Canada Targets Foreign Entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley with Billboard

Canada’s federal government has made the call for the world’s best and brightest entrepreneurs and this week they started advertising it in a big way.

Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney and the federal government issued a news release on April 1 proclaiming that Canada is open for business.

“Innovation and entrepreneurship are essential drivers of the Canadian economy,” said Kenney. “That is why we are actively recruiting foreign entrepreneurs—those who can build companies here in Canada that will create new jobs, spur economic growth and compete on a global scale—with our new start-up visa.”

Now Canada is advertising on a billboard on the side of Highway 101, which connects San Francisco and Silicon Valley. The billboard is scheduled to be up for four weeks to coincide with the visit of Minister Kenney to San Francisco later this month for TiEcon.

The federal government said that this is the first program of its kind in the world. By fuelling the program with resources, business mentors and most importantly, permanent residency, the Conservatives are hoping to make Canada a first-class choice for the world’s high potential foreign startups.

The program is a pilot program that will run for five years.