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StandUp Ventures operates as a Toronto-based, seed-stage venture capital fund focused on high-growth companies. It specifically invests in ventures with at least one female founder in a key leadership role, championing diversity and promoting equitable ownership structures. Its strategy emphasizes the strategic advantages of backing women-led businesses, providing capital and strategic guidance to foster their development.
Michelle McBane, leveraging her experience in early-stage funds, founded StandUp Ventures. Her insight recognized the significant, often overlooked, potential and market opportunities within businesses led by women. This understanding led her to create a firm committed to close collaboration and targeted support for these ventures, building a distinctive investment thesis around this demographic.
The firm partners with portfolio companies by cultivating genuine, reciprocal relationships, assisting founders in developing robust enterprises. StandUp Ventures' vision is to back businesses that achieve market success and foster a more inclusive, innovative entrepreneurial ecosystem, anticipating diverse leadership driving substantial economic growth and reshaping industry norms for the future.
Key people at StandUp Ventures.
StandUp Ventures is a Toronto-based venture capital firm founded in 2017 that focuses on seed-stage investments in technology companies led by women. Their mission is to champion breakthrough, for-profit technology companies with at least one woman in a C-level leadership position who holds equitable ownership. The firm primarily invests in sectors such as enterprise software, digital health, and cleantech. StandUp Ventures supports these companies from seed through Series A funding, emphasizing the growth and success of women-led startups. Their impact on the startup ecosystem includes addressing the gender gap in venture capital by empowering female entrepreneurs and fostering a community that helps founders build best-in-class businesses[1][2][3][4][5].
Founded in 2017 in Toronto, StandUp Ventures was created to fill a critical gap in venture capital funding for women-led technology companies. The firm was established by partners committed to gender-lens investing, focusing on companies where women have significant leadership and ownership roles. Over time, StandUp Ventures has evolved to become a leading fund in Canada for supporting female founders, expanding its portfolio to include companies in enterprise software, digital health, and cleantech sectors. The firm has built a strong network and reputation for helping women-led startups scale from pre-seed to Series A rounds[1][3][4][5].
StandUp Ventures rides the growing trend of gender-lens investing, which aims to close the venture capital gender gap by intentionally funding women-led startups. The timing is critical as more investors and ecosystems recognize the value of diverse leadership in driving innovation and market growth. By focusing on sectors like enterprise software, digital health, and cleantech, StandUp Ventures aligns with high-growth, impactful industries. Their influence extends beyond capital deployment to shaping a more inclusive startup ecosystem in Canada and the US, encouraging broader systemic change in venture funding practices[1][2][3][5].
Looking ahead, StandUp Ventures is well-positioned to continue scaling its impact by supporting more women-led startups and expanding its influence in key technology sectors. Trends such as increased attention to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in venture capital, alongside growth in digital health and cleantech, will likely shape their investment focus. Their strong track record and community-driven approach suggest they will remain a pivotal player in fostering gender equity in tech entrepreneurship, potentially influencing other funds and ecosystems to adopt similar models. This ongoing commitment ties back to their core mission of championing women-led innovation and building a more equitable startup landscape[1][3][5].
Key people at StandUp Ventures.
StandUp Ventures has more than 26 tracked investments across 17 companies. The latest tracked deal is $2.0M Pre-Seed in Velix in February 2026.
