4 ms·

Raising capital in Canada

33 points by peteforde 16y ago

raganwald 16y ago
I'l go further and suggest that many American founders would do well to move to Toronto. Ramen money goes further here and you have a big talent pool available who aren't all planning to quit your company as soon as they get an interview with Google.
- potatolicious 16y ago
  I'd warn that the talent pool is a bit smaller - the pay for software gigs in Toronto lags quite a bit behind either coast of the US, even accounting for cost of living differences. I'm in Seattle right now, making just a bit less than double what someone in my position can reasonably expect to get in Canada. I know personally for myself, and for a lot of my peers who had the mobility and skill, there's a very real brain drain southwards due to this pay discrepancy. On the plus side it probably means cheaper hiring for you ;)
  - raganwald 16y ago
    Well, things must have gotten a lot better since the last time I looked at the calculations. At the time, I didn't think it was bad for a young single hipster, but when I considered the cost of raising a family (including schooling and health care), there was very little financial advantage to moving to California and a lot of disadvantages. Now that I see how the health care thing plays out South of the border, I'm very happy I stayed. I can't imagine thinking that my family is covered for a certain situation and discovering that the insurance company thinks that disputing a claim is statistically more profitable than paying it.
bobster 16y ago
Canada is a bit of a backwater. Depending on your action plan, if you plan to unfold you product line at slower rate, it should be fine. Things here move alot slower... And for when investing into you, I found that investors want more then commitment and the team. There is alot of money to be invested in Canada, but they don't go for same kinds of new technologies, as they do in U.S. Most of tech shops in Canada are founded as outsource points for development support for startups south of the border. Reason number one, start-ups aren't welcome here(as they are in U.S.), is that in Canada you need permission - for everything. You are sort of expected to get permission to do your own disruptive thing. Which kind of defeats core purpose and dynamics of a startup.

33 points by peteforde 16y ago

I'l go further and suggest that many American founders would do well to move to Toronto. Ramen money goes further here and you have a big talent pool available who aren't all planning to quit your company as soon as they get an interview with Google.

potatolicious 16y ago
I'd warn that the talent pool is a bit smaller - the pay for software gigs in Toronto lags quite a bit behind either coast of the US, even accounting for cost of living differences. I'm in Seattle right now, making just a bit less than double what someone in my position can reasonably expect to get in Canada. I know personally for myself, and for a lot of my peers who had the mobility and skill, there's a very real brain drain southwards due to this pay discrepancy. On the plus side it probably means cheaper hiring for you ;)
- raganwald 16y ago
  Well, things must have gotten a lot better since the last time I looked at the calculations. At the time, I didn't think it was bad for a young single hipster, but when I considered the cost of raising a family (including schooling and health care), there was very little financial advantage to moving to California and a lot of disadvantages. Now that I see how the health care thing plays out South of the border, I'm very happy I stayed. I can't imagine thinking that my family is covered for a certain situation and discovering that the insurance company thinks that disputing a claim is statistically more profitable than paying it.

bobster 16y ago

Canada is a bit of a backwater. Depending on your action plan, if you plan to unfold you product line at slower rate, it should be fine. Things here move alot slower... And for when investing into you, I found that investors want more then commitment and the team. There is alot of money to be invested in Canada, but they don't go for same kinds of new technologies, as they do in U.S. Most of tech shops in Canada are founded as outsource points for development support for startups south of the border. Reason number one, start-ups aren't welcome here(as they are in U.S.), is that in Canada you need permission - for everything. You are sort of expected to get permission to do your own disruptive thing. Which kind of defeats core purpose and dynamics of a startup.