Venture Ontario
Government fundToronto · Seed–Growth · 3 people tracked
Find your way into Venture Ontario
374 people in our graph share verified history with the Venture Ontario team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.
Investment thesis
Venture Ontario operates as the government of Ontario's venture capital agency, focused on strengthening the provincial venture capital ecosystem. Its mandate is to support high-potential technology companies in accessing the capital they need to grow, while promoting and developing the broader venture capital sector across Ontario. The agency partners with universities and established investment firms to seed new funds, such as a recent life sciences venture capital fund backing spinouts, indicating an emphasis on technology and life sciences within the province.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 3 people
from the firm's website
What they invest in
from 32 of 77 portfolio companiesSaaS ×15Enterprise Software ×13AI & Machine Learning ×9Hardware ×6Consumer ×5Fintech ×5Healthtech ×5Biotech ×4
HQs:Canada×12United States×6
Who they back
founder profiles across 17 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×102 founders×53 founders×2
Where their founders studiedfrom 19 founders with education data
University of Waterloo ×7University of Toronto ×6Wilfrid Laurier University ×4
What their founders studiedfrom 18 founders with field-of-study data
Engineering ×8Computer Science ×4Business & Management ×3Mathematics & Statistics ×2
Where their founders worked beforefrom 19 founders with career history
ATS Automation Tooling Systems ×2Shopify ×2
Investments · 77 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2019 · 32016 · 22015 · 16 dated
Edesa Biotech is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing monoclonal antibody candidates as host-directed therapeutics for inflammatory and immune-related diseases.
BiotechHealthtechMarkham, US
Pardeep Nijhawan(Executive Officer, Director)Stephen Lemieux(Executive Officer)inMichael Brooks(Executive Officer)Mary Catherine Brisson(Executive Officer)Mark A. McPartland(Executive Officer)Kathi Niffenegger(Executive Officer)in
Co-investorsLumira Ventures
Shopify is a commerce platform that enables businesses to build online stores, sell across multiple channels (web, social, marketplace, POS), and manage inventory and orders.
E-commerceRetail TechSaaSOttawa, CA
Daniel Weinand(Executive Officer)inTobias Lutke(Executive Officer, Director)inTobias Lütke(Founder)inAmy Shapero(Executive Officer)Craig Miller(Executive Officer)inJeff Weiser(Executive Officer)
Co-investorsBright Pixel CapitalData TechDraft Ventures LlcFelicis VenturesFirstMark CapitalOMERS Ventures+3 more
Achievers Intelligence is an AI-powered platform that drives organizational change by connecting employee recognition to behavioral insights and making new ways of working visible and repeatable within existing workflows.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareHR TechSaaS
Scott Landers(Chief Executive Officer)Chris Fudge(Chief Marketing Officer)Anu Subramanian(Chief Technology Officer)Bob Memmer(Chief Revenue Officer)inKristian Gaetano(Chief Operations Officer)inLarry Vertin(Chief Financial Officer)
Co-investorsGrandBanks CapitalSequoia Capital
Aislelabs provides WiFi analytics and marketing solutions to enterprise teams in retail, aviation, restaurant, and hospitality sectors.
AdTechAI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareMarketing TechRetail TechSaaS
Aptose Biosciences is a biopharmaceutical company developing novel cancer therapeutics, with a focus on acute myeloid leukemia treatments.
BiotechHealthtechMedical DevicesDel Mar, US
Auvik is a cloud-based AI-powered IT operations platform that helps managed service providers and IT departments monitor and manage networks, SaaS applications, and endpoints.
AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingEnterprise SoftwareIoTWaterloo, CA
Alex Hoff(Co-founder & Board Advisor)inMarc Morin(Co-founder)inDavid Yach(Co-founder)inDouglas Murray(Chief Executive Officer)in
Co-investorsBDC Fund Investments (Fund-of-Funds)BDC Venture CapitalCeltic House Asia PartnersCeltic House Venture PartnersGolub GrowthOpenView Venture Partners+2 more
Avidbots makes autonomous floor-cleaning robots and supports customers globally through a network of channel partners.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningCleantechHardwarePropTechRoboticsKitchener, CA
Faizan Sheikh(Founder)inPablo Molinain
Co-investorsGolden VenturesNext47GGV CapitalTrue Ventures500 GlobalBDC Growth Venture Fund+9 more
Clearpath Robotics builds unmanned vehicles and robotics platforms aimed at making robotics research and development easier for its customers.
Deep TechHardwareRoboticsKitchener
Bryan Webb(Executive Officer, Director)inMatthew Rendall(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardMurray Gamble(Director)Karamdeep Nijjar(Director)inStuart Ellman(Director)inMichael Stork(Director)
Co-investorsGarage CapitalKeiretsu ForumKensington Capital Partners LimitedSWO Angel GroupWaterloo Accelerator CentreBDC Capital Corporation+5 more
ecobee makes smart home devices including smart thermostats and cameras, along with its eco+ software that delivers energy savings and demand flexibility for the electricity grid.
CleantechConsumerEnergyHardwareIoTToronto, CA
Stuart Lombard(Executive Officer, Director)inJonathan Prosser(Executive Officer)Rajan Goel(Director)Deborah Merril(Director)Chris Carradine(Executive Officer)John Metselaar(Executive Officer)
Co-investorsEnergy Impact PartnersRelay VenturesAmazon Alexa Fund
eSentire provides Managed Detection and Response (MDR) cybersecurity services combining a multi-agent generative AI platform with 24/7 human-led security operations to detect, investigate, and respond to cyberattacks.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecuritySaaSWaterloo, CA
Co-investorsWarburg PincusGeorgianCisco InvestmentsEdison PartnersInformation Venture PartnersLeawood Venture Capital Llc+2 more
Exact Imaging develops the ExactVu micro-ultrasound platform, a 29 MHz imaging system that lets urologists perform real-time targeted and systematic prostate biopsies within a standard workflow.
HardwareHealthtechMedical DevicesMarkham, CA
Harold Wodlinger(Director)inRandy AuCoin(President & CEO)inRob Sandler(Executive Officer)inJerrold Wen(Executive Officer)in
BoardWilliam Wortman(Director)Gaston Matthyssens(Director)
Co-investorsiGan PartnersLumira VenturesPMVVesalius Biocapital Partners
Flybits offers a data exchange platform that digitally connects small businesses to banks' customer networks, enabling personalized merchant offers and enhanced customer engagement throughout the card lifecycle.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareFintechMarketing TechToronto, CA
Hossein Rahnama(Founder & CEO)
Co-investorsTD BankBosch VenturesPoint72 VenturesRobert Bosch Venture CapitalToronto Innovation Acceleration PartnersReinventure Group
FreshBooks is a cloud-based accounting and invoicing platform designed for small service-based businesses.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechHR TechSaaS
Mike McDerment(Founder)in
Co-investorsAccompliceEvolution VC PartnersOak Investment PartnersSand Hill Angels
Fusion Pharma develops targeted alpha therapeutics that link alpha-emitting medical isotopes to molecules targeting biomarkers on cancer cell surfaces to selectively kill tumor cells.
BiotechHealthtech
Co-investorsFACIT (Fight Against Cancer Innovation Trust)HealthCapLumira VenturesSeroba Life SciencesYsios CapitalAdams Street Partners+2 more
Inkbox makes semi-permanent temporary tattoos featuring original designs created in collaboration with artists.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerToronto, CA
Braden Handley(Cofounder)Tyler Handley(Founder)in
Co-investorsEvolution VC PartnersGolden VenturesHemisphere Ventures LLCKombo VenturesMaveronParade Ventures
Joist is a job management platform for contractors that simplifies estimating, invoicing, and payment collection.
