Saskatchewan’s startup and Business Accelerator and/or Incubator (BAI) ecosystem is nascent compared to other provinces, but has had tremendous success in growing Saskatchewan’s startup ecosystem. Western Economic Diversification (WD) Saskatchewan requisitioned this research to acquire additional knowledge concerning the current state of the BAI ecosystem in Saskatchewan, and to examine a few of the inputs critical for the continued growth of the start-up ecosystem – namely, the availability of capital financing and talent for start-ups. Ultimately, WD seeks to understand if startups have the necessary ingredients for continued growth.
The research consisted of both primary and secondary research. What began as targeted interviews of 20 individuals and organizations including BAI’s, founders, investors and skills and talent providers across the Saskatchewan startup ecosystem quickly expanded into additional conversations, previously taped interviews, podcasts, webcasts in addition to secondary research of additional players in the field.