Front Row Ventures

💡 Thinking about turning your research or early-stage idea into something bigger? Join Front Row Ventures and the McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship for the Entrepreneurship Discovery Workshop, a hands-on session designed for graduate students exploring entrepreneurship for the first time. 🚀 Over two focused hours, attendees will learn how to validate ideas, understand problem-solution fit, and build momentum around early concepts while connecting with founders, mentors, and operators across the startup ecosystem. Whether you’re curious about startups, commercialization, or simply exploring what comes after the lab, this workshop is built to help you take the first step. 🧠 📅 May 22, 2026 from 3-5 PM 📍 McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship Spots are limited. Register today at https://luma.com/vpyiv4kf -- #FrontRowVentures #Entrepreneurship #StartupEcosystem #GraduateStudents #StudentFounders #CanadianStartups #McGill

Front Row Ventures is excited to announce our investment in Tydra Labs ♻️ Founded by Jaiya Varshney and Dr. Athanasios Kritharis, ph.d., Tydra Labs is transforming crustacean waste into ultra-pure chitin, a sustainable biomaterial used in coatings, agriculture, and packaging. Their proprietary fermentation process costs 30-60% less than conventional chemical extraction, produces a purer, allergen-free end product, and unlocks value from waste streams the industry has long overlooked. Backed by scientific advisors from MIT and Harvard, the team has secured $550K in non-dilutive funding, closed their pre-seed, and won the $100K Women in Tech Investment Prize at Startupfest 2025. We're proud to support Tydra Labs as they build a cleaner, more efficient future for biomaterials! 🚀 Building something big? Let's talk. -- Front Row Ventures est ravi d'annoncer son investissement dans Tydra Labs ♻️ Fondée par Jaiya Varshney et Dr Athanasios Kritharis, ph.d., Tydra Labs transforme les déchets de crustacés en chitine ultra-pure, un biomatériau durable utilisé dans les revêtements, l'agriculture et l'emballage. Leur processus de fermentation propriétaire coûte 30 à 60% moins que l'extraction chimique conventionnelle, produit un matériau plus pur, sans allergènes, et génère de la valeur à partir de déchets longtemps ignorés par l'industrie. Soutenue par des conseillers scientifiques du MIT et de Harvard, l'équipe a sécurisé 550 000 $ en financement non dilutif, clôturé son tour de pré-amorçage et remporté le prix d'investissement Women in Tech de 100 000 $ au Startupfest 2025. Nous sommes fiers de soutenir Tydra Labs dans la construction d'un avenir plus propre et plus efficace pour les biomatériaux ! 🚀 Tu bâtis quelque chose d’ambitieux? Parlons-en. -- #FRV #StudentVC #VentureCapital #CleanTech #Biotech #Biomaterials #CanadianStartups

Thinking about turning your research or early-stage idea into something bigger? Join Front Row Ventures and the McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship for the Entrepreneurship Discovery Workshop: a hands-on session designed for graduate students exploring entrepreneurship for the first time. Over two focused hours, attendees will learn how to validate ideas, understand problem-solution fit, and build momentum around early concepts while connecting with founders, mentors, and operators in the startup ecosystem. 📅 May 22, 2026 from 3-5 PM 📍 McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship Spots are limited. Register today: https://luma.com/vpyiv4kf — Vous pensez à transformer votre recherche ou votre idée en phase initiale en quelque chose de plus grand ? Rejoignez Front Row Ventures et le McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship pour l’Atelier de Découverte de l’Entrepreneuriat : une session pratique conçue pour les étudiants du cycle supérieur qui explorent l’entrepreneuriat pour la première fois. En deux heures ciblées, les participants apprendront à valider des idées, à comprendre le “fit” problème-solution et à créer du momentum autour de concepts en amorçage, tout en connectant avec des fondateurs, des mentors et des opérateurs de l’écosystème startup. 📅 22 mai 2026 de 15 h à 17 h 📍 McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship Les places sont limitées. Inscrivez-vous aujourd'hui: https://luma.com/vpyiv4kf — #FrontRowVentures #Entrepreneurship #StartupEcosystem #GraduateStudents #StudentFounders #CanadianStartups #McGill

Many of the world’s most transformative companies were born on university campuses. Not after decades spent in industry. Not after climbing the corporate ladder. But while their founders were still students. Dorm rooms, research labs, and campus communities have quietly become some of the greatest startup incubators in history. For decades, students and researchers have built companies that went on to reshape entire industries: • Microsoft (1975): $3.1T (Harvard University) • Dell Technologies (1984): $140.6B (The University of Texas at Austin) • Google (1998): $4.7T (Stanford University) • Meta (2004): $1.5T (Harvard University) • Dropbox (2007): $6.1B (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) • Stripe (2011): $159B (Harvard University) • Snap Inc. (2011): $10.3B (Stanford University) • DoorDash (2013): $72.4B (Stanford University) • Databricks (2013): $134B (University of California, Berkeley) • Canva (2013): $42B (The University of Western Australia) • Perplexity (2022): $20B (University of California, Berkeley) • Cursor (2022): $50B (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) The pattern is hard to ignore. Universities aren’t just places where talent is trained. They’re places where category-defining companies are born. The next generation of iconic companies is probably being built right now by students who are still sitting in class, doing research, or hacking on side projects after midnight. That’s exactly why Front Row Ventures exists. To see the potential in founders before the market does and to have the conviction to act before there is proof. Who did we miss? Tag your favorite student founder below 👇 #FirstBeliever

