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View complete bundle Funding ScenarioBritish Columbia, Canada
How a Vancouver SaaS Startup Used Mitacs & IRAP to Fund $75,000 in Engineering Salaries
Stacking Federal Wage Subsidies and Academic Co-Funding to Build a Machine Learning Scheduling Engine
Research review: AshwaniVerified
FSI Digital Funding Research • Reviewed June 9, 2026Modeling Disclaimer: This is an illustrative funding analysis modeling standard Mitacs Accelerate contribution rules, IRAP YEP salary subsidy parameters, and CDAP Boost eligibility for BC technology companies. Outcomes vary based on project scope and academic availability. Outcomes depend on program availability, timing of applications, and compliance documentation.
$75,000Salary SubsidizedNon-dilutive engineering support
+8 MonthsRunway ExtendedWithout additional equity dilution
2 FTEML Engineers HiredCo-funded senior and intern roles
Stacked Programs In This Model
✓ Mitacs Accelerate✓ NRC IRAP Youth Employment Program✓ CDAP Boost Your Business Technology
1. Business Profile & Challenge
A 9-person Vancouver SaaS startup building AI-powered workforce scheduling software needed to hire two intermediate machine learning engineers but was burning too fast to compete with enterprise salary offers. Standard bank financing required 2 years of revenue history they did not have.
2. The Strategic Roadmap
The CEO structured a co-funded hiring strategy using academic internship matching and federal youth employment subsidies to offset the first 12 months of engineering salary — buying enough runway to complete their Series Seed milestone.
3. Implementation & Outcomes
Mitacs Accelerate paired the company with a UBC Computer Science PhD intern for 12 months, with Mitacs contributing $30,000 (50% of the stipend). The IRAP Youth Employment Program subsidized 50% of a second hire salary for 6 months ($30,000). CDAP added $15,000 in digital transformation support for cloud infrastructure tooling. Combined: $75,000 in non-dilutive salary and tech support, extending runway by 8 months.
TIMELINE TO FUNDING MATCH: 3 MONTHS FROM ACADEMIC PARTNERSHIP SETUP TO FIRST PAYROLL SUBSIDY RECEIVED.
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Advisory Disclaimer
Calculations provided by the estimator tool are automated estimates. FSI Digital does not represent government agencies. Stacking combinations must comply with anti-double-dipping regulations.