• Vention

  Participated · Series D · Jan 2026

  Founded in 2016, Vention offers an "Apple-like ecosystem" that merges engineering CAD software with a catalog of modular hardware so factory teams can build automated workstations without coding. Its physical AI layer applies machine-learning-driven perception and motion planning, while generative AI tools allow customers to design full robot fleets in minutes. The platform is used in more than 4,000 factories worldwide by clients such as Boeing, L’Oréal, and Lockheed Martin, and the company now employs roughly 330 people. CEO Etienne Lacroix reports that 70 % of users are in the United States, 20 % in Europe, and 10 % in Canada. Vention surpassed a $100 million CAD annual run rate in late 2023, demonstrating strong commercial traction. With fresh capital, the firm plans to deepen its physical AI research, add new software features, and scale its European operations through its German offices.

• Boosted.ai

  Participated · Equity · Nov 2024

  Boosted.ai builds an agentic generative AI platform, Alfa, that automates financial analysis and workflows for asset managers, wealth managers, family offices and hedge funds. Alfa lets users train AI 'coworkers' to think like them, uses finance-specific data, in-line citations to reduce hallucinations, and continuous proactive monitoring, reducing what typically takes 40 hours of analyst work to approximately 20 minutes. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Toronto and New York City, the company evolved from proprietary machine learning algorithms for a primarily quant client base into simple-to-use AI agents. Boosted.ai serves more than 300 active clients managing in excess of $3 trillion in assets and its platform is used for analytics, research and decision-making, outsourced quant consultancy, commentary creation, risk monitoring and workflow automation. The company will use new capital to grow Alfa, invest in additional systems, and hire team members to handle increased product demand and onboarding. Inclusive of seed capital, Boosted.ai's total funding now stands at $61 million after the latest financing. Boosted.ai builds AI solutions that automate investment management processes, enabling institutional investors and wealth managers to save time, generate new investment ideas, and maintain always-on monitoring. Customers can train AI agents to perform analysis and decision-support tasks, a concept the company describes as putting their "brain in the machine." The platform ingests and reads millions of financial documents to automate workflows and increase productivity. Boosted.ai positions its product around generative and agentic AI capabilities tailored to investment management. The company says clients use the system to cut research time and be more data-driven in their investment processes. The recent financing will support continued product development and commercial expansion. Boosted.ai offers Boosted Insights, a web-based, distributed machine learning platform that delivers explainable machine learning tools to portfolio managers without requiring coding or data‑science expertise. The platform is used by more than 40 active clients across hedge funds, ETF providers and other asset managers, with client AUMs ranging from roughly $10 million to over $1 trillion. In 2021 the company more than doubled its number of client firms and grew revenue by 250%. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Toronto and New York City, Boosted.ai plans to scale Boosted Insights and double its employee count. The company emphasizes explainability and a "quantamental" human-plus-machine workflow to help managers source ideas and manage risk. RBC is both an investor in the round and a current client. Boosted.ai offers Boosted Insights, a web-based distributed machine learning platform that enables portfolio managers, analysts and CIOs to generate ideas, construct portfolios and monitor risk without coding or data‑science expertise. The platform helps users unlock alternative datasets and advanced quantitative techniques through a user-friendly interface. The company serves more than a dozen active clients across long-only mutual funds, long-short hedge funds, family offices and bank investment arms, whose combined assets under management exceed $500 billion. Boosted.ai was co-founded in 2017 by Joshua Pantony, Jon Dorando and Nicholas Abe and is headquartered in Toronto and New York City. With the new financing, the company plans to continue enhancing Boosted Insights and to hire additional talent in Toronto and New York while expanding marketing and sales efforts. Total disclosed funding to date is $11 million, inclusive of seed capital.

