The Big Picture:

Canada’s Succession Summit is a one-day, in-person event on October 17th, 2026, at The Brownstone in Calgary, Alberta. Hosted by Venture for Canada with support from BDC, Futurpreneur, Business Link Alberta, Richter, and Village Wellth, it brings together buyers, business owners, advisors, capital providers, and policymakers to strengthen Canada’s business succession ecosystem. Sessions run from 9:00 AM to 4:45 PM. General admission is $180, and anyone can request a spot.

One day, one room, and everyone working to make sure Canada’s business ownership transition succeeds. Whether you’re thinking of buying a business, selling one, advising or financing, or shaping policy, Canada’s Succession Summit on October 17th in Calgary, Alberta is meant for you.

Across five sessions, we’ll explore why this moment matters, how to keep Canadian businesses in Canadian hands, what owners need to sell with confidence, where acquisition capital comes from, and how to prepare the next generation of business owners. This guide walks you through who the summit is for, what each session covers, and how to make the most of the day.

What Canada’s Succession Summit is about

We’re facing the largest business ownership transfer in Canadian history, with 76% of business owners planning to exit in the next decade, putting more than $2 trillion in business assets in play. Despite this, only 9% of owners have a formal succession plan in place, leaving thousands of Canadian businesses at risk of closing or being bought by foreign buyers.

The summit brings together business leaders, advisors, investors, capital providers, and policymakers to raise awareness of entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA) and strengthen the ecosystem around it, so that the businesses owners have spent decades building stay open, Canadian-owned, and in good hands.

Here’s what this looks like:

• Connect: Curated rooms and dedicated time for ETA ecosystem participants and intermediaries to start conversations for long-term collaboration after the summit ends.
• Equip: Sessions and panels focused on preparing buyers, sellers, and intermediaries with the knowledge, skills, and confidence required to navigate ownership transitions.
• Influence: Policy recommendations developed with the people closest to the work, where being in the room means contributing, not just listening.

This is reflected in our core priorities for the event: expanding awareness of ETA and other alternative ownership pathways, identifying the barriers to successful ownership transitions, and creating forward momentum for connection and collaboration to support Canada’s economic independence.

Who should attend, and what you’ll get out of it

Aspiring buyers and searchers

If you’re an aspiring business owner or entrepreneur, you’ll learn how business ownership transitions come together, see what ETA readiness looks like, and meet the capital providers and sellers you’ll eventually work with.

Key sessions:

• Funding the Deal: Where Canadian Acquisition Capital Comes From: Learn what investors look for and why deals stall before you’re the one trying to close one.

• Building ETA Readiness: Skills, Training, and Ecosystem Capacity: Find out what it takes to be acquisition-ready and where to build the skills you’re missing.

Note: Thinking seriously about buying a business? Venture for Canada’s five-week ETA Bootcamp takes you through the full acquisition cycle. It starts October 24, and enrolment closes October 14th.

Business owners thinking about succession

If you’re thinking about retirement or stepping back from your business, you’ll learn what support systems and structures currently exist for owners, the importance of a formal succession plan, and alternative options outside of closing your business or selling to foreign buyers.

Key sessions:

• The Seller Perspective in Business Transition: Hear what support structures exist, where the gaps are, and how trust, timing, legacy, and advice shape a successful exit.
• Keeping it Canadian: Impact, Ownership, and the Deals That Stay Home: Explore options beyond selling to the highest bidder, including ETA and EOTs.

Note: You don’t need a plan, a timeline, or a buyer in mind to attend. Many owners join these conversations long before they’re ready to sell, and that’s exactly the right time to start.

Business ownership advisors

If you’re an accountant, lawyer, or wealth and transaction advisor who works with business owners, you’ll hear where clients’ biggest gaps are, and how deal structures, including the recent employee ownership trust (EOT) breakthrough, are evolving.

Key sessions:

• The Seller Perspective in Business Transition: Hear directly from the owner’s side about where advisory support makes or breaks a transition.
• Keeping it Canadian: Impact, Ownership, and the Deals That Stay Home: Get up to speed on EOTs and other emerging structures you can bring to your clients.

Note: Only 9% of Canadian business owners have a formal succession plan, and about two in five of those who plan do it alone. Advisors are one of the biggest missing pieces in successful transitions, and the summit is where you’ll meet the owners who need you.

Lenders and investors

If you lend to or invest in businesses, especially small- and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), you’ll meet the buyers and sellers behind business ownership transitions and hear from both sides of the table about where and why they struggle to close seemingly viable deals.

Key sessions:

• Funding the Deal: Where Canadian Acquisition Capital Comes From: Learn about lender appetite, capital structures, and the terms that make financing work.

