Author: Metiquity Ventures

Testimonial: When WaitWell Got Tired of Waiting

In July this year, queue management software WaitWell – a queue management software optimizes service delivery at busy locations like universities, government offices and clinics – secured $1.5 million CAD in seed funding to expand its product offering across the States, venturing into new markets along the way. However, without the “sounding board” of Bryan Slauko and Jacques LaPointe the WaitWell story would have been very different indeed.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, WaitWell’s founders – husband and wife Steve and Shannon Vander Meulen – ran a motor vehicle registry office in Alberta, but with the ‘unprecedented new normal’ of Covid-19 came a cavalcade of service problems for customers and companies alike.

When the Vander Meulens noticed an opportunity to better resolve lineup management issues, they decided to launch beta testing on WaitWell in August 2020. 

“Through the pandemic, we knew that we had the important role of providing an essential service while doing so in a safe and effective manner,” Steve began. “The solutions that were out there weren’t exactly fit for the style of business that we ran, so we built our own and had the good fortune to commercialise that to neighbouring markets.”

On the topic, Shannon said: “Immediately we realised once you digitize the way that people enter a queue, you have an opportunity to really digitally transform the entire customer experience from the time they join the queue until after they’ve left the building.”

The pair met Bryan and Jacques at an investment summit hosted by Startup TNT (WaitWell won the investment, by the way) and were struck by the pair’s unparalleled experience in the startup world, as well as their shared determination for the company to exit within Steve’s intention of a seven-to-ten-year timeframe.

It’s this “emotional investment” in the WaitWell journey that Shannon credits to the company’s success to date, crediting the pair as a “sounding board” for their questions and concerns as they worked to build WaitWell as a leader in queue management software.

“Although we’re experienced entrepreneurs, we are not experienced in the startup world, and so a lot of times we run into hurdles, challenges and questions,” Shannon said. “Bryan and Jacques have also been really helpful in providing connections for us. They’ve done a lot of introductions where necessary.”

A Beginner’s Guide to Startup Investing

As an entrepreneur sets off on their journey from humble beginnings to startup success, they will inevitably need financial support to fund their business. This funding may come from a variety of different sources, such as their own bank accounts, friends and family, business loans, grants, or private investment. 

So how does a promising new entrepreneur get a handle on how and when to seek out sector and investor help? Here’s a guide to some of the most common avenues founders will encounter when navigating the weird and wonderful world of startup investment.

Bootstrapping

A founder who can start their company with little outside investment is said to have ‘bootstrapped’ their startup. They may have little to no assets, but they get things up and running. Later in the evolution process the business and founder may need to scale up or go public to attract investment, but for now they’ve managed to get off the ground without any external investments.

Friends and Family

When a business is first starting out – and is perhaps better described as an ‘idea’ than a fully-functioning organization – capital is an essential asset in funding market research, developing prototypes and testing their business hypothesis. The journey for this capital among many entrepreneurs begins at home, with friends and family. 

At this point, the company would usually not have any sales or customers. The founders are simply looking for capital to explore their business idea to see if their concept has further potential. This stage of VC is also called pre-seed investment, as this capital raise is fairly unofficial with little (or no) paperwork completed. 

In short, this is usually an entrepreneur’s first try at raising capital for their business if they don’t have enough money to ‘bootstrap’ the business and lack the information and business proof-of-concept to look to larger investors. 

However not everyone is comfortable bringing their nearest and dearest into their business plans. 

Angel Investors

Angel investors are typically individuals or family offices who are looking to provide capital to startups they believe have potential. Angel investors can range from a single person to official angel groups who invest across multiple businesses. 

These business angels tend to be wealthy individuals who are entrepreneurial in nature and want to support other entrepreneurs while also seeking a high return on investment. Alongside capital, it’s important for founders to consider what expertise and history of success angel investors bring to the table before offering them a seat at the table.

While securing capital from friends and family is considered pre-seed funding, working with an angel investor (or anyone else who gains equity in the business) becomes the first round of fundraising – otherwise known as “seed funding”. Angel investors will look for a stake (or equity) in the company in exchange for their investment and may or may not be interested in actively assisting in growing the company. Exchanging shares of a company for capital is an official transaction and is considered to be seed funding. 

Lead investors or early stage investors are a form of angel investor; however, early seed rounds are less about one individual who might invest in a business. Instead, they are based on a fund and due-diligence process around private investment. 

Family Office

Family offices are private wealth management advisory firms dedicated to serving high net worth individuals or families. They generally fall under the label of LP (limited partners) who invest in larger VCs or funds. Traditionally, family offices are categorized into two separate types – single-family offices (SFOs) and multi-family offices (MFOs)

Single-family offices serve only one family and are responsible for managing their finances. This includes allocating capital into various investment opportunities such as venture capitalism, along with functions such as succession planning, lifestyle management, risk management, filing taxes, and more.  

