Leadership skills developer Monark grabs C$1.5m in seed VC

• Monark was founded in 2020 by organizational psychologists Kelsey Hahn and Amanda Julian
• This seed round’s proceeds will enable strategic marketing efforts and product development, including AI/ML integrations and gamification features, as well as expansion into the US market
• Storytime Capital provides pre-seed and seed stage funding to companies focused on the future of work

Monark, a Calgary-based software-as-a-service platform that offers on-demand leadership development, has raised C$1.5 million in seed financing.

Storytime Capital led the round, with participation from The51, Archangel and UCeed.

Founded in 2020 by organizational psychologists Kelsey Hahn and Amanda Julian, Monark supports learning, productivity, and effectiveness with 5-minute micro lessons developed by top leaders and scientists. These combine with real-time assessments and insights, live cohort-based learning and a digital platform with behavioral nudges and automated feedback.

This seed round’s proceeds will enable strategic marketing efforts and product development, including AI/ML integrations and gamification features, as well as expansion into the US market.

“The Monark platform is a vital tool for companies to turn their managers into leaders and then empower those leaders to skate to where the puck is going,” says Neil Grunberg, a managing partner at Storytime Capital, in a statement. “Just as the entire notion of ‘work’ is rapidly changing, Monark recognizes that leadership must change too. This makes it a great fit for Storytime’s commitment to support the transformation of the future of work.”

Based in Toronto, Storytime Capital provides pre-seed and seed stage funding to companies focused on the future of work.