StandUp Ventures Strengthens Leadership and Expands Investment Reach

StandUp Ventures, a venture capital fund investing in pre-seed and seed stage technology companies across Canada and the US, has announced significant developments aimed at bolstering its growth and impact. Launched in 2017 by Toronto-based Michelle McBane, StandUp Ventures focuses on backing women-founded and women-led companies, a strategy that McBane believes offers a competitive advantage and better rates of return.

McBane emphasized the importance of investing with a gender lens, stating, "There’s not enough capital going to women-led ventures, which is fundamentally an issue, but also we believe diverse leadership will build more diverse teams."

To further its mission, StandUp Ventures has welcomed Meredith Powell to its leadership team. Powell, who brings extensive experience from her seven-year tenure with a top-tier Seattle-based fund, has also served as Global CMO at Microsoft for Startups. "Standup Ventures has a reputation for setting a high bar, for deep integrity, and for using their unique approach to fund the most ambitious founders in Canada and the US," Powell noted. "I could not be more excited to join the team for this next phase of growth."

Additionally, Katheleen Eva, who joined the fund as its first full-time investment analyst four years ago, has been promoted to Senior Associate. Eva expressed her enthusiasm, saying, "I’m proud to be exactly the kind of partner I would have wanted as a young, ambitious founder who aimed to change the world."

With these strategic additions, StandUp Ventures now has a stronger presence in Canada’s largest tech hubs — Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. The team has also closed three unannounced deals in these cities, signaling a robust pipeline of investments.

StandUp Ventures has made its first-ever US-based seed stage investment into Florida-based Max Retail, which recently closed a $15m USD Series A. StandUp co-invested in this round alongside Nosara Capital, Artemis Fund, ReThink Impact, and M13, marking a significant expansion of their investment geography.

To date, StandUp Ventures' Fund 1 and Fund 2, with a combined $56.5M AUM, have supported 44 exceptional founders across 28 software ventures. Their inaugural $21M fund of 16 investments now boasts a collective valuation of nearly $1.2B, an impressive 4.5x increase from initial entry prices. Notably, two of Canada’s largest Series Bs last year, Arteria AI and Odaia, were in this portfolio. Over half of the companies in this fund have progressed from seed to Series B and beyond, significantly outperforming the industry benchmark.

Since mid-2022, StandUp Ventures has been deploying capital out of Fund 2. Four of the funded companies have already raised 12x the initial invested capital in follow-on commitments. Additionally, the team secured VCCI Inclusive Capital funding on July 30th to support the growth of Standup’s returns-focused franchise strategy.