Program - Land and Expand

Do you think you measure up?

We’re looking for the most promising and high impact entrepreneurs who have what it takes to scale their business in Canada

Find out more and get on board

Program Overview

L&E is a one-week accelerated business development program, with in-person sessions geared towards ensuring your startup is equipped with tailored mentorship and experience – enabling you to make that next step with confidence.

From mentor insights to sales mastery, pitching skills to physical networking, we’ve got you covered.

This program is free of charge to eligible participants, which is fully funded by the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario).

In-person
8^th-12^th June

Over five immersive days, participants move from orientation and founder bonding to hands-on go-to-market and sales strategy workshops, investor readiness training, and deep dives into Toronto’s thriving startup ecosystem.

With expert led sessions, personalized office hours, and curated networking opportunities, founders leave equipped with practical tools, local insights, and meaningful connections to help scale their startups in Canada.

Topics:

Foundational & Orientation
Sales, Marketing & GTM
Funding & Investor Readiness
Ecosystem, Community & Networking
Marketing & Visibility

Feb 9

TBDC Office

MONDAY

WELCOME DAY

Orientation

Fireside Chat & Icebreakers

Lunch with TBDC team

Product Adoption Session

Founder Therapy

Media Hour with Marketing

Bowling with Founders/Alums

Feb 10

TBDC Office

TUESDAY

GTM DAY

Founder Led Sales Workshop

Lunch & Customer Storytelling

Founder Led Marketing Workshop

GTM Office Hours

Feb 11

TBDC Office

WEDNESDAY

FUNDING DAY

Investor Readiness Session

Lunch

1:1 Office Hours with Service Providers

Happy Hour with Founders

Feb 12

BHive Office

THURSDAY

ECOSYSTEM DAY

Check-in

Founder talk on Resilience & Mental Health

Lunch with Brampton Innovation District Partners & Alumni

Ecosystem Panel: OCI, TechTo, Scale Without Borders, C100

Time Value of Money – Handling Sales Objections

Networking

Program Overview

From mentor insights to sales mastery, pitching skills to physical networking, we’ve got you covered.

This program is free of charge to eligible participants, which is fully funded by the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario).

In-person
9^th-13^th February

Topics:

Foundational & Orientation
Sales, Marketing & GTM
Funding & Investor Readiness
Ecosystem, Community & Networking
Marketing & Visibility

Feb 9

TBDC Office

MONDAY

WELCOME DAY

Orientation

Fireside Chat & Icebreakers

Lunch with TBDC team

Product Adoption Session

Founder Therapy

Media Hour with Marketing

Bowling with Founders/Alums

Feb 10

TBDC Office

TUESDAY

GTM DAY

Founder Led Sales Workshop

Lunch & Customer Storytelling

Founder Led Marketing Workshop

GTM Office Hours

Feb 11

TBDC Office

WEDNESDAY

FUNDING DAY

Investor Readiness Session

Lunch

1:1 Office Hours with Service Providers

Happy Hour with Founders

Feb 12

BHive Office

THURSDAY

ECOSYSTEM DAY

Check-in

Founder talk on Resilience & Mental Health

Lunch with Brampton Innovation District Partners & Alumni

Ecosystem Panel: OCI, TechTo, Scale Without Borders, C100

Time Value of Money – Handling Sales Objections

Networking

Three-month acceleration

Graduating companies from the program get access to three-months of acceleration support in the form of:

Access to office space in downtown Toronto
Curated workshops
Dedicated team lead

Who Should Apply?

International Entrepreneurs

Unlock the North American market with L&E’s expert strategy sessions, tailored mentorship, and curated networking opportunities.

Immigrant Entrepreneurs

Elevate your startup in Canada by leveraging an expansive network, accessing invaluable resources, and receiving industry-specific mentorship.

Who Should Apply?

International Entrepreneurs

Unlock the North American market with L&E’s expert strategy sessions, tailored mentorship, and curated networking opportunities.

Immigrant Entrepreneurs

Elevate your startup in Canada by leveraging an expansive network, accessing invaluable resources, and receiving industry-specific mentorship.

Do I Qualify?

Product:

At minimum, you must have an MVP with demonstrated market traction

Do I Qualify?

Product:

At minimum, you must have an MVP with demonstrated market traction

Stage:

Early-stage startups incorporated in 2020 until present, with intent to expand within Canada  & North America

Funding:

In-place financing  is a significant advantage

Stage:

Early-stage startups aiming to establish and expand within Canada  & North America

Funding:

In-place financing is a significant advantage

Access to Founders, Investors, and Mentors

Meet our top-tier investors, founders, and mentors who will share their knowledge and are dedicated to your success.

