Tech-active · Toronto, ON
Trellis Capital
Ontario industrial and tech veteran since 2000, no new investment traceable since 2017; its partners now invest through Dash40 Ventures.
- Cheque
- $500k to $2M
- Role
- Can lead a round
- Pace
- Quiet lately
- Kind
- Tech-active
- Based in
- Toronto, ON
- Founded
- 2000
- Works in
- EN
- Last deal seen
- July 2017
Their thesis, in full
Toronto VC investing since May 2000 in proprietary and patented technology, historically with industrial, materials, energy and IT infrastructure applications. Its published criteria now ask for patented innovation, revenue of approximately $5 million and a headquarters in or around Ontario. Founded by Sunil Selby (Founder and Managing Partner) with Dominic Talalla (Managing Partner), Trellis operates alongside Dash40 Ventures, an early-stage fund the same two partners founded, which writes first cheques of up to $300k near Toronto. Its official portfolio page still lists Flybits, Rank Software, ThinkData Works, Volante Systems, Teraspan and iS5 Communications as active, but no new Trellis investment is traceable in public sources after the Flybits Series B of July 2017. Notable exits include iS5 Communications (acquisition by Phoenix Contact announced December 2022) and Sciemetric.
What they bring past the cheque
- Industrial domain history
- Cleantech experience
- Toronto network
- IT infra background
- Long-cycle perspective
Questions they usually ask
Have an answer ready for each one before the first call.
- Why is now the right re-entry moment for an industrial or cleantech investor?
- What signals show your category is finally ready for venture-scale returns?
- How does your team navigate long industrial sales cycles efficiently?
Follow-on
No new investments visible since 2017 and no public reserve guidance. Founders should not plan around Trellis as a follow-on source and should rely on other syndicate leads for Series A and beyond.
Portfolio
Names they back, most notable first.
- FlybitsSeries B+ · 2017
- iS5 Communications
- Rank Software
- ThinkData Works
- Sciemetric
Often in the same rounds
Investors seen alongside them in past rounds.
- Information Venture Partners
- Portag3 Ventures
- Robert Bosch Venture Capital
- Exiger
- Generation Ventures
- MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund
- Export Development Canada
Similar investors
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