The51

The51 Ventures is a Canadian venture capital firm based in Calgary, established in 2019. It specializes in providing growth capital to early-stage companies led by female entrepreneurs. The firm focuses its investments on various sectors, including cleantech, agtech, enterprise and consumer digital platforms, fintech, and health tech. By supporting female founders, The51 Ventures aims to foster innovation and drive economic growth within Canada.

Shelley Kuipers

Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer & General Partner

31 past transactions

FemTherapeutics Inc.

Seed Round in 2023
FemTherapeutics Inc. is a Montreal-based medical device company with a mission to personalize therapeutics in women’s health. FemTherapeutics has developed an artificial intelligence platform that leverages patient data to design novel medical devices, and offer customization to achieve better clinical outcomes. Our first product involves the customization of gynecological prosthetics (or vaginal pessaries) to improve the management of Pelvic Floor Disorders in women.

Cadence

Seed Round in 2022
Cadence is a digital aftercare concierge service built to empower bereaved families by organizing, streamlining and automating estate settlement tasks. The software provides personalized guidance and uses form automation to help users navigate the process and complete the necessary applications & notifications. Once required parties digitally sign the documents, Cadence securely distributes and tracks submissions.

alder

Seed Round in 2022
Alder is an e-commerce company that specializes in outdoor apparel designed specifically for women. It stands out in the market by offering inclusive sizing ranging from XS to 4X, which is significantly broader than the typical size range found in outdoor and athletic apparel brands. The company emphasizes female-focused design and prioritizes sustainable and ethical production practices. Alder's brand identity is characterized by a playful approach, contrasting sharply with the performance-driven and often intense image of existing outdoor brands. This combination of inclusivity, thoughtful design, and commitment to sustainability enables Alder to cater to a diverse customer base seeking comfort and style in outdoor clothing.

Haloo

Seed Round in 2022
Navigating the trademark search and registration process can be daunting and onerous for business owners and entrepreneurs. Heirlume is the first self-serve online trademark search and registration platform that integrates sophisticated legal thinking with technology. We make the complex trademark search and registration process fast, accurate, trusted and affordable for entrepreneurs and enterprise/e-com partners. Our search tool instantly runs the country-specific legal tests (i.e., “likelihood of confusion”) and performs lawyer analysis. Intelligent search algorithms provide an at-a-glance opinion of registerability (conflicts, descriptiveness, obscenity), displayed in simple visuals. Distilling the multiple data sets involved with drafting a trademark application requires time-consuming legal analysis. Our machine learning auto-suggest trademark application builder performs the lawyer work and removes room for error. While our first go to market strategy will target SME individual users, we see huge potential in expanding our market reach through key B2B partnerships as an upsell/add-on to a domain purchase (GoDaddy), or store set-up (Shopify or Amazon). Ultimately, we believe we can make trademark registration quick, easy and affordable, similar to the experience of registering a domain.

Mercator AI

Pre Seed Round in 2022
Mercator is a competitive and market intelligence platform helping companies in construction quickly and easily find new market opportunities, refine their competitive edge, and grow existing business with a simple search.

Virtual Gurus

Series A in 2022
Virtual Gurus Inc. is a Canadian company based in Calgary that specializes in connecting businesses and entrepreneurs with skilled virtual assistants through a proprietary algorithm. Founded in 2012, the company offers a range of services, including administrative support, executive assistance, email and calendar management, bookkeeping, payroll, research, and content writing. By leveraging both human virtual assistants and an AI tool named Betty, Virtual Gurus facilitates a seamless matchmaking process, allowing users to select dedicated virtual assistants tailored to their specific needs. With over 200 active remote contractors and a focus on onshore services, Virtual Gurus plays a significant role in the gig economy, helping clients save time and resources while enabling them to concentrate on business growth.

Pngme

Series A in 2021
Pngme is an all-inclusive mobile finance platform with mobile payments, savings, and a digital-footprint-based credit score giving MSME's (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises) and un/underbanked consumers access to finance.

True Angle

Seed Round in 2021
At True Angle, we want to help people break perceived barriers, feel great, and find joy in the life they are living. For people who have lost the ability to eat because of a swallowing disorder, the Mobili-T is the first mobile device that they will actually be able to take home with them so that they can complete their exercises wherever and whenever they like, all through an engaging app that provides feedback on how hard and how long their muscles are contracting, and how close they are to meeting the specific targets set for them by our “smart” software. True Angle Medical Technologies is an Alberta-based privately held corporation located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Hyivy Health

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Hyivy Health creates an intelligent and holistic pelvic rehabilitation device for the 1 in 3 women worldwide who will experience a pelvic health complication in their lifetime. Our device provides the first quantifiable data set on the pelvic floor and 3 different therapies from multiple sensors and mechanical functions to help keep track of progress, adapt treatment plans and provide more effective, comfortable rehab experiences.

