What Are You Doing on May 23?

Mark your calendar.

Wednesday, May 23 is shaping up to be a big day for the Montreal tech startup scene. A trifecta of events are descending on the city with FounderFuel's Spring 2102 Demo Day, the C100's AccelerateMTL event, and the CVCA's Annual Conference stirring up excitement.

Government Invests $800,000 in The Next 36 to Foster Student Entrepreneurship in Canada

It's been revealed that the Government of Canada is giving nearly $800,000 to The Next 36, a nonprofit organization located in Toronto that "strives to launch the careers of Canada's most promising and innovative undergraduates." Wladyslaw Lizon, Member of Parliament for Mississauga East-Cooksville, on behalf of the Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, today announced a contribution of up to $787,500 for The Next 36 that will provide graduates in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with the skills and support they need to start their own businesses.

Sweet Tooth Secures $2.25M in Seed Financing

Waterloo's Sweet Tooth Inc. announced today it has secured $2.25 million in funding. $1.5 million will be in the form of seed financing from OMERS Ventures, the Ontario government funded MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund (IAF) and Points International with an additional $750K is forthcoming from other sources.

Launched in 2009, Sweet Tooth provides a turnkey, user-friendly system for merchants to create 'points' programs and deliver online and in-store rewards to their customers. Sweet Tooth has helped over 1,500 merchants actively engage and reward more than 15 million consumers worldwide.

With 11 Days to Go and $8.8 Million Raised So Far, Can Pebble Crack $10 Million on Kickstarter?

Vancouver-born entrepreneur Eric Migicovsky has now raised nearly $9 million for his product, Pebble, a smartwatch for iPhones and Android smartphones, from funding site Kickstarter. Pebble, made by Waterloo-born Allerta, also the maker of InPulse for BlackBerry, has raised three times more money than any other Kickstarter campaign in history. And it's still not done.

With 59,000 backers and $8.8 million raised, can Pebble reach the unheard of milestone of $10 million in its final 10 days? After blitzing to $1 million in a single day, Pebble maintained its blistering momentum, reaching $3 million in just three days.

Canada's Carbyn Confirms Acquisition by Synacor for $1.1 Million

We first heard about Carbyn being acquired in late January, when buyer Synacor was filing for its initial public offering. This week, the Canadian startup confirmed the deal we had suspected from the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Synacor is buying Carbyn for $1.1 million. It's paid $600,000 thus far and will pay the remaining $500,000 in April 2013.

Outperforming the Markets, and the Making of Hunters!

This year’s CVCA Annual Conference theme is about “Outperforming the Markets." And as you will notice, the line-up of speakers we pulled together are doing just that, outperforming the markets.

The team at iNovia Capital is proud to be a part of this annual gathering of the most important venture capitalists and private equity managers in the country, and abroad. The CVCA 2012 Conference is being held right in Montréal from May 23 to 25.

This annual conference is the premiere gathering for relationship-building and insight into the current state of Canada’s venture capital and private equity industry. And as Co-Chair of this year’s event, I’m proud to inform you that we are already almost sold-out (95%). With over 600 limited partners, fund managers, and industry influencers from across Canada, the U.S. and around the world in attendance, the CVCA Annual Conference is one of the largest gatherings of the private capital industry in North America.

Quebec Government Invests $30 million in Venture Capital for Technology Sector

The Ministry of Economic Development, Innovation and Export has partnered with Anges Québec for the creation of a fund of venture capital by $30 million for startups. The money will be allocated specifically to embryonic business sector of information technology and industrial technology.

Montreal Startup Festival to Award Top Startup $50K

The organizers of the International Startup Festival announced this morning that at this year’s event one deserving startup will leave with an investment of at least $50K.

And the award won’t be limited to one of the startups selected to pitch on a main stage; any startup present and badged for the event will be eligible to win.

A group of angels and VC investors, including the Festival’s Founders Phil Telio and Alistair Croll, Anna Goodson, Rory Olson, and Danny Knafo have banded together as equal partners to create the prize.

The prize will be an investment in a startup, in the form of an entrepreneur-friendly convertible debenture (reasonable interest rate with no cap on valuation). Terms and conditions with details of the prize will be posted online soon.

Blueprint Raises $15.9 Million in Growth Capital

Toronto's Blueprint announced today the completion of a growth capital round of funding totaling $15.9 million.

The round was led by a new investor - Tandem Expansion Fund, with the participation of existing investors from BDC IT Venture Fund, Walsingham Partners Fund, and several private investors. The money raised will be used to accelerate Blueprint’s growth by expanding sales, marketing and channel partner presence and capacity in USA, Europe and Asia Pacific.