Private Equity
U.S. angel activity fell last year, but investors were willing to pay more for their deals, according to a report by the Center for Venture Research at the University of New Hampshire. During 2015, angels in the United States completed 71,110 deals, a decline of 3.1 percent, the report found. In contrast to the shrinking deal total, invested capital rose 1.9 percent to US$24.6 billion.
1 min read · 25 May 2016
U.S. angel activity fell last year, but investors were willing to pay more for their deals, according to a report by the Center for Venture Research at the University of New Hampshire. During 2015, angels in the United States completed 71,110 deals, a decline of 3.1 percent, the report found. In contrast to the shrinking deal total, invested capital rose 1.9 percent to US$24.6 billion.
1 min read · 25 May 2016
Appili Therapeutics Inc, a Halifax-based anti-infective pharmaceutical development company, has raised $3.27 million in seed-stage financing. The investors included Canadian venture capital firm Innovacorp, a number of undisclosed private investors, and federal government agencies, including the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). Founded last year with the support of Canadian healthcare investment bank Bloom Burton & Co, Appili is a developer of novel therapeutics for infectious disease. The funds raised will be used to advance development of its two antibiotic programs and move towards clinical studies.
3 min read · 25 May 2016
Rover Labs Inc, a Canadian location-based mobile marketing platform, has raised $1.1 million in seed-stage financing. BDC Capital and 500 Startups invested in the round, alongside a number of angel investors. Founded in 2014, Toronto-based Rover has developed technology that helps retailers and brands deliver smarter, location-powered mobile content. The company said it will use the funds raised to enhance its product and strengthen its sales and marketing teams. It will also intensify hiring in Rover's Toronto and San Francisco offices. Earlier this year, 500 Startups launched 500 Canada, a new US$30 million fund earmarked for Canadian startups.
4 min read · 25 May 2016
Canadian mobile app development platform Buddybuild has secured about $10 million (US$7.6 million) in a Series A financing. The round was led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers (KPCB), a U.S. venture capital firm. It was joined by the company's existing backers, which include Amplify Partners, Bloomberg Beta, First Round Capital and several angel investors. Founded in October 2015 by CEO Dennis Pilarinos and Engineers Christopher Stott and Johnny Ting Shi, Vancouver-based Buddybuild has created technology that improves the development workflow used by mobile app developers. Along with its funding announcement, the company released a new crash reporting feature called Instant Replay.
6 min read · 25 May 2016
Canadian mobile app development platform Buddybuild has secured about $10 million (US$7.6 million) in a Series A financing. The round was led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers (KPCB), a U.S. venture capital firm. It was joined by the company's existing backers, which include Amplify Partners, Bloomberg Beta, First Round Capital and several angel investors. Founded in October 2015 by CEO Dennis Pilarinos and Engineers Christopher Stott and Johnny Ting Shi, Vancouver-based Buddybuild has created technology that improves the development workflow used by mobile app developers. Along with its funding announcement, the company released a new crash reporting feature called Instant Replay.
6 min read · 25 May 2016
Canadian venture capital firm TandemLaunch has secured $12 million in the first close of its third fund, TandemLaunch Ventures II. BDC Capital was the lead investor in the fund, committing $4 million, with the balance accounted for by Guy Laliberté's Lune Rouge Innovation, Speed of Trust Ventures, YUL Ventures, Nathalie Marcoux and Jean-Francois Grenon. Founded in 2010 by General Partner Helge Seetzen, TandemLaunch creates, incubates and provides seed funding to companies in consumer electronics and multimedia technologies. Its portfolio investments include Landr Audio, Mirametrix, which PE Hub Canada profiled along with TandemLaunch in June 2014, and Sportlogiq.
3 min read · 24 May 2016
Kent Thexton has been selected to head ScaleUP Ventures, a Toronto-based venture capital firm launched last year. He has assumed the role of general partner and will be responsible for overseeing the firm's early-stage investment activity in Ontario. Prior to joining ScaleUp, Thexton was a managing director at OMERS Ventures. He also spent close to 25 years as a founder and operator of a number of technology companies. ScaleUP is currently raising its debut fund, ScaleUP Ventures Fund I, which received a $25 million commitment from the Ontario government in April 2015. With Thexton's hire, the firm announced the fund's target has been increased from $50 million to $75 million.
4 min read · 24 May 2016
Kent Thexton has been selected to head ScaleUP Ventures, a Toronto-based venture capital firm launched last year. He has assumed the role of general partner and will be responsible for overseeing the firm's early-stage investment activity in Ontario. Prior to joining ScaleUp, Thexton was a managing director at OMERS Ventures. He also spent close to 25 years as a founder and operator of a number of technology companies. ScaleUP is currently raising its debut fund, ScaleUP Ventures Fund I, which received a $25 million commitment from the Ontario government in April 2015. With Thexton's hire, the firm announced the fund's target has been increased from $50 million to $75 million.
4 min read · 24 May 2016
Vancouver-based Yaletown Partners in April unveiled a new $135 million fund earmarked for emerging-growth technology companies in Canada. PE Hub Canada sat down with General Partners Brad Johns and Salil Munjal to talk about the fund and its goals. We also took the opportunity to discuss the latest financing of Bit Stew Systems, a data integration platform for the industrial Internet. Bit Stew has been backed by Yaletown since 2013.
4 min read · 20 May 2016
