Less than 1%
of Black founders receive venture capital dollars
We're on a mission to change that.
Tribe Ventures is an early-stage strategic growth investor, investing in High-Growth Technology Companies led by underserved & racialized founders in Canada.
Our Focus
We focus on technology-based innovations in key sectors such as Tech-for-Good, Education Technology, Climate Technology, Health Technology, Financial Technology, and Robotics.
Strategic Focus on High-Growth in Emerging Technology Sectors: Investing in Future Advancements & Breakthroughs
Bridging the funding gap to ensure a sustainable cycle of innovation and economic growth
Founder Focus
Emphasis on supporting underrepresented founders and leveraging regional potential, filling a critical gap in the venture ecosystem.
Structured Investment Approach
Strategic mix of early-stage, seed, and follow-on investments tailored to startup growth phases.
Partnerships with academia and industry to enhance market access, scaling, and commercialization of innovations.
Support & Empowerment
Providing bespoke founder support in business strategy, market-entry, and growth.
Connecting founders with a rich network of industry leaders, peers, and customers for mentorship and growth
Interested in learning more about the Tribe Ventures Commercialization Venture Studio Fund?
Submit the form below to set up a call with our team where we’ll discuss investment and collaborative opportunities with Tribe Ventures.
Across Canada, Black and Indigenous founders receive less than 1% of venture capital dollars.
Tribe Ventures is a pre-seed and seed stage fund that specializes in funding racialized entrepreneurs. The fund was created to address the systemic barriers faced by racialized communities in accessing capital and to help close the funding gap. The intent is to support entrepreneurs who are often overlooked and underestimated by traditional venture capital firms and to create a more equitable startup ecosystem where more than 1-2% of venture capital is deployed towards racialized founders.
Diversity and inclusion are essential for innovation. Investing in underrepresented founders is not only the right thing to do but also makes good business sense. Companies with at least one female or one ethnically diverse founder are shown to generate over 60%+ in business value; and racially diverse founders gain an average exit multiple that is 30% higher than those of solely white founding teams.
Tribe Ventures will invest in pre-seed and seed startups across North America, while offering exclusive support to local, value-aligned startups in Atlantic Canada, creating value at home.
Why We Believe in Atlantic Canada's Startup Industry?
Tax Credits
Strategic Market Access
Highly Skilled Talent Pool
Tax Credits
Investing Local & Thinking Global: Creating More Investment Opportunities in Atlantic Canada
Investment Strategy
Investment Approach
Structured Portfolio: Strategic mix of early-stage, Seed, and follow-on investments tailored to startup growth phases.
Collaboration & Synergy: Partnering with academia and industry to enhance market access, scaling, and commercialization of innovations.
Support & Empowerment
Strategic Support: Providing bespoke business strategy, market-entry, and scaling programs.
Mentorship & Network: Connecting founders with a rich network of industry leaders, peers, and customers for mentorship and growth.
Commercialization Assistance: Offering expert guidance in navigating from innovation to market readiness and success.
Distinctive Value Proposition
Unique Focus: Emphasis on supporting underrepresented founders and regional potential, filling a critical gap in the venture ecosystem.
Ecosystem Integration: Comprehensive support system integrating startups with necessary resources, networks, and expertise for holistic growth
Diversified Exit Strategy: Implementing a tiered matrix exit strategy for investments to control time-varying systematic tail risk by crafting different exit plans to maximize investment returns and mitigate liquidity risks.
Investment Process
Academic partnerships & Lab2Market
Canada's Tech and Corporate network
Opportunities selection is driven by portfolio construction
Emphasis on Founder’s potential
In-depth market insights
Alignment with triple bottom-line goals
Win-win agreements
Active Founder participation
Continuous monitoring & adaptation
Post-investment review of financial and impact
Consideration of lessons learned
Investment Fit
Risk Exposure
Investment Type
Early-stage at the pre-seed & seed-stage investments
Number of Companies
30 companies (on average)
Pre-Seed Series
Average investment of CAD 250,000
Seed Series
Average investment of CAD 500,000
Percentage of Ownership
15% (on average)
Reserves
Initial investments – up to 60%
Investment Period
2 to 4 years (on average)
Single Entity Investment Limit
7.5%
Young GP Dedicated to Serving Underserved Communities
Alfred stands out as a visionary leader and social entrepreneur, dedicated to empowering racialized communities through entrepreneurship and innovation. As the Founder and CEO of Tribe Network, he has created an inclusive platform that offers vital resources to Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) in Canada, aiming to foster their entrepreneurial ambitions.