• LeddarTech

  Participated · Series D · Feb 2022

  LeddarTech develops LiDAR sensors using an approach described as an advanced combination of optical-wave signal processing and software algorithms. The company relies on patented software to improve the sampling rate and resolution of LiDAR "echo" signals. Those improvements enable its LiDAR systems to capture distance information for all objects within the field of view. The article describes its core solution in technical terms but does not provide product lines or customer details. Financially, LeddarTech recently received a $59 million strategic investment. No revenue, user metrics, investors, or further financial details are provided in the report. LeddarTech is described as a global leader in flexible, robust and accurate ADAS and AD sensing technology. The company has evolved into a comprehensive end-to-end environmental sensing provider that helps customers solve sensing, fusion and perception challenges across the value chain. Core products include LeddarVision, a raw-data sensor fusion and perception platform supporting Level 2+ to Level 5 autonomy, LeddarSteer digital beam steering, and the LiDAR XLRator development solution built on the LeddarEngine. LeddarTech supports LiDAR makers and Tier 1-2 automotive system integrators and holds over 100 granted or pending patents. The company says it will use recent financing to accelerate development and commercialization and to augment engineering resources to meet demand from global OEM and Tier 1-2 customers. Management emphasizes enabling customers to deploy reliable, cost-effective ADAS and autonomous-driving solutions across brands and markets. LeddarTech provides a versatile and scalable automotive LiDAR development platform built around its LeddarEngine. The LeddarEngine pairs automotive‑grade, functional‑safety certified SoCs (LeddarCore) with LeddarSP signal‑processing software. The company’s patented technologies target ADAS and autonomous‑driving applications across automobiles, trucks, buses, delivery vehicles, robotaxis, shuttles and more. LeddarTech reports strong traction, with six tier‑1 vendors actively developing automotive‑grade LiDAR solutions based on its systems‑on‑chip and additional interest from other prospective strategic partners. To accelerate product introduction and scale its organization, the company closed a bridge financing and plans to expand its research and development teams. Management said the funds will support go‑to‑market efforts and organizational growth as it pursues further opportunities. LeddarTech is a Quebec City, Quebec, Canada-based provider of automotive-grade solid-state LiDARs. Led by CEO Charles Boulanger, the company develops Leddar, a patented solid-state LiDAR sensing technology that combines advanced light wave digital signal processing and software algorithms. Its sensors are used across automotive, intelligent transport systems, drones, and industrial vehicles. The company raised US$101 million in a Series C financing to support its growth. LeddarTech intends to use the funds to enhance its ASIC development efforts, expand its R&D team, and accelerate ongoing LiDAR development programs with select Tier‑1 automotive customers for rapid market deployment. LeddarTech supplies advanced detection and ranging systems based on patented sensing technology that performs time-of-flight measurement using pulses from infrared LEDs processed through algorithms. Its Leddar technology ranges from off-the-shelf sensor kits for makers to customized solutions for large volumes, offering integration opportunities to brand owners, integrators and OEMs. Led by CEO Charles Boulanger, the company targets a wide range of object detection under various environmental conditions. LeddarTech completed a $7M equity financing to support its growth. The company intends to use the funds to accelerate sales and marketing for its sensor modules and to support the ramp-up of its manufacturing and service operations. In coming quarters the team will focus on increasing brand visibility in key sensor markets and accelerating trial and adoption through commercial relationships with strategic customers and partners worldwide.

• Farmers Business Network

  Participated · Series G · Nov 2021

  Farmers Business Network (FBN) is an agricultural marketplace serving a network of over 117,000 farms across 187 million acres in the U.S. and Canada. The platform offers more than 7,200 products and delivers most orders within 24 to 72 hours; 35% of farmers shop with FBN and online input purchases are up 86% year-over-year. FBN has launched "Norm," a Large Language Model focused on agronomy and crop marketing inquiries, with plans for broader personalized support. The company is expanding private-label crop protection, biologicals, and nutrition offerings and enabling third-party sellers to reach members directly. FBN opened its marketplace to third-party seed offers and is growing its livestock marketplace with new feed, fencing, and farm and ranch supplies. In Canada, FBN expanded its wheat crop protection portfolio, added bulk liquid fertilizer and equipment financing, and plans to open two new distribution centers in 2026. Management states a goal to reduce a farm’s operating costs by 20% or more compared to brick-and-mortar retail. Farmers Business Network (FBN) operates a farmer-to-farmer agtech platform that offers FBN Direct (direct-to-farm inputs), FBN Financial (fintech and lending), ecommerce purchasing, and logistics. The company serves a network of more than 33,000 farmers who farm over 80 million acres across North America and Australia and employs over 800 people. FBN emphasizes price transparency on crop protection products, biologicals, seeds, technology, and services and runs on-farm R&D through its R&D Network. The company is investing in IP and technology for seed breeding, crop protection, biologicals, and robotics, and is expanding its Gradable platform to measure and verify carbon scores for grain and other crops. FBN plans to scale its fintech offerings with new land, operating and equipment loans and insurance products and to grow its direct-to-farm agriculture logistics network. It intends to hire over 350 new team members and use proceeds for general corporate and working capital purposes. Farmer’s Business Network (FBN) operates a direct-to-farm ag‑tech platform and farmer-to-farmer network that provides ecommerce purchasing, transparent pricing on inputs, and farm-focused services. Its FBN Direct range includes seed, crop protection and biologicals designed to reduce farmers' cost of production. FBN is building out a Crop Marketing and Financial Services (CMFS) platform to help farmers manage risk and access insurance, loans, marketing tools, and sustainability-related premiums and incentives. The company also offers financing options and timely pricing data to improve decision-making and competition in the supply chain. FBN has over 12,000 members farming more than 40 million acres across the U.S. and Canada, recently launched operations in Australia following the acquisition of Farmsave, and employs over 600 people. Offices are located in San Carlos, Calif.; Chicago, Ill.; Sioux Falls, S.D.; with a Canadian headquarters in High River, Alberta and an Australian headquarters in Perth. Farmers Business Network (FBN) operates a subscription-based, members-only social network that lets farmers share seed and crop data and upload and analyze data from drones, satellites, mobile apps and on‑ground sensors. Members pay $600 per year for access to pooled data and insights that help them choose seeds, pesticides and vendors. FBN also runs an e-commerce arm, selling herbicides and fungicides it sources directly and warehouses in nine company-owned facilities. The company has developed a marketing product to connect farmers with buyers for specialty crops; its members represent just shy of 5,000 farms managing roughly 16 million acres. FBN employs about 200 people across the U.S., is three years old, and is headquartered in San Carlos, California. Management says it will use new capital to hire, accelerate the business, push more aggressively into Canada, and possibly create some of the products it currently sells, while remaining a “data network first and foremost.” Farmer's Business Network began as a professional network for farmers and agronomists to anonymously share what they pay for seeds, fertilizers and other inputs and to exchange effectiveness information. The company applies crowdsourced price transparency to help farmers negotiate fairer prices and says it can save members up to 50% on inputs purchased through its service. FBN Direct (formerly FBN Procurement) lets users buy roughly 500 farm chemicals, fertilizers, seeds and seed treatments at prices members set; FBN sources products at those prices. Members can pick up supplies at nearby warehouses or have them shipped to their farms. The company announced a $40 million Series C this round, bringing total capital raised to $88 million. Investors named in coverage include GV and DBL Partners, Bow Capital, and earlier backers Acre Venture Partners and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

