Save The Date MLA Investment Meeting October 27, 2020 4:00-7:00 PM Webinar

With the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Canadian innovation ecosystem and additional pressures on its infrastructure, MLA would like to extend a hand and attract additional support for our early stage entrepreneurs. We invite accredited investors and members of Canadian angel networks to come and check out our Virtual Investment Meeting later this month. These meetings typically start with a virtual networking breakout where you're matched with a couple of attendees, following which you will hear presentations from select promising startups in the technology sector! Come join us, and be part of funding the next generation of Canadian success stories. Open to Members, Partners & Invited Guests (Accredited Investors Only) If you are an accredited investor, and wish to attend the MLA investment meeting as a guest, please reach out to our Managing Director, Prathna Ramesh at: [email protected] Please note that this is a closed event.

Filogix, a Finastra business, acquires MLA48 Fund II LP company, Doorr!

We are thrilled to announce that MLA48 Fund II LP and MLA members' portfolio company, Doorr, has been acquired by Finastra via its Canadian mortgage business, Filogix. The strategic investment will deliver next generation solutions to the Canadian mortgage market, including consumers, brokers and lenders. Muhammad Rashid, Co-founder & CEO at Doorr said, “We’re excited to be joining the Finastra family, extending our trusted partnership. Our values around digitizing the mortgage application process to drive an improved customer experience while harnessing the power of open APIs are well aligned.” Learn more about the exciting news here

Cleanslate UV wins 2020 CANIE Award for COVID-19 Global Innovation

We are proud to announce that Cleanslate UV received the COVID-19 Global Innovation Award, celebrating Excellence in Innovation and Entrepreneurship last night. In the past 6 months they've grown >1500% YoY, added 40 new team members and - most importantly - deployed in hundreds of new facilities, ensuring that staff & visitor mobile devices are germ-free. We are proud to support them in their role in the fight against COVID-19, reducing the spread of pathogens and allowing everyone to experience life, safely. Learn more about them here

Top Hat Releases Guide to Create Community in the Virtual Classroom

Creating a sense of community in online classrooms is a challenge! Thankfully, Top Hat has created a free online guide to help overcome this barrier to learning in the post COVID world. When it comes to student success, community is everything. The traditional college campus offered untold opportunities for learners to connect with their peers and professors. All that has changed, but your ability to forge a sense of belonging among students doesn’t have to. Check out the guide here

Wealthsimple announces CAD $114 million investment led by TCV to transform financial services in Canada

Wealthsimple, the company behind Canada's leading digital investing and stock trading platforms, today announced it has raised CAD $114 million on a valuation of CAD $1.4 billion. The investment was led by TCV, one of the largest growth equity investors focused on technology, alongside Greylock, Meritech, Two Sigma Ventures and existing investor Allianz X. Concurrent with the funding, David Yuan, General Partner at TCV, will join Wealthsimple's Board of Directors. Read more here

Portfolio Companies looking for Talent! Feel free to share within your network

Quench is on the hunt for a Sales and Marketing Representative. Check out the available position here.

Ubisoft is looking for a Big Data Developer and UX Director to add to their growing team. Check out and share the opportunities here.

OnCall Health is looking for a Business Development Representative. Find more details about the job opportunity here.

New angel group launches to inject early-stage capital into Western Canada tech startups

A new angel organization has formed with an aim to expand access to capital for early-stage tech entrepreneurs in Western Canada. This week, Calgary-based Allied Venture Partners​ announced the official launch of its angel investment group. Allied Venture Partners will make seed-stage investments across North America, with a focus on Western Canadian tech startups. The idea, the angel group says, is to provide local investors with more diversification and access to high-potential deal flow opportunities. Read all about it here!