Experienced Leadership Team in Business, Community Development, Capital Markets, Technology, and Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Alfred Burgesson
Managing Partner
Recognized 30 Under 30 Innovator, Alfred is Founder and CEO of Tribe Network, providing racialized entrepreneurs access to community, capital & coaching to start, build, and accelerate their business in Canada. Alfred is a former advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada, First Nations Chiefs, and Senators.
Savior Joseph
General Partner
Over 20 years of experience as a business owner, executive and advisor for Fortune 50 companies. Most recently, Savior was the Senior Vice President Global Marketing for Aurora Cannabis Inc., in Toronto. Aurora Cannabis is a publicly-traded company (Nasdaq and TSE), which had revenues of $247M (CAD) in 2019.
Phillip Yoon, CAIA
Investment Principal
Over 20 years of experience as a Capital Allocation Strategist, Fund Manager – Alternative Investments, Portfolio Manager, and Investment Consultant in private market opportunities and public market investments.
Mehad ul Haque
Investment Analyst
Over a decade of experience in venture capital, impact investing, and startup ecosystem development, with a strong focus on early-stage investments
Looking for Funding?
Are you a business seeking funding? Start by telling us a little bit more about yourself and your business.
Our advisors excel in fund management, startup support, and advancing fields like AI, EdTech, Climate Tech, Health Tech, FinTech, and Robotics, aiming for substantial societal impact and financial returns while supporting racialized entrepreneurs.
Abdullah Snobar
CEO & Managing Partner at DMZ
Viviene Ogugua Astley, MD, MBA
Senior Advisor at Deloitte
Jennifer Laplante
CIO – Canada Ocean Super Cluster Ocean AI Leader Ocean Tech Investor
Rhiannon Davies
Managing Partner at Sandpiper Ventures Deep Tech Innovation Diversity Champion
Malcolm Fraser
Fund Manager, Nadarra Ventures Former CEO Innovacorp FundDeep Tech Investor
Vinit Nijhawan
Managing Director at Mass Ventures
Shaq Smith
Talent Acquisition and Development Sales and Go-to-Market Strategy Strategic Guidance and Mentorship
Amoye Henry
Capital & Fundraising Advisor Strategic Guidance and Mentorship Commercialization Support
Tribe’s Ecosystem is growing, along with its support for Racialized Entrepreneurs
Tribe’s Journey - 2023
Venture Roadshow Highlights
In 2023, Tribe Ventures embarked on its inaugural roadshow to promote its mission of investing in racialized and underrepresented founders. This allowed the team to develop a startup watchlist from coast to coast.
Halifax
Tribe Ventures kicked off its roadshow in Halifax, engaging local racialized founders and investors.
Montreal
The roadshow continued to Montreal, where Tribe Ventures emphasized the importance of fostering growth in the diverse entrepreneurial community. It facilitated meaningful conversations between founders and investors, aimed at overcoming barriers to capital access.
Toronto
The Toronto event gathered a large community of stakeholders, offering networking opportunities and insights into the potential for growth in racialized entrepreneurship.
Calgary
The Calgary leg of the roadshow highlighted investment opportunities for racialized founders in Western Canada.
Tribe’s Journey - 2024
Active Participation in the Canadian startup ecosystem
We reinforced our strategic vision of driving inclusive growth by co-hosting key events at the Collision Conference and Startup Fest, demonstrating our active role in the Canadian startup ecosystem.
Collision Conference
Tribe Ventures co-hosted two significant events:
Black Innovation Zone: A platform for Black founders to connect with the ecosystem, including investors to showcase their startups.
CXO Summit: An exclusive gathering for prospective startups and portfolio companies, targeting c-suite executives, focusing on knowledge sharing and education. In collaboration with Torys and BKR Capital.
Startup Fest
We co-hosted the Black Entrepreneurship Prize at Startup Fest, to showcase our commitment to inclusive innovation and supporting Black-led startups.
Our team provided one-on-one mentorship to startup founders, helping refine business pitches and investment strategies.
Strategic Partners
