First Ascent Ventures

First Ascent Ventures is a venture capital firm founded in 2015, based in Toronto, Canada, with additional offices in Montreal and San Francisco. The firm specializes in investing in emerging Canadian technology companies that focus on developing disruptive enterprise B2B software applications. These applications leverage advanced technologies such as cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and the Internet of Things. First Ascent Ventures typically invests between CAD 5 million and CAD 10 million in Series A and B funding rounds. The firm seeks to partner with committed entrepreneurs and management teams, offering not only financial support but also the expertise of experienced financial and operational executives to drive growth and facilitate successful exits for stakeholders.

Anthony P. van Marken

Co-Founder and Managing Partner

24 past transactions

Shinydocs

Venture Round in 2023
Shinydocs Corporation develops enterprise-class Information Management business solutions. Shinydrive is the only solution that can deliver 100% adoption of OpenText’s Content Server. All your users and all your data into your ECM investment with no user training. Shinydocs Collaboration is the easiest and most secure way for organizations to get documents done with people both inside and outside your firewall.

Andgo Systems

Series A in 2022
Andgo Systems is an Absence Management was developed specifically for complex scheduling environments.

Potloc

Series B in 2022
Potloc Inc. operates an online consumer insights platform that enables businesses to access valuable data regarding consumer behavior and purchasing habits. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Montreal, Canada, with additional offices in Toronto, Paris, and Geneva, Potloc conducts geotargeted surveys through social networks, offering a modern alternative to traditional research methods. By leveraging these surveys, Potloc assists clients in improving customer experience, converting competitors' clients, and enhancing product or service offerings. The platform empowers businesses by providing insights that help them connect with their target audiences and drive profitability. With a growing team of nearly 60 employees, Potloc serves hundreds of businesses seeking to understand and engage with consumers more effectively.

LinkSquares

Series C in 2022
LinkSquares, Inc. is a Boston-based company that develops an AI-powered contract management and analytics tool designed for in-house legal and finance teams. Founded in 2015, LinkSquares enables users to conduct full-text searches for keywords, phrases, and contract terms across a wide range of documents. The platform offers multi-query and filtering capabilities, along with custom reporting and metadata extraction features. LinkSquares is utilized for various purposes, including crisis management, quarterly reporting, fundraising, mergers and acquisitions diligence, and internal legal and finance projects. The company specializes in contract management, machine learning, and software as a service (SaaS).

Sama

Series B in 2021
Sama provides data annotation services for machine learning, specializing in image, video, and sensor data. Founded in 2008 and headquartered in San Francisco, the company also has locations in various countries including Brazil, Canada, the Netherlands, Kenya, Uganda, and Singapore. Sama's offerings include automated annotation solutions such as sensor fusions, bounding boxes, semantic segmentation, and video object training, which enhance the efficiency and accuracy of data processing. The company caters to diverse sectors, including transportation, retail, healthcare, manufacturing, and agriculture, and has established partnerships with prominent organizations like Walmart, Google, and Nvidia. By delivering high-quality training data, Sama supports the development of reliable machine learning models for its clients.

LinkSquares

Series B in 2021
LinkSquares, Inc. is a Boston-based company that develops an AI-powered contract management and analytics tool designed for in-house legal and finance teams. Founded in 2015, LinkSquares enables users to conduct full-text searches for keywords, phrases, and contract terms across a wide range of documents. The platform offers multi-query and filtering capabilities, along with custom reporting and metadata extraction features. LinkSquares is utilized for various purposes, including crisis management, quarterly reporting, fundraising, mergers and acquisitions diligence, and internal legal and finance projects. The company specializes in contract management, machine learning, and software as a service (SaaS).

Dialogue

Series B in 2020
Dialogue Technologies Inc. operates a comprehensive care platform that focuses on employee wellness and health solutions. Founded in 2016 and based in Montreal, Canada, the company serves Canadian employers by providing a variety of services designed to enhance team engagement and health. Its platform facilitates virtual access to a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals, enabling employees to consult with nurses and doctors, navigate care options, receive medication deliveries, and obtain referrals to specialists. Dialogue aims to improve overall wellbeing by reducing barriers to quality care, supporting proactive management of both physical and mental health, and ultimately fostering a healthier workforce.

ThinkData Works Inc.

Series A in 2020
ThinkData sets the gold standard for data. Their platform, Namara, is a standard gateway for organizations to connect to high-value public data. Important data was being released by every level of government, but in non-standard formats that were hard to access and virtually unusable. A Toronto-based company established in 2014, ThinkData Works, Inc. was founded as a central point of access for this data. Since its founding, ThinkData’s offering has expanded to include the fastest, most intelligent, and most scalable tools, as well as the largest repository of open, public, and partner data. ThinkData offers solutions for every stage of the data lifecycle. Using an ETL tool trained on 250,000 datasets, data can stream in from anywhere, bringing sources on as quickly as they’re discovered. Automated QA and detailed monitoring significantly increase confidence in the data, allowing users to get insight into the health, size, and shape of data across any update. To blend and enrich data, a graphical transformation engine and a robust, scalable entity resolution tool create ideal schemas and make it possible to work with data coming from multiple sources. Finally, ThinkData offers integrations with the most common libraries and IDEs, as well as an API with SQL-like language for querying, so that users can plug live data into any solution. ThinkData means more data with less overhead – one platform to access, share, enhance, and integrate data from anywhere.

