Everything we do is rooted in the desire to see more startups succeed
July 24, 2025
Alacrity Canada — Funding and scaling technology start-ups in Canada • alacritycanada.com
Insights shared by
Golriz Fattahi
Chief Executive Officer,
Alacrity Canada
From programs designed to help businesses thrive to building an ecosystem that listens first, moves fast, and doesn’t flinch when things get hard, Alacrity Canada lives up to its website tagline: “Everything we do is rooted in the desire to see more startups succeed.”
At the helm of this mission is Golriz Fattahi, Alacrity Canada’s newly appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO). A strategic leader with over a decade of dedication to the organization’s growth and operational excellence, including her most recent role as Chief Operating Officer, Golriz has played a tremendous role in the growth of Alacrity Canada and paving the way for continued expansion of the organization’s impact across the country.
We sat down with Golriz to learn more about her journey, her leadership philosophy, and her vision for Alacrity Canada’s future—one rooted in supporting home-grown entrepreneurial success through market-responsive programming to support Canadian businesses at home and abroad.
Golriz, congratulations on your new role! To start things off, could you tell us a bit more about your journey at Alacrity Canada?
Most certainly. I started my career in administrative, recruiting, fundraising and project management roles, moving into operations management about 15 years ago. After joining the Alacrity Canada team, I continued pursuing operations positions and working closely with small businesses to help them grow and scale.
I served as COO at Alacrity Canada for the past two years before stepping into the CEO role earlier this year. It’s been really fulfilling to grow alongside Alacrity Canada and many of our portfolio companies which has brought a deep understanding of the philosophy, vision, and mission of the organization.
Between 2020 and 2023, we launched four long-term programs, several of which are still running today. That period was a turning point for me, and a big reason I stayed at Alacrity Canada. I was deeply involved, both in building the team and scaling our initiatives. During COVID, we grew from a team of five to 25 and expanded our program portfolio to 11.
Our focus evolved to support not only tech startups but also a broader range of small and medium-sized businesses adopting digital tools. What began as hands-on support shifted toward driving digital integration and helping businesses successfully adopt technology at scale.
What excites you most about stepping into the CEO role at this moment in Alacrity Canada’s journey?
A lot is happening around the world and those impacts are being felt locally, too. In big moments of change, there is also a lot of opportunity and stepping into this leadership role now means I can guide the organization, and the entrepreneurs and companies we work with, navigate the journey to find success and growth.
What excites me most is working directly with founders —hearing what they truly need from us as a partner. I’ve always seen Alacrity Canada not just as an investor or program provider, but as a committed partner walking alongside companies throughout their journey.
Now, as CEO, I’m especially energized by the opportunity to bring more visibility to our companies, our programs, and the broader Alacrity ecosystem. I’m naturally more of an introvert. I prefer doing the work over talking about it, but I’ve embraced this role as an advocate and communicator for the incredible work our team and portfolio companies are doing. Elevating their stories and amplifying their impact is what drives me.
What role do you see Alacrity Canada playing in strengthening Canada’s innovation ecosystem?
Canada’s innovation ecosystem is full of entrepreneurs that are motivated to build great products and deliver world-class services. Alacrity’s established global network of knowledgeable mentors, partners, and investors can help these ambitious changemakers succeed. Our role is to connect and provide the tools and resources needed, especially at early and mid-stages of growth, so that Canadian companies are at the forefront of innovation and top-of-mind for customers around the world.
Alacrity Canada runs several high-impact initiatives. Are there any programs you’re particularly excited to grow or evolve?
We recently launched a program called Advanced Pathways for Export, or APEX, a specialized export acceleration initiative designed to help British Columbia-based businesses successfully enter and grow in international markets. We’re really excited to have companies that are ready to build a presence in new markets like Latin America, Northern Europe, and South Asia apply. The program includes growth strategy development, export readiness preparation, sustainability and impact measurement, and scaling to help entrepreneurs build the leadership skills needed for global growth.
We’ve also just recently released our Inaugural Indigenous Impact Report. At Alacrity Canada, we’re committed to advancing reconciliation and Indigenous economic self-determination by supporting projects led by Indigenous individuals, communities, businesses, and organizations.
Through programs including the CleanBC Plastics Action Fund, Digital Marketing Bootcamp, and Canada Digital Adoption Program, Alacrity Canada has disbursed $2.5M in non-dilutive funding, supporting over 700 Indigenous businesses and over 690 Indigenous learners. Alacrity Canada is proud to partner with Indigenous organizations to co-create and deliver programming to help create a more inclusive economy in the spirit of reconciliation.
What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs or young professionals interested in the startup ecosystem?
My advice is simple: try before you give up. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there, and don’t let the fear of failure hold you back.
People often say we learn from failure, and that’s true, but for someone like me, who does fear failure, I’ve learned it’s less about the failure itself and more about how you experience it. Go in with your eyes open, and surround yourself with secure, supportive people—mentors, peers, and advisors. That way, if things don’t go as planned, you’re not starting over alone. You have a community to help you regroup and move forward faster and stronger.
So yes, you learn from failure, but you grow when you fail with support. And finally, surround yourself with people who believe in you, not just your ideas. It makes all the difference.
As a woman in leadership, how do you see your role in promoting diversity and inclusion in tech and entrepreneurship?
We have made a lot of progress, but there are still a lot of barriers to overcome for many underrepresented and historically marginalized groups.
First, I want to lead by example and show my children that they can be leaders (if they want to be). Second, I want to open doors for others behind me.
Back in my recruiting and HR days, I tried to instill diverse, inclusive hiring practices in the organizations I worked with, and I see that role continuing in the boardrooms that I’m in today.
Thank you, Golriz. Is there anything else you’d like to add before we wrap up?
Sure, one last thought. One of my pet peeves is when someone says their goal is simply to be a CEO or own a business. To me, that often sounds like they just want to be in charge, without any real vision or ambition beyond authority. The truth is, great CEOs and business leaders aren’t defined by power; they’re defined by service. Leadership isn’t about telling people what to do. It’s about supporting others and enabling them to thrive.
To learn more about Alacrity Canada, be sure to visit alacritycanada.com.