Hyivy Health

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Hyivy Health creates an intelligent and holistic pelvic rehabilitation device for the 1 in 3 women worldwide who will experience a pelvic health complication in their lifetime. Our device provides the first quantifiable data set on the pelvic floor and 3 different therapies from multiple sensors and mechanical functions to help keep track of progress, adapt treatment plans and provide more effective, comfortable rehab experiences.

Virtual Gurus

Seed Round in 2021
Virtual Gurus Inc. is a Canadian company based in Calgary that specializes in connecting businesses and entrepreneurs with skilled virtual assistants through a proprietary algorithm. Founded in 2012, the company offers a range of services, including administrative support, executive assistance, email and calendar management, bookkeeping, payroll, research, and content writing. By leveraging both human virtual assistants and an AI tool named Betty, Virtual Gurus facilitates a seamless matchmaking process, allowing users to select dedicated virtual assistants tailored to their specific needs. With over 200 active remote contractors and a focus on onshore services, Virtual Gurus plays a significant role in the gig economy, helping clients save time and resources while enabling them to concentrate on business growth.

Sampler

Series B in 2020
At Sampler, we help consumer packaged good brands of all sizes and categories deliver physical samples to digitally targeted consumers. Our turnkey solution helps brands gather consumer feedback and demographic insights that will increase successful trial and in-turn conversion rates. Using Sampler, brands no longer need to hand out samples at random, and can get product into the right hands. We call it Direct to Consumer Product Sampling.

Summit Nanotech

Seed Round in 2020
Summit Nanotech Corporation is a business-to-business company based in Calgary, Canada, founded in 2018. It specializes in nanotechnology to develop innovative solutions for lithium extraction, aiming to optimize operations for lithium producers while minimizing environmental impact. The company's patented extraction technology is designed to deliver economically competitive, battery-grade lithium, addressing the industry's demand for sustainable practices. By focusing on modular commercial systems, Summit Nanotech seeks to upscale and commercialize its advanced concepts in lithium extraction, positioning itself as a leader in the energy development sector.

Lilia

Seed Round in 2020
Lilia provides end to end fertility support to women. It offers a diagnostic test for fertility hormone testing from home; and a resource hub that connects parents with fertility specialists and provides information on how to navigate reproductive issues. Lilia is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

Swirltex

Seed Round in 2020
Swirltex Inc. specializes in the design and supply of custom wastewater treatment systems for various applications, including wastewater treatment, produced water treatment, dairy processing, mining wastewater, and beverage clarification. Founded in 2015 and located in Calgary, Canada, Swirltex utilizes a patented membrane technology that separates solids and liquids based on buoyancy. This innovative approach enables the treatment of water that would otherwise be deemed unusable, allowing for enhanced production while minimizing environmental pollution. By effectively manipulating the buoyancy of different contaminants, Swirltex provides efficient solutions for complex water treatment challenges.

Virtual Gurus

Series A in 2020
Virtual Gurus Inc. is a Canadian company based in Calgary that specializes in connecting businesses and entrepreneurs with skilled virtual assistants through a proprietary algorithm. Founded in 2012, the company offers a range of services, including administrative support, executive assistance, email and calendar management, bookkeeping, payroll, research, and content writing. By leveraging both human virtual assistants and an AI tool named Betty, Virtual Gurus facilitates a seamless matchmaking process, allowing users to select dedicated virtual assistants tailored to their specific needs. With over 200 active remote contractors and a focus on onshore services, Virtual Gurus plays a significant role in the gig economy, helping clients save time and resources while enabling them to concentrate on business growth.

Harris Kuipers

Funding Round in 2020
Harris Kuipers is a Canadian clothing brand. They believe in sustainability & the circular economy, freedom & the right to choose; unapologetic creativity; the importance of collaboration; exploration & adventure; honesty & authenticity; celebration; challenging the status quo; having a place to call home; wholehearted generosity; redefinition, reinvention & evolution; LOVE.

Phoenix Molecular Designs

Seed Round in 2019
Phoenix Molecular Designs Ltd develops small molecule kinase inhibitors as a targeted therapy for Cancer. The therapy can be used to cure breast cancer and Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC). Phoenix Molecular Designs Ltd was founded in 2012 and is based in Vancouver, Canada with an additional office in San Diego, California.

