About us
League of Innovators (LOI) is Canada’s only founder-focused accelerator designed specifically for youth aged 15–30. We empower the next generation of entrepreneurs by providing support that accelerates ventures while also deeply investing in the individuals behind them, because we know successful businesses begin with resilient, supported founders.
We don’t just accelerate ventures. We build better founders.
Most accelerators bet on the idea. LOI bets on the person. We treat founders like elite athletes, developing the mindset, skills, and resilience needed to stay in the game through every pivot, setback, and breakthrough.
The idea you start with is rarely the one you succeed with. But a resilient, supported founder? They always find their way. That’s the bet we’ve been making since 2017.
Canada has 100,000 fewer entrepreneurs than 20 years ago.
And we need them more than ever. LOI rebuilds that pipeline by investing in people before they have a perfect idea, and by removing every financial and geographic barrier in the way. Every program is 100% free, virtual and equity-free.
How we are different
01
A founder accelerator, not a venture accelerator
Most programs back companies. We back people. The idea someone starts with is rarely the one they succeed with, but a resilient founder always finds their way.
02
Sector and model agnostic
Tech startup, social enterprise, trades, non-profit: it doesn’t matter. LOI is for any founder under 30 building anything, anywhere in Canada.
03
Healthy founder, healthy venture
We treat founders like athletes. Success takes reps, coaching and recovery, not just hustle. Mental health isn’t a footnote at LOI. It’s in the curriculum.
04
Real founders. Real stories. Real learning.
You don’t learn entrepreneurship from a textbook. Our programs bring in founders who share the wins, the stumbles and the lessons that actually matter.
How we support founders
Five pillars. One founder journey.
Three programming pillars and two community pillars. Together they meet a founder at their very first idea and stay with them through scaling. A single program doesn’t make a founder, and the best support doesn’t stop when a cohort ends.
Programs
Founder Start
An entry point into entrepreneurship: foundational skills, early exposure, and confidence-building for youth just getting started.
Programs
Founder Acceleration
Hands-on, applied support for founders actively building ventures. Focused on moving from early traction toward product–market fit.
Programs
Founder Mastery
Advanced learning and leadership development for founders preparing to scale, raise capital, or navigate complex decisions.
Community
Founder Amplify
Platforms and opportunities that increase visibility, credibility, and connection to Canada’s innovation ecosystem.
Community
Founder Thrive
A sustained support system focused on wellbeing, peer connection, and long-term founder resilience.
Our history
LOI was founded on the belief that entrepreneurship shouldn’t be left to chance. What started as a question inside Hootsuite’s offices grew into Canada’s largest free accelerator for young founders.
Together, let’s shape the next generation of entrepreneurial giants.
CEO, Hootsuite · Founder, League of Innovators
From a 10-person pilot to a national movement.
2017
The next big thing
Ryan Holmes launches League of Innovators as a charity, starting with a pilot inside Hootsuite’s Vancouver offices. The question is simple: what if young founders didn’t have to figure all of this out alone?
Vancouver, BC
2018
Growing beyond Hootsuite
LOI outgrows Hootsuite’s walls and builds out as a national charity, making world-class founder support free, accessible, and available to any young Canadian willing to do the work.
National launch
2020–2024
Scaling nationally
LOI goes fully virtual, and what started as a local initiative reaches founders in every province. The community grows to 2,088 entrepreneurs and $1.8B+ in alumni enterprise value created.
2,000+ founders
2025–present
LOI 4.0
A long-term founder development platform with deeper programming, stronger networks, and a bigger stage for the next generation of Canadian builders.
What’s next
“Hands down the best (free) investment we ever made in ourselves & our growth.”
We wouldn’t be anywhere close to where we are today, as a business or as founders, without LOI.
Jared Leary
LampPost Social
The team invested in Jason and I which has made all the difference.
I noticed LOI’s community-first vibe right away. Not only did I do the accelerator but the team invested in Jason and I which has made all the difference.
Anastasia Kiku
reusables
A founder’s biggest strength isn’t the idea, it’s knowing when to ask for help.
LOI taught me something huge: a founder’s biggest strength isn’t the idea, it’s knowing when to ask for help.
Vanessa De Waal
Flöka
Being open and vulnerable isn’t a weakness, it’s a superpower.
I discovered that sharing your story and being open and vulnerable isn’t a weakness, it’s a superpower. And I learned about Tara Bosch and many other inspiring alumni.
Lily Harper
World of LLA
LOI’s peer network was my most powerful accelerant.
I found that LOI’s peer network was my most powerful accelerant, hearing “we’ve been there too” from people just like me, changed everything.
Jen Orr
Popoff
I walked in ambitious and walked out laser-focused.
I walked in ambitious and walked out laser-focused. LOI’s frameworks helped me break lofty goals into step-by-step action plans.
Daniel Dubois
2x Exited Founder | Investor | GP @ $100M Fund
I just gathered actionable data.
I reframed failure from “I messed up” to “I just gathered actionable data”, and that mindset shift came from LOI’s relentless focus on learning, not perfecting.
Adam Chu
Arnii Fitness
Speed and iteration outpace perfection.
I learned that speed and iteration outpace perfection. LOI’s rapid-fire feedback loops pushed me to move fast, pivot faster, and love every step forward. And I love the coworking space they launched in Vancouver. Come by and say hi.
Jason Yee
admission prep
Rob Ironside
CEO, League of Innovators
Canada needs more builders.
We keep saying Canada needs more builders. The real question is where they come from, and how we keep them from calling it quits before things start to click.
The answer comes down to two things. Speed up how founders learn, by teaching what actually works through real examples and how experienced operators think. And remove what breaks momentum early: financial pressure, isolation, limited networks and gaps in support.
LOI exists to close that gap. We back young founders early and surround them with community, guidance and real pathways forward. It’s how we’ve become Canada’s largest accelerator and community for young entrepreneurs.
Since 2017, our programs have helped founders find traction faster. But staying power takes more than sessions and workshops. So in 2025, we built out both sides: more direct support and more long-term structure. Governance training. Legal office hours. North House. The YEY Awards returned. We doubled our partner base. Every move is about the same thing: keep founders in the game longer, reduce what slows them down, and make success more likely.
Let’s build what’s next, together.
Whether you’re a founder, mentor, or partner, there’s a place for you at LOI. Join our community, apply for a program, or collaborate with us to grow the future of entrepreneurship in Canada.
Land acknowledgement
League of Innovators operates virtually across Turtle Island and brings founders together in communities nationwide. We respectfully acknowledge that this work takes place on the traditional, treaty and unceded territories of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples. Entrepreneurship does not happen in isolation from land, history or community. We recognize the enduring stewardship of Indigenous Peoples and the responsibility we carry as guests on these lands. Our commitment extends beyond acknowledgement: it includes ongoing learning, relationship-building and meaningful action toward greater equity and inclusion within Canada’s innovation economy.