VersionOne related stories
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Photo sharing start-up Figure 1 raises seed fundingPhoto sharing app start-up Figure 1 has raised $2 million in seed funding. The funding round was co-led by Version One Ventures and Rho Canada Ventures, a division of New York-based Rho Capital Partners.
- Strangeloop co-founder Jonathan Bixby named GrowLab's exec director
Jonathan Bixby, co-founder and former CEO of Strangeloop Networks Inc, will become the new executive director of Canadian startup accelerator GrowLab on November 1st. Bixby led the Vancouver-based Stangeloop, a provider of web content optimization solutions, from the company's formation in 2006 until its acquisition by Radware Ltd in February 2013. Bixby replaces Mike Edwards, who was GrowLab's executive director for the past two years. GrowLab's portfolio companies have collectively raised over $7 million in funding to date.
- Ed-Tech Startup Crowdmark Earns Top Grades From First Adopters. Will VCs Follow Suit?
It perhaps takes a university professor with tech savvy to invent an online company that helps teachers to grade students better. That description fits James Colliander, a math professor at the University of Toronto, who after 22 years of academic life became co-founder and CEO of Crowdmark, a web app that cuts the time instructors spend grading exams and papers, and helps improve learning outcomes. The technology might be catching on – in June, Crowdmark received seed funding to advance product testing. And it may even be on the cusp of scoring a Series A round.
- BDC Puts $1.5M to Work in Technology Accelerator Grads
BDC Venture Capital has committed $1.5 million to 10 Canadian companies that have graduated from technology accelerators, including for the first time New Brunswick's LauncH36. Companies seeded by BDC with $150,000 are: pricing and risk management software company AnalyzeRE; accounts payable automation provider BeanEvo; modern crafts platform BRIKA; job applicants screening company Cream.hr; app testing platform Dandy; link and content sharing provider Groupnotes; live audio platform Instaradio; online vitamins retailer Koge; e-commerce website enabler RUMAnalytics and; medical imaging company ViewsIQ.
Venture-Backed Top Hat Monocle Appoints New CFO and CPOWaterloo, Ontario-based Top Hat Monocle Inc., a provider of technology-based classroom and homework innovations, has appointed two new members of its management team. SaaS industry veteran Ralf Riekers joins the company as chief financial officer and educational industry executive Malgosia Green joins as chief product offficer. Top Hat has been venture-backed since 2011. Its backers include Emergence Capital Partners, iNovia Capital, Golden Venture Partners, SoftTech VC and Version One Ventures.
- Andreessen Horowitz Leads $10.3M Round for Beauty Brand Julep
Julep Beauty, a Seattle-based beauty brand, has raised $10.3 million in Series B funding led by the venture firm Andreessen Horowitz and including Western Technology Investments and Version One Ventures. Previous investors in the company, including Maveron; Lady Gaga's manager, Troy Carter; and Precedent Investments also participated in the new round.
- Version One Ventures Closes First Fund at $19M
Canadian venture capital firm Version One Ventures has closed its first micro-fund, raising C$19 million, or about 25% more than the partnership's target. The fund's backers include BDC Venture Capital, former Yahoo President Jeff Mallett and a number of North American entrepreneurs and high-net worth individuals. Founded in 2012, Version One, which invests up to $500,000 in seed and Series A financings of Internet, e-commerce, SaaS and mobile companies, has done close to a dozen deals so far, including recently announced financings of GroupTalent Inc. and Jobber Inc.
- Version One Leads Seed Financing of GroupTalent
GroupTalent Inc., a talent-as-a-service platform that focuses on hard-to-fill software design and development roles, has secured US$1 million in a seed-stage financing round from a mix of Canadian and US investors. The Seattle, Washington-based GroupTalent, founded in 2011, was backed in a deal led by Vancouver, British Columbia's Version One Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm launched last year, alongside Founders’ Co-op., Menlo Ventures and a number of angel investors.
Edmonton startup Jobber raises new financingJobber Inc.,a provider of cloud-based software for small and medium-sized businesses in field service industries, has secured new financing from the company's existing Canadian and European backers. The Edmonton, Alberta-based startup received C$500,000 from venture capital firms Version One Ventures and Point Nine Capital, which contributed to Jobber's seed-stage funding in February, 2012. Jobber will use the new monies to continue improving its software, adding to its team, and reaching deeper into field service verticals.