I’ve been in the trenches of the Canadian tech ecosystem for the last 7 years.

Our ecosystem, like all ecosystems, is a flywheel and it’s working.

This post is a bad take. Here’s why (1/7): https://alexdanco.com/2021/01/11/why-the-canadian-tech-scene-doesnt-work/

1. It’s unfair to compare us to the BayArea flywheel, which is spinning quickly, because people starting spinning it 60+ years ago.

2. Yes there are unhelpful angels, but the number of great ones is growing quickly. Give it time. Our flywheel has only entered its 3rd rotation.

3. SRED is free money. It’s a good thing. The distractions you claim it introduces pale in comparison to the plethora of distractions the lie on every startup journey. As a founder like being more capital efficient.

4. Government support is not perfect, but it is net helpful. Know that the ecosystem you’re comparing us to has received considerably more government investment than ours.

5. Our ecosystem has transformed in the last 5 years. Our entrepreneurs think globally now, and the best-performing VCs in the world have taken note. I’ve made 20 angel investments in the last year — every one of them involved a value-add VC and all deals moved quickly.

6. Please stop comparing our ecosystem’s culture to the US; it’s a local optimum. I for one believe we have the opportunity to do better. Our diversity, immigration policy, AI-ecosystem, and humility make me very bullish.

7. There are many more multibillion dollar+ Canadian companies around the corner. Let's all do our part to help the flywheel spin.