Brett Liu, CFA

Cool read about portco Vivid Machines using AI to help farmers maximize yield, reduce costs, lower emissions, and make data-driven decisions that weren’t possible a generation ago!! 🍎 🍇 🍐 🥝 From real-time tracking of tree health to optimizing harvest timing, Vivid turns farming into a precise science – helping farmers make informed decisions that improve profitability and boost efficiency. It’s awesome to see Canadian agtech driving such significant economic impact. Proud to support Jenny Lemieux and Jonathan Binas in shaping a more productive and sustainable future for farming! 🌱🚀 https://lnkd.in/e4i2NgMW #AI #agriculture #startups #venturecapital

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Just finished reading an insightful analysis by John Rikhtegar at RBCx on the Canadian venture capital landscape over the past decade, focusing on capital exited rather than capital invested. This deep dive sheds light on the challenges and successes of our venture ecosystem and provides valuable lessons for the future. Here are my top 5 takeaways: 1️⃣ Liquidity Volatility Challenges the VC Ecosystem Over 50% of Canada's exit value in the past decade occurred in just 2020 and 2021. This surge pulled fund cycles forward as GPs rushed to redeploy record waves of LP capital. Consequently, 2023 and 2024 have seen some of the lowest levels of capital allocated to Canadian venture in years. 2️⃣ The Dominance of Top 50 Exits A staggering 85% of Canada's aggregate exit value came from only 27% of all exits—the Top 50 largest. Achieving such large exit outcomes remains critical for VC investors aiming to build lasting franchises in Canadian venture. 3️⃣ Exit Success Isn't Just About Size There's a misconception that bigger exits equate to greater success. By evaluating exit capital efficiency (exit value relative to total capital raised), we can better assess the profitability to shareholders. Capital-efficient exits often yield higher returns, regardless of their size. 4️⃣ Canada's Exit Growth Outpaces the U.S. While smaller in scale, Canada's exit value and volume have grown faster than the U.S. over the past decade. Given that the U.S. VC market is 30x larger and more mature, this is a healthy sign for Canada's developing ecosystem. 5️⃣ Managing the Exit Value to Fundraised Ratio is Key To continue building a capital-efficient VC ecosystem, Canada must focus on improving its cumulative exit value to capital fundraised ratio. Shrinking the gap between Canada and the U.S. in this ratio is vital as we anticipate exit activity to rebound in the coming years. This analysis aligns closely with Ripple Ventures' strategy. At Ripple Ventures, we prioritize investing early and staying disciplined on entry valuations, all while focusing on capital efficiency. We believe that supporting capital-efficient startups not only drives better returns but also strengthens the overall ecosystem. It's encouraging to see data supporting this approach, emphasizing the importance of disciplined investing and capital efficiency in achieving successful exits. 📖 Read the full analysis below: #VentureCapital #CanadianVC #RBCx #RippleVentures #CapitalEfficiency #StartupEcosystem

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🚀 The Future of Energy is Here—And It's Distributed 🔋 As we move toward a more decentralized and sustainable world, the energy industry is undergoing a major transformation. Welcome to the era of energy trading and distributed energy resources (DERs). Here's why distributed energy and peer-to-peer trading are game changers: 💡 Energy independence: Imagine a world where homes and businesses produce their own energy through solar panels, wind turbines, and battery storage. They're not just consumers anymore—they're producers too. And the best part? They can trade their excess energy with each other or with the grid. 💪 Efficient and resilient grids: With DERs, energy doesn't have to travel hundreds of miles from a centralized power plant. It can be generated and consumed locally, reducing energy losses and making grids more resilient. 🪴 Sustainability at its core: Distributed energy empowers communities to generate clean, renewable energy, slashing carbon footprints and making real progress toward a net-zero future. 💸 Energy trading as the future: Thanks to blockchain and smart contracts, peer-to-peer and peer-to-business energy trading is becoming a reality. No middleman, no inefficiency. Just direct, transparent exchanges that put control back in the hands of consumers and businesses. The future of energy is distributed, and I'm excited to be a part of this journey. I truly believe we're moving toward a world where energy is more equitable, efficient, and sustainable. What do you think? Feel free to DM me or come find me at Verge 24 next week in San Jose! #EnergyFuture #Sustainability #DistributedEnergy #Innovation #EnergyTrading

