Home

We are a Business Council for the 21st Century Economy

Ensemble, nous formons un conseil commercial adapté à l’économie du 21e siècle

The Council of Canadian Innovators is the 21st century business council exclusively focused on helping high-growth Canadian technology firms scale-up globally. The Council’s mandate is to optimize the growth of Canada’s innovation-based sector by ensuring Canadian tech and public-policy leaders are working together to improve Canada’s innovation outputs.
Le Conseil canadien des innovateurs (CCI) est le conseil commercial du 21e siècle visant exclusivement à aider les entreprises technologiques canadiennes à forte croissance à prendre de l’ampleur sur le plan international. Le mandat du CCI consiste à optimiser la croissance du secteur des innovations canadien en veillant à ce que les leaders en matière de technologie et les chefs publics ou politiques du pays collaborent en vue de rehausser les résultats en matière d'innovation.

What we care about

We advocate for policy that spurs innovation and helps domestic tech companies gain greater access to talent, capital and customers.

Ce qui nous tient à cœur

Nous préconisons une politique qui stimule l’innovation et aide les entreprises technologiques nationales à avoir un meilleur accès aux fonds, aux compétences et aux clients.
Access to Talent

We believe high-skilled talent is the jet-fuel Canadian companies need to reach new heights.

Accès aux compétences

Nous croyons qu’un effectif fortement compétent est ce dont les entreprises canadiennes ont le plus besoin pour atteindre de nouveaux sommets.

Access to Capital

We believe that Government investments into innovation should be directed towards high-growth firms

Accès aux fonds

Nous croyons que les investissements du gouvernement au profit de l’innovation doivent être faits dans des entreprises à forte croissance.

Access to Customers

We believe Government has a role in helping scaling technology companies access more customers

Accès aux clients

Nous croyons que le gouvernement peut aider les entreprises technologiques qui prennent de l’ampleur à obtenir plus de clients.

Canada doesn’t have a start-up problem, it has a scale-up problem; CCI exists to address this and help Canadian-based companies reach new global heights

De nombreuses entreprises canadiennes sont en démarrage, mais peu prennent de l’ampleur. Le CCI a été mis en place pour aborder cet enjeu et pour aider les entreprises canadiennes à atteindre de nouveaux sommets sur le plan international.

Meet the chairs


Rencontrez les dirigeants


Jim Balsillie
Chair of Council of Canadian Innovators

Jim Balsillie’s career is unique in Canadian business. He is a former Chairman and co-CEO of Research In Motion (BlackBerry), a Canadian technology company he scaled from an idea to $20 billion in sales globally.

He is the co-founder of the Institute for New Economic Thinking, the Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI), the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) and the CIO Strategy Council. He currently chairs the boards of CCI and CIGI and is a co-Chair of CIOSC.  He is also the founder of the Balsillie School of International Affairs, Arctic Research Foundation and the Centre for Digital Rights. He is a member of the Global Advisory Board of the Stockholm Resilience Centre and an Honorary Captain of the Royal Canadian Navy. 

Mr. Balsillie was the only Canadian ever appointed to US Business Council and the sole private sector representative on the UN Secretary General’s High Panel for Sustainability.  He is the only Canadian member of the US Council on Competitiveness and an internationally renowned voice on innovation strategy, competitiveness and international economic policy. He testified to the US Senate on America Innovates Act, a landmark legislation for management of intellectual property.  

Mr. Balsillie holds degrees in a Bachelor of Commerce from University of Toronto, an MBA from Harvard Business School and is a fellow with Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario. 

His awards include: Mobile World Congress Lifetime Achievement Award, India’s Priyadarshni Academy Global Award, GSMA Lifetime Achievement Award, Canadian Business Hall of Fame, Time Magazine’s World’s 100 Most Influential People and three times Barron’s list of "World’s Top CEOs.”
Jim Balsillie
Président du Conseil canadien des innovateurs

Jim Balsillie (baccalauréat en commerce, Toronto; FCA Toronto; MBA Harvard) est l’ancien président et co-PDG de Research In Motion (BlackBerry), une entreprise canadienne qui a commencé par une idée pour devenir une société mondiale dont les revenus se chiffrent à 20 milliards de dollars.

