Approved for BDC LIFT. Now pick a builder.

When a client engages, the advisor presents a small number of preferred vendors, favouring Canadian businesses, and helps the client evaluate which one fits. It is a judgment call, and the advisor’s professional credibility inside the bank rides on it, which is why the shortlist is a meaningful filter even though it is not a formal certification. You still choose, and you should still run your own diligence.

Not a public certification program. BDC publishes no accreditation you can apply for, and no vendor is BDC certified in a formal sense. What exists in practice is the advisor shortlist described above, and Strataigize is a preferred AI vendor on that basis. Treat any vendor claiming to be BDC certified or BDC accredited as describing something that does not exist.

Ask three things. What have they automated inside their own business, and can you see it running. Which of their published results has a named client and a written method behind it rather than a logo in a grid. And who writes the code, because a supplier who subcontracts the build means you are financing two vendors and owning the seam between them. All three are checkable before you sign anything. Two more worth asking: who maintains the system after go-live, and who owns the code, the prompts and the data if you change suppliers in year two.

Both. BDC states that installation, integration and implementation costs qualify when they are directly tied to the technology investment. The build, the integrations and the rollout are fundable along with the licence fee, so businesses that budget only for software routinely under-scope their own eligible project.

Yes. BDC states that technology solutions must come from Canadian suppliers or integrators, and that your advisor can help you determine whether a supplier qualifies. This is an eligibility condition rather than a preference, so it is worth confirming before you shortlist vendors. A US platform resold by a Canadian shop is a question to raise early.

LIFT (Lead with Innovation and Focus on Technology) is a $500 million Business Development Bank of Canada financing program launched on April 24, 2026 to help more than 1,000 Canadian small and medium businesses adopt AI and automation. It lends $25,000 to $5 million at preferential rates, pairs the financing with BDC advisory support, and allows principal payments to be postponed for up to two years.

Canadian-based businesses with acceptable financial health, across two streams. The digital transformation and AI stream requires a minimum of $1 million in revenue, is open to all industries with minor exceptions, and makes the BDC Advisory Services assessment mandatory. The productivity and equipment stream requires a minimum of $5 million in revenue and is limited to manufacturing, transport and warehousing, wholesale, construction, agriculture, engineering services, and mining, oil and gas; there the consulting support is optional and qualifying equipment must have "smart" data-collection capability. Hotels and hospitality, premises supply, and trucking operations under ten vehicles are excluded.

Between $25,000 and $5 million, depending on your revenue, the scope of the project, your business profile and your financial strength. BDC describes the pricing as preferential-rate but does not publish a rate on the program page, so treat any specific percentage quoted by a third party as unverified until your advisor confirms it in writing.