News Summary

Maple Bridge Ventures, an Ottawa-based venture capital firm, has secured a first close of $10.2 million CAD for its debut fund aimed at early-stage, Canadian, immigrant-led technology startups. The fund, targeting a total of $20 million, focuses on supporting immigrants developing tech solutions in agriculture, food, health, and enterprise applications at the pre-seed and seed stages. The initiative is led by Eric Agyemang, a former Export Development Canada strategic partnerships manager, who aims to leverage the potential of immigrants in addressing some of Canada’s biggest challenges. The fund’s anchor limited partners include Farm Credit Canada and the Government of Canada Social Finance Fund-backed Realize Capital Partners. Other contributors are the Vancouver Foundation, Fairmount Foundation, and former Canopy Growth CEO Mark Zekulin. Agyemang highlights the significant role immigrants play in Canada’s entrepreneurial landscape, noting they account for a substantial portion of active entrepreneurs in the country.