VANTEC Angel Network

Their thesis, in full

VANTEC Angel Network is one of British Columbia's longest-running angel networks, connecting investors and startups in Vancouver since 1999. The network runs 11 investor-focused pitch nights a year, hosted monthly except August, in person and live streamed, where BC-headquartered pre-seed and seed-stage tech founders present to a community of 150+ active angels and fund members. Companies are selected by a member-led screening committee and pay a $199 fee to pitch, with pitch readiness, data room and live Q&A preparation provided. VANTEC itself does not write cheques: members invest individually, and affiliated evergreen VCC WUTIF Capital, founded by Mike Volker in 2003 and run with COO Aaron Stuart, writes $100K to $250K initial cheques, can lead rounds and has supported 156+ BC companies. SFU Venture Labs, Fasken and BCIT are among VANTEC's ecosystem partners.

Questions they usually ask

Have an answer ready for each one before the first call.

1. Are you incorporated and operating in British Columbia?
2. Are you ready to pitch on a monthly VANTEC cadence and absorb the variability of member-led syndicate sizing?
3. Have you engaged SFU VentureLabs or other BC innovation programs to strengthen your application?

Follow-on

VANTEC is a network, not a fund, so it holds no pooled reserves of its own and member follow-on depends on individual conviction. Its affiliated evergreen VCC, WUTIF Capital, is different: it saves capital for follow-on investments in its winners and is always raising and deploying. Founders typically build a broader BC syndicate for institutional Series A capital.

Who to talk to

• Mike VolkerFounder, VANTEC; President & CEO, WUTIF Capital
• Aaron StuartCOO, WUTIF Capital