Perspectives

The Shocking Rise in Unicorn Valuations

The Shocking Rise in Unicorn Valuations

In early 2017, the US had 96 Unicorns. By early 2019 this count was up to 147 and last week the count was 644. That little stat blew my mind but then I looked at US Unicorn Valuations and was frankly shocked. If you want to look, check it out on CB Insights. I’ve been...

Counting  Investments in Canadian Unicorns

Counting Investments in Canadian Unicorns

Part of our national angst bemoans the lack of Canadian investors in Canadian Unicorns. I used to think that was a problem but lately I've come to think I was wrong. This new thinking was emphasized by a blog by Danilo Tominovic. Danilo has done a good job raising the...

The 2022 Narwhal List – Astounding Success

From only two Unicorns at the end of 2020 to 19 today shows the incredible growth in just one year in the Canadian tech ecosystem. We recently released our 2022 Narwhal List which showcases those private Canadian tech companies that are scaling successfully as of...

Ranking Canada’s Accelerators

Ranking Canada’s Accelerators

Recently, we have been trying to figure out what success means for an accelerator. We understand success from a company perspective but what is success for an accelerator? Does it mean the total value created, amounts raised by participants, employment, number of...

IPO versus M&A

IPO versus M&A

I posted a blog last week about D2L’s recent IPO. In it I made what on the surface may appear to be a value judgement favouring an IPO over a merger as a means for entrepreneurs to exit. This is part of the IPO versus M&A debate. I got called on it by Nicole...

Good news: D2L is going public

Good news: D2L is going public

I was excited to be able to look at the D2L prospectus today. (Nerd alert, lotsa numbers in this post.) They have been on the Narwhal List since inception and clocked in last year in 15th spot. Many years ago they and Hootsuite were the darlings of the Canadian tech...

What would you do if you lived in Buffalo?

What would you do if you lived in Buffalo?

I was searching the other day for a list of incubators and accelerators in the US that specialize in digital health. I was surprised to find how many specialize in that one sector. You can see a list of them here. The list isn't the point though, it's what I realized...

The Catch 22 of Canadian Seed Funding

The Catch 22 of Canadian Seed Funding

I heard from an entrepreneur I know that a very prominent institutional investor turned down their request for Seed Round funding because the company is pre-revenue. There is no way this company can get to revenue without a reasonably large amount of funding and it...

The Surprising Way Initial Funding Drives Success

The Surprising Way Initial Funding Drives Success

A number of years ago I had one of those AhHa! moments that one has when one is fiddling around doing research. Basically, I discovered the surprising way initial funding drives success. I was playing around with Crunchbase, looking at the 2,429 healthcare and...