Launch Sequence is Catapult’s curated hub for insights, ideas, and opportunities for entrepreneurs. Through newsletters, articles, and practical resources, we share guidance on starting, growing, and scaling businesses. Stay informed with expert perspectives, useful tools, and real-world knowledge designed to help founders navigate today’s evolving entrepreneurial landscape with confidence.

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The Mom Test (Book)

By: Catapult Team

Resource

The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick is a short, essential book on how to talk to customers so you get...

Google Business Profile

By: Catapult Team

Resource

A Google Business Profile is the free listing that puts you on Google Search and Maps when local customers look...

Google Analytics

By: Catapult Team

Resource

Google Analytics is the free standard for understanding who visits your website, where they come from, and what they do...

Wave: Free Accounting Software

By: Catapult Team

Resource

Wave is free accounting and invoicing software built for small businesses and solo founders. It won't replace an accountant forever,...

HubSpot Academy

By: Catapult Team

Resource

HubSpot Academy offers free, high-quality courses and certifications in marketing, sales, and CRM fundamentals. For a founder wearing every hat,...

Y Combinator Startup Library

By: Catapult Team

Resource

Y Combinator's Startup Library is a free archive of essays, talks, and guides from the people who've funded thousands of...

MaRS Startup Toolkit

By: Catapult Team

Resource

MaRS Discovery District publishes one of the deepest free libraries of startup playbooks in Canada, covering everything from finding product-market...

Innovate Calgary

By: Catapult Team

Resource

Innovate Calgary supports technology and research-based ventures with commercialization help, intellectual property guidance, and connections to the University of Calgary's...

Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB)

By: Catapult Team

Resource

The CFIB advocates for small businesses and gives members practical tools, templates, and a business advice helpline for the day-to-day...

BizPaL: Permits & Licences

By: Catapult Team

Resource

BizPaL is a free government service that tells you exactly which permits and licences your business needs, based on your...

Statistics Canada

By: Catapult Team

Resource

Statistics Canada is a free, authoritative source of market, demographic, and industry data. Before you assume a market exists (or...

NACCA & Indigenous Business Financing

By: Catapult Team

Resource

The National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association (NACCA) and its network of Indigenous Financial Institutions provide financing and business support designed...

Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH)

By: Catapult Team

Resource

The Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub is a national research and resource network for women founders, with practical tools, data, and...

Alberta Women Entrepreneurs (AWE)

By: Catapult Team

Resource

Alberta Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) provides financing, training, mentorship, and advising specifically for women-owned and women-led businesses in Alberta. From first-time...

Platform Calgary

By: Catapult Team

Resource

Platform Calgary is the hub of Calgary's startup ecosystem: programs, mentorship, events, and the Innovation Centre that connects founders to...

Mitacs

By: Catapult Team

Resource

Mitacs connects businesses with academic researchers and graduate talent through funded internships and research partnerships. For a startup that needs...

Community Futures Alberta

By: Catapult Team

Resource

Community Futures is a network of local offices across rural Alberta offering small business loans, coaching, and planning support, often...

SR&ED Tax Incentive (Canada)

By: Catapult Team

Resource

The Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) program is Canada's largest source of R&D funding, delivered as tax credits through...

Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan)

By: Catapult Team

Resource

PrairiesCan is the federal agency focused specifically on growing businesses across Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. It funds scale-ups, innovation, and...

AI Made Design Easy, and Revealed What People Thought It Was Worth

By: Steve Blair

Article

In under two years, AI design tools went from novelty to default. Logos, ads, decks, and brand kits now get...

SEO Is a Long Game: What to Actually Expect

By: Steve Blair

Article

Every founder eventually gets sold the same story: do a little SEO, and the traffic will come. Then months pass,...

Alberta Innovates

By: Catapult Team

Resource

Alberta Innovates is the province's largest research and innovation agency, offering funding, vouchers, and hands-on support for technology, health, agriculture,...

Calgary Is Reaching 2 Million People.

By: Daniel Monzon

Article

Calgary's next big opportunity has already arrived. We are moving toward becoming a city of 2 million people, and that...

What Is a Cap Table and Why Does Every Alberta Startup Need One?

By: Julian Dobre

Article

A cap table, short for capitalization table, is an important equity document your startup will maintain from incorporation through exit....

The Lean Startup by Eric Ries

By: Catapult Team

Resource

The foundational methodology behind modern startup thinking. Build, measure, learn. Validate before overbuilding. The principles behind this book underpin how...

Canadian Business Valuation (CICBV)

By: Catapult Team

Resource

The Canadian Institute of Chartered Business Valuators is the authoritative body for business valuation in Canada. Use this resource to...

BDC: Selling Your Business Guide

By: Catapult Team

Resource

A practical, step-by-step guide from the Business Development Bank of Canada on preparing your business for sale. Covers valuation, buyer...