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The 2024 TSX Venture 50 rankings reveal impressive growth in the #tech sector, with an avg. share price increase of 178% and a market cap surge of 224% in the past year. The standout performers were companies involved in cryptocurrencies, with Bitcoin miners and blockchain developers seeing an average share price growth of 412% and a market cap increase of 428%. This growth underscores the ever-evolving tech industry, particularly in emerging fields like cryptocurrency, where transparency and regulatory compliance are increasingly essential. The TSX Venture Exchange remains a vital platform for companies undergoing rigorous application and due diligence processes, helping investors find credible opportunities in innovative sectors. For investors and industry observers, these trends signal the ongoing shifts towards more integrated and regulated investment environments. This year's Venture 50 is a compelling indicator of where technology and investment are heading, particularly in high-growth areas like blockchain and artificial intelligence. #capitalmarkets #innovation #technology

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𝐀𝐳𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘝𝘊 𝘚𝘯𝘢𝘱𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘊𝘓𝘐𝘔𝘈𝘍𝘐𝘟 Azolla Ventures invests in early-stage technology companies with the potential for gigaton-scale climate impact. Country: USA, Cambridge, Massachusetts Website: https://lnkd.in/gSpVAKPn 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐨: (from web site & public sources) Heaten - accelerates the transition to clean and efficient industrial heating processes. SiTration, Inc. - Pioneering low-cost recovery of critical materials from lithium-ion battery recycling to mining Funga - Harnessing forest fungal networks to address the biodiversity and climate crises. Carbon Reform - Modular direct air capture, energy savings, and improved indoor air quality for buildings Calcarea - Accelerating the Earth's natural solution to climate disruption. Scalvy Inc - Modular E-powertrains to Electrify at Scale VELOZBIO - Leveraging molecular farming to develop and manufacture sustainable and affordable animal free proteins. == 𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘝𝘊 𝘚𝘯𝘢𝘱𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘊𝘓𝘐𝘔𝘈𝘍𝘐𝘟 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘝𝘊𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. Hope you found this snapshot useful. Tenzin C. | Amy Duffuor | Ryan D. Taylor | Cass Vickers | Eric Yao

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Yesterday was Shilling VC's AGM. It was interesting to think and present a condensed version of some of the coolest things Platform accomplished in 2023! Platform is the fund vertical focused on driving pre-investment initiatives, sometimes acting as the primary catalyst for deal flow sourcing and post-investment support, aiding portfolio companies in overcoming growth hurdles more efficiently, always with one goal: enhancing fund performance. Looking at the deal flow-related stuff: - Developed an automated system to engage over 100 co-investors quarterly effectively; - Launched a transparent newsletter to share deal flow, fostering strong relationships with top-tier co-investors; - Invited select co-investors to experience our hometown, Lisbon, strengthening partnerships; - Introduced our Scouting program, which leverages industry expertise to identify startups aligned with our investment thesis; To ensure efficiency in those deal analyses, we've embraced a Tech-driven VC approach: - Developed an AI-driven screening process to filter opportunities aligning with our investment thesis; - Implemented a scoring process to evaluate startups based on their potential; - Introduced an AI tool for market analysis, reducing time spent on traditional research methods by our investment team.; On the Portfolio Support, our founders rated us 9/10 ❤️ - Launched a Support Tickets Platform for timely and efficient responses to their inquiries; - Tripled the number of experts available for Office Hours on the Founder’s Portal (now 51 top-tier experts); - Hosted several topic-focused dinners, providing founders the opportunity for in-person learning. - Conducted monthly webinar style Sessions to ensure consistent support for the portCo based abroad; Finally, we've solidified our brand as a community center by hosting over 34 events, with an impressive turnout of over 1,300 participants, either remotely or in person, locally and internationally, with the support of amazing partners such as Endeavor, Google, or AWS. 🎈