LinkSquares

Series A in 2020
LinkSquares, Inc. is a Boston-based company that develops an AI-powered contract management and analytics tool designed for in-house legal and finance teams. Founded in 2015, LinkSquares enables users to conduct full-text searches for keywords, phrases, and contract terms across a wide range of documents. The platform offers multi-query and filtering capabilities, along with custom reporting and metadata extraction features. LinkSquares is utilized for various purposes, including crisis management, quarterly reporting, fundraising, mergers and acquisitions diligence, and internal legal and finance projects. The company specializes in contract management, machine learning, and software as a service (SaaS).

Sensibill

Series B in 2019
Sensibill Inc., founded in 2012 and based in Toronto, Canada, operates a cloud-based application that enables users to access digital receipts directly from their bank accounts. The company offers a comprehensive digital receipts ecosystem, providing financial institutions with a turnkey solution to help retail customers manage itemized receipts through trusted banking applications. Sensibill's platform emphasizes a user-friendly interface, enhancing customer engagement and fostering loyalty among users. By integrating technology with design, Sensibill transforms the way customers interact with their financial services, turning them into advocates for the banking applications they utilize.

Dialogue

Series B in 2019
Dialogue Technologies Inc. operates a comprehensive care platform that focuses on employee wellness and health solutions. Founded in 2016 and based in Montreal, Canada, the company serves Canadian employers by providing a variety of services designed to enhance team engagement and health. Its platform facilitates virtual access to a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals, enabling employees to consult with nurses and doctors, navigate care options, receive medication deliveries, and obtain referrals to specialists. Dialogue aims to improve overall wellbeing by reducing barriers to quality care, supporting proactive management of both physical and mental health, and ultimately fostering a healthier workforce.

Q4

Series C in 2018
Q4 Inc. specializes in providing cloud-based investor relations and capital market solutions to clients in Canada and globally. The company offers an integrated platform that includes Q4 Desktop, which equips investor relations officers with essential tools and insights for effective decision-making and communication with investors. Q4 designs and develops corporate websites and online reports, facilitating dynamic corporate storytelling. Its services encompass media access through a news platform, audio and video webcasting, and comprehensive analytics that track institutional trading activities and market trends. Q4 also delivers insights into website performance and user behavior, alongside support services such as client success management and a dedicated IPO subsidy program. Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Toronto, Q4 operates additional offices in New York and Chicago, with a subsidiary in Copenhagen, serving over 2,200 prominent brands worldwide.

Upchain

Series A in 2018
Innovation has never been this easy. Upchain started in 2015 with the goal of changing what Product Lifecycle Management means for users across the supply chain. Existing solutions were built for multi-national companies, and suppliers down the chain were left out in the cold. We knew there was a better way. Our vision is a completely interconnected supply chain from the first nut to the final bolt, where collaboration is the default setting, and where mission-critical data is simultaneously accessible and secure. We think process doesn’t have to be as hard as it is, and we intend to make it a whole lot easier for everyone.

Rubikloud

Series B in 2018
Large scale enterprise software is going through a 10-year disruption. AI will be embedded into every major business process and piece of enterprise software. Based in Toronto, Canada, our full stack, cloud-native machine learning platform and two flagship AI applications (Promotion Manager & Customer LifeCycle Manager) automate and improve mass promotional planning and loyalty driven marketing for our multi-billion dollar retailers. We believe that making intelligent decisions can be made easier with AI and today we have multi-billion-dollar clients with retail brands operating in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Sportlogiq

Series A in 2017
SportLogiq Inc. develops an artificial intelligence (AI) based sports analytics software platform for teams, broadcasters, analysts, and fans to understand the game. It enables teams to watch the game, capture sports analytics, and transform data into insights; broadcasters to engage with viewers; and media to tell and write stories and find data to incorporate in storytelling. SportLogiq Inc. was incorporated in 2015 and is based in Montreal, Canada.

Assent Inc.

Series B in 2017
Assent Inc. specializes in compliance software and data management solutions that assist organizations in navigating regulatory requirements. The company offers a range of products, including Global Product Regulatory Software for managing compliance portfolios, Environmental Compliance Software for environmental regulations, and Custom Compliance Survey Software for gathering and analyzing supplier data. Additionally, Assent provides Inspection Software for creating compliance forms, Platform Configuration and Implementation services, and a Supply Chain Data Procurement Platform for compliance data transmission. Their Ethical Supply Chain Software addresses federal acquisition regulations, while the Full Materials Disclosure module streamlines supply chain outreach. Beyond software, Assent offers regulatory compliance consulting, compliance planning, data collection, and reporting services. Founded in 2005 and based in Ottawa, Canada, Assent serves a diverse clientele, from mid-sized companies to Fortune 500 firms, with a strong emphasis on customer service and collaboration.