Construction TechEnterprise SoftwareFintechSaaSEastern Canada, CA
Co-investorsGolden Ventures
Kira Talent offers a holistic admissions platform for higher education programs, combining on-demand timed video and written assessments with structured live interview technology to help schools evaluate applicants' skills and traits.
EdTechSaaS
Emilie Cushman(Founder)in
Co-investorsBisk VenturesETS Strategic CapitalRelay Ventures
Newterra provides water solutions and technologies for customers dealing with water-related challenges.
Advanced ManufacturingCleantechClimate TechArkansas, US
Kevin Cassidyin
Co-investorsFrontenacXPV Water Partners
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 MartininFoteini Agrafiotiin
Co-investorsFundersClubRecruit Strategic PartnersRelay VenturesSalesforce Ventures
Plooto is a B2B payment automation platform that centralizes accounts payable and receivable, including check payments, credit card acceptance, international payments, and automated invoice management and reconciliation.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechSaaS
Co-investorsFINTOP CapitalCentana Growth PartnersLuge Capital
PostBeyond is an employee advocacy platform that enables organizations to centrally manage social media content and empower employees to share company messaging on their personal social accounts.
Enterprise SoftwareMarketing TechSaaSSales TechSocial
Co-investorsPlaza VenturesInformation Venture Partners
Q4 provides an AI-native CRM platform designed for investor relations teams to manage the full investor lifecycle by combining intent data, ownership information, and market intelligence.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFintechSaaS
Darrell Heaps(Founder, Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer)in
Co-investorsHotung Investment Holdings Ltd.Kensington Capital Partners LimitedPlaza VenturesInformation Venture Partners
Roadmunk (now Strategic Roadmaps by Tempo) is a product roadmapping tool that lets teams capture customer feedback, prioritize ideas, and build shareable timeline, swimlane, and table roadmaps to align stakeholders across an organization.
Enterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkSaaS
Latif Nanji(Founder)in
Co-investorsDiversisGarage CapitalGolden VenturesFelicis VenturesGolden Venture PartnersSaltagen Ventures
San Jose, US
John Mitchell(Executive Officer)inRaouf Halim(Executive Officer)Gerald J. Hamilton(Executive Officer)Andrew Kim(Executive Officer)Dave Mier(Executive Officer)
BoardRoger Maggs(Director)
Swift HealX is an FDA-registered adhesive calibrant used alongside the Swift app to standardize wound photography by accounting for size, lighting, and color variations.
AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthHealthtechMedical DevicesSaaS
Co-investorsClaritas CapitalDCVC (Data Collective)Graphite VenturesRelay Ventures
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
Co-investorsLofty VenturesY CombinatorInovia CapitalQualcomm VenturesRelay VenturesGarage Capital
theScore is a sports media platform delivering real-time scores, news, statistics, and analysis across major professional and college sports leagues.
ConsumerMedia & EntertainmentSports TechToronto
John Levy(Executive Officer, Director)inBenjamin Levy(Executive Officer)Ralph McLean(Executive Officer)Lorry Schneider(Executive Officer)
BoardJohn Albright(Director)inMark Scholes(Director)
Co-investorsRelay Ventures
TimeHero is a task and calendar management platform that automates scheduling and prioritizes work based on urgency and deadlines.
Enterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkSaaS
Top Hat develops courseware and engagement technology for higher education institutions, enabling instructors to create interactive learning experiences and connect with students.
