Co-operatives First
Co-operatives First is a Saskatoon-based, privately held business development agency (1-10 employees, founded 2016) that provides advisory supports and resources to help groups start cooperatives in Canada.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersSaskatoon, Canada
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Co-operatives First does
Co-operatives First is a privately held, for-profit business development agency headquartered in Saskatoon, Canada. Per its own short description, the firm provides supports and resources designed to make the process of starting a cooperative easier, positioning it as an advisory and enablement shop for prospective co-op founders rather than a software or platform company. Its operating geography appears to be Canada-centric, consistent with the Saskatchewan base and the Canadian co-op ecosystem, though no explicit market footprint is disclosed in the available sources.
The company was founded in 2016 and operates with a small team of 1-10 employees. No products, pricing models, customer segments, partnership arrangements, awards, management roster, funding rounds, or revenue figures were available in any of the source blocks; the company's own website (cooperativesfirst.com) returned only a loading/verification page at the time of capture, and no third-party news or press coverage was provided. As a result, the underlying business mechanics — how engagements are scoped, what fees or grants fund the work, whether revenue is fee-for-service, grant-funded, or contract-based with provincial/federal bodies, and who the named clients are — cannot be confirmed from the evidence.
Given the data thinness, the description above is necessarily bounded: what is known is the firm's self-described mandate (co-op formation support), its legal form (private, for-profit), its scale (1-10 staff), and its location (Saskatoon, Canada). What is not known includes revenue, ownership, leadership, capital structure, productized offerings, and any recent strategic activity. Readers should treat any further extrapolation as unsupported.
Co-operatives First firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Co-operatives First
- Website
- https://cooperativesfirst.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Co-operatives First is a Saskatoon-based, privately held business development agency (1-10 employees, founded 2016) that provides advisory supports and resources to help groups start cooperatives in Canada.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Co-operatives First is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Saskatoon
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Co-operatives First business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Co-operatives First product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Co-operatives First is a business development agency that provides supports and resources designed to make the process of starting a cooperative easier for clients. The firm guides prospective co-op founders through formation and operational setup using advisory services and curated resources, delivered by a small team based in Saskatoon, Canada.
Product overview
The source content for Co-operatives First consists only of a loading/verification page with no substantive information about the company's products or services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Cooperative Formation Support Business development agency service that provides supports and resources designed to make the process of starting a cooperative easier. Targeted at prospective cooperative founders, community groups, and small organizations needing help to form and launch a cooperative enterprise.
Companies that use Co-operatives First
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Co-operatives First technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Co-operatives First competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- CooperationWorks!: US network of co-op development specialists providing formation and advisory services. Comparable as a practitioner network supporting co-op founders, though structured as a cooperative of practitioners.
- Project Equity: US non-profit specializing in business conversions to employee ownership and co-ops. Comparable in advisory and feasibility work for cooperative transitions, though US-focused.
- Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada (CMC): National umbrella association for Canadian co-operatives and mutuals. Directly comparable as a co-op support and development organization operating across Canada, though CMC is membership-based rather than for-profit.
- ICA Group: US-based non-profit that helps start, convert, and strengthen cooperatives. Closely comparable in service offering to Co-operatives First, though operating in the United States rather than Canada.
- Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada (CDF Canada): Canadian organization focused on co-operative development domestically and internationally. Closely comparable in mission — supporting co-op formation and capacity building — though CDF is a registered charity.
- Canadian Worker Co-operative Federation (CWCF): National federation supporting worker co-operatives in Canada. Comparable as a co-op development and advocacy organization serving founders, although structured as a membership federation.
- Democracy at Work Institute: US research and development organization advancing worker co-operative formation. Comparable in providing tools, training, and advisory support for co-op founders, though primarily focused on worker co-ops.
Broad incumbents
- Community Futures Network of Canada: National network of rural community development corporations offering business advisory services including to co-op founders. Comparable as a small-business development service provider, though with a broader rural development mandate.
Regional players
- Ontario Co-operative Association: Provincial co-op association in Ontario. Comparable as a co-op development and member services body, though it operates regionally rather than in Saskatchewan.
- Conseil québécois de la coopération et de la mutualité: Quebec-based co-op and mutual association. Comparable in services offered to co-op founders, but primarily serves Quebec rather than Western Canada.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights4 records
Customer concentration
Co-operatives First social profiles
Digital presenceCo-operatives First financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Co-operatives First leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Co-operatives First funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Co-operatives First 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 Co-operatives First
What does Co-operatives First do?
Co-operatives First is a business development agency that provides supports and resources designed to make the process of starting a cooperative easier for clients. The firm guides prospective co-op founders through formation and operational setup using advisory services and curated resources, delivered by a small team based in Saskatoon, Canada.
When was Co-operatives First founded?
Co-operatives First was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Co-operatives First based?
Co-operatives First is headquartered in Saskatoon, Canada, in the North America region.
Who are Co-operatives First's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are CooperationWorks!, Project Equity, Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada (CMC), ICA Group, Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada (CDF Canada), Canadian Worker Co-operative Federation (CWCF) and Democracy at Work Institute. Community Futures Network of Canada is listed as a broad incumbent. Regional players are Ontario Co-operative Association and Conseil québécois de la coopération et de la mutualité.
Does Co-operatives First have an API?
No public API is recorded for Co-operatives First.