Kirk Falconer

EPACT Network has closed a Series A financing, raising $4.5 million, PE Hub Canada has learned. The round, which brings total funding to $12 million-plus, was co-led by Disruption Ventures, a women-focused venture firm, and Yaletown Partners, an investor in emerging-growth tech companies. Vancouver’s ePACT was founded in 2012 by CEO Christine Sommers and President and COO Kirsten Koppang Telford to provide a cloud-hosted system that converts traditional paper-based forms of emergency, health and contact information to a free e-network. It is the first Canadian investment of Disruption, launched in 2018 by Managing Partner Elaine Kunda to invest in North American early-stage companies founded and managed by women.

Temenos has agreed to acquire Kony Inc, an Austin, Texas-based digital and mobile application development company focused on the financial sector. Tenemos agreed to buy Kony for an enterprise value of US$559 million and an earn-out of US$21 million. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter. Tenemos, a Swiss banking software provider, said the acquisition will enhance its scale and capabilities in the U.S. market. Founded in 2007, Kony was backed by Canadian growth equity firm Georgian Partners and other investors. Last month, the company raised US$37 million of debt financing from BMO's Technology and Innovation Banking group.

TerrAscend Corp has agreed to acquire ABI SF LLC, which operates a San Francisco-based cannabis cultivation facility and owns State Flower, a cannabis flower brand. TerrAscend, a Toronto-based cannabis business, agreed to initially acquire 49.9 percent of State Flower for US$2.85 million through the conversion of a convertible debenture. It will buy the remaining stake for a price based on future revenue. In May, TerrAscend completed a private placement, raising about $70 million (US$52 million), intended in part to fund the company's U.S. acquisition strategy. TerrAscend is backed by Canopy Rivers, the venture capital arm of Canadian cannabis producer Canopy Growth Corp.

Montréal-based digital health company Aifred Health has secured more than $490,000 in financing. The round was backed by Anges Québec, other angel investors based in Ontario and the United Kingdom, and Consortium MEDTEQ. Founded in 2017, Aifred specializes in clinical decision support for the treatment of depression and other mental conditions. It is developing an artificial intelligence-enabled tool to help physicians visualize a patient’s data and support the decision process. The financing's proceeds will be used to validate Aifred's business model and launch its first application in partnership with local hospitals.

Emergency preparedness and communications solution ePACT Network has closed a Series A financing, raising C$4.5 million ($3.4 million), Venture Capital Journal has learned. The round, which brings total funding to C$12 million-plus, was co-led by Disruption Ventures, a women-focused venture firm, and Yaletown Partners, an investor in emerging-growth tech companies. Disruption Managing Partner Elaine Kunda and […]

Worximity Technology, a Montréal-based smart factory analytics provider, has secured $6.25 million in a Series A financing. The round included a $5 million strategic investment by Marel, an Irish multi-national food processing company. The balance came from Worximity's existing Canadian investors Fonds de solidarité FTQ and W Investments. Founded in 2011 by CEO Yannick Desmarais, Worximity uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to enable automatic data collection, real-time monitoring, analysis and predictive insights in factory settings. The company will use the funds raised to accelerate the development of its technology and expand globally.

Vancouver-based pharmaceutical company ESSA Pharma Inc (Nasdaq: EPIX; TSX-V: EPI) has closed a public offering and private placement, generating proceeds of about $48 million (US$36 million). The offering was led by Soleus Capital and included new investor RA Capital Management, a U.S. healthcare and life sciences investment firm. Existing backers of ESSA, including BVF Partners, Omega Funds and Eventide Funds, also participated. The company is also backed by Clarus Ventures, a U.S. life sciences venture capital firm acquired last year by Blackstone Group. Founded in 2009, ESSA is focused on developing therapies for treating castration-resistant prostate cancer. It will use the deal's proceeds for continued research and development.

Interface Fluidics, a Calgary-based oilfield laboratory services provider, has raised about $6 million (US$4.5 million) in a Series A financing. Equinor Technology Ventures, the venture capital arm of Norway's Equinor ASA, and U.S. accelerator Techstars led the round. Interface was founded in 2015 by CEO Stuart Kinnear, COO Tom De Haas and CTO David Stinton. It has developed a nanotechnology platform for optimizing oil production and visualizing fluid-fluid interactions through chemical testing at reservoir temperature and pressure. The company, a recent graduate of the first class of Techstars Energy Accelerator, said it will use the round's proceeds to expand capacity to meet market demand.

Canada’s venture capital (VC) market saw a record $1.28 billion invested in 143 financings in the second quarter of 2019, surpassing the prior record set in Q4 2018 , according to a report by the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (CVCA). VC investment stood at a record $2.15 billion at the end of June, exceeding the previous high-water mark of $1.67 billion in the first half of 2018. Information and communication technology companies took 54 percent of VC invested in the first half, followed by life sciences companies, which captured 27 percent. Early-stage activity led late-stage activity in this period, accounting for 45 percent of the total invested.

Mississauga, Ontario-based agricultural technology company Vive Crop Protection has secured $10 million in follow-on financing. The round was backed by new and existing investors, including Middleland Capital and the cleantech practice of the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC). Founded in 2006 out of the University of Toronto, Vive develops new ways to use crop protection products using its Allosperse Delivery System, which improves the targeting and performance of pesticide ingredients. This creates farming efficiencies, as well as higher crop quality and yields. Led by CEO Darren Anderson, Vive will use the funds raised for commercialization of new products and continued field development.