Business in the Streets

What Business in the Streets does

Business in the Streets (BITS) is a Canadian non-profit charity headquartered at 215 Spadina Ave, Toronto, founded in 2012, that delivers free entrepreneurship programming to underserved young people aged 18-34. The organization runs a tiered curriculum beginning with YCEO, an 8-session virtual business fundamentals program, progressing through Boot Camp (hands-on planning, marketing, sales, accounting), Momentum (scaling-stage support), and Storefront Starter (physical retail launch), supplemented by Diageo's Learning Skills for Life curriculum. Programs are delivered primarily via Zoom across Canada with a hybrid cohort in Ottawa, supported by an 8-week formalized mentorship pairing and an alumni Slack community that retains graduates post-program.

BITS funds participants directly through a layered grant stack: the Spark Fund ($1,000 for YCEO graduates), the Professional Development Fund (up to $1,000 for external skills training), BITS Bucks (up to $5,000 for Boot Camp alumni), and the Bold Spirit Awards (CAD$5,000 across four categories, launched in 2025 with Diageo Canada). Cumulative disclosed funding distributed to participants exceeds CAD$750,000. Operating technology is intentionally lightweight — Squarespace-hosted website, Zoom for delivery, Airtable for mentorship applications, Slack for the alumni community — with no proprietary platform or AI capability in place.

Revenue is entirely donation-driven, sourced from individual giving (donorsupport.co page), corporate and foundation sponsorships (Diageo Canada, RBC Foundation, Peter Gilgan Foundation, TD Bank, Enbridge, Trillium, Robert Kerr Foundation), and government grants (City of Toronto). The team of approximately 10 staff and contractors is governed by a Board chaired by Jason Murray (BES Executive Search) with directors from RBC, TD Bank, and Central 1, and is led by Executive Director Kyle Monczak. The organization reports cumulative outcomes of 1,000+ program graduates, 10,000+ mentorship hours, and 1,200+ entrepreneurs served through the Diageo partnership across Toronto and Ottawa.

Name

Business in the Streets

Legal name

Business in the Streets

Website

https://businessinthestreets.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Business in the Streets is a Canadian non-profit charity providing free virtual and hybrid business training, mentorship, and grant funding (up to $5,000) for underserved young entrepreneurs aged 18-34, primarily in Ontario with national reach via Zoom.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Entrepreneurship Support Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM), Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB)

Keywords

• Youth entrepreneurship training
• Startup mentorship programs
• Small business funding grants
• Nonprofit business education
• Entrepreneur community support

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Giving: Individual donations from supporters who contribute to help BITS create new programs, deliver startup funding, and accept more young entrepreneurs. The organization operates a donation page at donorsupport.co.
2. Corporate and Foundation Sponsorships: Partnerships with corporations and foundations including Diageo Canada, RBC Foundation, Peter Gilgan Foundation, Trillium, TD Bank, City of Toronto, and others who provide funding and programmatic support.
3. Government Funding: Funding from government sources including City of Toronto grants and provincial programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Business in the Streets (BITS) is a Canadian non-profit charity that delivers free entrepreneurship training, mentorship, and grant funding to underserved young people aged 18-34 across Canada. Its core offerings include four training programs (YCEO virtual training, Boot Camp, Momentum for scaling, and Storefront Starter for retail launch), a paired mentorship program, and multiple grant programs (BITS Bucks up to $5,000, Spark Fund $1,000, Professional Development Fund up to $1,000, and the Bold Spirit Awards $5,000). All programs are provided free of charge to participants.