Il est le cofondateur de l’organisation Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET) située dans la ville de New York et du CCI, qui se trouve à Toronto. Il est le président actuel du conseil d’administration de la société Technologies du développement durable Canada. Il est également le fondateur de l’organisation Centre for International Governance Innovation, de la Balsillie School of International Affairs et de l’Arctic Research Foundation.

M. Balsillie est le seul canadien à avoir été recruté par le conseil commercial américain et le seul représentant du secteur privé à être membre du Groupe de haut niveau sur la viabilité mondiale du Secrétaire général de l’ONU. Il est le seul membre canadien du conseil américain sur la compétitivité et il est reconnu à l’échelle mondiale pour son expertise en matière de stratégie favorisant l’innovation, de concurrence et de politique économique internationale. Il s’est vu attribuer de nombreux honneurs, dont les suivants : plusieurs doctorats honorifiques au Canada, le prix soulignant l'ensemble de son œuvre du Mobile World Congress et la reconnaissance internationale de la Priyadarshni Academy en Inde. De plus, son nom a figuré sur la liste des 100 personnes ayant le plus d’influence au monde du Time Magazine et trois fois sur la liste des meilleurs PDG du monde de Barron.

JR.png
John Ruffolo
Vice-Chair of Council of Canadian Innovators

John is the Founder and Managing Partner of Maverix Private Equity, a private equity firm focused on technology-enabled growth and disruption investment strategies. As a firm run by entrepreneurs, funded by entrepreneurs, and for entrepreneurs, Maverix is investing out of its inaugural fund in the areas of health and wellness, financial services, transportation and logistics, live, work, play and learn, and retail. John chairs the Investment Committee, guides the strategy of the firm, and is deeply involved with sourcing and leading investment opportunities, particularly within the technology industry.

John is also the Founder of OMERS Ventures and Co-Founder and Vice Chair of the Council of Canadian Innovators. Over the course of his leadership as the CEO of OMERS Ventures, they invested over USD$500 million in over 40 disruptive technology companies across North America, including growth investments in Shopify, Xanadu, Wattpad, Wave, Hootsuite, Rover, Desire 2 Learn, Hopper, DuckDuckGo, TouchBistro and League. During his tenure at OMERS, John also formed OMERS Platform Investments, and as its Executive Managing Director, he led investments in Purpose Financial, PointNorth Capital, District Ventures, OneEleven and ArcTern Ventures. John co-founded the Council of Canadian Innovators with Jim Balsillie, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping high-growth Canadian technology firms scale globally.

Before joining OMERS, in addition to being a Partner at Deloitte, John was their Global Thought Leader, Global Tax Leader, and Canadian Industry Leader for their Technology, Media, and Telecommunications (TMT) practice, and a member of the Board of Directors. Prior to Deloitte, John was a Partner at Arthur Andersen LLP.

As an active board member in the profit and not-for-profit sectors, John works with many leading innovative organizations including AI Partnerships Corp., engineering.com, Ether Capital, OneEleven, ArcTern Ventures, RIV Capital, the David Suzuki Foundation, the CIBC Foundation, the Royal Ontario Museum, Caldwell’s Top 40 Under 40, the Investigative Journalism Foundation, the SSB Dean’s Global Council (DGC) and most recently he joined the board of Viral Nation, Maverix Private Equity’s first investment

Throughout his career, John continues to be recognized for his unparalleled contributions to the growth of the technology sector and expansive vision of Canada’s economy. For instance, in 2014, John was recognized as Canada’s #1 of 100 Most Powerful Business People by Canadian Business Magazine (#3 in 2015) and was selected as one of Toronto’s 50 Most Influential People by Toronto Life (#16 in 2015, #40 in 2016, #26 in 2017). In 2018, John was honoured with the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, making him a fifth Class Knight. In 2020, John became a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario (FCPA).

