The Discovery Foundation Capital Mentorship Program is designed to help entrepreneurs become more strategic in raising the capital critical to accelerating their ventures. This program is for CEOs and founders of growth-oriented tech companies who have already launched their product or service. Generally, they should be generating revenue, ready to seek external sources of funding and looking to raise capital in the next six months.
On August 21st, the first MasterMind Capital Cohort begins with a three-hour deep dive and workshop into the capital raising process. Then over the following three weeks, Spring – along with select partners – will facilitate two-hour sessions with inter-session support to work through investor profiles and funnels, pitch preparation, due diligence preparation, and negotiation skills. No more than 16 companies will be selected.
MasterMind Capital Streams
Due to popular demand, we have partnered with Spring to bring Vancouver and BC three MasterMind Capital programs this fall and winter, each with a different focus:
Applications Now Closed
MasterMind Capital: Women in Tech
Program Dates: November 6 – November 27
Gender parity in decision-making leadership roles isn’t about politics — it is smart business. Vancouver performs comparatively well in terms of diversity in our tech sector: we have a higher-than-average percentage of immigrant-founded startups and companies. However, we still have much work to do. This cohort aims to create an inclusive environment to support female founders and entrepreneurs on their journey to raising capital.
MasterMind Capital: Health & Life Sciences
Program Dates: October 2 – October 23
Vancouver and BC is home to a robust health and life sciences sector. Well-resourced research universities and leaders in the field provide a strong incubation infrastructure for biotech, medtech and other life sciences startups requiring the deep support necessary to start up. This Mastermind cohort will serve companies working on commercialized projects and technologies looking to meaningfully enhance human health and wellness.
MasterMind Capital: VR/AR
Program Dates: August 21 – September 14
With over 200 entities in the industry, Vancouver’s visual and spatial computing expertise — the result of a 40-year legacy in film & TV, 35-years of leadership in animation and VFX, and over 20 years of games design — is drawing smart companies, talent and capital. The VR/AR industry is rapidly expanding. This cohort will be tailored for founders and companies in the extended, virtual, augmented, and mixed realities space across BC.
All Applications will be reviewed by Spring and the VEC.
What’s Next? About our Investment Showcases
Following MasterMind Capital, the top-performing startups will be strongly positioned for the opportunity to be featured at one of multiple investment showcases. Our Investment Showcases highlight Vancouver’s emerging momentum and high-potential companies to an audience of Canadian and US investors. Each startup participating in an Investment Showcase will be rigorously vetted by an independent Selection Committee comprised of key Vancouver investors and investment firms whose portfolios feature sectors and interests relevant to each showcase theme.
In a departure from the usual showcase format, successful startups field questions from groups of investors in deep dive sessions. This deal flow format encourages investor engagement and facilitates discussion. Learn more about showcases from previous years and read more about one of the resulting success stories.
- Women in Tech Investment Showcase (TBC)
Learn more about the Vancouver Startup City Investment Showcases.
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