Female-Focused Funds Are Rewriting Canada’s Venture Landscape

From seed to scale, these investors are helping level the playing field for women entrepreneurs.

Closing the Gender Funding Gap

Female founders in Canada have long faced structural challenges when raising capital. Despite building high-growth companies, they secure only a small share of venture funding. That reality is beginning to shift. A growing network of funds is deliberately backing women-led startups, and a new mapping reveals which investors are making it happen.

Who’s Writing the Cheques

At the early stage, several funds have emerged as consistent champions of female founders.
CEAS Investments manages over $400 million through an evergreen fund focused on B2B software. Fika Ventures, with $500 million across four funds, invests in early-stage tech across Canada and the United States. Storytime Capital stands out for its “future of work” thesis, while Sidecut Ventures takes aim at fintech, health, climate, and edtech.

Some capital pools were built specifically to serve women entrepreneurs. Women’s Equity Lab, a cross-city network of women angels, is sector-agnostic but insists on female leadership in its portfolio. Backbone Angels and The51 bring a Canada-first lens, funding startups led by women in sectors ranging from cleantech to consumer platforms.

Growth-Stage Investors Join In

For later-stage companies, larger players are stepping in. TZP Growth Equity and Prelude Growth Partners are capable of writing cheques between $10 million and $50 million, offering scale-up capital that many Canadian women-led businesses have historically struggled to access. Energy Impact Partners meanwhile targets companies at the intersection of climate, AI, and energy, a growing arena for female innovators.

Local Roots, Global Reach

Some of these investors operate globally. Kli Capital, for instance, invests across North America, Latin America, and MENA. Others, like Backbone Angels and The51, are deeply embedded in Canadian communities and ecosystems.

This mix of local grounding and international reach gives women-led startups access to both community support and cross-border resources.

Why It Matters

The rise of female-focused funds reflects more than a social shift. It is a strategic correction. In 2023, women founders in Canada received less than three percent of total VC funding. That disparity not only stifles innovation but also limits Canada’s ability to lead in sectors where women are building the next wave of global companies.

Funds like Women’s Equity Lab, Backbone Angels, and The51 are stepping into the gap with more than money. They bring mentorship, peer networks, and visible belief in the founders they back.

The Takeaway

Canada’s female founders still face barriers, but the ecosystem is evolving. These funds offer a roadmap and a vote of confidence for women building bold companies. For policymakers, the message is clear: equitable access to venture funding is not just about representation, but long-term national competitiveness.

To make this more practical, Techsoma Canada has compiled a resource list of active funds supporting women-led ventures in Canada.

Canadian Active Female Founder Funds