Generalist · Toronto, ON
Simple Ventures
Building great Canadian companies from scratch.
- Cheque
- Not disclosed
- Role
- Can lead a round
- Pace
- Actively deploying
- Kind
- Generalist
- Based in
- Toronto, ON
- Vehicle size
- $19M
- Founded
- 2024
- Works in
- EN
Their thesis, in full
Simple Ventures is a Toronto venture studio, which means it does not simply write cheques to existing startups: it co-founds and builds companies in-house, then funds and scales them. The studio scouts globally for proven products and services missing in Canada, validates each idea through development and testing, then pairs proven operators with the concept and takes an ownership stake alongside founders. Backed by a $19M CAD first fund and an LP network whose companies represent over $750B CAD in combined market cap, it gives portfolio companies an unfair advantage in talent, capital and distribution. For founders this means joining or leading a studio-built company with capital, advisors and infrastructure from day zero, rather than pitching an independent venture. Its stated goal is to build 25 Canadian-headquartered companies by 2030.
What they bring past the cheque
- Studio model that co-founds and builds companies in-house rather than only investing
- LP network of marquee Canadian operators (Shopify, Wealthsimple, Ada, Knix) and institutions (TD, Sun Life, Sobeys) representing $750B+ CAD in market cap
- Profitability-obsessed, capital-efficient approach blending search funds, PE, VC and bootstrapping
- Downside-risk mitigation so operators execute without fear of catastrophic loss
- Explicit Canada-first mission to retain and repatriate founder talent
Questions they usually ask
Have an answer ready for each one before the first call.
- Is this a product or service already proven abroad but currently missing or underserved in Canada, and why has no one built it here yet?
- Can one of our LPs or operator-advisors give this company an unfair advantage in distribution, talent or domain expertise?
- Is the business capital-efficient with a credible path to profitability and a win-win exit within roughly five years?
Follow-on
Simple Ventures provides capital, a validated idea and hands-on operator support from inception, building a strong bench of advisors around each company. It connects founders to LPs with deep, relevant experience and offers distribution, talent and infrastructure. The studio keeps real ownership in operators' hands while capping downside risk so teams can focus on execution.
Who to talk to
- Rachel ZimmerCo-Founder & CEOLinkedIn ↗
- Michael KatchenCo-Founder & Chair
- Danny FeuerChief Investment Officer
- Dan PappoNew Venture Lead
- Bram WarshafskyTechnology Partner & Advisor
- Nick GalassoStrategy Partner & Advisor
- Sajee SivasooriyanFinance Partner & Advisor
Portfolio
Names they back, most notable first.
- HarvestSeed · 2025
- KindlySeed · 2025
- Zero CollectiveSeed · 2024
- Alma CareSeed · 2023
Often in the same rounds
Investors seen alongside them in past rounds.
- TD Innovation Partners
- Sun Life
- Sobeys
- Good Future (Arati Sharma & Satish Kanwar)
- Harley Finkelstein (Shopify)
- Michael Katchen (Wealthsimple)
- Mike Murchison (Ada)
- Joanna Griffiths (Knix)
- Kirk Simpson (Wave)
- Emma Stern (Felix Health)
- Alyssa Furtado (Ratehub)
- Josh Domingues (Flashfood)
- Aaron Zifkin (Airbnb)
- Joe Canavan
- Sam Duboc
- Jamie McDonald (Hubdoc)
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