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A guide for Ontario high-
growth firms
April 2017
Introducing:
The Ontario Scale Up
Vouchers Program

We are pleased to introduce you to the Ontario Scale Up Vouchers Program.
Introduction
This guide provides background about the Program and answers questions you may have about the program, your firm’s
eligibility and the application process.

Program Overview
ONTARIO SCALE UP VOUCHERS PROGRAM

Overview
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The Ontario Scale-Up Vouchers Program is a four-year $32.4 million initiative,
funded by Ontario’s Ministry of Research, Innovation & Science (“MRIS”) and
Ministry of Economic Development and Growth (”MEDG”) and accessed through
three organizations: Communitech, Invest Ottawa, & MaRS, Regional Innovation
HUB’s located in Waterloo, Ottawa & Toronto respectively.
Our program has a mission to accelerate the growth rate of Ontario-based technology
and innovation based firms into globally competitive firms that drive
disproportionate growth in revenue, exports and employment.
We will achieve our mission by empowering high-potential Ontario firms with the
mindset, networks and resources to achieve exponential growth.

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How will the Program achieve it’s mission?
Overview
Firms will have access to a network of growth coaches who have proven functional or sector expertise in scaling companies
for global growth. Growth coaches will mentor firms by leading a co-creation process to develop “growth plans”,
introducing firms to valuable networks, and guiding firms through an optional financial voucher application process.
The program will achieve it’s mission in two ways:
Growth
Coaches

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How will the Program achieve it’s mission?
Overview
Firms will also be eligible to receive a financial voucher between $150,000-$250,000 to offset costs for various direct and indirect
expenses. For example: Direct funding can be used to support technology prototype development or to hire an experienced product
development executive to aid in the development and release of new products and services. Indirect funding can be used to support
or assist scale-up firms with the costs associated with protecting intellectual property including legal and patent fees or to assist
with the cost of training. The vouchers can be used for more than one service need and specific details on deployment options will
be provided by the growth coach. Applying for a voucher is optional and firms that are not approved for a voucher will be referred
to other existing support services that may meet their needs.
The program will achieve it’s mission in two ways:
Vouchers

Program Journey

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Program Journey
Firms will experience a six step process from intake to final potential voucher commitment. Along each step of the
journey, the process will be ‘easy’ & ‘intuitive’ and firms will gain value-add through participation in the process,
irrespective of receipt of vouchers.
2. Program
Orientation
3. Growth
Planning Kick Off
4. Growth Plan
Iteration
5. Voucher
Referral
6. Voucher Selection
Firms learn about program
through regional hubs,
internet and other
community outreach
activities
1. Existing HUB Firm
Intake
1. Ecosystem Firm
Intake & Approval
Firms’ Growth Plans will be reviewed by the Intake Committee before
being referred to the Selection Committee for final pitch and approval for
Vouchers.

Intake Step 1

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Intake
Who is eligible to apply to the Ontario Scale Up Vouchers Program ?
Ontario-based firms1 in high technology or innovation intensive industries with $1 million - $50
million in annual revenues that meet the following criteria are eligible for the program:
• 20% annual growth rate in revenue, sales or employment (for the most recent year); and/or
• Secured private investment of at least $2 million in the previous two years.
For purposes of the program, technology & innovation intensive industries are defined as follows:
Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Advanced Materials and Manufacturing, Clean
Technology, Life Sciences.
1Ontario Based Firm” means a firm that: (a) is privately held; (b) paid, in respect of each fiscal year of the company, at least 50% of its
wages, salaries and fees to employees and contractors who spent a majority of their time working in Ontario; (c) has, in respect of each
fiscal year of the company, 50% or more of its full-time employees with their ordinary place of work in Ontario (provided that in the
case of employees who were employees for only part of the year, and not the entire year, such calculation shall be done on a weighted
average basis); and (d) has, in respect of each fiscal year of the company, 50% or more of its senior executives (VP and above) with their
“principal residence” (within the meaning of the Tax Act) in Ontario

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Intake
Who is eligible to apply to the Ontario Scale Up Vouchers Program? (cont’d)
• The Scale-Up Voucher program will be inclusive
of all Ontario firms.
• Three innovation HUB’s, Communitech, Invest
Ottawa & MaRS will play a key role interfacing
with all firms, leading and supporting them
through intake. HUB’s will be expected to
seamlessly work with Regional Innovation
Centres (“RICs”) and other ONE (Ontario
network of entrepreneurs) partners.
• Firms not associated with a HUB or RIC or ONE
network partner can apply to the program directly
via the intake link provided on the program
website (going live on Apr 28th).