Front Row Ventures is excited to announce our investment in Bramble.! Every commercial contract specifies what insurance the other party must carry. Today, brokers and their clients read these documents by hand, comparing requirements against certificates line by line. Coverage gaps go undetected, upsell opportunities are missed, and E&O exposure grows with every manual review. Bramble is the intelligence layer that automates commercial insurance compliance. Bramble's AI reads any commercial contract, extracts every insurance requirement in under two minutes, and compares them against the certificate of insurance to flag exactly what's missing. What used to take 30-60 minutes per document is now instant, accurate, and auditable. Bramble is already deploying with one of Canada's largest national insurance brokerages and is live with commercial clients across Ontario. The platform works across commercial leases, construction tenders, transportation contracts, franchise agreements, and any document that creates an insurance obligation. Led by a driven founding team from the University of Ottawa and Carleton University, Bramble’s approach allows it to scale rapidly across North America, solving a critical pain point in insurance compliance. We’re proud to support the Bramble team as they transition the insurance market from manual uncertainty to automated clarity. We are proud to back the Bramble team as they build the compliance intelligence layer for commercial insurance. 🚀 Building something big? Let’s talk. -- Front Row Ventures est ravi d’annoncer son investissement dans Bramble.! Chaque contrat commercial stipule les assurances que l’autre partie doit détenir. Aujourd’hui, les courtiers et leurs clients révisent ces documents manuellement, en comparant ligne par ligne les exigences aux certificats d’assurance. Les lacunes de couverture passent inaperçues, les opportunités de vente sont manquées et l’exposition aux erreurs et omissions (E&O) s’accroît à chaque révision manuelle. Bramble est la couche d’intelligence qui automatise la conformité en assurance commerciale. L’IA de Bramble analyse n’importe quel contrat commercial, extrait chaque exigence d’assurance en moins de deux minutes, et les compare au certificat d’assurance pour identifier exactement ce qui manque. Ce qui prenait autrefois 30 à 60 minutes par document est désormais instantané, précis et traçable. Bramble est déjà déployé auprès de l’un des plus grands cabinets de courtage d’assurances nationaux au Canada et est actif auprès de clients commerciaux à travers l’Ontario. La plateforme fonctionne avec des baux commerciaux, des appels d’offres en construction, des contrats de transport, des contrats de franchise et tout document créant une obligation d’assurance. Dirigée par une équipe fondatrice déterminée issue de l’Université d’Ottawa et de l’Université Carleton, l’approche de Bramble lui permet de se déployer rapidement à travers l’Amérique du Nord, en résolvant un problème critique de conformité en assurance. Nous sommes fiers de soutenir l’équipe Bramble alors qu’elle fait passer le marché de l’assurance de l’incertitude manuelle à la clarté automatisée. Nous sommes fiers d’appuyer l’équipe Bramble dans la création de la couche d’intelligence de conformité pour l’assurance commerciale. 🚀 Tu bâtis quelque chose d’ambitieux? Parlons-en. – #FRV #StudentVC #VentureCapital #PropTech #InsurTech #BrambleTechnologies

A year ago, I sat on the investment committee at Front Row Ventures when we backed MyTrials.ai. Today, I joined the team as their first hire! It's rare to conduct that level of due diligence before joining a company, and the fact that I said joined says everything about my belief in what they're building. We are solving one of healthcare's most overlooked problems: helping patients find life-changing clinical trials. I'm joining Omar, Tyler, and Zachary as Head of Marketing, which means I'm also officially becoming a LinkedIn warrior (and embracing the cringe that comes with it). If you're in clinical research or healthtech, I'd love to connect. We'll also be at #WebSummit next week, come say hi!

