New Brunswick Innovation Foundation

Name

New Brunswick Innovation Foundation

Legal name

New Brunswick Innovation Foundation

Website

https://nbif.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early-Stage Venture Capital

NAICS

All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

National Development Banks & State Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) (BPADACAC), SDG / Thematic Sustainable Investment Funds (FSANAJAN)

Keywords

• Venture capital funding
• Seed stage investing
• Startup equity investment
• Cleantech climate funding
• Innovation grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Fredericton

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Equity Investment Returns: NBIF generates returns through equity stakes in portfolio companies. They invest in early-stage startups in exchange for preferred shares, common shares, or convertible debentures. Returns are realized through exits when companies are sold or go public. The foundation has generated 17 successful exits that have produced hundreds of millions in capital investment reinvested back into New Brunswick's economy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

New Brunswick Innovation Foundation (NBIF) is an evergreen pre-seed and seed stage venture capital organization that provides equity investments, grants, and innovation support programs to early-stage technology startups and SMEs headquartered in New Brunswick. Backed by a $100 million fund, it deploys capital directly through the Startup Investment Fund (up to $200K pre-seed) and Venture Capital Fund ($200K–$500K seed), and provides non-dilutive grants through the Innovation Voucher Fund, Climate Impact Fund, and Cleantech Momentum Program.

Product overview

New Brunswick Innovation Foundation (NBIF) is an evergreen pre-seed and seed stage venture capital organization backed by a $100 million fund. It offers a portfolio of investment programs including the Startup Investment Fund (up to $200K for pre-seed), Venture Capital Fund ($200K-$500K for seed stage), Innovation Voucher Fund (up to $80K for SME-research partnerships), and Climate Impact Fund ($1.8M for cleantech). NBIF also runs the Breakthru startup competition offering up to $200K equity investment. These programs are complemented by the Emerging Concepts and Technologies (ECT) Program and Cleantech Momentum Program for grants. NBIF supports the creation and scaling of New Brunswick tech companies, having invested in 1 out of every 6 tech companies in the province.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Startup Investment Fund (SIF): Provides up to $200,000 of pre-seed equity investment to eligible New Brunswick companies for demonstrating commercial viability.
• Venture Capital Fund (VCF)
• Innovation Voucher Fund
• Climate Impact Fund
• Breakthru

Products and services

• Startup Investment Fund (SIF) Provides up to $200,000 of pre-seed equity investment to eligible New Brunswick companies to demonstrate product or idea commercial viability.
• Venture Capital Fund (VCF) Provides seed investment ranging from $200,000 to $500,000 per round for New Brunswick startups with customers and market traction to rapidly grow.
• Innovation Voucher Fund Encourages collaboration between SMEs and research organizations by providing up to $80,000 (80% of project costs up to $100,000) towards innovation projects that improve profitability and competitiveness.
• Climate Impact Fund A $1.8M partnership fund with Opportunities New Brunswick to accelerate innovation in CleanTech and emissions reduction technologies, consisting of 5 unique programs including early-stage investment and corporate innovation support.
• Emerging Concepts and Technologies (ECT) Program Delivered in partnership with Net Zero Atlantic, provides grants up to $50,000 (Stream I) or $150,000 (Stream II) to support development of emissions reduction technologies.
• Cleantech Momentum Program Supports innovative projects at New Brunswick startups and SMEs with non-dilutive, non-repayable grants ranging from $50,000 to $250,000 to accelerate commercialization of emissions-reduction technologies.
• Breakthru Startup Pitch Competition NBIF's flagship startup competition offering up to $200,000 in equity investment to early-stage New Brunswick companies, combining early-stage investment, mentorship, bootcamps, and exposure.

Quantifiable outcome

• $30 returned for every $1 invested
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers34 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Net Zero AtlanticcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNBIF partners with Net Zero Atlantic to deliver the Emerging Concepts and Technologies (ECT) Program, providing grants to researchers and private New Brunswick companies for developing emissions reduction technologies in difficult-to-abate sectors.
• Opportunities New BrunswickcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNBIF's Climate Impact Grant is a partnership between NBIF and Opportunities New Brunswick (ONB). The $1.8M fund, consisting of 5 unique programs, accelerates innovation in CleanTech and emissions reduction technologies in New Brunswick.
• Foresight CanadaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNBIF announced a new partnership with Foresight Canada to combine their deep understanding of the local landscape with the expertise and networks of Foresight, supporting New Brunswick entrepreneurs in developing and commercializing innovative CleanTech solutions.
• Fredericton Cyber CentreminorOthersLastwall operates from the Fredericton Cyber Centre, contributing to a strong cybersecurity cluster in the province.
• Breakthru Competition PartnerscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBreakthru competition is supported by Propel, Cox & Palmer, University of New Brunswick, Elevate IP, and Profitual - organizations committed to helping entrepreneurs grow and scale.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cycle Capital: Quebec-based cleantech venture capital fund manager that, like NBIF's Climate Impact Fund, focuses on early-stage climate and emissions-reduction technologies, making it a thematic and structural peer in Canadian cleantech investing.
• Real Ventures: Montreal-based pre-seed and seed venture capital fund historically focused on Canadian tech founders, comparable in stage, check size, and active-portfolio-support model to NBIF's Startup Investment Fund and Venture Capital Fund.
• Version One Ventures: Canada-focused pre-seed/seed venture capital fund that backs mission-driven founders, comparable in stage and ethos to NBIF, though without the provincial geographic restriction or government-backed fund.
• Invest Nova Scotia: Nova Scotia's provincial venture capital organization, the closest geographic and structural peer to NBIF, co-investing in Atlantic Canada startups and partnering on rounds (e.g., Elle, MD Biotechnologies, pHathom) with comparable mandate and check sizes.
• Propeller Ventures: Canadian cleantech-focused seed VC that led pHathom Technologies' $4M seed with NBIF participation, comparable in cleantech/early-stage thesis and in serving as a co-investor alongside NBIF in Atlantic Canada climate deals.

Broad incumbents

• TELUS Ventures: Corporate venture arm of TELUS that invests in healthtech, agtech, and emerging technology, comparable to NBIF in Canadian tech investing but with corporate strategic priorities and larger check capacity.
• Alberta Innovates: Alberta's provincial innovation and research funding corporation, comparable to NBIF in mandate (funding applied research, early-stage ventures, and cleantech) but with broader programs and a far larger fund base.
• BDC Capital: Canada's national business development bank and a major VC fund-of-funds and direct investor. BDC co-leads rounds in NBIF portfolio companies (e.g., Lastwall) and is the larger, federally-backed counterpart to NBIF's provincial DFI role.
• Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI): Ontario's provincial innovation intermediary providing venture funding, talent, and acceleration programs to tech startups, structurally analogous to NBIF as a provincially-backed innovation capital provider, but with a much larger geographic and capital footprint.

Regional players

• Tall Grass Ventures: Prairie-focused seed-stage VC fund that co-invests in Canadian agtech and climate deals (e.g., Picketa Systems with NBIF), serving as a regional complement to NBIF's Atlantic-Canadian-focused activity in shared portfolio companies.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nb_innovation
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/NBIFVideo
• Facebookfacebook.com/NBinnovation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nbif
• Instagraminstagram.com/nbif_finb

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments152 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about New Brunswick Innovation Foundation