Participated · Equity · Sep 2021

Gruvi offers a line of non-alcoholic beers and wines, including Secco, Rosé, Red, IPA, Stout, Pale Ale and Lager, with some drinks as low as 26 calories. The brand is sold in roughly 1,500 retail locations across the U.S., Canada and Australia, including Total Wine & More, Whole Foods, BevMo, Safeway and Target. Co-founded and led by Anika Sawni and Niki Sawni, the company emphasizes product innovation and low-calorie alternatives. Gruvi plans to use new funding to accelerate team growth, expand distribution and continue investing in product development. The company has engaged experienced operators and advisors to support leadership and strategy. Rita Valois will join the board of directors while Phil Donne and Jill Holmstrom will serve in active advisory roles.

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 · Apr 2021

QuoteMachine provides retail sales software that turns in-store or online conversations into transactions via transactional microsites, enabling quoting, ordering, invoicing and payment capture. The platform supports complex, high-touch sales workflows and integrates with Shopify, Lightspeed Commerce, and the Intuit Developer Platform. The company handles roughly $40 million in gross merchandise value on a monthly basis, and about 60% of supported sales conversations convert to sales. Approximately 70% of QuoteMachine’s merchants are in the United States, and the team has more than doubled in size over the past six months. QuoteMachine plans to use new capital to launch new payment solutions, add inventory management capabilities to better empower salespeople, and grow its go-to-market teams. The company positions itself to be the primary sales software for SMB commerce that places the human touch at the center of the sales experience. QuoteMachine builds a platform that enables retailers to provide personalized, human-led sales support in-store, online, or via hybrid workflows. The product integrates with retail software such as Lightspeed to let sales associates start conversations online or close in-person-initiated conversations digitally. Merchants using QuoteMachine through Lightspeed have seen large sales increases, closing 70% of conversations backed by the platform and reporting higher customer satisfaction. The company raised CA$1 million in a financing round led by Telegraph Hill Cap with participation from Maple Leaf Angels’ MLA48 III, Real Ventures, and other business angels. QuoteMachine plans to use the funding to grow its team, deepen its offering, and expand partnerships beyond Lightspeed to other retail software platforms. The company is also working to broaden communication channels (online chat, messaging apps, video) and support post‑COVID trends such as appointment-based shopping and in-store pickup.

Participated · Seed · Jul 2019

Wisely provides an AI-driven fundraising platform that adapts to and integrates with existing donor data to create customized, scalable plans for nonprofit organizations. The product offers recommended actions so fundraisers can discover how much to pursue, from whom, and when, with the goal of optimizing workflow and funds raised. Founded in 2017 by engineers, fundraisers and nonprofit software executives, Wisely serves nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, foundations and hospital foundations across North America, including UNHCR, St. Joseph’s Health Centre Foundation, Kids Help Phone and Oakville Hospital Foundation. The company positions itself as addressing inefficiencies and archaic tools in a philanthropic sector that raises an estimated $440 billion annually across the USA and Canada and includes roughly 1.8 million nonprofits. Wisely plans to expand its operations in North America and scale its technology and services to help organizations grow revenue. Financially, the company raised C$1.5 million (US$1.15 million) in seed funding and has C$2.1 million in total funding to date.

Participated · Seed · May 2019

Locketgo provides turnkey mobile-charging storage lockers for festivals, concerts and conventions, paired with an online platform and app that lets users book lockers in advance and avoid queues. The company was founded in 2016 and is based in Montreal. Its service has been deployed at events including Osheaga, Île Soniq, Heavy MTL, the Montreal International Jazz Festival, Piknic Electronik and C2 Montreal, and as of April 2019 includes Live Nation among its clients. Locketgo participated in Montreal accelerators Centech and FounderFuel and has received several local accolades. The business plans to push into the North American market, grow its team, and continue research and development. Financially, the company recently closed a $1.2 million seed round and previously raised $120,000 from FounderFuel.