Business accelerators and incubators (BAIs) play a key role in the start and scale journey of many Canadian start-ups. While at their core all BAIs offer important start-up services, there is considerable diversity amongst these organizations across Canada. This diversity is present in a variety of ways, such as in the sectors they target, the entrepreneurs they support, or the regions in which they are located. To better understand the economic impacts of this network of start-up support organizations, the Government of Canada announced in Budget 2016 that it would work collaboratively with stakeholders to develop a national performance measurement framework for BAIs in Canada.
The Business Accelerator Incubator Performance Measurement Framework (BAI PMF) was subsequently co-created by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) and leading BAIs across the country. The BAI PMF is an annual voluntary survey that enables BAI organization to benchmark their performance and drive improvement, help companies choose their best options for support, and assists governments in increasing the effectiveness of public investments in this area. Key metrics focus on national and regional priorities, including job creation, start-up growth, and entrepreneurship among underrepresented groups, such as women and racialized communities. The latest survey is available at BAI PMF Survey.
ISED continues to work with stakeholders to advance a national discussion on best practices in performance and reporting. ISED is working with BAI community partners to implement the PMF project, with the ultimate goal of standardizing and improving the quality of data reported by BAIs across the country. As part of its commitment to the BAI community, ISED will share latest key findings and research on the BAI PMF.
If your organization is interested in participating in the BAI PMF alongside leading BAIs or are interested in receiving a report of the latest key findings, please contact acceleration-incubation@ised-isde.gc.ca.
Reports on this initiative are below:
- BAI PMF Survey, June 2022
- BAI Performance Measurement Framework Progress Report, May 2019
- Key Findings from Phase 1 of the BAI PMF pilot project, May 2019
- BAI Performance Measurement Framework Report, February 2018
- BAI National Dialogue Summary, March 2017
- Stakeholder Consultation Summary Report, November 2016
- Discussion Paper, September 2016