An urgent moment for small business ownership in Canada.
Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Academy
It’s an urgent moment for small business ownership in Canada.
With over 76% of owners expected to exit their businesses in the next decade, there’s a critical need to prepare the next generation of entrepreneurs to step in and keep these businesses alive.
While Canada offers strong support for startups, resources for acquiring established businesses are limited. ETA Academy addresses this gap by offering Canada's first community-based, introductory-level course designed to help older youth aged 25-39 learn how to buy and operate small businesses.
“The idea for ETA Academy emerged from our commitment to addressing Canada’s small-business succession crisis and the strong demand from Canadians for this type of support. Our decade of expertise in entrepreneurial training enables us to uniquely guide Canadians on this journey, empowering a new generation of business owners and fueling economic resilience.”
WHY IT MATTERS
Thousands of viable Canadian businesses risk closure in the coming decade as owners retire without successors. This isn't just an economic challenge—it’s a community one.
“The most wonderful aspect of ETA is that it was built on the idea of mentors, a community of people here not to compete but to help each other.”
At a glance
Over five weeks in spring 2025, ETA Academy will deliver an intensive, community-based learning experience for mid-career professionals exploring small business ownership in Canada.
Participants will experience:
- Instructor-led evening sessions focused on practical acquisition skills
- Real-world insights from 33 experts in law, banking, brokerage, and operations
- Collaborative, discussion-based cohorts for peer learning and networking
- Two in-person meetups in Toronto to deepen connections and support hands-on learning
Designed with busy professionals in mind, the 40-hour curriculum offers flexible, accessible learning to make the path to business ownership through acquisition more achievable.
“ETA Academy broadens the pathway to business ownership, particularly for those who have historically been underrepresented in this space. By providing the right tools, mentorship, and support, we’re not just opening doors—we’re actively encouraging individuals from diverse backgrounds to step into them and discover if ETA is the right fit.”
A NEW AUDIENCE, A NEW APPROACH
ETA Academy marked a new chapter for Venture for Canada—our first program designed specifically for mid-career professionals. Until then, our focus had been exclusively on students and recent graduates.
Serving this new audience meant rethinking our approach: meeting people where they are, respecting their time, and making acquisition accessible—especially for those exploring it for the first time.
We invested heavily in the design phase:
- Conducting over 100 interviews to understand industry gaps, participant motivations, and barriers—especially for those left out of traditional ETA pathways
- Co-creating sessions with industry experts to simplify complex ideas and make learning engaging and accessible
- Onboarding participants carefully, with a one-stop resource and orientation calls to ensure everyone was ready to learn
- Balancing structured outcomes with the flexibility needed for diverse cohorts, whose ages and backgrounds ranged widely but were united by a shared motivation to understand ETA
This approach embraced rapid prototyping, testing, and iteration, refining everything from session cadence to curriculum flow, all while building a welcoming, inclusive community.
LOOKING AHEAD
ETA Academy will welcome its first cohort in March 2025, delivering an intensive, community-based learning experience for 25 professionals ready to explore business ownership through acquisition.
This inaugural cohort is just the start. Our vision is to expand ETA Academy regionally across Canada—broadening access to this pathway to entrepreneurship and empowering more people to confidently step into business ownership.