AI & Machine LearningEdTechSaaSWaterloo, CA
Mike Silagadze(Co-founder)inMohsen Shahini(Co-founder)inMaggie Leen(Chief Executive Officer)inLarry Indovina(Chief Operating Officer)inHong Bui(Chief Product Officer)inDonna Battista(Managing Director, Learning Solutions)in
Co-investorsEmergence Capital PartnersInovia CapitalRecurring Capital PartnersTop Corner CapitalUncork CapitalUnion Square Ventures (USV)+2 more
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
Co-investorsFrancisco PartnersKensington Capital Partners LimitedOMERS VenturesRound13 CapitalRelay Ventures
BiotechNew York, US
Michael Burgess(Executive Officer)Jose Manuel Otero(Executive Officer)Robert Gould(Director)inJane Henderson(Executive Officer)inStefan Larson(Director)Patrick Machado(Director)
Co-investorsBrace PharmaF-Prime CapitalFACIT (Fight Against Cancer Innovation Trust)Foothill VenturesOrbiMedPoint72+1 more
VarageSale is an online marketplace where people join a verified local community to buy and sell secondhand items with others in their neighborhood.
Circular EconomyConsumerMarketplaces
Tami Zuckerman(Founder)in
Co-investorsLightspeed Venture PartnersFloodgateSequoia CapitalVersion One Ventures
Toronto
CHARLES FRANCIS GLAVIN(CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER)ANDREW OLSON(Director)MICHAEL MICHALYSHYN(EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT & GENERAL COUNSEL)ARUN NETRAVALI(Director)MICHAEL JAMES ECONOMY(VICE PRESIDENT OF STRATEGIC ACCOUNTS)PHILIP CHARLES DECK(Director)
Co-investorsNew Enterprise Associates (NEA)
Wattpad is a digital platform where users can read, write, and share stories, with a mobile app enabling access to stories and community features on-the-go.
Creator EconomyMedia & EntertainmentSocial
Co-investorsAugust CapitalBling CapitalGolden Venture PartnersGolden VenturesKickstart VenturesLobby Capital+3 more
On-chip error-resistant photonic qubits.
Christian Weedbrook(Founder)in
Co-investorsBessemer Venture PartnersGolden VenturesIn-Q-TelInnovative Solutions CanadaOMERS VenturesRadical Ventures+1 more
Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
Adapsyn Biosciences Inc.AirVMApphero Inc.Bluecat Networks Inc.Blueline BioscienceBranchSciCanvaspopCarrot Insights Inc.ChangoChatkit Inc.ChatterChefHeroConnectionsCorityCorsa TechnologyFigure 1Filefacets CorporationGallopGraphite SoftwareHelpfulIntegrate.ai Inc.IntuitiveJiffyKodaCloudLocationaryNuvyyoPolarPumpupRareRitualRossRubikloud TechnologiesScribbleLiveSensibillShopLocketSnaptravelSoapboxThalmic LabsTribeHR CorporationUpverterVerticalVleepo Inc.
Exits · 6
3 IPOs · 3 acquisitions · showing 3Edesa BiotechNASDAQ: EDSAShopifyNASDAQ: SHOPNewterraacq. by Frontenac
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companies
Aptose Biosciences Inc. · canada.stocktradersdaily.com · Sep 6, 2026
Spectra7 Microsystems · themarketsdaily.com · Sep 1, 2026
theScore · rotowire.com · Aug 25, 2026
Shopify · simplywall.st · Jul 16, 2026
Edesa Biotech · stocktitan.net · Jul 14, 2026
Touchbistro · betakit.com · Jul 13, 2026
Q4 Inc. · fintech.global · Apr 29, 2026
Xanadu Quantum Technologies Inc · stocktitan.net · Apr 9, 2026
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Venture Ontario made?
- Venture Ontario has 77 tracked investments, 6 of which have exited.
- What stage does Venture Ontario invest at?
- Venture Ontario invests at the Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth stages.
- What sectors does Venture Ontario focus on?
- Venture Ontario focuses on Biotech, Cleantech, Healthtech, Medical Devices, Sector Agnostic.
- Where is Venture Ontario located?
- Venture Ontario is headquartered in Toronto, CA.
- Who does Venture Ontario co-invest with?
- Venture Ontario most often shares deals with Golden Ventures, Kensington Capital Partners Limited, OMERS Ventures, among 84 tracked co-investors.
Similar investors
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