Astronomer

Seed Round in 2017
Astronomer, Inc., founded in 2014 and based in Cincinnati, Ohio, provides a managed platform for Apache Airflow, catering specifically to data engineers. The company focuses on enabling organizations to harness the capabilities of Apache Airflow through its flagship offering, Astronomer Cloud, which is recognized as a leading Airflow-as-a-Service solution. Astronomer is dedicated to enhancing standards of scale, performance, and reliability for enterprise-level data orchestration. Its platform encompasses a comprehensive suite of products and services that facilitate the deployment, management, and scaling of data pipelines. This includes features for isolated resource allocation, user access, and account management, allowing data engineers, scientists, and analysts to efficiently build, run, and monitor pipelines-as-code for effective business analytics.

Sensibill

Series A in 2017
Sensibill Inc., founded in 2012 and based in Toronto, Canada, operates a cloud-based application that enables users to access digital receipts directly from their bank accounts. The company offers a comprehensive digital receipts ecosystem, providing financial institutions with a turnkey solution to help retail customers manage itemized receipts through trusted banking applications. Sensibill's platform emphasizes a user-friendly interface, enhancing customer engagement and fostering loyalty among users. By integrating technology with design, Sensibill transforms the way customers interact with their financial services, turning them into advocates for the banking applications they utilize.

DailyPay

Series A in 2016
DailyPay partners with companies to offer employees the ability to control when they get paid. Not only does this solution empower financial wellness, but for partner companies, it acts as a tool to recruit, retain, and engage the workforce. Founded in 2015 by Jason Lee and Robert Law, DailyPay is helping hundreds of companies improve their bottom line profit by giving people their first steps towards financial security.

Q4

Series B in 2016
Q4 Inc. specializes in providing cloud-based investor relations and capital market solutions to clients in Canada and globally. The company offers an integrated platform that includes Q4 Desktop, which equips investor relations officers with essential tools and insights for effective decision-making and communication with investors. Q4 designs and develops corporate websites and online reports, facilitating dynamic corporate storytelling. Its services encompass media access through a news platform, audio and video webcasting, and comprehensive analytics that track institutional trading activities and market trends. Q4 also delivers insights into website performance and user behavior, alongside support services such as client success management and a dedicated IPO subsidy program. Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Toronto, Q4 operates additional offices in New York and Chicago, with a subsidiary in Copenhagen, serving over 2,200 prominent brands worldwide.

Assent Inc.

Series A in 2016
Assent Inc. specializes in compliance software and data management solutions that assist organizations in navigating regulatory requirements. The company offers a range of products, including Global Product Regulatory Software for managing compliance portfolios, Environmental Compliance Software for environmental regulations, and Custom Compliance Survey Software for gathering and analyzing supplier data. Additionally, Assent provides Inspection Software for creating compliance forms, Platform Configuration and Implementation services, and a Supply Chain Data Procurement Platform for compliance data transmission. Their Ethical Supply Chain Software addresses federal acquisition regulations, while the Full Materials Disclosure module streamlines supply chain outreach. Beyond software, Assent offers regulatory compliance consulting, compliance planning, data collection, and reporting services. Founded in 2005 and based in Ottawa, Canada, Assent serves a diverse clientele, from mid-sized companies to Fortune 500 firms, with a strong emphasis on customer service and collaboration.

Rock Content

Series A in 2016
Rock Content is a content marketing company founded in 2011 and headquartered in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. The company specializes in helping businesses develop and implement effective content marketing strategies aimed at generating growth opportunities and increasing revenue. By focusing on brand positioning, Rock Content enables its clients to create impactful marketing initiatives that deliver tangible results.

ThinkData Works Inc.

Series A in 2016
ThinkData sets the gold standard for data. Their platform, Namara, is a standard gateway for organizations to connect to high-value public data. Important data was being released by every level of government, but in non-standard formats that were hard to access and virtually unusable. A Toronto-based company established in 2014, ThinkData Works, Inc. was founded as a central point of access for this data. Since its founding, ThinkData’s offering has expanded to include the fastest, most intelligent, and most scalable tools, as well as the largest repository of open, public, and partner data. ThinkData offers solutions for every stage of the data lifecycle. Using an ETL tool trained on 250,000 datasets, data can stream in from anywhere, bringing sources on as quickly as they’re discovered. Automated QA and detailed monitoring significantly increase confidence in the data, allowing users to get insight into the health, size, and shape of data across any update. To blend and enrich data, a graphical transformation engine and a robust, scalable entity resolution tool create ideal schemas and make it possible to work with data coming from multiple sources. Finally, ThinkData offers integrations with the most common libraries and IDEs, as well as an API with SQL-like language for querying, so that users can plug live data into any solution. ThinkData means more data with less overhead – one platform to access, share, enhance, and integrate data from anywhere.

ScribbleLive

Series D in 2015
ScribbleLive is a content cloud provider that helps companies manage the lifecycle of their content. It provides global brands with the services and solutions they need to create premium content at scale. The company's managed services provide clients with program and campaign coverage including dashboards and program reporting. Its services offered includes content strategy, creative services, implementation, integration, and IT support. ScribbleLive was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario.