The Starter Company Plus program will assist people 18 years and over interested in expanding or purchasing a business in Brampton.
The program provides:
- Free training and business skills development
- Free mentorship and guidance
- Opportunity to apply for a program grant of up to $5,000 after the completion of mandatory training and mentorship
The Starter Company PLUS Program is delivered by the Brampton Entrepreneur Centre (BEC) for the Brampton & Caledon area. BEC is a business unit of the City of Brampton’s Economic Development Office. The Starter Company PLUS program is funded by the Province of Ontario and is delivered by Small Business Enterprise Centres (“SBECs”) similar to BEC across Ontario, which are part of the SBC Ontario. For information about the program outside of the Brampton area, please refer to the list of Small Business Entrepreneur Centres and Community-Based Provider Locations in Ontario.
To apply to the Starter Company Plus Program in Brampton, you must confirm your eligibility to participate in the program and attend a mandatory info session. Attendance at the info session does not guarantee acceptance into the program or the receipt of a program grant.
Are you eligible to apply to participate in the Starter Company Plus Program?
To be eligible for the Starter Company Plus Program in Brampton, the program applicant must meet ALL of the following eligibility requirements, which include, but are not limited to:
- Be a resident of Ontario
- Be 18 years of age or older at the time of application
- Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada
- Not attending school full time nor returning to school
- Be proposing expanding an existing business or buying a business in Brampton or Caledon
- Be prepared to commit a minimum of 35 hours a week to running a full-time business
- Be prepared to attend scheduled mandatory training and mentorship meetings as per the program schedule
- Not enrolled in other provincial employment or self-employment-related programs that include or do not include financial assistance
- Not currently enrolled concurrently in any self-employment or entrepreneurship training/financing programs offered by government-funded organizations
- Not have received a Starter Company Program or Starter Company Plus Program grant in the past
- If there are two or more partners in the business, the partner who is applying to the program must confirm a minimum of 51% ownership of the business to participate in the program and would be responsible for applying for the program grant
- Provide proof of 25% contribution of the potential program grant (up to $1250). Contributions can be in cash or in-kind contributions as approved by BEC.
To be eligible, a business or proposed business must:
- Be an independent business venture based in Brampton or Caledon
- Not be a business that relies on commissioned sales
- Be a legal business in Ontario
- Not be a franchise
- Operate at arm’s length from family business ventures
- Operate full-time as defined in the business plan - no side hustles or part-time/seasonal businesses
- Maintain its own books and records
- Have a Master Business License or Articles of Incorporation or plan to register the business
- Maintain a separate bank account
- Follow all government rules and regulations and applicable by-laws for the operation of the business
- Demonstrate a viable and sales-ready business plan at the time of funding
Please note: Brampton’s Starter Company Plus program will give priority to Brampton-based entrepreneurs interested in starting or expanding a main street business, including retail, bars, restaurants and cafes, and professionals in the creative industries. At its sole discretion, BEC may also determine that a particular business is inappropriate for the program.
How can you register to attend the mandatory orientation session?
Before you can apply to Brampton’s Starter Company Plus program, you must attend a mandatory Starter Company Plus info session. We will be hosting orientation sessions during the summer of 2024.
This orientation session will provide you with important information about the Starter Company Plus program in Brampton, including:
- Eligibility requirements
- Program requirements and expectations
- Program training and mentorship, and schedule
- Information about the program grant opportunity
This program is funded by the Ontario Government and is only available to City of Brampton & Caledon residents.
To contact your local Starter Company Plus Program provider, visit here.
We encourage interested participants to subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on our social channels @bramptonbec for updates on next year's program that will be launching in the summer of 2024.
