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Welcome to the new Silicon Valley

THE INCREDIBLE RISE OF TECH

We have hungry entrepreneurs, deep-pocketed investors, next-level start-ups and an infinite supply of brilliant ideas. Why Toronto is the new Silicon Valley

September 18, 2017
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Every company in Toronto seems to think it’s a start-up. Offices are outfitted with foosball tables, bosses are hell-bent on disrupting their industries, and R&D managers aren’t employees—they’re Chief Vision Gurus. Less than a decade ago, ambitious entrepreneurs who wanted to bat in the big leagues moved to Silicon Valley. Then, suddenly, the exodus stopped. Our brightest students stayed put after graduation, while megafirms like Google, Uber and Amazon chose Toronto for their newest outposts. There are good reasons for the phenomenon: Canadian schools are pumping out digital whiz kids, the continent’s richest venture capitalists are flooding local companies with cash, and, crucially, our country isn’t run by a bombastic oaf. Here, the brilliant innovators, deep-pocketed investors and amazing inventions that are turning Toronto into the world’s next great tech superpower.

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Jean Grant has been a freelance writer since 2015, covering a range of lifestyle topics like shopping, interiors, wellness and culture for publications like Maclean’s and Toronto Life. She also enjoys working with brands to develop custom content, and shares personal essays through her Substack newsletter, Nobody is Thinking About You.
Luc Rinaldi
Luc Rinaldi is a National Magazine Award–winning journalist based in Toronto. His work has appeared in Maclean’s, Toronto Life, The Walrus and Report on Business, among other publications. He has taught magazine feature writing at his alma mater, the School of Journalism at Toronto Metropolitan University.