The Venture Codex

Participated · Seed · Sep 2021

LearnExperts provides a platform for rapid course creation through artificial intelligence (AI). The company emphasizes speed and ease in developing educational courses. Led by founder Sarah Sedgman, LearnExperts draws on her 20 years of experience at Cognos, IBM, PTC and Kinaxis. The company is based in Ottawa, Canada. In September 2021 LearnExperts raised $1.25M in seed funding. Backers included Sand Hill North, MaRS IAF, Capital Angel, Maple Leaf Angel and Georgian Angel networks, including six women investors. The company intends to use the funds to accelerate growth within the sector.

Participated · Seed · Mar 2019

Cribcut operates a SaaS marketplace that helps stylists find clients, book appointments, optimize travel, receive payments, and collect ratings for at-home and office hairdressing. The company has expanded beyond its Halifax headquarters with an office in Toronto to support growth. Cribcut reports more than 40% monthly client and revenue growth over the last six months and stylists on the platform have completed roughly 6,000 appointments. Stylists using the platform are represented in 27 U.S. states and four Canadian provinces. The team currently numbers 10 employees and the company plans to increase headcount by about 50% across its Halifax and Toronto offices over the next nine months. The funding will be used to finance expansion across Canada and the United States.

Led · Equity · Apr 2012

Avenir Medical develops intelligent instruments that assist orthopedic surgeons by integrating microelectronics and miniature optical sensors to calculate and display real-time measurements of implant position and alignment. Its flagship product guides hip replacement, and the company plans to apply the same technology to knee replacement and other surgical procedures. The devices are designed to enable surgeons to more accurately perform joint replacements in the operating room. Avenir’s R&D team includes clinicians from Mount Sinai Hospital (Toronto), Rush Hospital (Chicago), and the Rothman Institute (Philadelphia). The company is led by CEO Armen Bakirtzian and is based in Waterloo, Ontario. Avenir intends to use recently raised funds to accelerate clinical and commercialization plans in North America and Europe. Avenir Medical researches, develops and commercializes orthopaedic medical devices. The company is developing PelvAssist™, a novel device intended to help orthopaedic surgeons deliver higher-quality care and reduce surgical errors. Founded in 2010 by CEO Armen Bakirtzian, Avenir is based in Waterloo, Canada. The company intends to use newly raised funds to continue advancing its technology. Current operating metrics were not disclosed in the article.