Investments
132Portfolio Exits
41Funds
14About Ventures West
Ventures West is an active venture capital partner that invests in early stage technology companies across Canada from offices in Vancouver and Toronto. Established in the Canadian venture capital market for over 35 years, Ventures West has formed eight venture capital funds which total over $700 million and has invested in more than 150 companies.

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Latest Ventures West News
Dec 6, 2019
Share: Tli Cho Landtran Transport , a trucking company once featured on the TV series "Ice Road Truckers," is shutting down along with several affiliates that hauled freight in some of Canada's most treacherous freight lanes but faced a staggering load of debt and mounting losses in the millions. Tli Cho Landtran, Ventures West Transport and two affiliates incurred C$18 million in losses in the fiscal year ending in March, their owner, Tlicho Investment Corp, said in a Nov. 27 court filing in Alberta seeking creditor protection. By the end of October, their debt reached C$60 million with assets worth about C$40 million. A hearing tomorrow, Dec. 6, will decide whether Tlicho Investment — owned by the indigenous government of the Tlicho First Nation — can extend creditor protection and proceed with a plan to sell off their assets. Most of the companies' 40 employees will likely lose their jobs. The carriers also had about 40 owner-operators. The fatal blow came from the loss of their single largest customer, a diamond mine in the Northwest Territories, which accounted for 27% of revenue, according to court filings. "Without this business, they could not continue to operate without sustaining significant losses. Unfortunately, the decision was made to close the Transport Companies operations and sell their assets consisting mainly of trucks and trailers," Tlicho Investment CEO Mark Brajer said in a statement. Still, the filing notes that the diamond mine's business had itself been unprofitable and that efforts to secure a better contract failed. The trucking companies effectively operated an intermingled entity headquartered in Alberta. They handled a mix of truckload, less than truckload, bulk and specialized transport, most notably using winter and ice roads to access the most remote areas of western Canada, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. The History Channel's reality series "Ice Road Truckers" included Tli Cho's drivers and dispatchers, chronicling the dangerous work. Representatives from Tli Cho Transport and Tlicho Investment could not be reached for comment. Canada has seen relatively few trucking failures in 2019 despite a weaker, choppy freight market. Ontario-based FTI filed for bankruptcy in September after closing alongside its U.S. sibling HVH.
Ventures West Investments
132 Investments
Ventures West has made 132 investments. Their latest investment was in Zymeworks as part of their Series A - III on October 10, 2014.

Ventures West Investments Activity

Date | Round | Company | Amount | New? | Co-Investors | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10/23/2014 | Series A - III | Zymeworks | $2.3M | No | 2 | |
5/6/2014 | Unattributed VC | AudienceView | Yes | 1 | ||
1/9/2014 | Series A - II | Zymeworks | $15M | No | 2 | |
4/1/2013 | Series C | |||||
9/28/2012 | Debt - V |
Date | 10/23/2014 | 5/6/2014 | 1/9/2014 | 4/1/2013 | 9/28/2012 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Round | Series A - III | Unattributed VC | Series A - II | Series C | Debt - V |
Company | Zymeworks | AudienceView | Zymeworks | ||
Amount | $2.3M | $15M | |||
New? | No | Yes | No | ||
Co-Investors | |||||
Sources | 2 | 1 | 2 |
Ventures West Portfolio Exits
41 Portfolio Exits
Ventures West has 41 portfolio exits. Their latest portfolio exit was Presidio Bank on October 14, 2019.
Date | Exit | Companies | Valuation Valuations are submitted by companies, mined from state filings or news, provided by VentureSource, or based on a comparables valuation model. | Acquirer | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
10/14/2019 | Acq - P2P | 4 | |||
4/28/2017 | IPO | Public | 2 | ||
3/30/2016 | IPO | Public | 2 | ||
Date | 10/14/2019 | 4/28/2017 | 3/30/2016 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Exit | Acq - P2P | IPO | IPO | ||
Companies | |||||
Valuation | |||||
Acquirer | Public | Public | |||
Sources | 4 | 2 | 2 |
Ventures West Fund History
14 Fund Histories
Ventures West has 14 funds, including Ventures West 8.
Closing Date | Fund | Fund Type | Status | Amount | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
12/31/2004 | Ventures West 8 | Early-Stage Venture Capital | Closed | $198.13M | 1 |
2/1/2000 | Ventures West 7 | Early-Stage Venture Capital | Closed | $161.94M | 1 |
12/31/1997 | Eastern Technology Seed Investment Fund | Early-Stage Venture Capital | Closed | $17.52M | 1 |
12/31/1997 | Western Technology Seed Investment Fund | ||||
12/31/1997 | Ventures West VI |
Closing Date | 12/31/2004 | 2/1/2000 | 12/31/1997 | 12/31/1997 | 12/31/1997 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fund | Ventures West 8 | Ventures West 7 | Eastern Technology Seed Investment Fund | Western Technology Seed Investment Fund | Ventures West VI |
Fund Type | Early-Stage Venture Capital | Early-Stage Venture Capital | Early-Stage Venture Capital | ||
Status | Closed | Closed | Closed | ||
Amount | $198.13M | $161.94M | $17.52M | ||
Sources | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Ventures West Team
8 Team Members
Ventures West has 8 team members, including current Chief Financial Officer, Howard Riback.
Name | Work History | Title | Status |
---|---|---|---|
Howard Riback | Chief Financial Officer | Current | |
Name | Howard Riback | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Work History | |||||
Title | Chief Financial Officer | ||||
Status | Current |
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