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Automated customer service Ada nabs C$19 mln in Series AToronto-based automated customer service Ada has raised C$19 million in a Series A financing. The round was led by FirstMark Capital. It was joined by Leaders Fund and Burst Capital, as well as Bessemer Venture Partners, Version One Ventures and Barney Pell, which backed last year’s C$2.5 million seed deal. Founded in 2016 by CEO Mike Murchison and Head of Design David Hariri, Ada’s platform allows customer service teams to build and manage artificial intelligence-enabled chatbots to automate interactions.
Automated customer service Ada nabs $19 mln in Series AToronto-based automated customer service Ada has raised $19 million in a Series A financing. The round was led by U.S. venture capital firm FirstMark Capital. It was joined by Leaders Fund and Burst Capital, as well as Bessemer Venture Partners, Version One Ventures and Barney Pell, which backed last year's $2.5 million seed deal /canada/2017/07/3463705/ Founded in 2016 by CEO Mike Murchison and Head of Design David Hariri, Ada's platform allows customer service teams to build and manage artificial intelligence-enabled chatbots to automate interactions. It will use the funds raised to expand into new global markets and sectors, enhance the platform, and grow the team.
Q&A with Boris Wertz, founding partner of Version One VenturesVersion One Ventures is growing its franchise. The Vancouver firm, founded in 2012 by renowned seed investor Boris Wertz, made the decision to expand when raising its third fund. One result was the September promotion of Angela Tran Kingyens to general partner. A further step will soon be taken with the hire of an associate. In an interview with PE Hub Canada , Wertz said the increased resources will help deploy Version One Ventures III, which raised about $57 million last month. He also told us more about Version One's growing franchise, Fund III, recent deals and the firm’s evolving strategy.
Version One Ventures closes third early-stage fund at $57 mlnCanadian venture capital firm Version One Ventures has closed its third fund at about $57 million in committed capital. Version One Ventures III was backed by new and existing limited partners, including such institutions as Invesco, HarbourVest, Northleaf Capital Partners and Kensington Capital Partners. Commitments were also secured from entrepreneurs at Shopify, Slack, Hootsuite, Wattpad, Salesforce and other companies. Founding Partner Boris Wertz said Fund III will double down on the investment strategy followed by Vancouver-based Version One since its launch in 2012. It will lead or join pre-seed and seed rounds with cheque sizes of $500,000 to $750,000, backing North American startups and platforms that leverage network effects.
Venture-backed legal software provider Clio acquires LexicataClio has acquired Lexicata, a Los Angeles-based customer relationship management and client intake tool for lawyers. No financial terms were disclosed. Clio, a Vancouver-based legal practice management technology provider, said the deal will enable delivery of a suite of services that streamlines the end-to-end client journey. Lexicata will evolve into a new platform called Clio Grow, launching in 2019. Founded in 2008 by CEO Jack Newton and CPO Rian Gauvreau, Clio is backed by Acton Capital Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, Point Nine Capital, Version One Ventures and other investors.
Version One Ventures' Angela Tran Kingyens promoted to GPCanadian early-stage venture capital firm Version One Ventures has promoted Angela Tran Kingyens to general partner. Kingyens joined Version One in 2013 as an analyst and was promoted last year to principal. She was formerly a partner at Insight Data Science, a Y Combinator-backed startup that helps PhD graduates transition from academic research to industry careers. The promotion of Kingyens, who operates from Version One’s Silicon Valley office, brings the firm's general partners to two. The other is Boris Wertz, who founded Version One in 2012.
- Canadian VC sees biggest Q1 since dot-com era as top deals nab $927 mln
Canada’s venture capital market has started the year with a bang. The top 10 first-quarter VC financings drew a substantial $927 million from investors. That’s up 40 percent from the $661 million raised by the top 10 deals a year earlier and close to twice the $491 million raised by the top 10 deals in Q1 2016. The estimate is based on PE Hub Canada’s list of the largest rounds announced from January through March, supplemented by Thomson Reuters data.