New funding round fuels creation of innovative companies and jobs across Canada

Simple Ventures, a Canada-based venture builder, has raised $15 million to supercharge the country’s startup ecosystem. The funding comes from a mix of institutional investors and well-known Canadian entrepreneurs, signaling strong confidence in the firm’s mission to create new businesses from the ground up.

Among the notable backers are TD Innovation Partners (a division of TD Bank), Sun Life, and Sobeys, along with prominent founder-operators including Mike Katchen of Wealthsimple, Harley Finkelstein of Shopify, and Joanna Griffiths of Knix. Other investors include Joe Canavan, Sam Duboc, and several angel investors and family offices.

Reversing Canada’s Decline in Entrepreneurship

The investment aims to tackle a growing challenge: Canada has 100,000 fewer entrepreneurs today than it did 20 years ago, despite adding more than 10 million people to its population. Many immigrant and foreign-trained entrepreneurs often move to the United States in search of stronger support and opportunities.

Simple Ventures wants to reverse this trend by identifying business ideas, validating them, and pairing them with talented Canadian leaders. The firm’s model is designed not only to deliver solid returns for investors but also to strengthen Canada’s innovation economy and attract entrepreneurs back home.

Early Success Stories

In just 18 months, Simple Ventures has launched three startups that highlight its diverse approach:

  • Alma Care – improving maternal health with better postnatal care.
  • Harvest – helping small and medium-sized businesses collect overdue invoices more efficiently.
  • Zero Collective – a luxury handbag rental membership, offering a sustainable and affordable way to access high-end fashion.

Together, these ventures have already created 100 jobs in leadership, engineering, healthcare, and other sectors. Looking ahead, Simple Ventures has set a bold target: to launch 25 new Canadian-headquartered companies by 2030.

A Different Kind of Venture Builder

Unlike traditional venture capital firms that invest in existing startups, Simple Ventures focuses on building companies from scratch—sourcing ideas, providing funding, and guiding execution. Its network of backers represents companies with a combined market value of more than C$750 billion, giving new ventures the strategic support they need to thrive.

With fresh capital in hand, Simple Ventures is positioning itself as a key driver of Canadian startup growth, fueling innovation and creating opportunities for the next generation of entrepreneurs.