A Joint Initiative Of

About Next BIG Idea

The Next BIG Idea (NBI) started out in 2013 as an annual contest for Indian tech startups to soft-land in Canada and explore business opportunities in the country. Interested startups would apply and pitch for a 2-week market access program in Canada to explore the market and meet with key stakeholders there. To see what we’ve achieved in the 7 years of the program - Click here In 2021, we present the 8th edition of a new and improved avatar of NBI, keeping our key mission intact i.e. helping Indian tech startups expand to Canada. We listened to the feedback from all stakeholders regarding the prior editions and have re-architected it to make it more impactful.

This edition breaks up the process of setting up business in Canada into three carefully thought through stages – Awareness -> Preparation -> Immersion

  • NBI WebTalks - A series of in-depth talks on Canada's technology and innovation ecosystem that provides immense opportunities to startups and allows them to scale on a global level
  • NBI Pre-Landing Program - A Market Readiness Program, that has the ZSI team and relevant stakeholders from Canada work with you in order to prepare you to expand your business in Canada
  • NBI Local Immersion Program - A comprehensive market access program that allows you to further meet with relevant stakeholders in a Province of Canada that is most appropriate for your organisation and helps you set up your business there

PROGRAMS

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NBI Webtalks

A series of in-depth and engaging talks that will allow you to assess business opportunities and locations in the Canadian market for your startup and how you can effectively do business in the global market by making Canada as your startup hub.

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NBI Pre-Landing Program

A 3-month bespoke program to support and guide your startup to prepare you to expand your company in Canada.
A knowledgeable relationship manger along with a variety of relevant Canadian stakeholders will help you to assess true product-market fit as well as connect you to a reliable network of incubators, universities, service providers, mentors, investors and potential partners and customers that will help you prepare for doing business in Canada.

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NBI Local Immersion Program

A 2-week comprehensive market access program that will take you to the city and province that is most appropriate for your organisation.
The program will include business development opportunities, mentor meetups, customer meetings, investor meetings and multiple ecosystem engagements for Indian founders to accelerate their expansion into the North American Market.

Re-Launching in 2022

IMPACT

IMPACT

The last 7 editions witnessed 3,600 applications, out of which 49 companies were selected for a market access program in Canada. As many as 17 startups have gone on to establish global offices. Out of the 17, 8 startups are now actively doing business from North America. We do have a very strict selection process, that not only includes interviews and pitches with the ZSI team, but also meetings with our partners in Canada. And because we have selected only those startups that have the right product-market fit and are ready to take the plunge into doing business in Canada, we have been able to create such a significant impact. The 8th edition has been thoughtfully designed to amplify that impact by helping you prepare for your soft-landing in Canada. So attend the NBI WebTalks and decide if you are ready for Canada and for the WORLD.

ARE YOU AMONGST INDIA’S MOST INNOVATIVE TECH STARTUP LOOKING TO ENTER THE NORTH AMERICAN MARKET?

Explore the Next BIG Idea Pre-Landing Program to take your first steps towards expansion into the Canadian market.