ElevateIP Alberta

By: Catapult Team

Resource

A federally funded program delivered in Alberta to help founders understand, manage, and protect their intellectual property. Catapult is a...

CIPO: Canadian Intellectual Property Office

By: Catapult Team

Resource

The official Government of Canada resource for patents, trademarks, copyrights, and industrial designs. If you are building a product, brand,...

Google for Startups: Startup School Resources

By: Catapult Team

Resource

Free courses, tools, and resources from Google designed specifically for founders. Covers go-to-market strategy, growth marketing, financial modelling, and pitching....

Startup Canada

By: Catapult Team

Resource

Canada's national entrepreneurship organisation. Offers programs for women founders, export-focused businesses, and government engagement. A strong network resource for founders...

Business Link Alberta

By: Catapult Team

Resource

A government-supported advisory organisation providing free one-on-one business advice, market research support, and mentorship to Alberta entrepreneurs. Particularly valuable for...

NRC-IRAP: Industrial Research Assistance Program

By: Catapult Team

Resource

Federal funding for small and medium-sized businesses pursuing technology-driven innovation. Covers up to 75% of eligible R&D costs to a...

Futurpreneur Canada

By: Catapult Team

Resource

A national non-profit offering financing up to $20,000, mentorship, and business planning tools to entrepreneurs aged 18 to 39. One...

Alberta Small Business Resources (Alberta.ca)

By: Catapult Team

Resource

The Government of Alberta's official small business hub. Covers Business Link support, the Canada Small Business Financing Program, export expansion...

Innovation Canada: Funding Finder

By: Catapult Team

Resource

The federal government's central platform for finding grants, loans, and funding programs across Canada. Search by industry, business stage, and...

Business Model Canvas (Strategyzer)

By: Catapult Team

Resource

The Business Model Canvas is the global standard for mapping out a business model on a single page. Used by...

Canada Business Network: Writing Your Business Plan

By: Catapult Team

Resource

The Government of Canada's central hub for starting a business. Covers incorporation, licensing, permits, writing your business plan, and market...

Launch Sequence | September 2025

By: Catapult Team

Newsletter

Launch Sequence | November 2025

By: Catapult Team

Newsletter

Launch Sequence | January 2026

By: Catapult Team

Newsletter

What a Healthy Business Foundation Actually Looks Like

By: Daniel Monzon

Article

A lot of founders think a healthy business foundation starts with a great idea, a strong logo, or a polished...

How Founders Should Position and Communicate Their Value

By: Daniel Monzon

Article

Over the years, I have personally heard more than 1,200 pitches from founders starting businesses. The most common problem is...

Business Development Strategies for Founders and SMES

By: Daniel Monzon

Article

You want to put together a business development strategy, but don’t know where to start. The first step is understanding...

How to Get Business Clarity Before You Scale?

By: Daniel Monzon

Article

Before a business scales, it needs clarity. Growth sounds exciting, but scaling without understanding your business can create bigger problems...

AI as a Force Multiplier for Small Teams

By: Jesse Lalli

Article

The economics of small teams are changing. Tasks that once required multiple dedicated roles can now be handled by a...

The New Business Stack: How AI Is Replacing Traditional Roles

By: Jesse Lalli

Article

From Headcount to Systems AI is shifting businesses away from people-heavy structures toward system-driven operations. Tasks that once required dedicated...

The Death of Generic Marketing in an AI World

By: Jesse Lalli

Article

Generic Marketing No Longer Works Generic marketing used to be acceptable. It filled space, maintained presence, and created baseline awareness....

The Commoditization Problem: When Everyone Can Do Everything

By: Jesse Lalli

Article

AI has made execution more accessible than ever. Tasks that once required specialized skills, significant time, or dedicated teams can...

The Coming Attention Crisis in an AI-Generated World

By: Jesse Lalli

Article

The Problem Is Attention, Not Access While content supply has exploded, human attention has not budged. People still have the...

The Business of Video Games: Why Most Games Fail and What Actually Drives Success

By: Jesse Lalli

Article

The video game industry is often viewed through the lens of creativity, of great ideas, compelling worlds, and innovative gameplay....

If Everyone Has AI, What Becomes the Advantage?

By: Jesse Lalli

Article

AI has moved fast, from competitive edge to baseline capability. The same tools are now available to solo founders, scrappy...

From Idea to Traction: How Game Studios Turn Concepts Into Commercially Viable Products

By: Jesse Lalli

Article

Building a Game vs Building a Product Building a video game is an achievement. Turning it into something that performs...

Launch Sequence | February 2026

By: Catapult Team

Newsletter

BDC Business Plan Template

By: Catapult Team

Resource

The Business Development Bank of Canada's free business plan template is one of the most practical starting points available to...

The New Marketing Engine: How AI Is Changing the Rules

By: Steven Blair

Article

Artificial intelligence has rapidly changed the way marketing is planned, executed, and measured. For entrepreneurs and growing companies, AI is...

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