Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Academy

ETA Bootcamp

Canada's first intensive-program giving you the step-by-step knowledge, playbooks, and network you need to start searching for — and buying — your first business.

Key Program Details

A $2 trillion transfer of wealth is happening, right here in Canada. Here's how you can be part of it:

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Benefits of ETA

Skip the 0-to-1, and go 1-to-100

76% of small business owners are planning to exit their businesses by 2032, according to a new report by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).

Is ETA Bootcamp Your Next Step?

If you're ready to start your business search and are looking for a community to support you along the way, then it just might be.

First-Time Searchers

You’re serious about buying a business and want to know the exact next steps to launch your search. Learn from seasoned experts how to choose your ideal acquisition target, structure your search, and sift through deals until you find the perfect fit.
Action-Takers

You’re ready to do more than dream you want to buy. Build the skills, strategy, and confidence you need to find the right deal and make it yours.
Community Builders

You’re exploring the opportunity of buying a business but don’t want to do it alone. You know learning is better together and so do we.

Meet Our Past Instructors

ETA Bootcamp gives you what no algorithm can: direct access to the network and insights you’ll actually need to buy your first business successfully.

No more spending hours on LinkedIn trying to find lawyers, bankers, or investors asking for advice and hoping they’ll answer. We’re bringing the experts and their playbooks directly to you.

Learn more about our past speakers & curriculum here.

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Course Highlights

Turn your dream of buying a business into a strategic, actionable-plan.

Build the skills, strategy, and network you need to search for—and buy—your first business.

In-person community

Start strong with your new cohort. Share a meal, dive into hands-on workshops, and hear from seasoned pros during this one-day event in Montreal.

Get back to the in-person energy we’ve all missed and connect with business owners, investors, and bankers here to help you find and fund your next business.
Reflect on your journey throughout the course, and get ready for the next steps in your business-buying journey. But most importantly, celebrate!

Online learning

Stop searching and start selecting. Move from vague interest to a focused acquisition thesis anchored in the specific realities of the Canadian landscape.

Before the hunt begins, you will build the discipline to define rigorous target criteria before setting up your own sourcing engine on your ideal company profile and exit plans.

By the end, you’ll know how to consistently generate deal flow aligned with your lifestyle and acquisition goals.
The most expensive mistake a searcher can make is falling in love with the wrong deal.

This phase is about learning how to quickly assess a company’s viability by reading financial statements and decoding the story hidden in the Confidential Information Memorandum (CIM).

By mastering the “Art of the No”, you’ll learn to work effectively with brokers while maintaining search leverage. You will develop clarity to distinguish which businesses are worth pursuing further and which to walk away from.
As you transition from analysis to ownership, you will move beyond math to understand the implications of different capital stacks and negotiation levers.

By mastering the core mechanics of deal structure and capital providers within the Canadian landscape, you’ll leave with a framework to structure a deal that actually gets funded.

And as you de-mystify the anatomy of the Letter of Intent (LOI), you gain the confidence to use these instruments as strategic tools to protect your interests as you move toward the finish line.

How it works

ETA Bootcamp at a glance

April
Submit your enrollment form

Complete a short written enrollment form so we can get to know you.
- Only 50 spots available
- Enrollment is on a rolling basis until all spots are filled
Deadline: May 27th, 2026
June
First day of ETA Academy

Kick off the journey with a warm welcome to the program, meet your cohort, and set the stage for success.
- Attend workshops
- Share a meal
- Network with peers, business owners, and bankers
Montreal: June 6, 2026
June
Launch Day

In one high-impact day, gain clarity on the ETA roadmap, while connecting with ETA experts and your high-caliber peers.
- Network with key ETA players in the ecosystem
- Breakdown the ETA journey from search to close
- Discover the lower middle market opportunity in Canada 2026
Montreal: June 6, 2026
4 Weeks of Virtual Sessions
Designed to fit into your professional lifestyle, this program includes:
- Expert-led panels
- Hands-on workshops
- Case studies and resources
- Asynchronous study guide
Virtual: June 8 - July 2, 2026
July

Virtual Graduation Day 🎓

Reflect on your learning and prepare for the next steps in your business-buying journey.

Online: July 2, 2026

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"The curriculum was hands-on, the guest speakers shared relevant real-world lessons with openness, and the peer network made the experience even more valuable"

Lily Akagbosu
Product Manager, IBM

Are you a fit?

You've been thinking about buying a business — maybe you've read a book, listened to a podcast, talked to a broker. You know this is a real path, but you don't know the next concrete step. This program gives you that step: a structured four-week process covering deal sourcing, financial evaluation, and deal structure, alongside fifty people working through the same questions.
The program is designed for mid-career professionals with 5+ years of work experience. You should be comfortable with basic financial statements (balance sheet, income statement, cash flow). No prior ETA or M&A experience required.

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You can expect to get:

A certificate of completion

A lifetime access to Venture for Canada’s alumni network in ETA and like-minded searchers

A lifetime access to the Self Study Guide resources

A three month license to VillageWellth

A letter of referral upon request

Access to a network of professional speakers (investors, owner/operator, searcher, banker, etc.): Private emails and LinkedIn connections
Yes! Our speakers bring real-world deal experience. Because some of them have been exposed to a large number of deals, they will share how shifting trade policies, tariffs, and broader political dynamics can directly influence acquisition strategy and deal-making. You’ll get both practical insights and context on navigating this environment as a prospective ETA operator.
ETA 101 is an introductory program designed to help you explore whether entrepreneurship through acquisition is right for you. It covers the fundamentals and gives you a broad overview of the search process. ETA Bootcamp, on the other hand, is an immersive program for those who are ready to launch their search within the next 1-2 years. It combines live workshops, panels, case studies, hands-on practice, a tight knit community of peers and in-person networking to help you build the skills, network, and confidence to actively pursue a search.
The Bootcamp is not limited to Montreal. While part of the program takes place in Montreal, speakers and participants join from across Canada. You’re welcome to join from any province.
Workshops and panels run on weeknights (Mon/Wed evenings ET) with one Saturday in Montreal.
Yes, you’ll have short case studies to work on. These will help you get more out of the session and make the discussion more practical and engaging.
Yes, there are scholarships and grants available for this program. Please email our team to discuss options eta@ventureforcanada.ca
🚀 Launch Weekend:

Where: Montreal (venue TBD)

When: June 6th, 2026, 9am – 5pm ET

Anchor your journey:

Network directly with the ecosystem to gain a comprehensive understanding of both the macro-level market trends and the micro-level mechanics of local deal-making.

Learn from a curated panel of experts who have navigated the specific challenges of the Canadian ETA landscape.

Dive into an end-to-end case study of a self-funded searcher to surface and challenge your early ETA assumptions.

Define your expectations and the specific decision framework to transition from “interest” to “action.”

👉 Expect to leave Launch Weekend with a clear roadmap and sharpened lens to drive your search forward.
No. Prior experience is not required. We look for mid-career professionals who are serious about launching a search within the next five years. So… if you’re eyeing a career transition and ready to put your skills into practice through hands-on workshops, this is your launchpad. We train you in the tools, mindsets, and playbooks you’ll actually use when you step into ETA.