Funding
Venture markets, investor behaviour and the founder guides on raising money.
Tsinghua Beats MIT, Harvard in Startup Ecosystem Funding
'China's MIT' ahead of Harvard and UCLA among the world’s top schools for surrounding tech ecosystem investment.
September 17, 2016VC Funding Doesn’t Reflect Talent in Toronto and KW: Minister
While Silicon Valley snaps up Ontario engineering graduates, little money is coming the other way.
September 16, 2016Tech Stocks Approach Bubble-Era Valuations
The stand-out performance of tech sector stocks reflects the broader reality of the industry’s dominance in a post-industrial world.
August 23, 2016Artificial Intelligence Funding Latest Silicon Valley Gold Rush
After five years, Silicon Valley might be becoming less frivolous following a funding shift away from social media to deep learning.
July 19, 2016Shopify Leaders Praise Canada’s Startup Environments
Canada is the best place for a startup to knuckle down and work on a product that they believe in, as long as complacency doesn’t set in, Shopify’s Tobias Lütke says at Montreal’s StartupFest.
July 14, 2016Tech’s Gender Problem Means Money Lost
Female entrepreneurs generate 20 percent greater revenue than their male counterparts, while receiving 50 percent less VC funding.
June 13, 2016Startups Need to Change Their Cultures in Cockroach Era
Unlike mythical unicorns, cockroaches don’t require palatial offices, onsite chefs, and playgrounds consisting of pool tables and arcade games.
June 9, 2016Past and Future Trends of Startups in Y Combinator’s Data
Reading applications to Y Combinator is like having access to a crystal ball. What does eight years’ worth of anonymized application data tell us?
June 3, 2016Early-Stage Startups Need More than Tech to Impress Investors
TechPortfolio interviewed investors including iNovia Capital Managing Partner Chris Arsenault and others to learn what they look for in early stage startups – and how they define success.
May 31, 2016Tech Sector Leaders on Funding Challenges Facing Canadian Startups
Startup founders need to think about funding options at all stages of growth. What kind of funding is available – or not – at which stages? We talked to investors and founders about the challenges attracting startup investment, cultural fit, and how some have negotiated funding issues. While everyone we spoke to said there are challenges getting funding, there’s little consensus on where exactly those holes are – or how they should be filled.
May 27, 2016Tech Investors and Founders Identify Bankable Technologies
Entrepreneur and author Seth Godin’s comment from more than a decade ago, which addresses what’s now generally referred to as “disruption,” resonates among entrepreneurs more than ever. To address this, we asked each of our launch week interviewees what technology is going to be the most bankable in the next few years?
May 24, 2016Funding & Talent Dominate Twitter Talk Around Techvibes
Techvibes hosts a semi-annual event called Techfest, which underscores the importance of hiring in the startup space. The networking event attracts more than 1,000 attendees and culminates in a series of 2-minute pitches by CEOs, founders and tech executives meant to attract the best employees.
May 18, 2016Mind the Startup Leadership Team Gap, Investors Say
David Cohen, a co-founder and managing partner at Techstars Ventures, said in a 2007 blog post that he won’t rule out sole entrepreneurs, but holds them at a disadvantage. “Look for someone who compliments your skills,” Cohen said. “If you’re great at coding, find someone who’s great at selling or marketing.” Cohen’s investment instincts proved astute as Techstars became an early investor in Uber just two years later.
May 16, 2016What Do You Call a Canadian Unicorn?
A narwhal. While this medium-sized, carnivorous whale – distinguished by its single tusk – is an actual creature as opposed to a mythical one, try to find someone who’s seen a narwhal in the flesh. The animal's scarcity makes it an appropriate metaphor.
May 12, 2016Why Canada’s Tech Scene is Worth Getting Excited About
It’s often overlooked that one of the most esteemed innovators of the 21st century, Elon Musk - the mind behind PayPal, SpaceX and Tesla - is a Canadian citizen and attended Queen’s University in Kingston before ultimately moving to the U.S. Vancouverite Stewart Butterfield created the original photo-sharing site Flickr in the mid 2000s and went on to build the office social platform Slack, now headquartered in San Francisco and valued around $4 billion.
May 10, 2016Investors Weigh in on Programming Language Choice
Startups should consider their comfort level with the language, where the market is going and if the language they choose is the best one to reach their goals. While VCs usually don’t try to change decisions around programming languages, the way programs are written could affect investment decisions.
May 5, 2016Startup Simulations: The Future of VC Funding
Recent advances in gaming and AI are adding another layer of complexity to an already competitive landscape in the form of “startup simulations.” As finance becomes more data-driven, simulations – which have been long been leveraged for gaming – serve a new purpose: determining whether or not a startup gets funded.
May 4, 2016Cockroaches Rise, Unicorns Fall as Venture Capital Plays Moneyball
Now that sobriety has set in, the tech world sees in hindsight how a nearly indestructible creature, able to live on dust, would be more attractive to investors than something that doesn’t exist – like profits among some the most well-known tech plays of the past few years. Think Pinterest, Yelp, etc.
May 3, 2016Toronto is a Cockroach Nest
Toronto distinguishes itself as Canada’s financial center, the fourth-largest metropolis in North America, and its namesake university ranks in the world’s top-20. Toronto is also one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world, a metric that McKinsey & Co. says supports corporate success. So where are the Toronto-bred unicorns?
May 1, 2016Toronto has the Entrepreneurs. Imagine If It Had the Cash.
Cities outside of the world’s largest VC concentrations need to innovate to create conduits that tap these hubs. The C100’s Venture North event in Toronto addresses this problem. The C100 runs programs, including Venture North, which aim to do this by connecting Canadian entrepreneurs with compatriots active in Silicon Valley to foster partnership and investment.
March 31, 2016Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Funding section cover?
Venture capital markets, angel investing, how investors make decisions, and practical guides on pitching and raising money.
Is the advice specific to Canadian startups?
Most guides apply anywhere. Where it matters, such as government programs, tax credits or securities rules, we note how things work in Canada.
Where can I estimate dilution from a round?
Use the Valuation & Dilution Calculator or the SAFE & Convertible Note Calculator in the Tools section.
What is the Cockroaches vs. Unicorns series?
A 2016 TechPortfolio series on capital-efficient startups that grow on modest funding, compared with companies that raise large rounds at high valuations.
Does TechPortfolio give investment advice?
No. Articles and tools are for information and planning. Speak to a qualified advisor before making investment or financing decisions.