From Traction to
Scalable Growth

Scale Up is a cohort-based growth-stage platform helping founders transition from building products to operating and scaling companies—bringing together experienced operators, sector experts, investors, and partners to build Canada’s next generation of scaling companies.

Built at UBC Sauder School of Business

Informed by the success of Creative Destruction Lab Vancouver

Why Scale Up Exists

Canada produces strong early-stage ventures, but relatively few scale into globally competitive companies. Scale Up exists to help high potential companies with traction make the transition from promising venture to the next great Canadian company.

Our mission is to to domicile the next great Canadian ventures here at home.

Our mandate is economic development.

Scale Up session participant seated in discussion.
A Different Kind of Support

There are few programs designed to identify Canada's highest-potential scale ups and invest sustained time, mentorship, and operating experience into their growth.

Built with founders, operators, investors, sector experts, and corporate partners.

Designed for companies beyond early traction.

Operating Company Challenges

Through more than 10 years of running Creative Destruction Lab at UBC Sauder, we observed a consistent challenge: the shift from building a product to operating and scaling a Company.

Building teams and organizational systems.

Creating repeatable enterprise sales.

Navigating complex markets and operational complexity.

Education Mentorship Leadership

Scale Up combines applied learning, deep operator mentorship, and founder leadership support for founders of companies entering their next stage of growth.

Deep-dive discussions with experienced operators and functional experts.

Support for the transition from execution-focused founder to organizational leader.

Supporting high-potential Canadian ventures scale into defence, dual-use, and advanced industrial markets

The Defence & Dual-Use pilot cohort is underway, with future cohorts planned every Spring and Fall. Future streams are being developed with industry, investors, and ecosystem leaders.

Launching with a Defence & Dual-Use Stream.

Interested in shaping a future stream? Let’s talk.

Supported By:

BDC, Innovate BC, Fasken, PacifiCan, and Mitsubishi Canada Ltd. logos

scaleup@sauder.ubc.ca