Canada’s private tech firms gather to talk AI, growth, global appeal
Steve Wozniak tells Canadian Private Technology Conference to find “reasonable ways” to deal with AI.
VC
Graphite Ventures secures $10 million from AEC to continue Alberta commitment
The Toronto-based VC firm recently invested in the Calgary startup WaitWell.
BDC shares more detail on $100-million Thrive Lab, including $35-million co-investment commitment
Initial phase will focus on early-stage, women-led businesses with social impact.
i4 Capital closes over $40 million toward new $60-million deep tech fund
The fund is backed by the Fonds québécois d’amorçage Teralys, Fondaction, and the Fonds de solidarité FTQ.
TIMIA Capital and Arena Investors aim to fill SVB lending gap with new $100-million USD venture
TIMIA looks to double loan book as cooling VC market creates “significant opportunity.”
PitchBook analysts say 2023 VC funding is “pretty much shot,” long-term recovery appears likely
PitchBook analyst: “It’s not going to be a six-month turnaround.”
Shopify’s venture arm unveils portfolio in new website launch
Shopify’s investments focus on funding the companies that support its merchant ecosystem.
University of Waterloo uses $5 million from endowment to launch VC fund
The university was inspired by an emerging trend in the US, with schools like MIT.
ventureLAB unveils Hardware Angel Network, supporting pre-seed and seed-stage hardware startups
The network plans to make its first investments in the fall, with a focus on deep tech, hardware, and semiconductors.
Canadian-led, California-based Joyful Ventures closes $23 million USD to back sustainable protein startups
Joyful has backed two firms with Canadian roots: New School Foods and Orbillion Bio.
2022 angel investment in Canada mirrored VC dip, dropping 37 percent year-over-year
While deal count rose, angels disproportionately favoured existing portfolio firms.
Tribe Network launches $20-million VC fund to invest in early-stage stage businesses led by people of colour
The new fund aims to level the playing field for entrepreneurs facing systemic barriers.
A survey of the challenges women founders face when fundraising (and how to overcome them)
40 women founders from 25 different countries share their views for other women entrepreneurs fundraising.
Report: 2021 VC boom in Canada was short-lived as market resets to pre-pandemic levels
Canada saw 12 VC-backed company IPOs in 2021; in 2022, that shrunk to zero.
Ex-Panache, ScaleUp partners team up to launch new early-stage VC fund CMD Capital
As funding has dried up, David Dufresne and Matt Roberts say they plan to lead and price early-stage rounds.