Founded in 2019, the Innovators & Entrepreneurs Foundation brought together two leading institutions in the Canadian innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem: Startup Canada and the Manning Foundation. 

After reviewing several proposals seeking a partner organization to assume ongoing leadership of its longstanding and most prestigious Awards Program recognizing the contributions of Canadian innovators to our nation, the Manning Foundation Board decided that Startup Canada was the perfect home for their Awards Program and the right candidate to continue their enduring legacy.

Startup Canada has a track record of innovation and advancing entrepreneurship through Digital Programs, Conferences, Pitch Competitions, and their renowned Startup Canada Awards program.

Both Boards of Directors, as well as the entrepreneurial ecosystem across Canada, are expectant of the major impact that the alliance of these two powerhouses will bring. The Innovators & Entrepreneurs Foundation will select the Canada Innovation and Entrepreneurship Awards (also known as the CANIE Awards) recipients under global best practices. 

The 2021 CANIE Awards will bring together entrepreneurship and innovation by inspiring present and aspiring entrepreneurs through stories of resilience and success of Canadian disrupting leaders celebrated across the country, and by eliciting an entrepreneurial mindset among future generations.