not to be confused with the federal Build Canada Homes agency) that promotes Canadian economic prosperity through multiple platforms: a policy memos publication (featuring ideas from entrepreneurs and builders on finance, immigration, housing, and innovation), a Great Canadian Builders biographical archive, an Outcomes Tracker monitoring government commitments, and a Toronto-focused sub-section. The organization operates primarily as a content and advocacy platform rather than a technology product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Built in Canada Awards: An awards program co-hosted by Build Canada and Simple Ventures celebrating Canadian founders and entrepreneurs.
• Outcomes Tracker
• Canada Spends
• Build Canada Toronto

Products and services

• Policy Memos Platform

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Public Policy Forum: Canadian non-partisan policy advocacy organization producing research and convening leaders across economic and public policy — directly comparable to Build Canada's mission of convening business voices for policy reform.
• Canada 2020: Canadian progressive think tank publishing policy ideas and hosting events on economic and social policy; comparable in operating model to Build Canada's memo-and-events approach.
• C.D. Howe Institute: Long-standing Canadian economic policy think tank producing research memos on productivity, taxation, and economic growth — overlapping directly with Build Canada's policy memo focus areas.
• Macdonald-Laurier Institute: Canadian public policy think tank publishing commentary and research on economic prosperity and federal policy; shares Build Canada's emphasis on growth-oriented policy ideas and business-led voice.
• Canada West Foundation: Western Canadian policy research organization focused on economic competitiveness and productivity — highly comparable mission and audience to Build Canada's economic growth mandate.
• Smart Prosperity Institute: Canadian policy institute focused on productivity, innovation, and clean growth — comparable in producing actionable policy ideas and engaging business leaders in policy discourse.
• Institute for Research on Public Policy: Independent Canadian policy research institution publishing analysis on economic and social policy — closely comparable in operating model and policy memo style to Build Canada.
• Generation Squeeze: Canadian advocacy organization using research and storytelling to drive policy change on generational economic issues — comparable lean-team, narrative-driven advocacy approach to Build Canada.
• Canada Strong & Free (formerly CTF): Canadian think tank advocating for free-market and growth-oriented policy ideas; overlaps with Build Canada's economic competitiveness framing and business-led policy voice.

Broad incumbents

• Canadian Chamber of Commerce: Canada's largest business advocacy organization representing firms across sectors; broader and more established than Build Canada but comparable in advocating business perspectives on federal economic policy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/build_canada
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@BuildCanada
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/buildcanada
• Instagraminstagram.com/build_canada
• TikToktiktok.com/@build_canada

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Build Canada