The software stack for Canadian startups.
Banking, corporate cards, the ledger, payroll, and receipts, wired together so a funded team can move fast without rebuilding the back office later. This is the stack we set up for growing Canadian companies.
Disclosure: some links are affiliate links. If you use them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Curated by Sebastien Prost, CPA, from tools we run and deploy for Canadian clients.
What software does a Canadian startup need?
A funded Canadian startup runs on five connected layers: a business bank account (Venn) for no-fee CAD and USD banking, corporate cards (Ramp) for spend controls and cashback, a cloud ledger (Xero) as the accounting core, payroll (Wagepoint) for CRA-compliant pay runs, and receipt capture (Dext) to keep everything coded. Set them up together and money movement, spend, payroll, and books stay in sync from day one.
Banking, cards, ledger, payroll, receipts
Five layers that connect end to end, so a growing team is not re-keying data between tools.
No-fee CAD and USD business banking with low-cost FX.
Up to $500 bonus
Corporate cards and spend controls with 1.5% cashback.
$500 after $1,000 spend
The cloud ledger every other tool reports into.
80% off for 6 months
Canadian payroll with automatic CRA remittances.
$50 gift card
Snap receipts and bills straight into Xero, coded.
90% off for 3 months Up to $500 bonusVenn, the business bank
Venn is no-fee Canadian business banking for incorporated companies: CAD and USD accounts, low-cost FX and international payments, and corporate cards, without big-5 monthly fees. It syncs to Xero so every transaction lands in your books.
$500 after $1,000 spendRamp, the corporate cards
Ramp issues CAD and USD corporate cards with built-in spend limits, approvals, and automated receipt matching that syncs to Xero. It pays 1.5% unlimited cashback and is a strong fit once card spend picks up.
80% off for 6 monthsXero, the ledger
Xero is the accounting core: bank feeds from every major Canadian bank, proper GST/HST and PST handling, and clean sync with the rest of the stack. It is where your numbers live, so set it up early and connect everything else to it.
$50 gift cardWagepoint, the payroll engine
Wagepoint runs Canadian payroll: automatic CPP, EI, and income-tax remittances to the CRA, T4s and ROEs, and direct deposit. It syncs to Xero so wages and source deductions post cleanly.
90% off for 3 monthsDext, the receipt capture
Dext captures receipts and supplier bills by photo, email, or upload, extracts the data, and posts it to Xero with the right tax codes. It removes manual data entry and keeps you audit-ready for the CRA.
How the startup stack fits together
Set up CAD and USD accounts with no monthly fees. This is where money moves in and out, so it anchors the stack.
Give the team cards with built-in limits and approvals. Every charge is captured and matched automatically.
Link Venn and Ramp to Xero so transactions flow in and reconcile. Xero is the accounting core the rest reports into.
Run CRA-compliant payroll through Wagepoint and capture every receipt and bill with Dext, both posting straight to Xero.
Combined first-year value of the offers across the startup stack, before the time you save on manual admin.
- Up to $500 signup bonus with Venn
- $500 back with Ramp after $1,000 spend
- Xero 80% off for six months
- Dext 90% off for three months
- Wagepoint $50 gift card
What these offers are worth to you
Pick your business type, then adjust the list. Each discount counts only for the months it actually runs, and spend-dependent bonuses are kept separate from the total.
Published list rates at the time of writing; confirm current pricing with each provider. Discounts count for the months each offer runs, not annualised. Spend-dependent bonuses are shown separately. CAD and USD are totalled apart rather than converted. Some links are affiliate links: if you sign up we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Plus up to $500 CAD and $500 USD in signup bonuses, which depend on your card spend.
Set it up to scale with you
The same stack works from your first hire to your Series A. Here is how it grows with the team.
Open Venn, connect Xero, and add Dext. Skip payroll until your first hire, and use a single Ramp card for shared spend.
Roll out Ramp cards with per-person limits, turn on Wagepoint for payroll, and let Dext handle the growing pile of receipts and bills.
The same stack scales: department card controls in Ramp, multi-employee payroll in Wagepoint, and clean Xero books your investors and accountant can rely on.
Not incorporated yet? Start with Ownr for incorporation, then open your Venn account and connect the rest of the stack.
Startup stack questions
What software does a Canadian startup need?
Do I need both corporate cards and a business bank account?
When should a startup add payroll software?
Does this stack work before we incorporate?
How much does the startup stack cost?
Will these tools sync with each other?
Build the back office once
Set up banking, cards, books, payroll, and receipts together and your startup scales without a costly rebuild later. Start with the account everything else connects to.
Startup stack
Up to $500 with Venn