Private Equity
Calgary-based workplace resilience training app headversity has raised $1 million in a seed-stage financing. The round was backed by unidentified angel investors. Founded in 2017 by CEO Ryan Todd, CPO Karen MacNeill, COO Jordan DeCoste, CFO Kameron Erker and CMO Steven Gramlich, headversity provides online and onsite resilence training programs to help organizations support employee performance and reduce mental illness-related costs. Headversity said it will use the funds raised to further develop its platform and expand its team.
3 min read · 22 July 2019
Toronto-based video monetization platform Veühub has raised $2 million in a seed-stage financing. The round was backed by Bethmann Lombard Bancorp, a Canadian venture capital, merchant banking and financial advisory firm. Veühub provides technology to bring together video publishers, brands and agencies in a data-driven, content sharing and monetization platform. Since launching in 2016, the startup reports sharing millions of videos from unique content creators. Led by CEO Hainsley Guthrie, Veühub will use the round's proceeds to scale development and its sales team, as well as finish building a new omni-channel ad-serving software-as-a-service product, Slyngshot.
2 min read · 19 July 2019
Horizon Blockchain Games, a Toronto-based video game studio and blockchain infrastructure company, has raised $3.75 million in a seed-stage financing. Initialized Capital, the U.S. venture capital firm of Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, led the round. It was joined by Golden Ventures, Polychain, Coinbase, Digital Currency Group and Inovia Capital. Founded in 2018 by CEO Peter Kieltyka and his team, Horizon creates games enabled by blockchain technology. The company's debut title, SkyWeaver, a digital card game, is set to enter open beta this fall, along with its crypto-arcade platform and wallet, Arcadeum.
4 min read · 18 July 2019
RoadBotics, a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based infrastructure technology company, has raised US$7.5 million in a Series A financing. The round was led by Canadian artificial intelligence (AI) venture capital firm Radical Ventures, with participation from Hyperplane Venture Capital, Wharton Alumni Angels and others. Founded in 2016, RoadBotics uses AI to help governments and engineering companies make data-driven pavement management decisions. It serves more than 150 customers in 23 U.S. states and 11 countries. RoadBotics will use the funds raised to accelerate growth and develop new products. Earlier this year, Radical launched a new $458 million (US$350 million) AI-focused fund.
5 min read · 17 July 2019
Vistara Capital Partners has led an undisclosed financing of BitTitan, a Bellevue, Washington-based managed services automation company. BitTitan helps information technology service professionals to deploy and manage cloud technologies through automation. Since 2009, it has moved more than 13 million users to the cloud for 36,000 customers in 187 countries. BitTitan will use the round's proceeds to invest in automation initiatives and accelerate growth through its global offices and partnerships. Last October, Vistara, a Canadian provider of debt and equity financing to growth-stage technology companies, launched its third fund at a target of $130 million (US$100 million).
3 min read · 17 July 2019
Ag Growth International Inc (TSX: AFN) (AGI) has agreed to make a minority investment of US$15 million in Farmobile Inc, a Leawood, Kansas-based agriculture technology company. AGI, which also entered into a new strategic commercial agreement with Farmobile, will have the right to appoint two directors as a result of the deal. Founded in 2013, Farmobile provides hardware and software for the real-time collection, organization, analysis and storage of farm data. Its other investors include European venture capital firm Anterra Capital. Based in Winnipeg, AGI is a provider of equipment solutions for agriculture bulk commodities.
3 min read · 17 July 2019
Lightspeed POS Inc (TSX: LSPD) has acquired iKentoo SA, a Geneva, Switzerland-based point-of-sale (POS) solutions provider to small businesses in the hospitality industry, for an undisclosed amount. Lightspeed, a Montréal-based retail and restaurant POS and e-commerce platform, said the deal expands its footprint by more than 3,800 customer locations mostly in Switzerland, South Africa and France. Lightspeed went public in Canada this year, raising $276 million. Going into the public launch, it was backed by Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Inovia Capital and others. In April, the company raised US$55 million in credit facilities from CIBC Innovation Banking.
3 min read · 17 July 2019
Vendasta, a Saskatoon-based white-label software company, has raised $40 million in its latest financing. Canadian Business Growth Fund (CBGF) led a $25 million round. It adds to a $15 million investment made in May, led by Comporium Inc and Saskworks Venture Fund and joined by Vanedge Capital and BDC Capital's IT Venture Fund. Founded in 2008, Vendasta provides a cloud commerce platform to channel partners that assist small and mid-sized businesses with their digital needs. Its products are are sold by more than 1,200 agencies and over 25,000 salespeople. Led by CEO Brendan King, Vendasta will use the funds raised for new hires, enhancing the platform, and expanding into new customer channels.
4 min read · 17 July 2019
Landr, a Montréal-based creative platform for musicians, has closed its Series B financing, raising $26 million. Sony Innovation Fund, U.S. microphone maker Shure, Investissement Québec and Fonds de solidarité FTQ led the round. They were joined by Warner Music, Plus Eight Equity Partners, Slaight Communications, YUL Ventures and PEAK Capital Partners. Founded in 2012 in partnership with Canadian company creator TandemLaunch, Landr uses artificial intelligence to help artists and labels learn about, collaborate on, master, release and monetize music online. To date, it has supported more than 2.5 million artists worldwide. Led by CEO Pascal Pilon, Landr will use the funds raised to accelerate growth, expand into new markets, and develop new products.
4 min read · 16 July 2019
Rival Technologies, a Vancouver-based conversational marketing technology provider, has secured more than $8.5 million in a first-time financing. The round was backed by unidentified Canadian investors. Rival, part of the Reid Campbell Group, was launched last year by CEO Andrew Reid, founder and former president of Vision Critical. The company's platform product, Chat Lab, helps organizations create mobile communities of customers, fans and employees that can be tapped for insights into preferences, opinions and habits. The round's proceeds will be used to further develop Rival's technology and grow its affiliate, research consultancy Reach3 Insights.
3 min read · 16 July 2019
