From Toronto and Vancouver to Ottawa and Calgary, Latin American entrepreneurs are creating businesses that serve Canadian consumers, generate economic opportunities and strengthen commercial ties with their countries of origin.
Canada’s entrepreneurial landscape is being reshaped by founders who arrived from Latin America with business experience, professional skills and ambitions that extend beyond their immigrant communities. Their companies operate in fashion, consulting, food, technology and professional services, challenging the familiar perception that Latino entrepreneurship revolves primarily around restaurants and small neighborhood stores.
Their growing visibility reflects a broader economic reality. According to Statistics Canada, 23.7% of Canadian private-sector businesses were majority immigrant-owned in early 2024. Although that figure covers immigrants from every region, it provides important context for understanding the opportunities available to Latin American founders.
From immigration to business ownership
Karla Briones — Mexico
Ottawa-based entrepreneur Karla Briones illustrates how immigrant experience can become a business advantage. Raised in Chihuahua, Mexico, she moved to Canada with her family and subsequently developed businesses while establishing herself as an entrepreneurship consultant.
Through Karla Briones Consulting, she helps newcomers understand Canadian business practices, develop commercial strategies and overcome the difficulties of establishing a company in an unfamiliar market. Her work also extends to entrepreneurship education and mentoring.
Miryam Lazarte — Colombia
Colombian entrepreneur Miryam Lazarte has built a business platform connecting international founders with Canada’s startup ecosystem. She is the founder and CEO of Global Startups Accelerator, a Toronto-based organization originally established as LatAm Startups in 2016.
The organization adopted its current name in October 2023, reflecting its expansion beyond Latin America. Since its founding, it has supported more than 340 startups, helping entrepreneurs develop their businesses, establish commercial partnerships and access new markets.
Lazarte’s trajectory illustrates how Latino entrepreneurs can influence Canada’s business environment beyond their own companies. Her work has helped establish connections between Canadian institutions, international investors and founders seeking opportunities in North America.
When cultural identity becomes a business strategy
In Toronto, Victor Ramirez and Evelyn Lopez have turned Latino identity into a commercial proposition through Raised By Latinos.
Founded in 2018, the streetwear company produces clothing inspired by Latin American heritage. Its business model also incorporates collaborations with Latino artists, who receive royalties from products featuring their designs.
The brand sells across Canada and the United States, demonstrating how culturally specific products can reach consumers beyond their original communities.
Beyond Canada’s largest cities
Latino entrepreneurship is also taking shape in Alberta. Calgary’s Desafío 100 Empresas initiative showcases businesses ranging from financial consulting to food retail and professional services.
Among its participants is Hugo Raúl Morales Vega, associated with La Costeñita Latin Market Food in Airdrie. His business represents a familiar but economically relevant opportunity: serving immigrant consumers seeking products from their home countries while introducing Canadian customers to Latin American food traditions.
These enterprises may lack the visibility of technology startups, but they contribute to local commercial activity and diversify Canada’s consumer market.
The obstacles facing Latino entrepreneurs
Business ownership remains difficult for newcomers. A 2025 Canadian Federation of Independent Business report identified financing, regulatory requirements and limited professional networks among the principal challenges confronting immigrant entrepreneurs.
Access to credit is particularly complicated when founders lack Canadian financial histories. Professional qualifications and previous business experience do not automatically translate into relationships with lenders or customers.
Statistics Canada research also suggests that Latin American immigrants have historically faced lower incorporated-business ownership rates than immigrants from several other regions. This complicates any narrative suggesting that entrepreneurial success is equally accessible to every immigrant group.
Building commercial bridges across the Americas
The economic significance of these founders extends beyond individual businesses.
A 2025 Canadian Chamber of Commerce analysis found that immigrant-owned companies accounted for 16.4% of Canadian goods exporters in 2020. Their international connections can help businesses establish commercial relationships and identify opportunities in unfamiliar markets.
For Latino founders, familiarity with Latin American consumers, suppliers and business practices can become an advantage as Canadian companies explore opportunities beyond traditional markets.
The next stage of Latino entrepreneurship in Canada will depend partly on whether these businesses can secure financing, attract customers outside their communities and grow beyond their founders’ personal networks.
Their experiences already reveal a diverse entrepreneurial landscape, where cultural knowledge, international relationships and local market demands are helping shape new Canadian businesses.