• ApplyBoard

  Participated · Series C · May 2020

  ApplyBoard is a Kitchener, Ontario–based international student mobility technology platform that connects students to over 1,500 institutions across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Ireland. Since 2015 it has empowered more than 1 million students from over 125 countries. The platform supports the end-to-end study abroad journey and has expanded beyond application and acceptance to services such as language tests, loans, and proof of finances. In June the company launched its patent‑pending Generative AI advisor, Abbie, which provides personalized guidance and instant support in any language. ApplyBoard is pursuing a global expansion plan that includes launching in Germany and adding 20 new study destinations by the end of the decade. The company says the recent financing will accelerate product development, growth, and further international expansion. ApplyBoard provides a free service to students that matches and processes international applications for colleges and universities and earns money via revenue-sharing agreements when referred students enroll. The company has served roughly 200,000 students to date and has launched products like ApplyProof to help verify applicants’ documents. ApplyBoard reported 400% year-over-year sales growth in 2021; sales were $300 million in 2019 and the company said that implies at least $1.2 billion in sales in 2021. It is expanding efforts in key destination countries including the United States, the U.K., and Australia. ApplyBoard has pursued strategic partnerships—an earlier $55 million extension brought in ETS Strategy Capital, the venture arm of ETS, and that tie helped spawn ApplyProof. CEO Martin Basiri framed the company as a tech-savvy guidance counselor addressing high demand for seamless application processes after the pandemic. ApplyBoard operates an online platform that streamlines the study-abroad search, application and enrollment process by connecting international students, recruitment partners, and over 1,200 partner schools across Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The company offers an end-to-end application experience and has formed a strategic partnership with ETS to integrate test preparation and admissions workflows. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Kitchener, Ontario, ApplyBoard has helped over 120,000 students and employs more than 500 staff across 20 countries. ApplyBoard plans to use recent funds to invest heavily in its proprietary technology, further develop school and student services, expand destination markets, and serve a broader diversity of students and recruitment partners globally. Financially, the company has raised C$242M (US$180M) to date, including its C$170M Series C total after the extension. ApplyBoard operates an online platform that streamlines the study-abroad application process by connecting students, educational institutions and recruitment partners through a single application. The platform enables students to discover and apply to secondary and post-secondary institutions in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. By joining the platform, educational institutions expand their brand reach worldwide and recruit qualified students virtually. The company works with over 1,200 educational institutions, 4,000 recruitment partners and has assisted over 100,000 students. ApplyBoard employs over 400 staff across 20 countries and was co-founded in 2015 by Meti Basiri (CMO), Martin Basiri (CEO) and Massi Basiri (COO). The company plans to use new funding to accelerate product development, expand into new markets and improve access to education for more international students. ApplyBoard is a SaaS-enabled marketplace founded in 2015 that uses AI and machine learning to assist international students with program and institution selection, document submission, applications, and obtaining visas. The platform vets and processes applications, sending only complete and qualified files to partner schools and reports a 95 percent chance of students receiving an offer letter. Since launch it has built partnerships with over 1,200 secondary and post-secondary institutions across North America and has been used by more than 45,000 students from 100+ countries. ApplyBoard is based in the Waterloo region of Canada with offices in China, Nepal, Vietnam, and India. The company will use the new capital to further develop its AI-powered platform, accelerate expansion into new markets, and hire over 100 employees across its Kitchener headquarters and international offices. To date ApplyBoard has raised C$72 million in total funding and is focused on making education more accessible to students around the world.

No current team members are available.