📝 Simple Ventures raises $15M

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Simple Ventures has raised $15 million CAD to date for its first fund, aiming to revive Canadian entrepreneurship and counter the exodus of founders to the United States. Founded last year by Rachel Zimmer (ex-Entrepreneur First, 5Crowd) and Wealthsimple CEO Michael Katchen, the Toronto-based venture studio has backing from top Canadian entrepreneurs like Shopify’s Harley Finkelstein, Knix’s Joanna Griffiths, and Ada’s Mike Murchison, as well as institutions including TD Innovation Partners, Sun Life, and Sobeys. With its LP base representing over $750 billion CAD in market capitalization, Simple Ventures has already launched three startups—Alma Care, Harvest, and Zero Collective—creating more than 100 jobs, with two additional companies in stealth mode. Against a backdrop of declining entrepreneurship in Canada, where one in two founders now choose to build in the U.S., the firm plans to build 25 Canadian-headquartered companies by 2030, leveraging its LPs for distribution, co-investment, and mentorship to give startups an “unfair advantage.”

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