Canada is home to a thriving community of technology companies, with a rapidly growing startup scene. For those looking for a startup community in Canada, OneEleven is a hub for entrepreneurs and ecosystem partners alike, with a rich network of member companies and a busy roster of public and private events and programming geared toward scaling tech teams.
About the startup community at OneEleven
OneEleven is Canada’s premier membership-based community of venture-based tech companies, where startups become scale-ups. Named as one of Canada’s 50 Most Impactful Companies by Bay Street Bull in 2022, they focus on creating an environment to supercharge growth by providing unparalleled access to everything that rapidly scaling companies need in one place — including office space, a one-of-a-kind program focused on talent upskilling for early hires and emerging people leaders, and a robust community of peers, partners, mentors and investors. Their mission is to enable Canada’s leading high-growth scale-ups to relentlessly focus on value creation and business growth by helping to nurture and develop their growing leaders.
1. Share knowledge and learn from founders at the later stages
Research from Harvard and MIT shows that environments really matter, and that physical proximity can fuel innovation and idea-sharing among startups.
Below are some highlights from OneEleven companies that have been sharing space as part of the community since 2020:
Plooto
Plooto — a leader in payments automation for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) — closed a $27M CAD Series B round in December 2022. The funding will be used to capitalize on Plooto’s growth momentum and customer base by scaling the team and expanding product capabilities, including customizing its offering for more businesses, accounting and bookkeeping firms. Today, over 8,500 finance teams, accountants and bookkeepers use Plooto’s cloud-based financial solutions. Turbocharged by the adoption of remote-first work due to COVID-19, Plooto has continued to grow at a rapid pace since joining OneEleven.
LumiQ
Edtech startup LumiQ — who make professional education enjoyable through podcasts — raised a $5M CAD Series A round in August 2022 and had an explosive first year expanding into the US market. LumiQ produces its podcasts in-house (often leveraging the podcast studio within the OneEleven space), putting out about 20 new episodes per month on topics ranging from accounting updates to soft skills, case studies, and more scripted content, with business leaders like CEO of Nike, the CFOs of Slack, Yelp and Shopify, and the inventor of Amazon’s Alexa. To date, the startup has amassed a list of over 300 company clients that include Deloitte, Purolator, First Capital Realty, and The Beer Store.
Blockthrough
Blockthrough — an adblock revenue recovery platform — has achieved remarkable success since being founded in 2015, including being named to Deloitte’s Fast 50 “Companies-to-Watch” award in 2021 and going on to win Deloitte’s Fast 50 and Fast 500 in 2022, along with being named to Globe & Mail Canada’s Top Growing Companies 2022 and Best Workplaces in Ontario 2022. Blockthrough was acquired by eyeo (the parent company of AdBlock and AdBlock Plus) in November 2022 for an undisclosed amount.
2. Expand your network and join the community events
OneEleven also plays a central role in the local Toronto tech ecosystem, hosting monthly events that connect the broader community — such as TechTO and Fuckup Nights — in their large, fully equipped venue. In the past two years alone, they’ve hosted over 8,000 guests, interacted with over 1,500 startups and engaged with over 200 VC firms. Their 55,000 square foot facility in the heart of downtown Toronto offers both open-concept and private office space, as well as amenities such as a wellness room, 60+ meeting rooms, podcast studio and more.
3. Grow faster by partnering up with other companies
OneEleven also partners with other organizations (such as Miller Thomson, Loblaws and Microsoft) to add value to their member companies by participating in programming or co-creating events and interactions. In turn, partners gain valuable insights into the growing Toronto technology landscape and can expand their network of founders, teams and solutions.
4. Meet mentors and access valuable resources
OneEleven’s curriculum-based programming focuses on four key areas: marketing, customer success, product and leadership. They offer regular sessions and sprints for their members to upskill and future-proof their talent by learning from experts, as well as meet and network with peers at other member companies.
In addition to a robust peer network, membership in OneEleven also includes access to their mentorship program, which connects members one-on-one with a mentor from the broader tech ecosystem.
5. Build relationships with investors and access capital
OneEleven is connected to a diverse network of VC firms, and hosts regular Demo Day events to showcase their companies to investors and partners. They also offer support with fundraising prep and investor readiness to enable their members to access capital more effectively. Just two years since re-opening the doors to OneEleven in October 2020, they now have over 40 current members that have collectively raised over $800M CAD and regularly make lists of Canada’s fastest growing and most promising tech companies. Notable alumni companies such as Wealthsimple, Borrowell, Clio, Koho and Maple have gone on to raise over $3.8B CAD collectively.
How to join OneEleven startup community
OneEleven is home to Toronto’s most promising and rapidly growing tech companies. The curated community model ensures that members benefit from being around other ambitious teams who are going through the same stage of growth.
OneEleven looks for the following qualities in their member companies:
- Are past ideation, have raised money and have product-market fit; AND
- Have an ARR of >$1M CAD, or on track to hit within the next 6 months.
Qualified companies can apply directly to join the community and begin their journey to scale.
