Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited
Pelorus VC is a St. John's, Newfoundland-based venture capital firm founded in 2015 that manages three successive funds (VNL I, II, III), investing $250K–$500K in pre-seed and seed-stage technology startups across Newfoundland and Labrador in partnership with the provincial government and BDC Capital.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersSt. John's, Canada
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited does
Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited is a privately held venture capital fund manager headquartered in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Founded in 2015 by Managing Partner Chris Moyer, the firm exclusively manages venture capital funds focused on the Newfoundland and Labrador technology ecosystem — specifically pre-seed and seed-stage startups with founders commercializing innovative, sector-agnostic technologies. The firm structures each fund as a limited partnership in partnership with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, BDC Capital Inc., and a syndicate of private angel investors. To date, the firm has deployed Venture Newfoundland and Labrador LP I (a $14M fund created in 2015), Venture Newfoundland and Labrador LP II (a $30M fund created in 2021), and is currently fundraising for VNL III following a $15M CDN government anchor commitment announced January 26, 2026.
The firm's operating model is a community-led, regionally focused investment platform with three named investment professionals (Chris Moyer as Managing Partner, Sarah Murphy as Partner, and Greg Smyth as Venture Partner). Initial cheques are sized $250K–$500K per company, with active post-investment advisory and ecosystem-building support. Across VNL I, VNL II, and SPVs, Pelorus has backed 16 companies, of which 11 remain active with a reported collective valuation of $1.59B as of January 2026; portfolio outcomes include CoLab ($72M USD raised in 2025), Spellbook ($50M USD raised in 2025), and the 2021 acquisition of Clockwork Fox. The firm earns revenue through standard fund economics — management fees on assets under management plus carried interest on realized returns — exemplified by VNL I's $21M return to investors at the 10-year progress point.
Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited
- Legal name
- Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited
- Website
- https://pelorusvc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Pelorus VC is a St. John's, Newfoundland-based venture capital firm founded in 2015 that manages three successive funds (VNL I, II, III), investing $250K–$500K in pre-seed and seed-stage technology startups across Newfoundland and Labrador in partnership with the provincial government and BDC Capital.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Micro-VC & Angel Funds (FSANAAAI)
Keywords
Where Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- St. John's
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Fund Management Fees: Pelorus VC earns management fees on the assets under management across Venture NL I, II, and III funds.
- Carried Interest: Standard VC carried interest structure on returns generated for LP investors. VNL I at its 10-year progress point returned $21 million to investors.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pelorus VC manages private venture capital funds (Venture Newfoundland and Labrador LP I, II, and III) that deploy $250K–$500K initial investments into pre-seed and seed-stage technology companies headquartered in Newfoundland and Labrador. The firm provides active advisory support, commercialization guidance, and follow-on capital access to founders, while generating fund management fees and carried interest returns for its LP investors (Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, BDC Capital, and angel investors).
Product overview
Pelorus VC operates as a venture capital fund management firm, not a product company. It manages two private venture capital funds (Venture Newfoundland and Labrador LP I and II) that invest in pre-seed and seed-stage technology companies based in Newfoundland and Labrador. The funds invest between $250K-$500K per company and focus on sector-agnostic innovative technology startups. The portfolio includes companies such as CoLab, Spellbook, BreatheSuite, Mantle, SiftMed, Sparrow BioAcoustics, Mysa, HeyOrca, Sequence Bio, and Swiftsure.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Venture Newfoundland and Labrador LP I (VNL I) Private venture capital fund that invests $250K–$500K into pre-seed innovation companies in Newfoundland and Labrador, providing equity capital plus active advisory support to founders while delivering venture returns to LP investors.
- Venture Newfoundland and Labrador LP II (VNL II) Private venture capital fund that invests $250K–$500K into pre-seed and seed-stage technology companies in Newfoundland and Labrador, providing equity capital plus active advisory support while delivering venture returns to LP investors.
