Despite booming startup activity, few Canadian ventures reach sustained high growth. Calgary’s innovation ecosystem is mobilizing to change that, and ScaleUP Week is its rallying point.
A country of startups, a shortage of scaleups
Canada is good at launching companies. It is less successful at helping them grow.
According to OECD research, only 5% of Canadian start-ups grow beyond that size within three years. While accelerators, pitch competitions, and startup spotlights have multiplied, the number of Canadian firms that achieve scale remains disproportionately low.
Calgary is one of the cities actively confronting this gap. As Canada’s fastest-growing startup ecosystem in 2025 and a global top-100 emerging tech hub, Calgary has momentum, but also a reckoning. A city that excels at sparking ideas must now turn its attention to what comes after.
Brad Parry, CEO of Calgary Economic Development, has noted that while Calgary hasn’t yet seen the scale of deals landed by Vancouver, there is a clear rise in the number of companies entering the early stages of scaleup.
That shift — from startup energy to scaleup readiness — is at the heart of Calgary’s economic evolution, and the focus of a growing network of organizations working to build what comes next.
Understanding the scaleup gap
Startups and scaleups are often lumped together, but their needs are fundamentally different.
A startup is an early-stage company searching for product-market fit. A scaleup has found it and is now focused on expanding markets, teams, and revenue.
Charles Plant, founder of the Narwhal Project, defines scaleups as companies with monthly revenue around $500,000 that have developed marketing efficiency, the ability to grow while earning a return for investors.
Others view scaleups as a subset of high-growth firms that have decoupled revenue growth from cost growth. In other words, they are able to grow revenue significantly faster than expenses.
This shift often requires integrating enabling technologies into the business model to improve productivity, enable replication, and capture economies of scale.
Strategyzer frames this transition as moving from product–market fit to business model fit, a phase where companies must prove they can scale sustainably instead of simply growing headcount or customer numbers.
These companies create jobs, attract international capital, and establish new industry footholds. But very few make it there.
The reasons are complex, ranging from leadership gaps to limited access to late-stage capital, but the effect is clear: a narrowing funnel that stalls progress before companies can reach their full potential.
Building an ecosystem for growth
In recent years, Calgary has doubled down on initiatives to support companies at the startup and scaleup stages.
Platform Calgary has established programming, including capital-raising workshops, mentorship networks, and a growing investor hub.
In 2024, companies connected to Platform Calgary raised $323 million, while more than 140 local tech firms grew from fewer than five employees to five or more, which is an early signal of growth-stage momentum.
At the provincial level, Alberta Innovates runs the Scaleup and Growth Accelerator Program in partnership with global accelerator networks. According to a May 2024 impact report, companies that completed the program created 249 new jobs and generated $58 million in new revenue.
Another key contributor is the Growth Catalyst program, a hands-on leadership accelerator designed for Alberta’s scaling businesses.
Unlike many programs that focus solely on the founder, Growth Catalyst works directly with the company’s full leadership team. Over a structured seven-month journey, the program helps businesses align around strategy, implement new systems, and build the capacity to execute on ambitious growth plans.
Growth Catalyst’s 2025 Impact Report highlights promising results, with participating companies reporting an average revenue increase of $1.2 million per firm within 12 months of joining the program, alongside a 12% increase in employment, and substantial improvements in internal leadership alignment and strategic focus.
But access alone doesn’t solve the problem. Founders interviewed in the same report cited ecosystem complexity as a barrier.
Navigating the ecosystem remains a challenge. Entrepreneurs often don’t know which support programs are best aligned with their current phase of growth.
This fragmentation has led to new calls for clarity, integration, and stronger pathways that guide companies from startup to scale.
Shifting focus from activity to outcomes
Part of what makes Calgary’s approach distinct is its recognition that scaling companies require more than capital.
There is mounting evidence that they need experienced leadership, scalable processes, sophisticated hiring strategies, and peer networks that can help navigate rapid change.
Alberta Innovates notes that while accelerator programs improved tactical knowledge, the most lasting benefit came from peer and mentor relationships.
In response, groups like the Calgary Innovation Coalition (CIC) are working to better understand founder needs and shape more tailored programming. The CIC’s 10X Challenge, which aims to support 1,027 tech startups by 2031, includes a focus on improving scaleup outcomes, not just increasing startup volume.
ScaleUP Week as a Western Canadian convergence point
This broader shift will be on display next week during ScaleUP Week in Calgary, a Western Canadian gathering of founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders focused on accelerating high-growth companies.
The flagship program will unfold across four themed days: ScaleUP Ecosystems on June 2, ScaleUP Masterclasses on June 3, and ScaleUP Connections on June 4, a curated forum matching scaleups with investors and advisors. The week will culminate on June 5 with the ScaleUP Awards Gala, recognizing companies making meaningful strides in sustainability, social impact, and international expansion.
But the momentum isn’t limited to Calgary.
Regional programming will run concurrently in Vancouver, Edmonton, and Winnipeg. These partner-led events include roundtables, sector spotlights, and hands-on workshops, all tailored to the unique challenges of scaling companies in their local contexts.
Western Canada is home to a “diverse economic engine,” says Simon Raby, professor at Mount Royal University and founder of ScaleUP Week. With more than 420,000 small businesses and accounting for four in ten small businesses in Canada, he says these enterprises play a critical role in job creation, innovation, and the country’s GDP.
“Together, the western provinces form a region whose collective economic weight rivals that of Ontario and Quebec,” says Raby.”Yet scaling firms in the West often operate in isolation, constrained by fragmented ecosystems, smaller markets, and limited interprovincial integration.”
These distributed events reflect a shared goal: to support growth-stage companies across Western Canada and strengthen connections between innovation centres. Calgary, as the anchor city, plays a convening role by connecting regions, showcasing successes, and leading a coordinated effort to close the scaleup gap.
“Events like ScaleUP Week not only highlight the remarkable talent in our community but also create space for mentorship, collaboration, and new opportunities to grow beyond what’s expected,” says Tim Rahilly, president and vice-chancellor at Mount Royal University.
From gap to growth engine
Calgary’s startup success is no longer in question. Its scaleup story is still being written.
The next phase of ecosystem development will depend not just on launching more companies but on helping the most promising ones navigate complexity, hire leaders, secure growth capital, and reach global markets.
With Calgary at the centre and regional partners joining in, ScaleUP Week marks a pivotal moment for shared growth.
“We see scaling companies across all industries — building new markets, creating meaningful impact, and strengthening Canada’s competitiveness,” Parry said in a statement. “This momentum is no accident. We’re being intentional about ensuring our ecosystem supports growth at every stage — from early ventures to high-potential firms moving into their next phase”.
In doing so, Calgary may offer a roadmap for how Canada can finally close its scaleup gap and build the companies that fuel long-term economic impact across the country.
Digital Journal is the official media partner of ScaleUP Week 2025.
This coverage is supported by the Calgary Innovation Coalition (CIC), a network of 95+ organizations working to accelerate innovation and entrepreneurship across the Calgary region.
This article was created with the assistance of AI. Learn more about our AI ethics policy here.