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MyFO raises $3.5M in Seed Funding! MyFO, a Vancouver-based platform for family offices and wealth management professionals, has raised $3.5M in seed funding led by Rhino Ventures. With this new investment, MyFO plans to scale operations, enhance its platform, and grow its team. Led by Simrang Kang and Jonathan Ricci, MyFO is integrated with over 20,000 financial institutions across North America. The platform consolidates data, documents, and stakeholder management, empowering wealth managers to make better decisions for discerning clients. With a focus on privacy and data security, MyFO is addressing one of the biggest pain points for family offices: How can wealth managers efficiently manage vast amounts of sensitive information while maintaining the highest levels of security? If MyFO cracks this challenge, they could set a new standard for privacy-first wealth management in the industry. Do you think privacy and data security will be the defining factors for the future of wealth management platforms? Baljeet Malhotra, Iulian Serban, Daniel Lozano Navas, Quinn Cavanagh Takintope Akinbiyi, Omar Sherif, Souleymane Traore Souleymane Traore Valentin Ky, Youri SARAFIAN, Ramon Sharif, Igor Nesmyanovich 𝐃𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐀 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 : 👉 https://lnkd.in/e8XyWxcQ #WealthManagement #Fintech #DataSecurity

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We’re beyond thrilled about this oversubscribed seed round! Our mission is to make family office management simple, streamlined, and stress-free. Exciting things are on the horizon! 🚀 Book a quick MyFO Demo: https://lnkd.in/g3sEe2pP #FamilyOffice #WealthSimplified #WealthManagment #FinTech #WealthManagment #MyFO

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Last week Peak Energy announced its $55M oversubscribed series A, which Xora Innovation led, joined by lead seed investor Eclipse (Greg Reichow, Ryan Gibson), as well as TDK Ventures (Anil Achyuta), TechEnergy Ventures (Alejandro Solé), Doral Energy-Tech Ventures (Roee Furman), Lachy Groom, and Tishman Speyer (David Aron). Special thanks to 🌱🤝🌍 Anil Achyuta for the original introduction.   Peak is commercializing a new standard in grid-scale energy storage systems based on sodium-ion batteries. Peak’s market is benefiting from the twin tailwinds of renewables and AI, and the company has just the right founding team to scale at "ludicrous speed".   Landon Mossburg, Co-Founder and CEO, is one of the most phenomenal team builders we have had the privilege of backing. He brings deep experience in building battery gigafactories from his prior role as Chief Automation Officer of Northvolt, where he didn’t shy away from sleeping on factory floors for months in Northern Europe.   We have a special place in our hearts for entrepreneurs who have the grit to spend 10 years+ building deep tech startups from the foundational stage to commercialization. Cameron Dales, Co-Founder, President and Chief Commercial Officer, has done it not only once, but twice, at Symyx Technologies and Enovix (current market cap $2.65B).   Liam O'Connor O’Connor, Co-Founder and COO, previously scaled major portions of Tesla’s and Apple’s supply chains, flying over 500,000 miles a year when required. Liam has a deep understanding of what it takes to build resilient supply chains in hypergrowth mode, having previously scaled from <$5B to $40B in spend over a matter of a few years.   The climate tech sector is in need of more entrepreneurs who truly understand what building on a massive industrial scale means. We couldn’t be more excited that Landon, Cam and Liam have decided to apply their talents to enabling grid-scale energy storage.

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First Amazon buys a datacenter powered by nuclear energy, then Microsoft buys #ThreeMileIsland, and now Alphabet Inc.'s Google strikes an agreement to buy up to seven #SMR's...is #nuclear the future #energy supply that will power #AI and #Cloud storage? #decarbonization #gigacorn #thegigacornhunter Climate Innovation Capital

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Three lower middle market private equity themes that came, of all places, from an early stage VC LP meeting I got to attend yesterday💡: 1 - Chairman and investor in The Nuclear Company made a compelling case for how nuclear must boom to meet American electricity demand. PE Theme: tailwinds in the entire utility services, utility test & measurement, and utility construction / site services value chains. ☢️ 2 - The CEO of Sage presented on the hardware / software / data stack his team has delivered to transform outcomes in eldercare, assisted living, home healthcare, and nurse staffing. PE Theme: these are each highly trafficked LMM healthcare M&A categories. There will be singificant operating margin opportunities as this technology penetrates eldercare, allowing for new underwriting creativity and new post-acquisition playbooks. 👩🏻‍⚕️🏥 3 - The CEO of Daisy has blended multi-region M&A strategy and franchising in the Smarthome Integration / Installation category. 6 acquisitions so far. Rollup + Franchising in the hyper fragmented home services market. VC-backed and playing in the "PE sandbox" PE Theme: HVAC, now smarthome integration / installer roll-ups. What's next in home services, is it endless? 💡🖥️🏠.