🚨 When Worlds Converge at Toronto Tech Week 2026 We’re proud to be supporting When Worlds Converge: Art, AI & the Future of Human-Centered Innovation, a flagship Toronto Tech Week experience presented by Schulich Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Pursuits Inc., and Demo Room. Join a room of founders, creators, and technologists for a first public look at Krista Kim’s Heart Space, a collaborative AI-generated immersive artwork powered by real-time biometric data. What to expect: • Keynote by Krista Kim • Panel on art, AI, and innovation • Immersive activation + live demos • Networking with founders, investors, and builders Plus a curated after-party with BEA and YSpace. 📍 May 26 | Toronto 🎟️ Register today at https://luma.com/6zzd1jlt 📩 DM us for exclusive FRV codes, limited spots are available! #TorontoTechWeek #TTW2026 #HeartSpace #ArtificialIntelligence #CreativeTechnology #StartupEcosystem

You don’t need to leave STEM to build what’s next. At Front Row Ventures, we’ve seen how powerful it is when women in STEM step into roles in venture capital and entrepreneurship, but too often, those paths aren’t visible early enough. That’s why we’re co-organizing: 🔬Women in STEM Entrepreneurship: Grad2VC X DCAT 🗓️ Tuesday, May 12, 2026, 8:30-11:30 AM 📍RI-MUHC Atrium & Auditorium In partnership with the Desjardins Centre for Advanced Training at RI-MUHC, this event brings together graduate students and women who’ve translated their STEM training into careers beyond the bench: from investing to building. Join us for a keynote, panel, and conversation over coffee. Because seeing the path is often the first step to walking it. 🔗 RSVP today at https://luma.com/9lo0m9o8 -- Pas besoin de quitter les STIM pour bâtir l’avenir. Chez Front Row Ventures, nous avons vu à quel point il est puissant lorsque des femmes en STIM s’orientent vers le capital de risque et l’entrepreneuriat, mais ces parcours restent trop souvent invisibles dès le départ. C’est pourquoi nous coorganisons : 🔬 Femmes en STIM et entrepreneuriat : Grad2VC x DCAT 🗓️ Mardi 12 mai 2026, de 8 h 30 à 11 h 30 📍 Atrium et auditorium du RI-MUHC En partenariat avec le Desjardins Centre for Advanced Training au RI-MUHC, cet événement réunit des étudiantes aux cycles supérieurs et des femmes qui ont transformé leur formation en STIM en carrières au-delà du laboratoire, de l’investissement à la création d’entreprise. Joignez-vous à nous pour une conférence, un panel et des échanges autour d’un café. Parce que voir le chemin est souvent la première étape pour s’y engager. 🔗 Inscrivez-vous dès aujourd’hui : https://luma.com/9lo0m9o8 -- #FrontRowVentures #WomenInSTEM #STEMCareers #STEMEntrepreneurship #WomenInTech #VentureCapital #StartupEcosystem #FutureBuilders #GradStudents

In 2021, Maket was still in its early days. The product was nascent, AI was just emerging. And the outcome? Far from guaranteed. But this wasn’t a blind bet. We saw a team deeply obsessed with a massive, real-world problem. We saw early signals of technical ambition and clarity of vision. And we saw founders who were moving fast, even while still figuring things out. That was enough for us to lean in. So we invested. A few years later, more than a million people have used Maket’s software, and the company is only getting started. This is what being a #FirstBeliever looks like. It’s not about betting early for the sake of it.  It’s about recognizing potential before it’s obvious, and having the conviction to act on it. We’re proud to have been there at the start. Here’s their story. Patrick Murphy, Marc Jeanne-Julien

Earlier this week, we gathered a small group of founders, investors, leaders, and ecosystem builders in Calgary for our latest #FirstBeliever Dinner. The idea behind the series is simple: bring together the people who show up early. The ones who back talent before consensus forms. The ones helping shape what comes next. If there was one takeaway from the evening, it’s this: Alberta is building something special. We launched our Alberta chapter less than a year ago. Since then, we’ve reviewed over 200 companies and made four investments locally, bringing us to six across Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. For us, that’s a strong signal: There is talent here. There is ambition here. And there is a real opportunity to build. A big thank you to Shawn Abbott from Inovia Capital for co-hosting with us, to Patrick Lor 🚀 from Panache Ventures for his support, to Kris Barker for joining from Edmonton, to RBCx and MNP for supporting this series across the country, to our founders Aleisha Reese Cerny from Serenity Power Inc. and Pirouz Kiani from NanoStrip for being part of the evening, and of course, thank you to everyone who made the night so special. We’re building Front Row Ventures as a truly pan-Canadian platform. That only happens if the belief behind it is pan-Canadian too. The welcome we’ve received in Alberta has been remarkable. We’re just getting started. Next stop: Vancouver ✈️ Angie Petretta, Art Korpach, Ayo Aiyeleye, Dennis Agbegha, BSc, MSc., Emmanuelle Coppinger, Guillaume Bédard, ICD.D, Guy Levesque, Jehangir Appoo, MD, Jeremy Hexham, PhD, Luc Roy, CPA, Marc T. Dikranian, Michael Grantmyre, Milanne Desfosses, Shahoon Khan, Tracey Scarlett MBA, ICD.D, Alberta Enterprise Corporation (AEC), Calgary Economic Development, Alberta Innovates, Government of Alberta, Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking - UCalgary, University of Calgary, Venture Capital Association of Alberta (VCAA),