North Forge Establishes Venture Capital Clinic for Founders

WINNIPEG, MB –  North Forge Technology Exchange, Manitoba’s premier business incubator, has entered a strategic partnership with Red Leaf Capital that will provide a bridge between their startups and venture capitalists.

The North Forge Venture Capital Clinic (VC Clinic) will give entrepreneurs, participating in their Founders Program, exclusive access to one-on-one mentorship and on-demand, customized feedback sessions from Red Leaf Capital, their in-house Capital Partner.

Venture Capitalists rarely accept cold calls, are challenging to establish relationships with, and entrepreneurs often need special introductions to speak to them. As a recognized, top-tier incubator, North Forge will be able to guide entrepreneurs through that process and provide them credibility along the way. Very few incubators in Canada offer this unique service and have a VC Fund embedded within their programming.

“This is an important partnership for North Forge Technology Exchange and entrepreneurs in Manitoba,” said Economic Development, Investment and Trade Minister Cliff Cullen. “There are so many innovative and motivated individuals in our province, and this partnership will allow more projects to get the kick-start they need.”

“Raising capital has always been one of the main challenges and often milestones for entrepreneurs. We are very excited to partner with North Forge to establish the VC Clinics for the North Forge Founders Program members. We will work directly with entrepreneurs to dive deep into their finance strategy and discuss specific topics entrepreneurs are facing.” says Shane Li, President & CEO of Red Leaf Capital.

“The VC Clinic is a natural segway into the growth of our Angel Network, which we launched a year ago. North Forge has listened to our Founders and there was a gap in knowledge that required resources. We will now be able to provide our Founders with a seasoned, expert venture capitalist and unparalleled information. We might be in Winnipeg, but our information and services are world-class. Our VCs are internationally recognized.” says Joelle Foster, CEO of North Forge Technology Exchange.

If you are an investor and would like to have the opportunity to be introduced to early-stage startups in tech, advanced manufacturing and science-based startups, contact Candy Dong, North Forge Angel Network Manager, at cdong@northforge.ca.

About North Forge
North Forge Technology Exchange is an incubator/accelerator and the innovation partner for the Province of Manitoba. We fuel Manitoba’s innovation economy providing founders with growth coaches, mentors, entrepreneurs-in-residence, and a four-stage Founders Program. We have helped over 220 companies and created hundreds of jobs. Armed with Canada’s largest non-profit fabrication lab, we operate out of 27,000 square feet across Innovation Drive and Innovation Alley in Winnipeg, Canada. 

About Red Leaf Capital
Founded in 2009, Red Leaf Capital (“RLC”) is committed to investing in start-ups with strong innovation and global scalability. RLC provides long-term minority capital to visionary entrepreneurs to fund the growth and expansion of their early-stage businesses. With over 25 years in assisting clients worldwide, RLC boasts a track record of more than 100 successful debt and equity transactions and advisory engagements in Canada, the U.S., Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Red Leaf Capital combines a unique research-driven investment decision process with a high-touch collaborative engagement model designed to help world-class entrepreneurs in high-growth global market segments scale.

North Forge Technology Exchange Media Contact
Joelle Foster
CEO
204-390-6144
jfoster@northforge.ca

Red Leaf Capital Media Contact
Shane Li
President and CEO
204-291-8108
sli@redleafcapital.ca