Koru

Name

Koru

Legal name

Koru LP

Website

https://hellokoru.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Studio Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Venture Studios & Incubators (Build/launch ventures) (FSANAHAC)

Keywords

• Venture studio services
• Corporate venture building
• Digital venture creation
• Startup incubation
• Portfolio innovation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Venture Building Services: Koru provides organizations with ideation, validation, incubation, and launch services for new digital ventures, partnering with OTPP portfolio companies to create ventures

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Koru is a venture studio (foundry) that provides ideation, validation, incubation, and launch services for new digital ventures. The studio works directly with Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP) portfolio companies to identify, build, and oversee new disruptive business opportunities that leverage unfair advantages from the OTPP ecosystem, then introduces built ventures to external investors for next-stage growth.

Product overview

Koru is a venture studio (foundry) that creates and launches new ventures for Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan portfolio companies. The core offering is the Koru Venture Studio, which operates through a three-phase model: Discover (ideation, validation, and in-market testing), Build (MVP development, rapid iteration, and go-to-market launch), and Invest (ongoing capital, advisory, and operational resources). The portfolio comprises 12 venture companies spanning healthcare (Moneta, Home Concierge), financial services (Fig Financial, HomeBridge), AI/customer service (Laivly), field operations (FYLD), e-commerce logistics (ReturnBear), EdTech (Pebble), insurance technology (DataBraid), and climate/energy sectors (Resilion, Vayda, ONYX). Koru also operates a Job Board for portfolio talent recruitment and an Investor Network for venture capital connections.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Koru Venture Studio A venture studio that designs, validates, incubates, and launches new digital ventures for OTPP portfolio companies through a three-phase model: Discover (research and validation), Build (MVP development and launch), and Invest (ongoing capital and advisory support).
• FYLD AI-driven field service management platform powering productivity, safety, and sustainability in field work. Delivers 12%+ productivity gains and ROI in approximately 2 weeks.
• Fig Financial Fully digital lending platform offering personal installment loans with a digital experience, operating in Canada to support financial inclusion.
• ReturnBear E-commerce returns solution enabling verified instant payouts for Direct-To-Consumer brands, helping brands save up to 40% on return costs.
• Laivly AI platform for customer service contact centers that combines large AI models to enable agents with policies, procedures, and operational information, offering workflow guidance and self-service capabilities.
• Moneta Brain health digital therapy platform providing AI-powered cognitive rehabilitation. The platform is covered by insurance and designed to treat and prevent dementia.
• Pebble Childcare booking and management platform that allows providers and parents to connect, book, and manage childcare activities flexibly and conveniently.
• DataBraid Broker-centric automation platform that eliminates multi-carrier portal work by allowing insurance brokers to enter information once and apply it seamlessly across servicing workflows and carrier interactions.
• Home Concierge Home health care service empowering seniors to age at home on their own terms.
• Koru Investor Network Network connecting venture firms and investors with early access to Koru-launched businesses, featuring upcoming fundraising rounds, exclusive events, and CEO demo days.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Koru Investor NetworkcoreOthers · 1 January 2025The Koru Investor Network brings together leading venture firms and investors who want early access to the exceptional businesses Koru launches. It provides a front row seat to what's next in venture opportunities.
• SnowflakeminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Snowflake co-hosts the annual Koru Summer Social event with Teachers' Venture Growth and Koru, a 500-person outdoor networking event in Toronto's waterfront.
• Teachers' Venture Growth (TVG)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024TVG is the venture growth arm of OTPP and co-hosts the annual Koru Summer Social event along with Snowflake, bringing together 500 people for networking in Toronto's waterfront.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Highline Beta: Toronto-based corporate venture studio that builds and launches new ventures in partnership with large enterprises — the closest direct peer to Koru in geography, mandate, and model.
• Pioneer Square Labs (PSL): Seattle-based venture studio that builds multiple software companies per year with a Discover/Build/Invest model analogous to Koru, comparable in stage and venture output cadence.
• Atomic: San Francisco venture studio that partners with entrepreneurs to build and fund startups from scratch; directly comparable studio model with multi-venture output per year.
• Founders Factory: Global venture studio and accelerator that builds and scales startups alongside corporate partners; comparable studio structure and corporate-anchored venture origination.
• Science Inc. Operating venture studio that builds, launches, and scales digital companies across multiple sectors; directly comparable studio model with diversified portfolio approach.
• Betaworks: NYC-based startup studio that builds and invests in internet-related companies using a studio model; comparable approach of multi-venture creation from a small core team.
• Brinc: Global venture builder with accelerator and in-house studio programs that create startups from internal IP and corporate partnerships; comparable multi-region, multi-sector venture model.
• Idealab: Pioneering operating venture studio that creates and builds multiple technology companies simultaneously; one of the most-established comparable studio models with long track record.
• Antler: Global early-stage venture firm that builds and funds startups from ideation through company creation; comparable venture-building model spanning multiple geographies.

Broad incumbents

• BCG X (formerly BCG Digital Ventures): Corporate venture-building arm of BCG that invests in and incubates ventures with enterprise clients; documented as an investor in Koru's own 2019 funding round, making it both a broader incumbent and a known counterparty.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/teamkoru
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/koru-hq

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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

M&A

Investments5 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Koru