Vector Institute for AI
Industry Partnerships

Previously, Ali was the Head of Strategic Partnerships at The DMZ at Toronto Metropolitan University, where he led award-winning partnerships championing Canadian startups and innovation. Today, Ali is Director of Industry Innovation at the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence, with a mission to harness AI potential in order to benefit society.

Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst
Director

Angelo specializes in the Canadian innovation industry. As a strategic brand tactician, he can articulate one’s value proposition and position organizations successfully in the marketplace. As Director of Innovation, Angelo strives to bridge the gap between private sector and tech ecosystem, ensuring an innovative, cyber-secure future.

RealSage
Founder

From pioneering India's first freight corridor to innovative tech solutions, Arunabh's journey has led roles and spanned projects worth up to $5B across six countries. As technical co-founder of RealSage, he is on a mission to revolutionize real estate decision-making, using state-of -the-art tech.

Pitchverk
Founder

Ben is the Founder of Pitchverk, a company that specializes in Public Relations and Communications Services.

Elevate
Director of Innovation Programs

Blake is Director of Innovation Programs at Elevate, a Canadian non-profit that shapes and unites world-class innovators through incubator programs and industry-leading events at the intersection of technology, arts, and social innovation. The non-profit boasts a dearth of strategic partnerships, robust community, and a roster of world-renowned speakers.

Pacer Ventures
Managing Partner

Over the past decade, Gbemi has worked with 500+ tech companies in several areas including product strategy, business planning, and investment due diligence. His unique expertise covers how products, processes and people impact business success. He is a Managing Director at Pacer Ventures - an early stage venture capital fund, which invests across Africa.

Bidmii
Founder

Before venturing into proptech, Jon held pivotal roles in several companies, where his strategic initiatives were key in accelerating their growth. Today, Jon is the CEO & Co-founder of Bidmii - a ground-breaking platform in the home improvement industry. Under Jon's leadership, Bidmii has successfully raised over $2 million in funding, solidifying its position as a leader in the proptech field.

Movement 51
Marketing SVP

Kristy has 20+ years experience and a proven track record of scaling revenue teams to get results. She helps growth stage companies strategize, report, forecast, demand generate, and build high performance teams so that they can scale. In 2022 she founded Zestyplan, a platform for people to plan and schedule their meals so that they can make climate friendly choices.

Google
Program Manager

Madusha is a Program Manager at Google for its Developer Experts Program. He enjoys networking with fellow community builders, technology evangelists, and innovators who are looking to solve big problems, as well as assisting developers who wish to learn more about (or need support with) Google products and services.

Flair Ventures
Managing Partner

Mano is the Managing Partner of Flair Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on investing and supporting early-stage startups with one or more immigrant founders. As an experienced founder and investor, he has focused on scaling startups and advising other founders on solving strategic and operational problems that cut across business and technology.

Good News Ventures
Managing Partner

With 25+ years of entrepreneurial experience and multiple successful exits, Mohan has a deep understanding of the opportunities and challenges faced by founders in the tech sector. As the Managing Partner at Good News Ventures, he supports and mentors portfolio companies, sourcing and evaluating new investment opportunities for them.

MNP
Partner

Neethan is a Partner at MNP, a leading national accounting, tax and business consulting firm in Canada. Through partner-led engagements, MNP provides a collaborative, cost-effective approach to doing business with personalized strategies to help organizations succeed across the country.

Scaler Without Borders
Founder

Prior to jumping full-time into her start-up, Nouhaila was a Programs Manager at the DMZ, helping female tech entrepreneurs scale their startups into world class businesses that create global impact. Nouhaila is passionate about helping newcomers in tech access the abundant resources available to succeed. She founded Scale Without Borders, a one stop shop for newcomers in tech.

AWS
Head of Engineering

Rajan is an innovative leader of leaders, with a track record of building consumer hardware products and scalable SaaS products. He has built and led teams from the ground up that involved product management, hardware and RF designers, data scientists and full stack engineers.

Borderless
Sales VP

Shane's interest is in revenue growth through a data-driven and scalable process. As VP of Sales at Borderless, he is accustomed to reinventing global payroll, employer of record services, and contractor payments. Shane helps enable companies to quickly and compliantly on-board their global talent without the hassle of setting up local bank accounts or legal entities.

TamilCulture
Founder

Shivanu founded TamilCulture, which is a community platform connecting individuals of Tamil heritage globally.

Knowledgehook
Founder & CEO

As Knowledgehook's CEO, Travis leads the mission to eradicate math-phobia, and to develop math confidence in every child. Knowledgehook envisage a world of inspired problem solvers who are committed to advancing modern society. Their strategy is to transform every school into classroom-connected communities centered on each child's needs.

MaRS
Senior Advisor

With 15 years of experience as a tech entrepreneur, human potential coach, and angel investor, Vartika is passionate about supporting startups. A Senior Advisor at MaRS, she advises early-stage founders to build global platforms and solutions.

