So maybe you’re deciding on which accelerator program to apply to and you think to yourself “I’m kinda lazy and I’d really like an easily accessible location to walk to”. Look no further!
Much was made of Walk Score‘s 2014 rankings of North America’s most walkable cities yesterday, with GeekWire and Techvibes making note that in Canada, Vancouver came in as the Great White North’s Most Walkable City.
But SeedingFactory‘s Heri Rakotomalala provided inspiration when he pointed out that Montreal’s coworking space Notman House, which houses the FounderFuel accelerator program, actually scored a 100, being labelled the prestigious “Walker’s Paradise” title. So if FounderFuel must be close to the “Most Walkable Startup Accelerator” in Canada, then which programs challenge that title?
Back in July the MaRS Data Catalyst team issued a cool infographic that pointed out Canada’s eight biggest startup accelerators: FounderFuel (Montreal), GrowLab (Vancouver), UTEST (Toronto), Extreme Startups (Toronto), INcubes (Toronto), HYPERDRIVE (Waterloo), Jolt (Toronto). They also included The Next 36 (Toronto), which is a bit different from your traditional accelerator program given that it accepts 36 individuals. Nevertheless, the program still provides $80,000 for eight percent equity, and startups are immediately formed.
So, let’s rank those eight startups in terms of walkability (with transit score and bike score serving as tie-breakers)
1. FounderFuel: 51 Sherbrooke St. W, Montreal
Walkability Score: 100
Transit Score: 100
Bike Score: 98
2. The Next 36: 130 Bloor Street West, Suite 702
Walkability Score: 100
Transit Score: 100
Bike Score: 71
3. INcubes: 70 Peter St, Toronto
Walkability Score: 100
Transit Score: 100
Bike Score: 54
4. GrowLab: 128 West Hastings St, Suite 300, Vancouver
Walkability Score: 98
Transit Score: 100
Bike Score: 92
5. Extreme Startups: 639 Queen Street West Toronto
Walkability Score: 98
Transit Score: 100
Bike Score: 52
6. UTEST and Jolt (both housed at the MaRS Discovery District): 101 College Street, Toronto
Walkability Score: 92
Transit Score: 100
Bike Score: 77
7. HYPERDRIVE: 151 Charles Street West, Kitchener
Walkability Score: 92
Transit Score: 67
Bike Score: N/A
Analysis:
Everyone’s a winner in the “Walk Score”, as all eight accelerator programs in Canada received the honourable “Walker’s Paradise” title. Yay! FounderFuel in Montreal, INcubes and The Next 36 in Toronto all share top honours with a 100 score, but we’ll give the nod to FounderFuel since it scored 100 in Transit Score and 98 in Bike Score.
The “worst” score obviously went to HYPERDRIVE, since Kitchener-Waterloo is the smallest metropolitan area out of itself, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. So it came as no surprise then and its a bit hard to compare.
Overachiever Award: FounderFuel, for getting such impressive numbers
Underachiever Award: Extreme Startups, for getting a Bike Score of 52. Maybe it’s those dangerous streetcar tracks on Queen St.? Who knows. I’ve witnessed a few people get their wheels stuck in those tracks and go crashing down to the pavement. It’s not a pretty sight to say the least.
So there it is folks, Canada’s most walkable startup accelerator programs.