longmia@halifax.ca

Beyond Food, a Halifax-based food technology company, has raised $1 million in a seed-stage financing. The round was led by angel investors, including Stuart Rath, a former cable communications executive, and Jamie Bagnell, an environmental technology inventor. They were joined by professional athletes, including Joe Thornton, Adam Lowry and John-Michael Liles. Founded in 2017 by CEO Darren Burke, CMO TJ Galiardi and Brian Lowe, Beyond Food makes plant-based functional foods and sports nutrition products under the TDF Sports brand. Its latest technology, Zero Waste Pod, converts aging fruits and vegetables into nutrient-rich powders with a long shelf life.

BDC Capital has provided $1 million of mezzanine financing to Nuvyyo, the Ottawa-based maker of digital video recorder brand Tablo. BDC invested through its growth and transition capital group. Founded in 2010 by CEO Grant Hall, Nuvyyo developed Tablo to enable users to record and stream over-the-air television programming without a cable subscription. The company will use the loan's proceeds as working capital to support growth initiatives, including meeting U.S. demand for Tablo and increasing R&D to generate new products. In 2013, Nuvyyo raised a $4 million Series A financing from Canadian venture capital firm Celtic House Venture Partners.

Lightspeed POS, a Montréal-based point-of-sale solution for retailers, restaurants and e-commerce businesses, has filed a preliminary prospectus with Canadian regulators for an initial public offering. The company has not yet determined the number and price of subordinate voting shares to be sold on the Toronto Stock Exchange. In November, the Globe and Mail reported Lightspeed is looking to raise at least $200 million from an IPO. Founded in 2005 by CEO Dax Dasilva, Lightspeed raised about $207 million (US$166 million) in a Series D financing in 2017. Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec led and was joined by IQ, iNovia Capital and Silicon Valley Bank.

Inventys, a Vancouver-based carbon technology company, has raised $5 million from BDC’s cleantech practice as well as a follow-on investment from Chevron Technology Ventures. The investments add to the Series C financing raised by Inventys in 2018, bringing the total to about $16 million. The round’s first tranche was led by OGCI Climate Investments. The company said it is planning for a final close of about $21 million before the end of June.

Roofr, a Toronto-based roofing marketplace, has raised about $5.3 million (US$4 million) in a seed-stage financing. The round was led by Crosslink Capital, with participation from Y Combinator, Ace & Co, Louis Beryl and other angel investors. Launched in 2016 by CEO Richard Nelson, Roofr uses satellite imagery to measure customer roofs and provide a free roofing estimate. It then connect customers with a contractor to inspect, propose and complete the work. The company currently serves locations in California, Florida and Ontario. The funds raised will be used to expand Roofr's regional presence, including in Texas, and grow its engineering, sales and marketing teams.

Inventys, a Vancouver-based carbon technology company, has raised about $6.6 million (US$5 million) from BDC’s cleantech practice as well as a follow-on investment from Chevron Technology Ventures. The investments add to the Series C financing raised by Inventys in 2018, bringing the total to about $21 million (US$16 million). The round’s first tranche was led by OGCI Climate Investments. The company said it is planning for a final close of about $28 million (US$21 million) before the end of June. The funds raised will help Inventys complete and commercialize a CO₂ capture demonstration plant project with Husky Energy Inc.

ProNavigator, a Waterloo-based insurance technology company, has closed a seed-stage financing, bringing its total funding to more than $2 million. MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund and GreenSky Capital led the round. They were joined by Innovation Grade Ventures and several angel investors. Founded in 2016 by CEO Joseph D’Souza, ProNavigator provides an artificial intelligence-enabled virtual assistant that helps insurers and agencies automate customer inquiries, supporting increased sales, retention and productivity. The funds raised will be used for enhancing the company's technology and expansion in the U.S. market.

Redwood City, California-based digital wealth management company Personal Capital has raised US$50 million in a Series E financing. The round was led by IGM Financial Inc, a personal financial services affiliate of Canada's Power Financial Corp. The company will use the funds raised for growth, enhancing its technology and investing in partnerships. Founded in 2009, Personal Capital provides wealth advisory services and online financial tools. It reports having more than US$8.5 billion in managed assets and two million registered users on its platform.

Framework Venture Partners, a new Canadian venture capital firm, has launched with the first close of its debut fund. Targeted to raise $150 million, FVP I secured undisclosed commitments from BDC Capital, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan's Cadillac Fairview, RBC and BC Tech Fund, managed by Kensington Capital Partners. The Globe and Mail reports the fund raised an initial $100 million. FVP I will focus on late-stage financings of Canadian business-to-business SaaS companies applying machine learning techniques to industry-specific data sets or reimagining the consumption and delivery of financial services. Based in Toronto and Vancouver, Framework is led by Founding Partners Peter Misek and Andrew Lugsdin, formerly members of BDC IT Venture Fund.

OMERS Ventures (OV) has hired Anthony Mouchantaf as an associate. Mouchantaf will be responsible for researching and executing on deal opportunities and supporting portfolio companies post-investment. He joins OV from Rthm Technologies, a Toronto-based mobile health and consumer genetics provider. Mouchantaf co-founded the company in 2014 and served as its president. Rthm was acquired in 2018 by Australis Capital, a U.S. cannabis investor. Last week, Venture Capital Journal interviewed OMERS Head of Ventures Damien Steel about OV's global strategy.