Conversations with the Business Next Door

Earlier this week, MLA's Managing Director, Prathna Ramesh, was delighted to serve as an expert panelist on a webinar hosted by the Canadian Women's Chamber of Commerce about how businesses can navigate the unique challenges they face today. Fellow panelists included Amie Nguyen (co-founder of MLA48 portfolio company, Propel), Tasha Tringale (Tasha Tringale Designs), Aymen Dewji (Shiftright Consulting) and Melanie Ang (Backcountry Wok). In this conversation, panelists gave insight into what they think the future will bring, how they've adapted and leveraged their existing customers, or networks to help their business survive or thrive and tips they'd share with fellow entrepreneurs. Watch the inspiring panel here and find more info on the next webinar here

Applications open for the 17th cohort of Founder Institute

The Founder Institute (FI) is the world’s largest pre-seed startup accelerator, with 4,500 Alumni across 75+ countries. During their recent Global Founder Showcase this week, presentations were given from select entrepreneurs that just completed the most recent Silicon Valley, Toronto, London, and Singapore programs. The event was widely enjoyed by angels, venture capitalists, media, mentors, and those with a keen interest in startups and global innovation. Applications are now open for the 17th cohort of Founder Institute Toronto 2021 semester. For more information feel free to reach out to Sunil Sharma by email: [email protected] Learn more about the Founder Institute here and apply online today here!

RBC Speaker Series: Transforming Uncertainty into Opportunity November 5, 2020 1-2:30 PM

Join the University of Toronto for an interactive fireside chat, featuring some of Canada’s top business leaders, investors and entrepreneurs who are leading organizations that actively invest in the next generation of talent. Topics covered will include: the workplace of the future, changing fabric of cities, evolution of e-commerce and retail and the latest trends in fintech. Register here today!

Ecosystem Events Women in Finance Summit Series October 22, 2020 MLA's Managing Director, Prathna Ramesh, is delighted to participate in the Venture Capital Panel at the Women in Finance Summit and Award Series today. Join us at the free all-day conference about sharing knowledge and celebrating the achievements of Women in Finance! Register here now CIX Digital Summit 2020 October 19-21, 2020 CIX 2020 Digital Summit presents an online interactive platform for tech founders, CEOs, funders and advisors to connect virtually. This year CIX will span over three days and feature curated startup presentations, keynotes and panels with industry leading executives, as well as focused networking opportunities designed to foster new connections and provide forums for dialog. CIX's ultimate goal is powering new deals. Register here today! Deep Learning Summit 2020 October 22-23, 2020 This event brings together the latest technology advancements as well as practical examples to apply AI to solve challenges in business and society. Register here. ventureLAB Virtual Demo Day October 29, 2020 9 AM EST Join ventureLAB for an opportunity to hear pitches from 12 leading tech companies from their Capital Investment Program (CIP), which is designed to help companies prepare for an angel or seed-stage round of investment. Companies in the CIP program benefit from coaching by the ventureLAB Advisory Group as well as a constructive review of financial, corporate and major contract documentation. Find more info and register here Other Exciting Events Oct 22 - Virtual Toronto Tech Summit - The New Rules of Influencer Marketing Oct 23 - TechTO: Founders & Funding Oct 29 - Women Leaders In Action. - TedX Toronto Uncharted What We're Listening To  This Week The Fundamental Human Relationship with Work Champion Your Life: How to Navigate “The Punches of Life” as an Entrepreneur Ecosystem News Federal government invests $12 Million to support small businesses through COVID-19 Relief Fund The federal government is investing $12 million into the Canada United Small Business Relief Fund to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Canada United Small Business Relief Fund provides relief grants of up to $5,000 to small businesses. The grant can be used for COVID-19 recovery efforts, such as purchasing personal protective equipment, renovating physical spaces, or developing a website or e-commerce capabilities. Read more here. Lightspeed launches into subscription space with new recurring payments product Montreal-based Lightspeed has launched a new subscription-based offering that allows retailers using Lightspeed Payments in North America to collect recurring revenue through their point-of-sale system. The new offering, called Lightspeed Subscriptions, is aimed to give retailers the tools to set up and manage recurring monthly billing, which can come from shipping monthly packages or collecting membership fees. The new solution is intended to handle the process of payment collection for in-store retailers. Read more here BDC CEO Michael Denham and Minister Ng kick off Small Business Week BDC Small Business WeekTM (SBW) is going completely virtual this year with exclusive events taking place this week, highlighting the resilience and innovation of entrepreneurs in the face of today's unprecedented challenges. In a recent survey, BDC found out that 63% of entrepreneurs cite innovation and creativity as necessary to survive the current situation.  Read more here. Other Tech News eBay Canada announces its Hall of Fame to celebrate 25 years of eBay and 25 Canadian entrepreneurs Read more Shopify commits $130 Million to help create one million new black-owned businesses in the US Read more SpaceX granted basic telecom license in Canada Read more What We're Reading  This Week 4 Ways to Reconfigure Your Sales Strategy During the Pandemic The Psychological Price of Entrepreneurship

