This fall, Vancouver is gaining a new incubator for generalist technology startups.
Applications to join Althra’s first, four-month, in-person cohort in downtown Vancouver, which will run from September to December 2025, have now opened. Althra plans to work with 10 selected early-stage Canadian tech founders with a working prototype and early validation, provide them with free space to focus on building full-time, and connect them with a network of more experienced mentors and potential investors.
“A key thesis for [Althra] was building in person.”
Sanket Mittal,
Althra
Althra founder Sanket Mittal, who previously worked as an analyst in British Columbia (BC) for Toronto’s Graphite Ventures, unpacked why he decided to launch Althra and shared his vision for the scrappy, aspiring Vancouver tech hub in an interview with BetaKit. “A key thesis for it was building in person,” he said.
“I’m treating it as a startup where, if you’re not kind of embarrassed by the first product, then you shipped too late … There’s a lot that I don’t know, but I’m more than happy to figure [it out] and pivot,” Mittal added.
The free, no-equity incubator will feature limited programming, a dedicated 24/7 downtown workspace, and weekly mentorship from established Vancouver entrepreneurs in areas like FinTech, AI, and SaaS. Mittal said its first cohort will kick off with a dinner for participating founders and mentors, and conclude with a demo day featuring potential investors and partners.
Mittal said the initial idea was for Althra to raise some money and invest $10,000 CAD in each participant’s company to help mitigate the high cost of living in Vancouver, but landed on its current approach after fundraising proved difficult.
Like many Canadian startups today, Mittal said Althra is “running lean,” leveraging donated office space from Vancouver-based human resources and marketing consulting firm The Acquisition Group, mentors who have volunteered their time, and investors from his network. Mittal said he is working on Althra on a part-time basis and not expecting to see any monetary benefit from it at this time.
The Acquisition Group regional manager Adam McKilligan told BetaKit that he decided to support Althra because he has “seen firsthand how fragmented the Vancouver tech community can be.” McKilligan argued that Vancouver could use more hubs where startups, advisors, investors, and other stakeholders can collaborate.
“When Sanket shared his vision for Althra and what was needed to bring it to life, it was an easy decision to get involved,” McKilligan said. “I’ve always believed in acting quickly, doing the right thing, learning from the outcome, and being ready to pivot if needed. Supporting this incubator is about building a stronger, more connected ecosystem for everyone, and I had the ability to help, so I helped.”
Althra’s mentors include ZenHub co-founder Aaron Upright, Loopio co-founder and CTO Matt York, Wavy co-founder and CEO Shawn Hewat, Later co-founder Ian MacKinnon, Inverted AI co-founder and CTO Adam Ścibior, MyFO founder and CEO Simran Kang, and Vancouver Tech Journal founder William Johnson (now vice-president of strategy and operations at Overstory Media), among others.
“I’ve spent the last several years championing founders who are building ambitious companies in Vancouver,” Johnson told BetaKit. “Mentoring at Althra is a way for me to go a step further—not just celebrating the work, but actively helping founders navigate the early stages. If I can make the journey a little easier or clearer for someone, that’s more than worth it.”
York believes in the value of building in person. “I joined as a mentor because I’m continually impressed by the tech talent in Vancouver—and I believe more should be giving back to early-stage founders,” he said. “I’m also deeply bullish on the power of early-stage ideas being built in person. There’s real magic when ambitious people share space and momentum.”
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Mittal, who was born and raised in Calgary but studied electrical and computer engineering at the University of British Columbia (UBC), said the genesis of Althra dates back to what he learned during his time at Graphite, and a popular LinkedIn post about founding a potential incubator he published last month, which led a variety of local tech leaders to express support for the idea and offer to lend support.
The Althra founder hopes to build a community around the incubator that connects with other parts of Vancouver’s “fragmented” tech ecosystem.
”Another group with good intent and a desire to build community is obviously helpful.”
Sean Elbe,
CDL Vancouver
Mittal said he is launching Althra to help fill what he views as a gap in the city’s tech sector: a lack of incubators for generalist early-stage startups that are not working in the university system or within specific verticals like cleantech or life sciences. The Althra founder said he noticed this during the five months or so he spent last year scouting BC for Graphite. “I saw the challenges up close when we explored expanding to BC, and then didn’t because of a lack of deal flow,” he claimed.
For his part, Graphite managing director and general partner Lance Laking told BetaKit the firm brought on Mittal to help explore whether it should station a full-time employee in Vancouver. Laking said Graphite ultimately determined that given deal flow in the region, among other factors, it made more sense to prioritize building a physical presence in other Canadian cities.
Vancouver currently plays home to a variety of organizations that provide early-stage startup programming, including Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) Vancouver, Simon Fraser University, UBC, the BC Tech Association, and New Ventures BC, among others.
Local tech leaders BetaKit spoke with expressed skepticism about Mittal’s thesis that the city lacks incubators for early-stage generalist tech startups, but agreed that more spaces for tech entrepreneurs in the city to build together in person are always a good thing.
”Another group with good intent and a desire to build community is obviously helpful, because it’s part of the fabric of what makes any entrepreneurship ecosystem successful,” Sean Elbe, who helps lead partnerships at CDL Vancouver, told BetaKit.
Feature image courtesy Althra.