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
Modeling 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.
Stacked Programs In This Model
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.
Model Your Stacking Potential
Work with a specialist to review which provincial, federal, and state programs can be stacked for your business model.
Funding Eligibility Estimator
Calculate potential matching grants and tax credits for your business profile.
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.