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This article misses on a couple of key fronts 1. there has been material liquidity in the Canadian VC market - it’s just that since 2019 more than 70% of it - some $18+B - has been in life sciences 2. Canadian liquidity in Life’s sciences has even been proportionately better that in the US 3. The Florida professor used CVCA data - unfortunately the CVCA grossly under reports liquidity in general and life sciences VC liquidity in particular in part because their data misses post IPO acquisitions and in many cases VCs hold to that event 4. Finally, there is no major global economy where governments aren’t deeply engaged in building there innovation economy. In fact, I would argue that compared to China, singapore, the EU, Isreal, and even the US, government engagement in Canada is tiny and should be meaningfully more given the lack of endowment capital and the lack of engagement of by the majority of domestic pension plans. In the US these are the primary allocators to VC. If we want to grow our economy, increase productivity, and give this generation of Canadians the same opportunities enjoyed by prior generations then more capital and engagement is the answer - not less.

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Pikndel Secures $1 Million in Seed Funding. Same-day delivery platform Pikndel has successfully raised $1 million in its seed funding round, led by VC Grid. The round also saw strong participation from D2C Insider Angels, Breathe Capital, Venture Catalysts, and notable industry leaders like Akash Gupta (Zypp Electric), Keshav Bhajanka & Sanjay Agarwal (Century Plywood), and Kanishka Sethia (Western Carriers), alongside family offices from Kolkata. Pikndel, co-founded in 2022 by Teja Vadlamani, Siddharth Batra, and Tullika Batra, offers an innovative approach to same-day delivery for e-commerce brands, optimizing operations with flexible delivery timelines ranging from 1 hour to next-day services. With dark stores in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, the company is redefining customer experience and enhancing operational efficiency in the fast-growing D2C sector. This follows their pre-seed funding of $285K from 100X.VC in December 2023. Stay tuned for more updates as Pikndel continues to scale its operations and transform the logistics landscape! Read More: https://lnkd.in/gCapUSJG #Pikndel #SeedFunding #SameDayDelivery #Ecommerce #StartupNews #VCGrid #TechStartups #Innovation #Logistics #FundingNews #D2C #CustomerExperience #DeliveryInnovation

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DePIN & RWAs dominance isn't as far off as most people think. Across every innovative cycle, three fundamental pillars emerge: foundational technology development, proliferation of infrastructure, and a surge in application development. As we venture into the third cycle, DePIN and RWA protocols are poised to become market leaders paralleling the dominance witnessed by infrastructure projects from 2015 to 2024.

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Data from the International Energy Agency (IEA) illustrates the current "readiness" of #ClimateTechs + their potential impact on carbon reduction. As shown, many techs are at an early stage of being able to have a material impact. Concerningly, some tech funds recently returned capital back to investors recently + closed their funds - citing inability to fund capital intensive techs, found in areas like ClimateTech. This in part may be contributing to the $2 trillion shortfall in ClimateTech, that Deloitte estimates. What this may mean for the future? - The migration of LPs to global, super VC funds within ClimateTech, given the large capital pools needed to fund tech development - Greater specialization from smaller funds, energizing more niche elements of the ClimateTech market - but also altering their / LP's risk profile - A greater role to be played by debt financing in funding growth entities at an earlier stage - impacting cashflow dynamics Will be an interesting space to watch moving forward. We at The Proptech Connection are constantly working with all parts of the Proptech ecosystem. From the leading LPs, funds, techs and adopters in market, providing an independent view. Reach out to us today to find out how we can help. #InvestorTrends #Strategy #Global Ivo van Breukelen Stuart Daun Kiki C. Ethan Ward

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Exciting news from Toronto's DMZ! DMZ Ventures just launched a $5M CAD fund to fuel early-stage startups, aiming to make 10 investments a year and bridge critical funding gaps. With a focus on pre-seed and seed-stage companies, this fund is set to back some serious winners! Want to know more? Dive into the details at #BetaKit! 👉 https://ow.ly/MSrR50SoHQp #Startups #Investment #TechNews #Innovation #DMZVentures

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