By Hessie Jones
At Altitude Angels, we believe that founders need more than capital to succeed. They need access to trusted advisors, experienced professionals, and a strong network that can help them navigate the challenges of building and scaling a business. That’s why we are excited to welcome MNP as a new sponsor of Altitude Angels.
Founded in Brandon, Manitoba in 1958, MNP is one of Canada’s leading professional services firms. National in scope and local in focus, MNP provides client-focused accounting, consulting, tax, and digital services in more than 150 communities across the country. Proudly Canadian, the firm is committed to helping individuals, businesses, and organizations reach their full potential through personalized strategies and made-in-Canada solutions.
For Blair Mabee, Regional Leader, Technology Media Telecommunications at MNP for Peel Region, supporting early-stage founders is a natural extension of MNP’s entrepreneurial culture. As a member of the firm’s team in Mississauga, Mabee provides assurance and advisory services for startup founders and has successfully addressed the complex accounting and compliance issues for clients to meet their business growth objectives.
“Supporting early-stage founders is part of MNP’s core DNA,” says Mabee. “The firm is very entrepreneurial itself, so we want to help these companies navigate challenges and provide advice, services, and recommendations that help them grow.”
MNP’s partnership with Altitude Angels creates new opportunities for founders to access expertise at critical stages of their journey. Through the sponsorship, founders will be able to connect with MNP professionals who understand the realities of building a business from the ground up and can provide guidance as companies move from ideation to growth.
According to Mabee, one of the biggest challenges facing early-stage companies is balancing innovation with operational and financial responsibilities.
“Early-stage companies need funding, advice from investors, and professional services,” he explains. Many bootstrapped founders begin by focusing almost exclusively on product development and customer acquisition, leaving them less time for financial operations. MNP helps fill that gap through a range of services tailored to growing businesses, including tax compliance, audits, reviews, due diligence, grant applications, and Scientific Research & Experimental Development tax credit support (SR&ED).
“We also provide ease outsourced bookkeeping services that help automate processes and give founders access to resources that can help them manage their financials more effectively,” says Mabee.
He adds that many founders will mainly look for services like SR&ED tax credit support, which can help them bring funds back to the business; as well as reviews, audits, tax returns and due diligence.
As companies scale, MNP’s support continues alongside them. He adds that MNP’s consulting services may also be valuable for founders. Their performance improvement services are also available for manufacturing companies who outsource their product manufacturing. The firm offers expertise in areas such as cross-border expansion, transfer pricing, U.S. tax and international tax. This allows founders to access specialized advice as their businesses enter new markets and face increasingly complex operational challenges.
Beyond its service offerings, MNP’s culture aligns closely with the values that drive successful entrepreneurial communities. The firm’s core values—including integrity, client service, quality, respect, community, entrepreneurship, diversity, equity and inclusion, and collaboration through its “One Firm” philosophy—guide every decision it makes.
These values are reflected in the firm’s approach to client relationships and its commitment to supporting Canadian entrepreneurs.
“We’re always looking to help,” says Mabee. “If founders have a question—whether it’s tax, accounting, or business-related—we likely have an expert or resource who can help them.”
As the Canadian innovation ecosystem continues to evolve, Mabee remains optimistic about the future. Coming out of a year that was rooted in economic uncertainty, to one where the Canadian government has created greater incentives in the defense sector for dual-use technologies, the coming year looks promising, as he notes,
“I’m definitely seeing more market activity recently than I have in the past year or two in medtech and AI applications. I’ve seen more of those companies raising money and going public. It’s also good to see companies successfully getting matching funds while they raise capital as well as more government projects coming through with continued support for growing companies.”
We are proud to welcome MNP to the Altitude Angels community and look forward to connecting founders with the expertise, resources, and guidance that will help them build stronger, more resilient businesses.
Welcome aboard, MNP.
To learn more about MNP, please visit their website. If you have questions about MNP and how they can support your company please connect with us info@altitudeaccelerator.ca