- Venture Newfoundland and Labrador LP III (VNL III) Private venture capital fund currently in fundraising that will continue Pelorus VC's mandate of investing in pre-seed and seed-stage technology companies in Newfoundland and Labrador, with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador as anchor LP.
Quantifiable outcome
- VNL I returned $21M to investors at 10-year progress point
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators8 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Innovacorp: Nova Scotia's early-stage venture capital and accelerator organization. Comparable to Pelorus as a regional Canadian VC/public-sector-backed fund, though Innovacorp primarily serves Nova Scotia rather than Newfoundland & Labrador.
- Invest Nova Scotia: Nova Scotia's provincial economic development investment agency, deploying venture and growth capital into Atlantic Canadian companies. Adjacent regional peer to Pelorus given shared model of provincially-backed regional VC deployment in Atlantic Canada.
Direct peers
- Build Ventures: Atlantic Canada-focused early-stage VC fund investing across the region. Most direct comparison to Pelorus given shared Atlantic Canadian geography, early-stage focus, and Atlantic Canadian LP base, though Build Ventures covers a broader regional mandate vs. Pelorus's NL-only focus.
- StandUp Ventures: Toronto-based early-stage VC investing in Canadian tech startups with a gender-lens lens. Comparable to Pelorus on early-stage Canadian tech thesis and Sarah Murphy's involvement in the Gender Diversity Playbook; smaller fund peer with similar pre-seed/seed check sizes.
- Concrete Ventures: Halifax-based early-stage VC investing in Atlantic Canadian technology startups. Direct peer along product, geography, and stage dimensions; both funds build portfolios from the same Atlantic Canadian ecosystem and compete for the same regional founders.
- Version One Ventures: Canadian seed-stage VC fund investing in mission-driven technology companies. Comparable to Pelorus on pre-seed/seed stage focus and Canadian tech thesis, with a broader geographic mandate and similar fund size range.
- Panache Ventures: Canadian pre-seed and seed VC fund leading $250K-$1M rounds nationwide. Comparable to Pelorus on stage focus, check size, and Canadian pre-seed/seed thesis, though Panache operates across Canada rather than a single region.
Broad incumbents
- Real Ventures: Quebec-based early-stage VC firm and one of Canada's most active seed investors. Larger incumbent operating in the same Canadian early-stage tech category as Pelorus, with broader geographic mandate and meaningfully larger fund sizes.
- BDC Capital: Investment arm of the Business Development Bank of Canada, deploying venture capital across Canadian tech. Functions as both a comparable incumbent and an active LP co-investor in Pelorus's VNL I and II funds, making it the most strategically connected peer.
Emerging players
- Frontier Foundry (Foresight Williams & Foresight): Canadian-VC / UK-based industrial-tech fund with a regional Canadian LP presence. Less direct overlap but relevant as a comparable Canadian deep-tech/industrial-stage fund that competes with Pelorus portfolio companies like Seaformatics and Diagon for capital.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited social profiles
Digital presencePelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited
What does Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited do?
Pelorus VC manages private venture capital funds (Venture Newfoundland and Labrador LP I, II, and III) that deploy $250K–$500K initial investments into pre-seed and seed-stage technology companies headquartered in Newfoundland and Labrador. The firm provides active advisory support, commercialization guidance, and follow-on capital access to founders, while generating fund management fees and carried interest returns for its LP investors (Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, BDC Capital, and angel investors).
Is Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited a public or private company?
Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited founded?
Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited was founded in 2015.
Where is Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited based?
Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited is headquartered in St. John's, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Fund Management Fees are the primary driver. The others are carried Interest.
Who are Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Innovacorp and Invest Nova Scotia. Direct peers are Build Ventures, StandUp Ventures, Concrete Ventures, Version One Ventures and Panache Ventures. Broad incumbents are Real Ventures and BDC Capital. Frontier Foundry (Foresight Williams & Foresight) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited.
What industry is Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited in?
Pelorus Venture Capital Management No. II Limited's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAI, Micro-VC & Angel Funds. Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.