Support for Entrepreneurs impacted by COVID-19

As the COVID-19 outbreak unfolds, we know these are challenging times for you and your business. Here are some options for resources to help you with cashflow and to support you through to a more stable time. More details can be found here.  Canada Emergency Business Account - The Canada Emergency Business Account provides interest-free loans of up to $40,000 to small businesses and not-for-profits, to help cover their operating costs during a period where their revenues have been temporarily reduced. Applications extended until October 31st. Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy - The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) supports employers that are hardest hit by the pandemic, and protect the jobs Canadians depend on. For claim periods 1 to 4, the subsidy calculation was based on a fixed rate of 75%. However, for claim periods 5 and later, the CEWS rate is variable and depends on the amount your revenue dropped consisting of a base rate and top-up rate. Extended to June 2021. Young Entrepreneurs - $20.1 million in funding is going towards supporting Futurpreneur Canada to continue supporting young entrepreneurs across Canada who are facing challenges due to COVID-19. The Funding will allow Futurpreneur Canada to provide payment relief for its clients for up to 12 months. EDC Guarantee Program for SMEs - EDC is working with financial institutions to issue new operating credit and cash flow term loans of up to $6.25 million to SMEs. BDC Working Capital Loans - BDC is working with financial institutions to co-lend term loans to SMEs for their operational cash flow requirements. Eligible businesses may obtain incremental credit amounts of up to $6.25 million through the program. Canada Recovery Benefit - The Government of Canada provided a taxable benefit of $500 per week for up to 26 weeks to eligible workers who have lost their income due to COVID-19 and are not eligible for EI, or had their income reduced by at least 50%. Even though CERB has ended, you can apply for a period retroactively, and transition to new benefits. Maple Leaf Angels Office Hours - Maple Leaf Angels members and the MLA48 fund are still actively looking for opportunities to invest in. Every Thursday afternoon we have a mentoring session called "Office Hours", where entrepreneurs have an opportunity to pitch their companies to a small group of angels who will provide advice and suggestions. It is the first step to pitching to the entire group of MLA angels. If you are interested, please submit an application on our website.

Interested in joining our group? Reach out to [email protected] to get involved.

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None of the Maple Leaf Angels (the "MLA") and its officers, directors, advisors, sponsors and event hosts (collectively the "MLA Associates") have provided or hold themselves out as providing investment advice, nor do they comment upon the merits of or otherwise endorse any investment opportunity facilitated by the MLA. The material presented by companies at MLA organized events is the sole responsibility of those companies and does not constitute, nor should be construed as, either investment advice or an offering memorandum under applicable securities laws. You acknowledge that any reliance on or use by you of any such information is at your own risk. The MLA and the MLA Associates hereby expressly disclaim any liability whatsoever in connection with such material. 47 Colborne Street, Suite 403 Toronto, ON M5E 1P8 [email protected]

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