SalonScale Technology

Seed Round in 2019
SalonScale Technology Inc. is a Canadian company headquartered in Saskatoon, established in 2018 by a team of stylists. It specializes in providing innovative solutions for salons by offering a Bluetooth-enabled scale designed for measuring hair color products accurately. In addition to the scale, the company has developed a mobile platform called SalonScale, which allows salon professionals to effectively manage color product usage and track associated costs through a user-friendly web-based dashboard. With a growing user base of over 1,000 salons across North America, SalonScale Technology aims to enhance the operational efficiency and profitability of salons through its smart technology solutions.

Rival Technologies

Venture Round in 2019
Rival Technologies, Inc develops online platform Chat Lab, that enables to create mobile agile communities of customers, fans, and employees for information. The company also offers chat, voice, and video technology that captures information. Rival Technologies, Inc was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Yr Plans

Funding Round in 2019
Yr Plans Inc. designs employee benefit solutions. The company provides employer assisted student loan repayment solution, known as The Smart Benefit. Yr Plans Inc. was founded in 2019 and is based in Calgary, Canada.

The Riveter

Venture Round in 2018
The Riveter is a membership workspace and community platform for women and allies. They provide daily programming to cultivate skills, from Podcasting 101 to angel investment pitch clinics. Moreover, they also give their members space to focus on wellness, including movement studios with daily classes, meditation rooms, and a full program of relevant conversations and workshops. Founded in 2016, the company is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States.

Evercloak

Seed Round in 2018
Evercloak Inc., founded in 2018 and based in Waterloo, Canada, specializes in the production of ultra-thin graphene and other two-dimensional nanomaterial films. The company employs an economical and energy-efficient manufacturing process to create continuous coatings of single-layer nanomaterials. By utilizing an advanced manufacturing platform, Evercloak produces ultra-thin nanomaterial membranes that support clean technology applications. These innovations aim to lower costs, reduce energy consumption, and decrease greenhouse gas emissions across various sectors, including oil and gas, nuclear energy, mining, and agri-food.

SRTX

Seed Round in 2018
Sheerly Genius Inc. is a Canadian company specializing in the manufacture of pantyhose crafted from ballistic-grade fibers, similar to those used in bulletproof vests and climbing equipment. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Port Carling, the company focuses on providing consumers with durable and stylish inner garments. Its innovative products are available for purchase through online retail channels, catering to a market that values both quality and resilience in apparel.

Fillip

Venture Round in 2018
Fillip is a mobile application for the fuel and convenience store industry reducing the cost of high volume, low margin transactions, increasing margins for retail owners. The Fillip platform brings innovation to the retail industry with price lock and fuel subscriptions, loyalty and contactless payments with the Fillip Digital Wallet.

The Helm

Seed Round in 2018
The Helm, based in New York City, is a lifestyle brand and venture fund dedicated to empowering female entrepreneurs through investment and support. Founded in 2010, the organization aims to create a more equitable financial landscape by addressing the funding gap faced by women-led businesses. The Helm operates by investing in early-stage companies founded by women and fosters a community that emphasizes the importance of female-led innovation. By providing unique investment opportunities, educational resources, and exclusive experiences, The Helm not only seeks to drive financial returns but also aims to demonstrate the impact of investing in women. This dual approach positions The Helm as a transformative force in the investment landscape, advocating for the growth of female entrepreneurs while offering value to both female and male investors.

Iovia

Venture Round in 2018
Iovia Inc. is a consumer participation company based in Calgary, Canada, founded in 2015. The company develops and offers a platform that enables businesses to create and manage marketing campaigns. This platform facilitates the establishment of consumer missions, allowing companies to track and measure mission activity effectively. Iovia's services aim to generate new sales and revenue while rewarding participants for their involvement, thereby enhancing consumer engagement and fostering brand loyalty.

ReWatt Power

Pre Seed Round in 2017
ReWatt Power Inc. develops and operates sensor to cash platform that helps users to manage their generation assets. The company's platform utilizes site aggregation for smaller generators, along with their proprietary distributed ledger (blockchain) technology, to transact on any service – saving significant time, costs and effort throughout the full-cycle process. ReWatt Power Inc. was founded in 2016 and is based in Calgary, Canada.

The Upside

Funding Round in 2015
The Upside Inc. is an online luxury goods marketplace based in Calgary, Canada, that specializes in the resale of high-end apparel and accessories. Founded in 2015, the company offers a diverse selection of over 200 authenticated designer brands, including clothing, handbags, shoes, fine jewelry, and other luxury items for women. The Upside caters to conscious luxury consumers by providing quality products in 'like-new' condition at significantly reduced prices compared to traditional retail. The platform is designed to deliver a rewarding shopping experience, featuring a user-friendly interface and a premium selling process characterized by exceptional service and a favorable commission structure for sellers.