Canada has some of the world’s best high-tech cities and is known for being technologically advanced. It doesn’t hurt that tech startups are increasingly setting up their home bases throughout the country. But some areas are more conducive to the industry than others.
B2B comparison site Expert Market recently ranked Canada’s top cities for tech startups. Sharing the top spot is Ontarian tri-cities Kitchener, Cambridge and Waterloo. Toronto followed in second, and Montreal took the third spot. Rounding out the top five are Ottawa and Vancouver.
Expert Market conducted its research by cross-referencing data and determining how easy it is to build a tech startup in the country’s 25 biggest cities, reports Daily Hive. Factors included a number of tech talent employees available, the entrepreneurial spirit of the city, the amount of available venture capital, internet download speed, and cost of living.
For each of these factors, the Ontarian tri-cities ranked in the top 10. They offer $15.5 million CAD investment funding available per 100k people. Toronto closed in on number one and is a desirable spot for tech entrepreneurs for several reasons, including its 44 higher-education tech courses. Montreal has the distinction of having $21.27 million CAD investment funding per 100k people—more than any other city.
Ottawa missed out on the top three spots despite being the capital city. It ranked number four due to a high cost of living, which can dissuade young tech workers.
At the bottom of the list is Saint John, which offers just $1.7 million CAD per 100k people, making it the lowest in capital investment.
The top 25 cities in Canada to launch a tech startup are:
- Waterloo/Kitchener/Cambridge
- Toronto
- Montreal
- Ottawa
- Vancouver
- Gatineau
- Mississauga
- Hamilton
- Halifax
- Guelph
- Quebec City
- Brampton
- Victoria
- Winnipeg
- Burlington
- Kelowna
- London
- Calgary
- Oshawa
- Sherbrooke
- Edmonton
- Saskatoon
- Fredericton
- Kingston
- Saint John