Marks & Clerk
Patent Agent

Wilfred is a Patent Agent at Marks & Clerk, a leading global network of intellectual property specialists. They comprise of patent attorneys, trade mark attorneys, commercial lawyers and IP litigators, who provide extensive intellectual property services.

SCOOTY
Founder

Yashin is a Founder of SCOOTY, a Canadian born and operated Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) platform bringing e-scooters/e-bikes to Canadian cities. SCOOTY works with different agencies to help create 15-minute transit-oriented communities, which has enabled commuters, residents and tourists a cleaner and affordable way to make short distance trips around their cities in Canada.

Remitbee
Founder & CEO

Yogi is the Founder & CEO of RemitBee, a FinTech company creating a world of financial empowerment. With RemitBee you can use your computer or mobile to send money quickly, and securely, saving customers money with their high exchange rates.

Vector Institute for AI
Industry Partnerships

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries,

Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst
Director

RealSage
Founder

Pitchverk
Founder

Elevate
Director of Innovation Programs

Pacing Ventures
Managing Partner

Bidmii
Founder

Movement 51
Marketing SVP

Google
Program Manager

Flair Ventures
Managing Partner

Good News Ventures
Managing Partner

MNP
Partner

Scaler Without Borders
Founder

AWS
Head of Engineering

Borderless
Sales VP

TamilCulture
Founder

Knowledgehook
Founder & CEO

Mars
Senior Advisor

Marks & Clerk
Patent Agent

Scooty
Founder

Remitbee
Founder & CEO

FAQs

What is the Land & Expand Program?

Land & Expand is a comprehensive one-week program that gives international and immigrant entrepreneurs in Canada the tools, mentorship, and networking opportunities they need to establish and thrive in the Canadian market.

Who should apply to the Land & Expand Program?

The program is suitable for:

Early-stage startups looking to establish and expand within Canada & North America.
Founders with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and demonstrated market traction.
Founders who have in-place funding will have a significant advantage.

Immigration Status

International founders can participate in the program with a Visitor Visa.
If already in Canada, you should be a first-generation immigrant, regardless of immigration status (work permit, permanent resident, or naturalized citizen).

Are there any exclusive perks for participants?

Yes, the program offers:

Three-months of continued acceleration support including access to office space in downtown Toronto
Access to a digital marketplace with significant savings on SaaS tools.
A curated network of immigrant founders for collaborative opportunities.

How can I apply for the program?

Applications can be submitted through the “Apply Now” buttons on this website. There are specific deadlines for each cohort, and the selection process includes interviews and company onboarding.

Is there assistance for incorporation in Canada?

The program collaborates with partners like Ribbon for incorporation support. This includes assistance with Canadian incorporation, compliance, and other necessary legal requirements.

What kind of feedback has the program received?

The inaugural cohort received an average rating of 4.6/5 based on 76 reviews, indicating high satisfaction and positive impact on the participants.

Who leads the mentorship and sessions?

The program features a diverse group of mentors and speakers, including founders, investors, and executives who have built, scaled, and exited companies. They provide tailored mentorship and valuable insights into different aspects of running a successful startup.

Want to scale up in Canada?

TBDC can show you the way

Want to scale up in Canada?

TBDC can show you the way

Do you think you measure up?

Program Overview

In-person
8^th-12^th June

Feb 9

TBDC Office

Feb 10

TBDC Office

Feb 11

TBDC Office

Feb 12

BHive Office

Program Overview

In-person
9^th-13^th February

Feb 9

TBDC Office

Feb 10

TBDC Office

Feb 11

TBDC Office

Feb 12

BHive Office

Three-month acceleration

Who Should Apply?

Who Should Apply?

Do I Qualify?

Product:

Do I Qualify?

Product:

Stage:

Funding:

Stage:

Funding:

Access to Founders, Investors, and Mentors

FAQs

Want to scale up in Canada?

Want to scale up in Canada?

Contact Us

Links

Stay in touch

Do you think you measure up?

Program Overview

In-person 8th-12th June

Feb 9

TBDC Office

Feb 10

TBDC Office

Feb 11

TBDC Office

Feb 12

BHive Office

Program Overview

In-person9th-13th February

Feb 9

TBDC Office

Feb 10

TBDC Office

Feb 11

TBDC Office

Feb 12

BHive Office

Three-month acceleration

Who Should Apply?

Who Should Apply?

Do I Qualify?

Product:

Do I Qualify?

Product:

Stage:

Funding:

Stage:

Funding:

Access to Founders, Investors, and Mentors

FAQs

Want to scale up in Canada?

Want to scale up in Canada?

Do you think you measure up?

In-person
8^th-12^th June

In-person
9^th-13^th February