• Keeping it Canadian: Impact, Ownership, and the Deals That Stay Home: See how mission-driven capital is acquiring and stewarding Canadian businesses.
• The Seller Perspective in Business Transition: Understand what owners need from a deal beyond pricing so you can structure offers that actually close.

Policymakers, educators, and ecosystem builders

If you help to shape policies, education, programs, or infrastructure in the business ownership ecosystem, you’ll hear from the people closest to the work about barriers to successful transitions and help shape the recommendations moving forward after the summit.

Key sessions:

• Why Now: The Succession Moment in Canada: Get the full picture of what’s at stake in Canada’s ownership transition and why this moment calls for action.
• Keeping it Canadian: Impact, Ownership, and the Deals That Stay Home: Hear how recent policy wins, like the EOT framework, work in practice and what could come next.
• Building ETA Readiness: Skills, Training, and Ecosystem Capacity: Identify the gaps in how Canada prepares buyers, sellers, and advisors, and where education and programs can close them.

The summit’s schedule at a glance

Here’s a quick overview of the summit’s schedule:

You can also download a copy of the summit’s schedule here.

How to make the most of the day

Here are some practical tips to help you get the most value out of attending the summit.

Before the summit

• Set specific goals. This could be meeting a lender, understanding how employee ownership trusts work, connecting with a potential successor, or simply making five new connections outside your usual circle. Clear goals make it easier to decide where to spend your time.
• Review the schedule and speakers. Download the session overview, mark the sessions most relevant to your role, and read up on the speakers you’d most like to meet or hear from.
• Prepare a short introduction. Have a quick answer ready for “What brings you here?” that covers who you are, what you’re looking for, and how you might help others. Consider bringing business cards and/or a QR code to your LinkedIn.
• Come with questions. Panels on seller support and financing gaps cover issues people are working through right now, and a specific question makes for a better conversation, whether it’s during Q&A or over lunch.

During the summit

• Arrive early. Check-in runs from 8:00 to 9:00 AM, and the morning coffee is one of the easiest times to start conversations before sessions begin.
• Treat lunch like a session. At 90 minutes, the networking lunch is the longest block of the day. It’s built for the connections that lead to collaboration long after the summit ends.
• Talk to people outside your usual circle. An aspiring business owner meeting a seller’s advisor, or a lender meeting a policymaker, is exactly the kind of connection the summit is designed for.
• Share what you’re hearing. Post your takeaways on LinkedIn with the hashtag #MyVisionForCanada and tag Venture for Canada to add your voice to the conversation.

After the summit

• Follow up within a few days. Send a LinkedIn request to your ideal connections with a short note about what you discussed while the conversation is still fresh.
• Keep the momentum going. Whether that means exploring ETA programs, referring a colleague to future events, or continuing a conversation with someone you met, the summit is meant to be a starting point, not a one-off moment.

Summit logistics

Venue & travel: Canada’s Succession Summit is taking place at The Brownstone (221 10 Ave SE #120) in Calgary, Alberta, a short walk from the Victoria Park/Stampede Station on the C-Train’s Red Line. There’s a paid parking lot directly across the street, additional paid parking in the UpTen building just west of the venue, and metered street parking in the area.

Accessibility: The Brownstone is fully accessible. If you require specific accommodations or assistance, please notify our team at registration or reach out prior to arrival.

Wi-fi: High-speed Wi-Fi is available throughout the venue. Network details will be displayed at the registration desk.

Check-in: Registration runs between 8:00 AM and 9:00 AM. Arrive early to grab your event badge, settle in, and enjoy complimentary coffee and pastries before opening remarks.

Dress code: We recommend smart casual attire, and we warmly welcome cultural and traditional clothing.

Food: All meals are provided throughout the event, alongside coffee, tea, pastries, and snacks during scheduled program breaks. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free options will be available. Please submit any specific dietary restrictions during registration, and catering staff at the meal stations will be happy to assist you.

For any questions before or during the summit, or for on-site assistance, email events@ventureforcanada.ca.

How to join

Canada’s Succession Summit is designed to bring together a balanced mix of perspectives, including buyers, owners, advisors, capital providers, educators, and policymakers, so that every conversation has the right people at the table. That’s why registration works a little differently.

If you have an access code: Reserve your ticket directly for $180. Tickets are non-transferable.

If you don’t have an access code: Apply to attend and tell us a bit about who you are and what brings you to the summit, and our team will be in touch.

Know someone who should be in the room? Refer a leader whose perspective belongs in this conversation, whether that’s a business owner thinking about succession, an advisor, a lender, or someone building the next generation of Canadian owners.

Canada’s business ownership transition will shape communities across the country for decades. We’d love to have you in the room — get your ticket or request a spot here.