Canadian business news — as the United States government moves to erase diversity, equity, and inclusion programs from federal life, queer American tech founders are doing the math on leaving. Mary Richardson, whose 2SLGBTQIA+-focused dating app Bindr won a prize at Montréal’s Startupfest in 2024, says investors now laugh in her face at conferences — and she is seriously considering moving her company to Vancouver, where she says the climate is more inclusive and more economically viable. She is not alone.
By Maplestime Business Desk | Toronto, Ontario | 2025
Sources: BetaKit | Last updated: 2025
Key Takeaways: Queer Tech Founders Eye Canada
- Mary Richardson, founder of the 2SLGBTQIA+ dating app Bindr, won a prize at Montréal’s Startupfest 2024 and built a Canadian investor network
- Richardson and Vancouver-based investor Bradley Breton spun out ColdStart, a marketing software company with over $1 million in revenue
- Under the current U.S. administration’s retreat from DEI, Richardson says anti-2SLGBTQIA+ sentiment is hurting her business directly
- Investors “put their hands up and turn away” when they see anything queer in her pitch, she says
- Some customers will only work with ColdStart if the founders remove “everything Bindr-related” from their pages
- Contracts with queer-led businesses now include clauses voiding the deal if the client is “made illegal or disbanded” by the U.S. government
- Richardson is considering moving the ColdStart executive team to Vancouver
From Startupfest Glory to a Hostile Market
Mary Richardson was elated when her 2SLGBTQIA+-focused dating app, Bindr, won a prize at Montréal’s Startupfest in 2024. The connections she made were a bonus: she met Vancouver-based Bradley Breton, who became an investor in Bindr. She returned to Pennsylvania with cash winnings and a new Canadian network.
Richardson has had a busy year since. Alongside Breton and her Bindr co-founder, she spun out a marketing software tool to found ColdStart, another United States company, which she says has generated over $1 million in revenue so far.
By every normal startup metric, this is a success story. A million dollars in revenue. A cross-border network. A founder with momentum.
But under the current U.S. administration, Richardson says growing anti-2SLGBTQIA+ sentiment and a wider retreat from diversity and inclusion initiatives have thrown a wrench into her success. Now, she is considering a move up north, where she says the climate is more inclusive and more economically viable. And she is not alone.
Queer Tech Founders in Canada — What the DEI Rollback Did to Business
When U.S. President Donald Trump regained office in January, he swiftly moved to erase mentions of DEI from all aspects of the federal government via executive order, calling them “radical and wasteful.” This included all “equity-related” grants or contracts.
Though a broader wave of corporate pushback against DEI initiatives had already begun, the executive order spurred a flurry of rollbacks, including in tech. Top companies such as Meta, Amazon, Google, and Accenture ended programs that promoted equitable hiring practices.
In an interview with BetaKit, Richardson said these political changes have “directly impacted” how her companies are doing business, making the U.S. a worse place for her and her founders to build a company.
“We’ve had people laugh in my face at conferences. Investors put their hands up and turn away as soon as they see that there’s anything queer.”
— Mary Richardson, founder of Bindr and ColdStart
Other ColdStart customers have reached out to Richardson to work with them, she said — but only if she and her co-founders remove “everything Bindr-related” from their pages. Meanwhile, the company has had to note in contracts with fellow queer-led businesses, to whom it offers discounts, that if the client company is “made illegal or disbanded” by the U.S. government for being 2SLGBTQIA+-related, then they can void the contract with no repercussions.
Read that clause again. A business contract in the United States now has to contemplate the possibility that the client could be made illegal for being queer.
Related: Qatar’s World Cup Is A Lavish Exercise In Sportswashing — on what happens when LGBTQ+ people become the target, from banned rainbow armbands to erased rights.
Why Vancouver — and Why Canada Wins This Talent
The loss of business opportunities, coupled with the political climate, has pushed Richardson to consider moving the ColdStart executive team to Vancouver.
“Canada is where we found the most acceptance for us as founders, as people,” Richardson said.
It is not just about acceptance, Breton added. Founders and tech workers should not be afraid to share and celebrate who they are in a business context.
“The visibility component is really important,” Breton said. “That’s what makes people comfortable in the tech space and the founder space… to [live] their truth.”
This is the part of the story that should interest Canadian policymakers and the Canadian tech ecosystem. Every founder the United States pushes out is a founder Canada can take in — along with their revenue, their jobs, and their networks. Richardson’s story started at a Montréal startup festival. Her investor is in Vancouver. The pipeline already exists; the only question is whether Canada makes it easy enough to walk through.
The Fear Driving the Decision
As Breton’s co-founder Richardson explores a move to Canada, the uncertainty continues for their company. Much of what fuels her anxiety is “fear of policies and fear of what may happen” with the unpredictable nature of the U.S. administration, she said.
Since Richardson spoke with BetaKit, concerns about the future of 2SLGBTQIA+ rights in the U.S. have only risen. The U.S. Supreme Court has been asked to take up a case this fall that could overturn its 2015 landmark decision that currently protects same-sex marriage.
“There’s a world where I might have to go back in the closet if I stay in the U.S.,” Richardson said.
That sentence — from a founder doing over a million dollars in revenue — is the whole story in miniature. Talent does not just follow money. It follows safety. And right now, for queer tech founders, safety points north.
Quick Reference — Queer Tech Founders and Canada
| Detail | Figure |
|---|---|
| Founder | Mary Richardson (Bindr, ColdStart) |
| Canadian investor | Bradley Breton (Vancouver) |
| ColdStart revenue | $1M+ |
| Startupfest win | Montréal, 2024 |
| Proposed move | ColdStart executive team → Vancouver |
| U.S. risk factor | DEI erased by executive order; same-sex marriage under legal threat |
Maplestime will provide updates on queer tech founders relocating to Canada as new moves and policy developments are announced.
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Should Canada be actively recruiting queer American tech founders priced out of the U.S. — or is cheering their arrival just profiting from someone else’s civil rights crisis? Tell us in the comments. And share this with every Canadian in tech who says talent has no borders.
