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GUIDE · FINANCING AI IN CANADA

Finance your first AI project at 2.25%.

BDC's LIFT program lends Canadian businesses up to C$5 million to adopt AI, at a preferential rate when the work is done by a Canadian firm. Here is who qualifies, what it pays for, and how the process runs.

Updated October 2026 · Agent Forge Works is not affiliated with BDC

program, launched April 2026
C$500M
per loan
C$25K–5M
with a Canadian AI solution or firm
2.25%
Canadian businesses targeted
1,000+

Do you qualify?

LIFT has two tracks. Most AI projects belong in the first.

Digital transformation and AI

Revenue
C$1M or more in annual revenue
Industries
All industries
Required
A Digital Plan built with a BDC technology and AI advisor, before the loan

Productivity and advanced equipment

Revenue
C$5M or more in annual revenue
Industries
Manufacturing, transport and warehousing, wholesale, construction, agriculture, forestry and fishing, architecture and engineering services, mining, oil and gas
Required
Digitally enabled equipment as the core of the project

Every LIFT project must include at least one Canadian component: software, hardware or services developed or delivered in Canada. Choosing a Canadian AI solution or implementation firm is also what unlocks the 2.25% rate.

What the loan is for

  • The AI software and tools the project needs
  • The implementation and integration work inside your existing systems
  • The consulting that scopes and builds it
  • Digitally enabled equipment, on the equipment track

What counts for your project is BDC's call. Ask before you commit to a scope.

How it runs

  1. Step 1

    Talk to BDC

    Contact BDC, or your BDC account manager if you have one, and ask about LIFT.

  2. Step 2

    Build the Digital Plan

    A BDC technology and AI advisor assesses where the business is and writes a roadmap with you. It is required before the loan on the AI track.

  3. Step 3

    Pick a Canadian firm and scope the work

    The roadmap says what to do. An implementation firm turns it into a fixed scope with a price. The 2.25% rate depends on this choice.

  4. Step 4

    Loan, build, measure

    The loan funds the project. Measure the process before anything changes, so you can show it paid off.

Where we fit

Agent Forge Works is a Canadian firm, and step three is the part we do. We take the roadmap, measure the process it names before anything changes, and build the first workflow inside the systems you already run in 90 days, at a fixed price. We will help you put the project scope together for the application.

Book a call

30 minutes · no deck · no cost. Bring the work that piles up.

Questions to ask BDC

  1. Which track fits our project, and what do you need to see on revenue?
  2. How long does the Digital Plan take, and is there a cost for it?
  3. What counts as a Canadian component for our project?
  4. What repayment term and security would apply?

Sources: BDC: LIFT program · BetaKit, April 2026 · The Logic, April 2026

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