Happy September!

Welcome to the very first issue of the LOI Champions Newsletter, your insider look at the impact you’re helping to create.

You’re receiving this because you’re part of our Champion circle - the donors, partners, and friends who fuel LOI. Together, we’ve built Canada’s largest startup accelerator for founders under 30. With over 2,000 alumni, best-in-class programs, and more than $1B in enterprise value created in the last seven years, LOI is fuelling the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders.

Why Launch this Newsletter?

We’ve created a dedicated update for Champions so you can see:

• Private wins and behind-the-scenes updates

• Partnerships and events in the works

• Opportunities to connect directly with our team and programs

In short: it’s about building a deeper relationship with you - and finding new ways to partner so we can make an even bigger impact for young founders across Canada.

We’re 99% sure you’ll be interested in this newsletter. But if you’re not, please unsubscribe below so we honour your inbox.

🎈 Recent Wins We’re Celebrating

Big Names and Reach

• Mark Cuban & Harley Finkelstein are confirmed as guest speakers for our accelerator this fall.

• Mike Fata is signed on as a YEY speaker.

• Applications for our virtual acceleration programming are up 300% in 2025.

• YEY Awards is building national buzz with a record 400+ nominations and a world-class judging lineup, including several of you!

  

Funding and Support

• DuploCloud partnership: huge thanks to Venkat and his team for their ongoing support.

• Microsoft Startups Program selected LOI as 1 of only 3 Canadian groups, unlocking discounted credits for our community.

• Google Cloud credits expanded to $25K per startup.

• Expanded sponsors and community partners for YEY 2025, including TD, Futurpreneur, Enactus, Tech Thursdays, Startup Canada, The Forum, Foresight, Front Row Ventures, Shift Canada, and C100.

Community in Action

• VIP Social in Vancouver during WebSummit - we hosted 100 of out top alumni alongside Brian Scudamore (Dragons’ Den), Tanis Jorge (Trulio), Venkat (DuploCloud), Mark (Osler), and Ryan Holmes.

• Brainstation startup social with RBC and three LOI founders, drawing 75 attendees.

• Founder Runs powered by Adidas:

  • 300-person run in Vancouver featuring Canadian Olympian Dayna Pidesky.

  • 200-person run + coffee at Toronto Tech Week.

• North House - our new innovation hub and co-working space in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant is nearing launch. It will soon serve as a home base for founders, meetups and fireside chats. More info will be coming soon.

🥁 What’s On Deck at LOI This Fall?

Here’s how you (or your company) can plug in this season:

YEY Awards Event | Oct 22, 2025 Winnipeg

• Sponsor a category, contribute prizes for winners, or host an activation. → [email protected]

• Learn more and register here.

  

Calgary Innovation Week | Nov 3 to 6, 2025

• Connect, co-host, or partner with us while we’re in town. → [email protected]

  

🎉 How Champions Can Support

• National partnerships: our new structure includes sector exclusivity across all LOI programs and community activations. Reply to this email to explore.

• Fuel YEY: sponsor a category, contribute prizes, or host an activation. Contact [email protected]

• Calgary Innovation Week: attend, partner, or co-host while we are in town. Contact [email protected]

• Share expertise: speak at an event or host a VIP roundtable. Contact [email protected]

• Stay close: want to brainstorm or grab a coffee? Just hit reply

❤️ Thank You

Everything above is possible because of you. Thanks for being in our corner and for backing a founder-first, free, and accessible path for young entrepreneurs across Canada.

With gratitude, grit and good vibes,

The LOI fam