StandUp Ventures
StandUp Ventures is a Toronto-based seed-stage venture capital firm that invests exclusively in Canadian and US technology companies with at least one woman in C-level leadership and equitable ownership, targeting enterprise SaaS, digital health, and clean-tech across pre-seed through Series A.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersToronto, Canada
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What StandUp Ventures does
StandUp Ventures is a Toronto-based venture capital firm that invests exclusively in seed-stage, for-profit technology companies with at least one woman in a C-level leadership position holding equitable ownership. Founded in 2017 and operating from 101 College St., Suite 250, the firm targets enterprise software, digital health, and clean-tech companies based in Canada (and increasingly the US) at the pre-seed through Series A stages. Its investment thesis is grounded in the structural undercapitalization of women-led startups, and it reports a portfolio of 38+ companies with 75% having a woman CEO, a 90% seed-to-Series-A conversion rate, and >20x follow-on funding raised by portfolio companies relative to initial checks.
The firm operates two fund vintages: Fund I, which held its final close in March 2020 at $21 million CAD, and Fund II, which announced an initial close of $30 million CAD in September 2021. Capital is sourced from a roster of Canadian institutional LPs including BDC Capital, CIBC Innovation Banking, RBCx, Export Development Canada, Northleaf Capital Partners (via the Venture Catalyst Fund II), Teralys Capital, Vancity, and Deloitte. Revenue is generated conventionally for the asset class — through management fees charged to LPs and carried interest from portfolio exits — and the firm does not sell a product or technology offering of its own. Deal flow is sourced through founder referrals, a website application process, and community network connections.
StandUp deploys capital either as lead or co-investor alongside other Canadian and US venture firms, with recent syndicate partners including Andreessen Horowitz (a16z speedrun), Mucker Capital, Luge Capital, and Accelia Capital. The firm is led by Managing Director Michelle McBane and supported by a small core team of seven distributed across Toronto, Montreal, Kelowna, and Vancouver, plus two venture partners with prior operating experience at McKinsey, Voyager Capital, and Microsoft for Startups. Its distribution model relies on direct investment, network referrals, and self-serve inbound through its website, with brand awareness built through portfolio company news, founder spotlights, a Substack newsletter, Medium blog, and earned media in BetaKit, The Globe and Mail, and Crunchbase.
StandUp Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- StandUp Ventures
- Legal name
- StandUp Ventures
- Website
- https://standupvc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- StandUp Ventures is a Toronto-based seed-stage venture capital firm that invests exclusively in Canadian and US technology companies with at least one woman in C-level leadership and equitable ownership, targeting enterprise SaaS, digital health, and clean-tech across pre-seed through Series A.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
StandUp Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)
Keywords
Where StandUp Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toronto
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
StandUp Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Management fees and carried interest: Venture capital fund that generates returns through equity ownership in portfolio companies. Revenue is derived from management fees charged to fund investors (LP institutions) and carried interest (performance fees) from successful portfolio company exits.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
StandUp Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
StandUp Ventures is a seed-stage venture capital firm that invests equity capital in women-led, for-profit technology companies in Canada, with at least one woman in a C-level leadership position holding equitable ownership. The firm focuses on enterprise software, digital health, and clean-tech sectors from pre-seed through Series A, deploying capital across Fund I ($21M CAD) and Fund II ($30M+ CAD initial close) and supporting founders with mentorship, network access, and follow-on financing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- StandUp Ventures Fund I StandUp Ventures Fund I is the firm's inaugural seed-stage venture capital fund, closed at $21M CAD, that invests in women-led, for-profit technology companies across Canada at seed stage. LPs include BDC Capital, CIBC Innovation Banking, and Vancity.
- StandUp Ventures Fund II StandUp Ventures Fund II is the firm's second seed-stage venture capital fund with an initial close of $30M+ CAD, dedicated to women-led Canadian technology startups from pre-seed through Series A. Anchored by BDC Capital, with participation from CIBC Innovation Banking, Northleaf Capital Partners, RBCx, Teralys Capital, EDC, and Deloitte.
- Seed-stage equity investment program The core seed-stage investment service StandUp Ventures offers to founders: deployment of equity capital into women-led, for-profit technology companies in Canada, accompanied by mentorship, network access, and follow-on financing support from pre-seed through Series A.
Quantifiable outcome
- 90% conversion rate from seed to Series A for portfolio companies
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use StandUp Ventures
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
StandUp Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
StandUp Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
StandUp Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- BDC Capital: Canada's largest VC investor and most active institutional LP backing StandUp's Fund I and II. Operates multiple funds across stages including direct seed investing; comparable as a major Canadian VC player though not gender-lens focused.
Direct peers
- Garage Capital: Canadian seed-stage VC investing across enterprise software and digital health. Comparable Canadian geography, stage, and sector focus; co-invested with StandUp in Wygo's pre-seed round.
- Luge Capital: Canadian seed-stage fintech-focused VC. Comparable Canadian geography and seed-stage mandate; co-invested with StandUp Ventures in Velix's pre-seed round.
- SoGal Ventures: Global early-stage VC investing in diverse founders, including women-led companies. Comparable gender-lens thesis though more globally distributed rather than Canada-focused.
- BBG Ventures: US seed-stage VC backed by BB&B (Burroughs Wellcome Fund) focused on female-led startups. Closely comparable gender-lens early-stage mandate though geographically US-focused.
- Panache Ventures: Canadian seed-stage VC syndicate investing across Canadian tech founders. Comparable Canadian geography and pre-seed/seed mandate.
- Female Founders Fund: US-based early-stage VC fund investing exclusively in female-founded companies. Highly comparable thesis on women-led investing though US-focused rather than Canadian.
- Backbone Angels: Canadian angel collective backing women and non-binary founders at the earliest stages. Comparable mandate and Canadian geography; co-invested alongside StandUp in Wygo's pre-seed round.
- Real Ventures: Canadian seed-stage VC focused on early-stage technology companies. Comparable Canadian geography and seed mandate, though not gender-lens focused.
- The51: Canadian gender-lens VC fund investing in early-stage companies led by women and gender-diverse founders. The most direct comparable to StandUp Ventures given shared Canadian geography, women-focused thesis, and early-stage mandate.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
StandUp Ventures social profiles
Digital presenceStandUp Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
StandUp Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
StandUp Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
StandUp Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments51 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about StandUp Ventures
What does StandUp Ventures do?
StandUp Ventures is a seed-stage venture capital firm that invests equity capital in women-led, for-profit technology companies in Canada, with at least one woman in a C-level leadership position holding equitable ownership. The firm focuses on enterprise software, digital health, and clean-tech sectors from pre-seed through Series A, deploying capital across Fund I ($21M CAD) and Fund II ($30M+ CAD initial close) and supporting founders with mentorship, network access, and follow-on financing.
Is StandUp Ventures a public or private company?
StandUp Ventures is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was StandUp Ventures founded?
StandUp Ventures was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is StandUp Ventures based?
StandUp Ventures is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, in the North America region.
How does StandUp Ventures make money?
One revenue line is on record: management fees and carried interest.
Who are StandUp Ventures's main competitors?
BDC Capital is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Garage Capital, Luge Capital, SoGal Ventures, BBG Ventures, Panache Ventures, Female Founders Fund, Backbone Angels, Real Ventures and The51.
Does StandUp Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for StandUp Ventures.
What industry is StandUp Ventures in?
StandUp Ventures's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAA, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.