EUR/CAD1.5734-0.23%GBP/CAD1.8848-0.14%USD/CAD1.4257+0.01%Gold C$/oz5,543BTC C$92,391-3.05%ETH C$2,591-3.76%TSX36,106-0.09%S&P 5007,562-0.40%Dow52,348+0.10%Nasdaq25,136-0.91%BoC rate2.50%
conneecticabusiness & money for founders

How-to

Guides for Canadian founders

Step-by-step walkthroughs of the processes founders actually run: raising, registering, filing and deciding — written to be done, not admired.

financingFinancing vs funding vs loan: untangling the termsFounders use these words interchangeably, but lenders and investors don't. What each term actually means and why the distinction matters when you are raising.Updated 2026-11-07Read →financingDebt vs equity financing: how founders chooseBoth raise capital, but they differ in ownership, repayment and risk. A practical comparison for Canadian founders weighing a loan against a round.Updated 2026-11-07Read →financingThe financing decision: how to choose where capital comes fromA framework for the financing decision — cost of capital, control, stage and risk — and how to sequence the sources available to Canadian founders.Updated 2026-11-07Read →financingFinancing vs investing vs operating activities: reading your cash flow statementThe three sections of a cash flow statement, what belongs in financing activities, and why founders should track them separately from burn.Updated 2026-11-07Read →financingGrants, loans and tax credits: Canada's three flavours of startup fundingNon-repayable grants, repayable loans and refundable tax credits each fit a different situation. How the three interact and how to combine them.Updated 2026-11-07Read →fundingSR&ED: Canada's flagship R&D tax credit, explainedWhat the Scientific Research and Experimental Development program pays, what work qualifies, and why so many founders claim far less than they could.Updated 2026-11-07Read →fundingNRC IRAP: funding and advisory support for innovative SMEsThe National Research Council's Industrial Research Assistance Program funds R&D projects at small and mid-sized companies — and pairs the money with advisors who have done it before.Updated 2026-11-07Read →fundingCanada's regional development agencies: finding funding where you operateFrom ACOA to PacifiCan, Canada's regional development agencies deliver billions in grants, contributions and loans. Which one covers your region and what they fund.Updated 2026-11-07Read →fundingFinancing expenses and the CRA: what founders can deductInterest, financing fees and the costs of raising capital — how the Income Tax Act treats each, what to keep for the CRA, and where not to double-claim.Updated 2026-11-07Read →startupsHow to register a business in Alberta: the 2026 walkthroughFrom name search to corporate registry to GST account — every step to legally operate an Alberta business, with costs and timing.Updated 2026-11-09Read →financeHow to build a cap table in one afternoonA cap table is just a list of who owns what — until a round makes it complicated. Build one that answers investor questions before they are asked.Updated 2026-11-08Read →fundingHow to prepare a grant application that actually gets fundedCanadian grant applications are not essays — they are compliance documents. The structure that wins, from eligibility to the budget narrative.Updated 2026-11-07 · includes calculatorRead →