Relay Ventures
Venture capitalToronto · Pre-Seed–Series A · 20 people tracked
Also known as RELAY VENTURES CANADA II INC.
Investment thesis
Relay Ventures invests in early-stage companies that challenge conventional wisdom and solve significant pain points in large markets with strong growth potential. The firm concentrates on two core themes: urbantech, including software and hardware systems for autonomy, robotics, and mobility that assist people in daily life; and fintech, backing digitally-forward solutions reshaping how money moves across insurance, wealth management, enterprise, and consumer banking. Relay supports founders across growth stages throughout the financing life of their companies, primarily in North America, and is currently investing from its fifth fund, Relay Ventures V.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 11, 2026.
Team · 20 people
from public directories
What they invest in
from 19 of 49 portfolio companiesSaaS ×6AI & Machine Learning ×5Enterprise Software ×4PropTech ×4Consumer ×3Data & Infrastructure ×3Marketplaces ×3Mobility & Transportation ×3
HQs:United States×11Canada×3
Investments · 49 tracked
founders shown can be your intro path
teaBOT manufactures and operates a robotic tea-brewing machine offered as an amenity service to offices and showrooms across North America.
ConsumerEnterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkHardwareHR TechRoboticsWellness & FitnessToronto, CA
Rehman Merali(Founder)inChris Deutsch(Re-Founder)in
Carlsbad, US
Todd Ballard(Executive Officer, Director)Joseph Dunnigan(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardJohn Albright(Director)
Bird operates a shared electric scooter and e-bike service designed to reduce car trips and emissions in urban environments across multiple continents.
CleantechMobility & TransportationSanta Monica, US
Bryan Watson(Director)Alan Friedman(Director)Eric Bernofsky(Executive Officer)Jason Nagy(Director)
BoardMeir Bulua(Director)Menashe Kestenbaum(Executive Officer, Director)
Flash operates a technology platform connecting parking facilities and EV charging into a single ecosystem, offering payment, access, and operations software along with regional field support.
Mobility & TransportationPropTechSaaSAustin, US
Sharon McCollum(Executive Officer)Dan Sharplin(Chairman)Chris Donus(CEO & President)Shannon Kennedy(Chief Human Resources Officer)Dan Roarty(Chief Digital Officer)Elliott DeLoach(Chief Financial Officer)
GoodBuy Gear is an online marketplace selling quality-checked secondhand and open-box baby and kids' gear, including strollers, car seats, high chairs, carriers, and bassinets.
Circular EconomyE-commerceMarketplaces
Greenlight offers a debit card and mobile app for children that enables parents to set spending limits, automate chores and allowance management, and monitor transactions in real-time.
ConsumerFintechAtlanta, US
Nymi develops wearable authentication devices and connected worker solutions for Industry 4.0 environments, using ECG-based biometric identification to enable secure, persistent access and digital interactions.
CybersecurityEnterprise SoftwareHardwareIoTToronto, CA
Karl MartinFoteini Agrafioti
Occupier provides lease administration software for commercial real estate teams at multi-location businesses, centralizing lease data, automating critical date alerts, and enabling real-time portfolio visibility.
Enterprise SoftwarePropTechSaaSBoston, US
Matthew Giffune(Executive Officer, Director)Benjamin McGuinness(Executive Officer, Director)Andrew Flint(Executive Officer, Director)
PropTechAtlanta, US
Arjan Schutte(Director)Atticus LeBlanc(Executive Officer, Director)Kathryn Petralia(Director)
Populus provides data and software platforms that help cities manage mobility planning and decision-making.
Data & InfrastructureGovTechMobility & TransportationSan Francisco, US
Regina Clewlow(Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer)Fletcher Foti(Co-Founder, Chief Data Scientist)Regina Clewlaw(Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer)Regina Ruby Lee Clewlow(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardCharles Hudson(Director)
PubNub provides a platform for building real-time interactive applications with messaging, presence detection, and edge computing capabilities.
Cloud ComputingData & InfrastructureDeveloper ToolsIoT
System is a Public Benefit Corporation building a systems-based architecture to organize the world's interconnected knowledge, powered by AI, for decision-making and resource allocation across health, climate, economy, and security sectors.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureHealthtechSector AgnosticNew York, US
Adam Bly(Executive Officer, Director)Josh Wolfe(Director)
BoardAsad Khaliq(Director)
TouchBistro is an all-in-one POS and restaurant management system that provides restaurateurs with payment processing, online ordering, reservations, and related tools.
FoodTechRetail TechSaaS
UJET provides contact center software that integrates with Microsoft Teams, enabling customer service agents to collaborate with internal experts and efficiently resolve customer issues through streamlined workflows and real-time communication.
AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingEnterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkSaaSSan Francisco, US
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesLeague · natlawreview.com · Jul 17, 2026
System Inc · natlawreview.com · Jul 17, 2026
Greenlight · cuinsight.com · Jul 15, 2026
TouchBistro Inc. (Exited) · betakit.com · Jul 13, 2026
Kiip · en.wowtale.net · Jul 7, 2026
Bird Scooters · katu.com · Jul 1, 2026
Trusty · thesaasnews.com · Jul 17, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Relay Ventures invest at?
- Relay Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
- What is Relay Ventures's typical check size?
- Relay Ventures typically writes checks of $500K – $10M.
- What sectors does Relay Ventures focus on?
- Relay Ventures focuses on Data & Infrastructure, Enterprise Software, Fintech, InsurTech, Media & Entertainment, Mobility & Transportation, PropTech, Robotics, SaaS, Sports Tech.
- Where is Relay Ventures located?
- Relay Ventures is headquartered in Toronto, US.
- Does Relay Ventures lead rounds?
- Yes, Relay Ventures leads investment rounds.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamFounder-First VC: How Alex Baker Backs Grit Over Hype at Relay Ventures
AI InterConnect · Alex Baker
John Albright Partner at Relay Ventures | Investing in the Future of Sports, Gaming, and Media
Profluence Sports · John Albright
Persistence Pays - Alex Baker, Relay Ventures
Beyond Innovation TV · Alex Baker
Alex Baker: Trends in Venture Capital | Relay Ventures Portfolio Day 2018
Relay Ventures · Alex Baker
Dentons' Fire Escape Chats: A Silicon Valley State of Mind - Kevin Talbot, Relay Ventures
Dentons · Kevin Talbot
John Albright, Relay Ventures & John Levy, theScore Inc.
Ted Rogers School of Management · John Albright
Co-investors · 64
Alate Partners is an early-stage venture capital fund focused on real estate technology, backing founders building transformational technology for the built world.
Sapphire Ventures is a venture capital firm founded in 2011 that backs technology companies, offering operating support such as executive talent and customer introductions to its portfolio.
OMERS Ventures is the venture capital arm of the OMERS pension plan, investing in early-stage technology founders building solutions across North America and Europe.
True Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that writes the first check for founders and supports them through subsequent stages of growth.
Eniac Ventures is a seed-stage venture firm that positions itself as founder-friendly and focused on helping early-stage companies achieve product-market fit.
Streamlined Ventures is an early-stage venture firm that partners with founders and invests at the seed stage to help build large-scale companies.
RRE Ventures is a boutique early-stage venture capital firm that backs founders across sectors, combining decades of experience with AI-driven analysis throughout the investment lifecycle.
Sierra Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in first-principles founders, backing companies from inception through Series A across AI infrastructure, applied/vertical AI, deep tech, and physical/embodied AI.
Reach Capital is an early-stage venture firm that partners with founders building companies in learning, health, and work.
Storm Ventures is an enterprise-focused venture capital firm that invests in B2B companies across sectors including data infrastructure, engineering, sales, marketing, security, vertical SaaS, and robotics.
Parade Ventures is a San Francisco Bay Area venture firm that leads and co-leads seed-stage rounds as a first check into new companies. It targets businesses with recurring revenue, high margins, and repeatable sales models across B2B and consumer categories, connecting portfolio founders with a network of experienced operators.
Sandbox Industries is an investment firm that fosters innovation in the healthcare and insurance industries, partnering with corporate strategic investors as limited partners alongside financial investors and portfolio companies.
▶52 more co-investors
Motley Fool VenturesFuture Energy VenturesSequoia CapitalKhosla VenturesAlumni VenturesBenchmarkFirst Round CapitalCoatue ManagementBattery VenturesQuiet CapitalSusa VenturesGoat CapitalOffline VenturesMayfield FundUpHonest CapitalForerunner VenturesScale Venture PartnersAmplify PartnersFloodgateBullpen CapitalIA VenturesRevolutionHarrison MetalHanabi CapitalAccompliceWingEnergy Impact PartnersTransmedia CapitalUpside PartnershipAmerican Express Ventures (Amex)Nyca PartnersAmadeus Capital PartnersRecursive VenturesBDC Venture CapitalGutter CapitalXfundAmazon Alexa FundMiramar Venture PartnersS3 VenturesXplorer CapitalTuesday CapitalClearvision VenturesLifeX VenturesEnergy Capital VenturesEarly Light VenturesThe E14 FundFramework Venture PartnersRPM VenturesMonta Vista CapitalR-Squared VenturesSoftBank GroupEdsby
Firms observed investing alongside Relay Ventures, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Relay Ventures's recorded portfolio.
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