JR.png
John Ruffolo
Vice-président du Conseil canadien des innovateurs

John est le fondateur et associé directeur de Maverix Private Equity, une société de capital-investissement axée sur la croissance et les stratégies d'investissement disruptives axées sur la technologie. En tant qu'entreprise dirigée par des entrepreneurs, financée par des entrepreneurs et pour des entrepreneurs, Maverix investit à partir de son fonds inaugural dans les domaines de la santé et du bien-être, des services financiers, du transport et de la logistique, de la vie, du travail, du jeu et de l'apprentissage, et de la vente au détail. John préside le comité d'investissement, guide la stratégie de l'entreprise et est profondément impliqué dans la recherche et la direction d'opportunités d'investissement, en particulier dans l'industrie technologique.

Recent News

Talent1.png

CCI's 2022 Talent and Skills Report

Over the past two years, it has gotten more challenging to find, hire, and retain the skilled workers Canada’s fastest-growing companies need in order to scale-up globally. This situation is not unique to Canadian technology companies, or Canada in general, but the way Canadian governments respond to the talent crisis must be unique, innovative, and united if we are to see Canadian firms succeed in the global war for talent.

 
48133724141_c1d14c8583_k-1-1.jpg

CCI's Plan for Economic Recovery & Reorientation

Every national transformation requires fearless effort by those in power. This moment calls for bold policymaking with a sense of mission and a generational effort to make the country resilient and prosperous for the decades to come. Canada must be ready to adopt new thinking on innovation and not get stuck looking to the past for solutions for the future. 

 
Canada_ParliamentandStrategy-1440x780.jpg

Forget Recovery—It’s Time for an Economic Reorientation in Canada

Meaningful recovery should not just aim at recouping the economic losses but also positioning Canada for success in the global economy that awaits us on the other side of the pandemic. For that we need a new set of policy strategies and tools focused on enabling our job and prosperity engines – Canadian high-growth innovative technology companies – to soar.

 
Bains%20.png

Innovation Nation: Why has the government put a cap on innovation success?

Despite the hype about our tech sector, we should be concerned that fewer than five per cent of Canadian startups graduate to the scale-up stage, especially when we take stock of the time, capital and hands-on support governments give to early-stage companies. Lifting the employee cap on IRAP is a logical step the government should take to achieve their vision of more Canadian companies growing into the large anchor companies known around the world.

 
government-cheque-ottawa-phoenix-falling.JPG

Ottawa turns to U.S. tech giants too often: internal government memo

"Far too often, Canadians watch IT contracts get handed out to foreign multinational companies when highly qualified domestic companies here in Canada are overlooked because the current procurement process favours incumbents and doesn't foster enough new entrants into the process," says Benjamin Bergen, executive director of CCI, to CBC News.

 

Dans les médias

1.png

Plan de Relance et de Réorientation Économiques

Toute véritable transformation nationale exige des efforts assidus et courageux de la part de ceux et celles qui sont au pouvoir. La situation actuelle appelle à l’adoption de politiques audacieuses avec un sens de la mission et un effort générationnel permettant l’émergence d’un Canada résilient et prospère pour les décennies à venir. Le Canada doit revoir sa vision en matière d’innovation et cesser de se tourner vers le passé pour trouver des solutions d’avenir.

 
Quebec%205.jpg

Innovation de nouvelles stratégies sont nécessaires

"Même si les entreprises technologiques nationales contribuent considérablement à la prospérité et à la création de richesse du Québec, les politiques gouvernementales en matière d’innovation tendent à favoriser l’expansion de succursales étrangères plutôt que la croissance et la réussite de sociétés locales à l’échelle nationale et internationale. Depuis trop longtemps, les répercussions de ces politiques ont été négatives quant à la capacité de transformer les entreprises locales en des géants mondiaux."

 
government-cheque-ottawa-phoenix-falling.JPG

Ottawa turns to U.S. tech giants too often: internal government memo

"Far too often, Canadians watch IT contracts get handed out to foreign multinational companies when highly qualified domestic companies here in Canada are overlooked because the current procurement process favours incumbents and doesn't foster enough new entrants into the process," says Benjamin Bergen, executive director of CCI, to CBC News.

 

Viewed 249,201 times