The BetaKit Quiz, Oct. 18, 2024

“Venture is a long-term asset class,” wrote the GPs behind Information Venture Partners, which announced a shift to single-asset, special-purpose vehicle investing after 10 years and three funds. “This downturn has shifted the mindset to delivering quick returns,” they added. “Unfortunately, this approach is incompatible with what it takes to build world-class companies.”

A former military Psychological operations (PSYOP) officer with the Canadian Forces, Gaboury’s company raised a $2.8-million CAD seed round to grow its risk management software for employers, which combines automated background checks with personalized employee risk scoring.

Nilson’s former company has made mobile games focused on popular shows including Trailer Park Boys, RuPaul’s Drag Race, and The Office. He now runs Maska Investments, which supports underrepresented founders, and is part of a lineup of BC-based leaders and founders who will appear at BetaKit’s Town Hall: Vancouver on Oct. 22.

Fable helps businesses test the accessibility of their products and build more inclusive products. The new capital will help Fable add individuals with hearing and cognitive disabilities to Fable’s community of product testers, and tackle accessibility issues in AI training datasets, which often exclude data representing people with disabilities.

The province announced its goal to double venture capital investment in the life science sector, up to $725 million per year, by 2030. The new phase of its life sciences strategy will see $146 million in provincial commitments toward boosting research capacity, increasing access to specialized lab space, speeding up health trials, and launching modernized procurement processes.

The contraction of FreshBooks’ international expansion efforts continues with the quiet closing of its San Antonio location. After the departure of Greg Rodriguez last December, who ran the office as SVP of Global Sales, the closure of the office was only a “matter of time,” one former manager told BetaKit.

Hong Kong-based billionaire Solina Chau is the founder of deep tech venture capital firm Horizons Ventures, a business partner in the multinational conglomerate Cheung Kong Group, and a major shareholder in Tom.com, a Chinese publication and advertising company. The deal gives Chau a 14.53 percent ownership stake in the company, representing roughly 36 million shares.

Both Wyvern and Kepler, which announced funding this week, are space tech companies. Wyvern, which closed an $8.2-million CAD investment round led by Squadra Ventures, has developed a satellite imaging camera that detects various materials on Earth from space. Kepler, which raised a $20-million CAD investment from the federal government, is a communications company that provides connectivity through a network of satellites.