Donate to The Upside Foundation
DONATEX
Upside Foundation presenting an equity cheque to a major charity

WHY SHARE
YOUR UPSIDE

  • ✔ Align your company's success with your impact goals
  • ✔ Join a community of like-minded founders
  • ✔ Build social responsibility into your brand and culture
LevelJump were acquired by Salesforce in October 2021. Read more about their donation here.

MEMBERS

Hundreds of early-stage, high-growth Canadian companies have shared their upside:
ranging from well-known Canadian success stories to high potential companies early in their journey
Wealthsimple logoWattpad logoBorrowell logoHopper logo
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HOW IT WORKS

There are many forms of charitable donations, but only one is perfectly suited to startup founders
Company donates stock options, warrants, or personal proceeds (typically 1%) to Upside 
Company has a liquidity event (goes public or gets acquired)
Cash proceeds are donated to the charity of the company's choice
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IMPACT

Upside Members have already generated so much value for their communities, and with hundreds of pledges from growing companies, the impacts are just beginning
375+
Company pledges
19
Liquidity events
$2.9M+
Donated to charities
27
Charities supported

COMMUNITY

Founders who pledge equity to charity become Upside Members, and join a community of like-minded peers who support each other's growth and success.
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The Upside Foundation community enjoying social time at a patio
Headshot of Mike Katchen, Co-founder and CEO of Wealthsimple

"When you start a business, the only thing on your mind is, 'will this be successful?'. Giving might not be the first thing that comes up. But it's so easy to set this up right at the start, and it's a great foundation to build a business on top of."

Mike Katchen, Co-founder & CEO of Wealthsimple

"It’s important to me that our company has a positive impact even beyond the products we provide, like making Borrowell a great place to work for a diverse range of people. I’m very supportive of charitable giving and pledging to the Upside Foundation was a no-brainer."

Eva Wong, Co-founder & COO of Borrowell

"Whether you’re in the early stages or a well-established start-up nearing exit, it always makes sense to support charities that serve your users and mean something to your team."

Allen Lau, Co-founder & CEO of Wattpad

PARTNERS

Many values-aligned industry leaders support Upside's work and connect Members to exclusive opportunities that help them scale
interacWattpad logoHubba logocibcHubba logoSensibill logoespresso
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COMMUNITY PARTNERS

We are proud to partner with so many leading organizations in the Canadian tech ecosystem  

DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION

At Upside, we are committed to better understanding the role we play in broader social and economic systems that are lacking in diversity and do not provide equitable opportunities for all. We want leverage our position in the industry to advance thinking about how to be anti-racist and anti-oppressive, both in how we build companies and how we invest in our communities through philanthropy.
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WHAT'S UP

See our social platforms for new Member announcements, event reflections, and more.
Ready to bring your values to life in your company

Fill out the one minute pledge form,
or explore if Upside is a fit for you