Tech-active · Calgary, AB
Thin Air Labs
Calgary venture studio + Prairie-focused fund.
- Cheque
- Not disclosed
- Role
- Can lead a round
- Pace
- Quiet lately
- Kind
- Tech-active
- Based in
- Calgary, AB
- Vehicle size
- $20M
- Founded
- 2020
- Works in
- EN
Their thesis, in full
Thin Air Labs is a Calgary-based venture capital firm and growth studio publicly launched in January 2020, co-founded by James Lochrie, Jim Gibson and Greg Hart (Gibson and Hart have since left), with Andrew Browne also co-founding. Fund I closed in October 2023 with nearly $20M CAD raised primarily from Alberta investors, described as a Prairie-focused venture fund, and is now fully deployed across 30 portfolio companies including Arbor (carbon management). The firm pairs capital with a services arm (Funding Catalyst) that has helped founders across North America secure more than $95M in non-dilutive capital. Targets pre-seed and seed in B2B, commercial services, healthcare, gaming and technology.
What they bring past the cheque
- Funding Catalyst non-dilutive practice ($100M+ secured, 385+ companies served, 300+ funded projects)
- grant, SR&ED, subsidy and tax credit strategy and writing
- senior specialist team of PhDs, MAScs and MBAs
- Calgary tech ecosystem hub
- portfolio support from Fund I (fully deployed, no new investments)
Questions they usually ask
Have an answer ready for each one before the first call.
- Thin Air Labs Fund I is fully deployed: are you coming for non-dilutive funding support rather than an equity cheque?
- Do you have at least six months of operating history and $250K+ in revenue or a clear path to it?
- Which grant, SR&ED or subsidy programs have you already applied to, and what did you win or lose?
Follow-on
Thin Air Labs reserves selectively for follow-on at seed and pairs equity capital with non-dilutive grant support via Funding Catalyst. The team syndicates Series A with Alberta and pan-Canadian co-investors and expects monthly KPI updates.
Who to talk to
- James LochrieCo-founder & Managing Partner, CEOLinkedIn ↗
- Ansh DhawanInvestments Associate & AI Adoption Strategist, Thin Air CapitalLinkedIn ↗
Portfolio
Names they back, most notable first.
- PhenoTipsSeed · 2021
Often in the same rounds
Investors seen alongside them in past rounds.
- GreenSky Capital
- Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners
- Yorkville Partners
Similar investors
Overlapping sectors and stages. Useful to build a list of 10 to 20 names for one round.
See how they fit your round
Set your stage, sector and amount once. Fractal App tells you if Thin Air Labs can lead it, tracks every follow-up, and counts the days of silence. Free, no card.
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