Private Equity
CTRL-labs has acquired the intellectual property for the Myo gestural armband from North, a Kitchener, Ontario-based wearable technology company. Terms weren't released for the deal, which CTRL-labs announced on Twitter. The New York-based neural interface technology developer said it will "bring these inventions back to life." North, which is said to have raised a US$40 million convertible debt financing earlier this year, recently focused on its augmented reality eyewear called Focals. In February, CTRL-labs reportedly closed a US$28 million round led by GV, Google’s venture capital arm, and joined by Amazon’s Alexa Fund, Lux Capital, Spark Capital and others.
1 min read · 03 July 2019
Mobile Klinik has acquired Device Care, a Cambridge, Ontario-based smartphone accessories and repair chain, for an disclosed amount. Founded in 2014, Device Care provides branded and private-label accessories and repair services to customers through six locations in Ontario and Québec. Mobile Klinik, a Toronto-based smartphone and tablet repair, care, sales and services retailer, said the acquisition both complements and enhances its Canada-wide business. In May, Mobile Klinik raised $27.5 million in a Series C financing, bringing total funding to $44 million. The round included a minority investment from Canadian Business Growth Fund.
3 min read · 03 July 2019
AlayaCare, a Toronto- and Montréal-based healthcare software platform, has secured a $51 million investment, $33 million of which is new equity. The investors included Inovia Capital, which led last year's $13.8 million Series B round, as well as Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and Investissement Québec. Inovia Capital Growth Fund accounted for the new equity. The remaining $18 million invested purchased stock from early shareholders. Founded in 2014 by CEO Adrian Schauer, AlayaCare provides a secure, cloud-based system that helps home and community care agencies manage all aspects of their business and operations. The deal's proceeds will allow the company to scale and focus on research and development to optimize its technology.
5 min read · 02 July 2019
A report by the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (CVCA) and BDC Capital provides new data on diversity and inclusion in Canada's private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) industries. The report, based on a survey conducted by Deloitte in early 2019, found only 12 percent of partners at PE firms and 11 percent of partners at VC firms were female. It also found that only 6 percent of partners at PE firms and 18 percent of partners at VC firms were visible minorities. In all, 59 firms participated in the survey, which is intended to establish baseline data to measure progress over time and advance best practices in the area.
5 min read · 27 June 2019
Fellow.app, an Ottawa-based software toolkit for managers, has closed its seed-stage financing, raising about $8.5 million (US$6.5 million). Canadian growth equity and venture capital firm Inovia Capital led the round, with participation from Felicis Ventures, Garage Capital and several angel investors. Fellow.app, launched last year by CEO Aydin Mirzaee, CTO Sam Cormier-Iijima and CPO Amin Mirzaee, has developed a cloud-based tool to help managers and their teams organize meetings, feedback and priorities. Along with the seed round, Fellow.app announced its first customer, Canadian e-commerce giant Shopify.
3 min read · 27 June 2019
C2RO, a Montréal-based cloud robotics software platform, has raised $2.25 million in follow-on financing. Québec early-stage venture capital firm Fonds Innovexport led the round. It was joined by GCI Capital, Harbor Street Ventures, Tandemlaunch, which incubated C2RO, Ministere de Economie et L’Innovation and angel investors. C2RO provides cloud artificial intelligence for smart devices to help businesses improve the experience of customers. It will use the funds raised to commercialize its product offerings. C2RO was founded in 2016 by CTO Soodeh Farokhi and is led by President and CEO Riccardo Badalone.
4 min read · 27 June 2019
Bird Canada, a licensed affiliate of U.S. electric scooter provider Bird, has launched to bring the micro-mobility solution to Canadians. Bird Canada is backed by undisclosed financing from Obelysk, the investment arm of Canadian entrepreneur John Bitove, Canadian mobile venture capital firm Relay Ventures, and Alate Partners, a Toronto-based property technology platform. Stewart Lyons, a SiriusXM Canada co-founder, will serve as CEO. Bird Canada will begin operations in Alberta in July and eventually grow its fleet of electric scooters and other commuter solutions across Canada. Santa Monica, California-based Bird last year raised a US$300 million Series C financing led by Sequoia Capital.
3 min read · 27 June 2019
Dfuse, a Montréal-based blockchain application programming interface (API) platform, has closed a seed-stage financing, raising about $4.6 million (US$3.5 million). U.S. cryptofund Multicoin Capital and Intel Capital, the venture capital arm of U.S. chip maker Intel Corp, led the round. Diagram Ventures, which co-founded dfuse, BoxOne Ventures, Panache Ventures and White Star Capital also invested. Launched in 2018 by Marc-Antoine Ross, Richard Reiner, Alexandre Bourget and Mathieu Boulianne, dfuse has created a range of products to help developers build effective blockchain applications. The funds raised will be used to expand the platform and grow engineering and customer teams.
5 min read · 26 June 2019
Montréal-based cybersecurity software company Delve Labs has raised undisclosed follow-on financing. The round was led by 3dot6 Ventures, a U.S. cybersecurity venture capital firm, and Desjardins Capital, an investment arm of Desjardins Group. They were joined by BDC Capital. Delve Labs in 2016 closed a $1.5 million seed deal backed by Real Ventures and other investors. Founded in 2014, Delve Labs provides an artificial intelligence-enabled vulnerability management and prioritization solution to help businesses identify security issues, reduce risks and protect key assets. Led by CEO Gabriel Tremblay, the company will use the funds raised for go-to-market activities and further innovation.
4 min read · 26 June 2019
MicroSintesis, a Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island-based developer of novel anti-infectives, has raised $16.4 million in financing. The investor was Northern Private Capital (NPC), an investment arm of CFFI Ventures, the holding company of Canadian billionaire John Risley. The deal gave NPC a minority stake. MicroSintesis has created a microbiome platform for developing products that support animal and human health and wellness. Last year, it launched its first commercial brands, Ygia and Nuvio, for Canada's pet and livestock markets. The company will use the funds raised for scaling-up production, increasing research capabilities, and global growth. Founded in 2011, MicroSintesis is led by President and CEO Hannah McIver.
4 min read · 26 June 2019
