Alberta Enterprise has invested $2.5 million in Alberta-based venture capital firm Sprout’s nearly $14 million second fund, providing a new source of high-demand seed capital to Alberta and Western Canadian B2B software startups.
Sprout is an early-stage venture and mentor capital firm led by serial technology entrepreneurs and avid investors Kristina Milke, Mark Benning and Shaheel Hooda.
Sprout was founded in 2018 and has provided seed capital from its two funds to 17 diverse startups in industries from proptech to energytech across Western Canada.
Among those companies are promising Alberta startups Truffle, a restaurant management platform that equips food providers to easily and affordably add delivery and pick-up services without more staff and EZ Ops, which provides workforce optimization technology to improve productivity and profitability for oil and gas operations teams.
“As the first institutional investor in Sprout, we are committed to supporting Alberta-based fund managers and building local venture capital talent right here at home,” said Kristina Williams, CEO of Alberta Enterprise Corporation.
“Sprout’s team of accomplished founders and operators are highly engaged in Alberta’s startup ecosystem, and it’s great to see them anchor their venture capital platform here in Edmonton, Alberta.”
Sprout is led by three general partners active in the local community.
Kristina Milke invests in and advises startups drawing on leadership experience with Intuit Canada and Investopedia. An A100 member, she chairs the ThresholdImpact Venture Mentoring Service (VMS) and recently won the YEG Startup Mentor of the Year Award.
Mark Benning is an experienced entrepreneur, investor and mentor who spent 20 years in Silicon Valley where he founded four investor-backed software startups.
Shaheel is a serial entrepreneur and investor who was CEO of two high-growth Canadian software startups. He’s advised hundreds of tech startups including with the 500 Global Accelerator in Silicon Valley.
“Closing an investment and getting support from Alberta Enterprise is a testament to the strength of our team and the potential of our portfolio companies,” commented Milke.
“Already we have invested in seven more promising businesses with our second fund. We are excited to work together with AEC as we continue providing essential mentoring and early-stage investment to the next generation of innovative startups.”
Photo by Francesco Gallarotti on Unsplash
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