
Startup Visa Canada - domino
http://startupvisa.ca/
======
tuhin
I think it is a great move to exploit the fact that USA immigration laws are
hell bent upon shutting doors in the faces of startups unless you are the next
Facebook. What really bothers is the high fee of $150k. I mean companies
bootstrap or seek angel investments in the range of $15k-$100k. What on earth
makes them think, if I already had that cash, I would be willing or even think
of relocating? If my business already has enough traction, then why would one
bother. And if at all I had to relocate spending that much, I would rather do
that in making the right inlays into US.

~~~
Mike_McDerment
i've been asked to sign on...and honestly I am wrestling hard. In principle -
as a Canadian Entrepreneur - I am for it. But, it's hard for me to imagine
many scenarios where it works. What kind of non-Canadian entrepreneur still
has 30% of the company after raising $150? I wish it were true that it would
work this way all the time, but the odds are really slim IMO. If it is,
chances are we're talking about someone who has "done it before", and in those
cases they likely have more freedom to move around and don't have the same
need for VISA. It seems to me a like misdirected energy. And how about a
program that incents talent to come home? That's something I'd love to see
today.

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dotBen
As a Canadian citizen who has worked hard to get a US visa to be able to work
in SF/Silicon Valley, but has the 'easier' option of being based north of the
border, I'm not really clear why a startup would want to be based out of
Canada.

I'm not against the idea of a startup visa for Canada but the site
startupvisa.ca might want to sell some of the benefits of being based in
Canada because I'm not seeing them.

~~~
neilk
Canada has advantages for someone coming from the developing world. Better
internet infrastructure than many countries, educated workforce, socialized
health care, a culture very welcoming to immigrants, easy access to the US
market, and proximity to Canadian and US investors (particularly Bay Area and
Seattle).

It's also easier to get foreign workers, generally, into Canada, so you have
your pick of the local workforce, as well as the rest of the world (even
Americans!).

I've worked for a startup in Vancouver that took advantage of all the above.
Vancouver is one of the best places to live in the world, period, and it's
especially great for raising kids or if you're into outdoor sports. So it has
its charms even if you already work in a startup hub like San Francisco. You
could probably do something similar for Montreal or Toronto, although it would
be a harder sell. And the startup would have to be pretty hot or pursuing a
unique niche.

If opportunities were equal, there would be very little reason for a startup
to choose Canada over the USA. However, since the USA seems determined to shut
the door here, Canada can take advantage of that.

~~~
fleitz
The biggest reasons to do a startup in Canada are SRED claims, , depressed
wages (in Vancouver), and enforceable non-competes.

People say Vancouver is the best place to live, but I'd rather live elsewhere,
Portland or SF come to mind.

~~~
halostatue
Enforceable non-competes may vary by province; I haven't had a reason to check
it out, but they may be against labour law in Ontario.

~~~
dotBen
Enforceable probably only in Canada. I doubt there is little to no legal
redress for anyone competing across the border, esp in California which bans
non-competes.

I personally wouldn't put an employee under a non-compete - a) because they
tend to be unenforceable and b) I wouldn't work under such a contract myself.

~~~
halostatue
After I got into work, I did a quick search and found that it's not under
labour law as such, but Ontario courts (and presumably Canadian courts in
general) frown on non-competes. This article from 1999 suggest that non-
solicitation agreements are acceptable, but there's nine conditions that make
a non-compete acceptable because it's an 'exceptional' situation.

<http://www.zvulony.com/non_compete.html>

This is upheld in other articles that I've read that are more recent:

[http://www.toronto-employmentlawyer.com/law-
advice/employmen...](http://www.toronto-employmentlawyer.com/law-
advice/employment-law-article.php?row_id=14)
[http://blogs.hrhero.com/northernexposure/2008/10/14/noncompe...](http://blogs.hrhero.com/northernexposure/2008/10/14/noncompetes-
in-ontario/) <http://www.brazeauseller.com/articles/29/12/2008/245.aspx>

------
redthrowaway
The $150k bit seems entirely unreasonable. Are they expecting immigrants to
have funding before they launch their startup? Or are they only hoping to
attract rich Indian and Chinese college students/grads riding on Daddy's
money? Either approach seems naive if they truly want to build a vibrant
startup culture in Canada.

~~~
rabc
It seems reasonable if they want to attract VC firms too (or already have
them), so the VCs can find entrepreneurs overseas and send them to Canada.

~~~
redthrowaway
That seems like an edge case, and a strategy predicated upon the US remaining
unfriendly to qualified immigrants.

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vaidhy
When I was asking about startups in Canada in HN a few weeks ago
(<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2060383>), I got a very negative picture
basically stating that tech startups do not exist in CA.

~~~
Mike_McDerment
Startups exist in Canada, but there are only a few markets that are starting
to develop quickly (Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver) - none of which is as
active as San Fran. The Valley is a unique place, but let's not forget, most
companies are not started there.

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fleitz
It's a step in the right direction. It's definitely not ideal but 150K is
better than 300K.

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joseacta
I think money and resources are global, you just need a good reason for
investors to buy your idea.

Each place has its own pros and cons. Establishing yourself in Silicon Valley
brings different kinds of issues like salaries. According to the WSJ, most VC
funds are spend on employee wages because of competition from Google and
Facebook. [http://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2010/12/29/the-war-
for-t...](http://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2010/12/29/the-war-for-top-
talent-in-silicon-valley/)

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dgudkov
Good initiative. I'm interested in such program as startup founder. However,
if implemented as proposed, it wouldn't give me any benefit. Amount of 150K is
too high.

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anamax
> The $150k bit seems entirely unreasonable.

Fair enough, but what criteria should they use?

Remember - the goal is to increase startups, not to let random people into
Canada. (They have other programs for the latter.)

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rbanffy
Ask HN: What would be the best location in Canada?

~~~
domino
Vancouver, but I'm biased :)

~~~
rbanffy
How about Waterloo? Google has offices there.

~~~
Mike_McDerment
I'm a fan of Toronto...but I'm biased too

