This also says a lot about the Canadian VC industry - it's small and risk-averse. It's a real problem and one that I'm in the early stages of trying to tackle. I'm a big believer that Canada can become a hotbed of tech innovation and startups. With that said, we're nowhere near there yet.
Also, there are plenty of VCs much closer to Toronto - New York, for example. Toronto is starting to become an attractive place to invest for New York-based VCs.
We have some excellent talent in Canada, and some really great government programs around research & innovation.
And you don't "have" to move to Silicon Valley. It's a cool place and it certainly has the right conditions for success, but it sort of fucks our country when all of our most ambitious entrepreneurs feel like they need to go to Silicon Valley to succeed. That's just not true, and I'd like to see more entrepreneurs thinking bigger right here at home.
Also, there are plenty of VCs much closer to Toronto - New York, for example. Toronto is starting to become an attractive place to invest for New York-based VCs.
We have some excellent talent in Canada, and some really great government programs around research & innovation.
And you don't "have" to move to Silicon Valley. It's a cool place and it certainly has the right conditions for success, but it sort of fucks our country when all of our most ambitious entrepreneurs feel like they need to go to Silicon Valley to succeed. That's just not true, and I'd like to see more entrepreneurs thinking bigger right here at home.