Match the program to the business
Reviewed September 6, 2026: Invest Ottawa offers ordinary business advisory services and identifies Starter Company Plus for non-tech entrepreneurs launching or ready to launch. Its technology Venture Path includes IO Ignition, Flex, Accelerator and ScaleUp, with suitability depending on stage and needs. Check the current program page and intake requirements. A meeting or completed training does not guarantee a grant, investment or admission to another program.
For a new shop or service business
Prepare startup costs, supplier quotes, proposed pricing, fixed monthly commitments and the owner’s available contribution. Add a cash forecast that separates an application for funding from money already committed. If trading has begun, bring reconciled sales and expense records and explain which months are incomplete. A clear question, such as whether to rent premises now or continue a mobile service, helps focus the conversation on the cost assumptions that matter.
For a technology business with recurring revenue
Bring current financial statements, a cash runway calculation, headcount and contractor commitments, and the assumptions behind revenue growth. Distinguish signed customer agreements from pipeline and cash receipts from revenue earned under the accounting policy. If customer churn, implementation costs or deferred revenue affect the forecast, make those definitions explicit. Program advisers can then assess the business using a consistent view rather than unrelated dashboard screenshots.
An illustrative Kanata hiring decision
A software company has $180,000 available cash and currently uses $20,000 net cash each month, giving an illustrative nine-month runway if those assumptions stay constant. Adding a role increases expected net monthly use to $30,000, reducing that simple runway to six months before any new revenue or funding. The useful discussion is what milestones the hire enables and which assumptions could close the gap. A hoped-for financing round should not be presented as cash in the bank.
Preserve the version discussed
Date the package and list outstanding receivables, debt payments, tax commitments and material uncertainties. Record the adviser’s suggested resources and the information to update before a follow-up. Bookkeeping supports the conversation by keeping historical balances reliable and forecasts tied to actual results. Invest Ottawa determines its own program criteria, while tax, legal and lending decisions may involve other specialists. No affiliation with Invest Ottawa is implied by helping you prepare those records.
Put this into practice
Sources and current guidance
A practical next step
Bring the records you have.
We can identify missing information, agree on the scope and organize the next bookkeeping step.
Request a bookkeeping review