Today, Canada beats America to the punch! Tech entrepreneurs hoping to build and accelerate their companies in Canadian soil can celebrate the announcement Minister Jason Kenney made earlier: Startup Visa Canada.
GrowLab founders and Executive team have always been hunters of talent and we are glad to have this opportunity to attract global talents to Canada. The premise behind Startup Visa is that foreign entrepreneurs who have secured an investment commitment from a Canadian VC firm or an angel investor will get their visa applications and immigration process expedited.
Boris Wertz, one of GrowLab founders, recalled on his blog what initiated Danny Robinson, Maura Rodgers, and himself to lobby for Startup Visa Canada two years ago:
The initiative was inspired by the immigration struggles of the talented Summify team. In 2010, Cristian and Mircea arrived in Vancouver from Romania to start a new company. This talented pair had a big idea, strong endorsements, and venture-capital backing from top tier investors like Accel. However, rather than focusing on their startup, they faced a frustrating collection of bureaucratic red tape and immigration status uncertainty. We were hardly extending a friendly invitation to these talented entrepreneurs.
It is good to know that similar situations can now be avoided. To the whole Startup Visa Canada team, the CVCA, our very own Boris Wertz, exceptional entrepreneurs Danny Robinson and Maura Rodgers, and many individuals who were involved in the process: thank you! 3 Canadian cities have made it to the top 20 startup ecosystems in the world. Here’s to more cities and higher rankings!
Read Boris Wertz’ full post here.
