Calian launches venture to help smaller Canadian defence companies scale

Canadian Armed Forces listen to Prime Minister Mark Carney speak during a press conference at CFB Trenton, in August.

Canadian defence company Calian Group Ltd. CGY-T is launching a venture to help other enterprises scale and sell to the Canadian Armed Forces, all the while building up the country’s defence industrial base.

Through partnerships with banks, universities, investors and the federal government, Calian Ventures will leverage the 43-year-old company’s intellectual property and expertise in military training systems to help Canadian small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) find a clear path to selling at home and, eventually, to foreign markets.

In 2022, more than 85 per cent of companies in Canada’s defence industry were SMEs, according to a federal government report