Product overview

Business in the Streets (BITS) is a Canadian charity providing a multi-tiered entrepreneurship ecosystem for young people ages 18-34. The core offering consists of four training programs: YCEO (free virtual business training with 8 live sessions), Boot Camp (hands-on business training covering planning, marketing, sales, and accounting), Momentum (advanced program for scaling businesses), and Storefront Starter (for launching physical retail). These programs incorporate Diageo Learning Modules. BITS also provides a comprehensive funding structure including BITS Bucks (grants/loans), the Spark Fund ($1,000 for YCEO graduates), and the Professional Development Fund (up to $1,000 for skills training). The Bold Spirit Awards, a partnership with Diageo Canada, provides $5,000 grants to program graduates. Alumni receive access to mentorship, an exclusive Slack community, and discounts with Freshbooks and Ownr.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• YCEO (Young Community Entrepreneurship Ontario) A free virtual business training program consisting of 8 live sessions delivered via Zoom that teaches participants aged 18-34 everything they need to know to start a business. Designed for aspiring entrepreneurs from underserved backgrounds.
• Boot Camp Free hands-on business training program covering business planning, marketing and sales, accounting, and more, designed to help existing early-stage entrepreneurs boost and grow their businesses.
• Momentum Free advanced business program for BITS alumni entrepreneurs who are ready to scale their existing businesses.
• Storefront Starter Free program designed to help entrepreneurs launch their retail or physical business presence and storefront operations.
• BITS Mentorship Program Free 8-week virtual mentorship program that pairs equity-seeking youth entrepreneurs aged 18-34 with experienced mentors who provide guidance, accountability, and support for building their businesses.
• BITS Bucks Free business funding program providing grants (up to $5,000) and loans for professional and business development to BITS alumni entrepreneurs.
• Spark Fund Free $1,000 grant available to YCEO alumni to help cover startup costs and get their business ideas off the ground, with 10 grants assigned per cohort.
• Professional Development Fund Free grant of up to $1,000 available to YCEO or Boot Camp alumni to cover the cost of technical skills training through external courses to solve business challenges.
• Bold Spirit Awards Grant program developed in partnership with Diageo Canada providing CAD$5,000 awards to underserved BITS program graduates across four categories recognizing entrepreneurial achievement (Resilience and Reinvention, Big Leap, Flying Start, Community Impact).
• Diageo Learning Modules Curriculum module incorporating Diageo's global Learning Skills for Life content covering budgeting, leadership, communication, and teamwork skills, integrated into BITS programming for entrepreneurs and hospitality professionals.
• BITS Events Free events and workshops for BITS entrepreneurs to gain business tips, win prizes, and network with mentors and peers, including vendor markets and the annual Bold Spirit Awards.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,000+ program graduates
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Diageo CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025Diageo Canada and BITS expanded their partnership in 2025 to provide underserved young entrepreneurs funding opportunities through the Bold Spirit Awards. The partnership has supported over 1,200 entrepreneurs in Toronto and Ottawa over three years by providing training and resources including Diageo's Learning Skills for Life curriculum covering budgeting, leadership, communication, and teamwork. Four entrepreneurs receive CAD$5,000 grants through the Bold Spirit Awards program.
• FreshbooksminorOthersProvides exclusive discounts for BITS alumni to manage their businesses at affordable cost.
• OwnrminorOthersProvides exclusive discounts for BITS alumni for business registration and management services.
• George Brown CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational institution partner supporting BITS programs and entrepreneur development.
• Centre for Social InnovationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner providing workspace and resources for BITS programming and entrepreneur community.
• Skills for ChangeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommunity organization partner that refers immigrant and refugee entrepreneurs to BITS programs.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Futurpreneur Canada: Canadian nonprofit providing mentorship, financing, and business resources to young entrepreneurs aged 18-39 — the closest direct peer to BITS in mission, target demographic, and nonprofit delivery model, with national reach.
• Startup Canada: National Canadian entrepreneurship nonprofit running programs, awards, and community initiatives for founders across Canada; directly comparable to BITS in nonprofit entrepreneurship-support model and national scope.

Emerging players

• Black Business Initiative (BBI): Canadian nonprofit supporting Black entrepreneurs through training, consulting, and loan programs; overlaps with BITS in supporting underrepresented founders via training and capital access, though regionally focused on Atlantic Canada.
• TiE Toronto: Toronto chapter of TiE, a global entrepreneurship network running mentorship-driven programs for founders — comparable to BITS's community/mentorship-led model but focused on scaling founders rather than pre-revenue youth entrepreneurs.
• Canadian Black Chamber of Commerce: National organization supporting Black entrepreneurs and business owners in Canada with networking, training, and advocacy — overlaps with BITS's equity-seeking BIPOC founder focus and community-development mission.

Regional players

• Haltech Innovation Centre: Ontario-based innovation hub providing programs, mentorship and advisory services for tech and innovation entrepreneurs — overlaps with BITS in Ontario region and entrepreneur-support delivery, though focused on tech/innovation rather than underserved youth.
• SCORE (US): US-based nonprofit providing free mentorship and business education to small business owners through volunteer mentors — same model of pairing experienced entrepreneurs with emerging founders, though operating in the US rather than Canada.

Others

• Centre for Social Innovation: Toronto-based nonprofit coworking and incubator space supporting social entrepreneurs — listed as a BITS partner, comparable as ecosystem/community infrastructure for mission-driven founders rather than as a direct training competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Youth Business International (YBI): Global network of independent youth business programs supporting underserved young entrepreneurs with training, mentorship, and access to finance — operates the same hybrid model BITS uses, but at international scale across 50+ country members.
• MaRS Discovery District: Large Toronto-based innovation district supporting entrepreneurs with programs, advisory, and ecosystem services; broader and better-capitalized than BITS but addresses overlapping audience of early-stage founders in the same geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/p/CA8UyefldcC
• Xx.com/bitsto
• Facebookfacebook.com/BusinessInTheStreets
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/businessinthestreets

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Business in the Streets