ScaleUp Program FAQ
About the Program
Lazaridis ScaleUp is a growth-stage accelerator. We are national and accept a broad range of tech companies. Thirty-four per cent of alumni companies have a woman founder or co-founder; nearly half of our mentors are women.
ScaleUp is designed for companies with revenues from $2-million to $30-million ARR. We are not a residential program. Founders and their exec teams meet virtually about once a month and the entire cohort gathers for program retreats in-person in different cities across North America throughout the year.
The biggest difference between Lazaridis ScaleUp and other accelerators is the quality and experience of our expert mentors, people who have architected and led the successes of companies like Apple, Shopify, Google, LinkedIn, Facebook and many more.
You benefit through mentorship, program workshops and peer networks. Recent research shows that people with mentors perform better and experience more work-life satisfaction. The hard part is finding the right mentor and establishing a relationship — that’s where we come in. We connect you to people with the experience and expertise to guide you during the times you need them most. Each company receives customizable mentor hours during the program year.
In addition to acting as mentors, members of our expert network facilitate intensive workshops throughout the program year. As we emerge from the pandemic, these workshops follow a hybrid model. We aim to schedule three in-person sessions, each lasting two days. Locations for the in-person sessions are TBA, but generally take place from Toronto to Vancouver, New York to Palo Alto. During program sessions, companies work through current issues with their executive teams under the guidance of functional area experts, VCs and business leaders.
Eligibility
- Headquartered in Canada
- Trailing twelve month annual revenue of $2-million to $30-million
- Rapid revenue growth (>50%/year)
- Sufficient capital to fund fast growth
- Potential to be global category leader
Costs
Program Content
Program Administration
Participation in virtual sessions is not limited. Founders and CEOs are encouraged to attend as many sessions as possible. Topics are announced in advance; some will be more appropriate for product people (engineers; product managers and product marketers), others will benefit finance execs or HR professionals, etc.
Up to three members of the company’s executive team are welcome to attend in-person sessions. We strongly recommend the CEO attend every in-person session. The other exec team members in attendance may vary according to the session topics.