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Intake
How will firms apply to the program?
A private electronic intake* form has been created that takes approximately 30-45 minutes to
complete after firms compile key information (information required will is articulated at the outset of
the form). Firms will also be required to submit a simple endorsement letter ** from one of the ONE
network partners or investors or other key partners/customers.
If firms are already working with an innovation HUB, account leads will guide them through the
application process. If firms are not already working with a HUB, all information about the program,
as well as application forms, can be accessed on the program microsite:
http://www.ontarioscaleupprogram.ca (Going live Apr 28th)
Intake form * https://scale.blitzen.com/form/Ontario-Scale-Up-Intake-Form
Endorsement letter ** - Link provided in Intake form

Program Orientation Step 2

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Program Orientation
If your firm is accepted into the Program, you will participate in an orientation session with your
account lead who will introduce you to a Growth Coach and clearly set out what you can expect to
gain by being part of the Program, as well as what is required from your firm.
Our goal is to ensure that Firm’s experience value-add along each step of the program journey.

Growth Planning
Kick Off & Iteration
Step 3-5

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Firms will be assigned a growth coach who will lead them through a collaborative and flexible growth coaching process:
Outcomes of this Process What this process is not
o A clear diagnostic of a firm’s growth
challenges and opportunities
o A growth plan, created collaboratively, and
anchored in fact-based insights
o Input into an optional application for the
voucher Selection Committee to receive
funding to focus on solving a priority growth
challenge and/or opportunity
o A process to guarantee the receipt of
financial vouchers
o A “box ticking exercise”
o A prototype or product development plan
o A specialized international growth
consulting engagement
Growth Coaching

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Prepare
o Program participants are
introduced to their growth
coach by their Account Lead
at each HUB.
o Growth coaches will meet
with firm teams to obtain
business profile and general
information.
o Growth coaches will
collaborate with firms to
complete a diagnostic tool that
will help to surface a firm’s
unique growth challenges.
Meet & Greet Critical Analysis
o Growth coaches reflect on the
outcome of the diagnostic and
leverage the Program’s market
intelligence services to gain
further insights.
o Growth coaches prepare to
lead firms through an
immersion workshop by
identifying a set of priority
growth opportunities and
preparing pre-mail
communications.
Immersion
o Growth coaches lead firms
through a collaborative
workshop with a view to:
building a growth priority
business model & identifying
priority growth levers and
barriers.
o Growth coaches and firms
seeking vouchers may
collaborate to complete an
online voucher application.
Optional: Prepare to Pitch
Growth Coaching Process

Voucher Commitment Step 6

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How will the financial vouchers be approved and deployed?
o Firms will be invited to apply for a financial voucher. An online application process will be
available and will involve uploading the growth plan and presenting to the Selection
Committee for 15 minutes.
o Not all firms will receive a financial voucher. Voucher awards will be determined by the
Selection Committee, in accordance with a predefined process and scoring criteria. The value
of voucher granted will be correlated to firm size as follows:
• $150,000 voucher-value for firms with revenues between $1 million and $5 million (with an
expectation for firm matching 33% of voucher-value or up to $50,000); OR
• Up to $250,000 voucher-value for firms with revenues between $5 million and $50 million
(with an expectation for firm matching 50% of voucher-value or up to $125,000).
• NOTE: The structure and terms of the voucher will be designed to afford scale-up firms with a lot of flexibility. Firms will
receive contracts outlining the specific terms of their voucher arrangement, which will include the following two key
terms: 24-month expiry and One-time recipient of the voucher.
Financial Vouchers

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How will the financial vouchers be deployed?
o Direct funding can be used to support technology prototype development or to hire an
experienced product development executive to aid in the development and release of new
products and services. Examples include: embedded executives, in-market international sales
managers and product development executives.
o Indirect funding can be used to support or assist scale-up firms with the costs associated with
protecting intellectual property. Examples include: sales training, operational excellence
training, productivity audits and legal services.
o Voucher flexibility - The vouchers can be used for more than one service need and further
examples of deployment options will be provided to successful applicants.
o Average timeline for voucher success – Intake committees will be taking place on a monthly
basis and Selection committee meetings on a quarterly basis. The maximum turn around time
from intake to voucher success will be a four month period.
Financial Vouchers

Applications
To access a simple application form, visit the following page:
http://www.ontarioscaleupprogram.ca (Going Live on Apr 28th)
info@ontarioscaleupprogram.ca
If you have any questions please email us:

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Introducing the Ontario Scale Up Vouchers Program Playbook 2017

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