Multi-family offices serve similar functions with one important distinction: where single family offices only serve one family, MFOs can be thought of as more traditional private wealth management firms who serve multiple different clients. This allows them to enjoy economies of scale by pooling their clients’ resources together when appropriate. 

The value behind family offices is their ability to manage the entire financial umbrella of a high-net-worth family. Functions like estate planning and taxes are typically done by separate institutions, and for families with extreme wealth these processes can become quite complex. Family offices enable wealthy families to have all financial tasks handled by a single entity, simplifying the process and ensuring their capital resources are managed efficiently.  

Venture Capital Firms (VC)

Venture capital firms can be similar in function to angel investors, yet differ in their expertise and access to resources. These VC firms are most often led by former entrepreneurs who exited their own businesses successfully. They are experts in evaluating and analyzing the potential of other startups, and typically have teams of investment analysts to help them sift through research reports. This makes it easier for them to determine where their investment capital is best allocated. 

VC firms draw their funding from pensions, family offices, and other institutions. For this reason, they have a substantial amount of capital to invest in prospective startups. Many VC firms will focus on companies who have moved past the prototype stage and are looking to expand operations and grow their customer base. However, some firms focus on the early-stage startups where founders are still testing their business hypothesis and researching their proposed market opportunity. 

Just like angel investors, VC firms will gain a portion of ownership in an entrepreneur’s business in exchange for capital, and take a hands-off or hands-on role in assisting the entrepreneur in building their company. 

A common question is how much equity is a VC firm likely to want in exchange for the capital a founder needs? This is a complex question that unfortunately does not have a simple answer. 

The important thing to remember is that VC firms operate with precision and intention. When determining how much equity they are looking to gain in exchange for providing a business with capital, they will usually resort to some sort of valuation model. One such model called a discounted cash flow (DCF) attempts to forecast how much revenue a company will achieve in the future and then work backwards to what a company is worth today. VC firms will then take into consideration other important factors such as risk tolerance and the total return they want to gain from this investment. 

Upon understanding what a company is worth, what sort of return they want to achieve, and what their risk tolerance is, a VC firm can begin to determine the equity required to align with their strategy.

As an example, let’s say a founder wants to raise $500,000. A VC firm, through using a DCF model, values their company at $23 million in five year’s time. Assuming they are looking for a return of 9-10 times their initial investment, that would put the startup’s worth at $2.5 million today. This means that for an investment of $500,000 the founder would give 20% of the company’s equity to the VC firm. Check out this handy startup valuation calculator to understand the relationship between the capital entrepreneurs are looking to raise, the value of a company, and the equity stake a founder would give to a potential investor.

The above is an example of one possible methodology a VC firm may use to begin to value a company and determine how much equity they wish to receive. In reality, several factors – including operating history and whether there is a developed prototype – will come into play when negotiating with a VC firm on the investment amount and equity stake.

The most important thing to remember when beginning conversations with a VC firm is to work with them and not against them. Founders should come prepared with a clear outline of the future potential of their business, as well as projected revenue/earnings. This will help to navigate preliminary negotiations and assist in determining what percentage of equity an entrepreneur is willing to give in exchange for capital.

Metiquity Ventures Announces $400,000 Investment in Saskatoon-Based Runnr Delivery

Metiquity Ventures, a leading pre-seed stage focused venture fund based in Calgary, today announced a significant investment of $400,000 in Runnr Delivery, a Saskatoon-based company specializing in efficient and technology-driven last mile delivery solutions.

Runnr Delivery has emerged as a leader in the rapidly growing on-demand, last mile delivery sector, providing a seamless platform connecting local delivery vendors with their enterprise customers. The company leverages technology to digitize and streamline delivery processes, enabling organizations to schedule deliveries online, track shipments, access upfront pricing, and manage both internal fleets and external vendors efficiently, while enhancing the overall customer experience.

Metiquity Ventures recognizes the immense potential of Runnr Delivery in transforming the local delivery landscape. This strategic investment aligns with Metiquity’s commitment to fostering innovation and supporting promising pre-seed stage startups in emerging tech ecosystems that are underserved by local investors.

Bryan Slauko, Managing Partner at Metiquity Ventures, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, “We are thrilled to be part of Runnr Delivery’s journey. The company’s commitment to leveraging technology for efficient and reliable delivery services aligns with our vision of supporting ventures that redefine industries. We believe that Runnr Delivery has the potential to make a significant impact in the local delivery market, and we are excited to contribute to their growth.”

Runnr Delivery’s CEO, Louis Kolla, expressed gratitude for the support from Metiquity Ventures, stating, “This investment from Metiquity Ventures comes at a pivotal time for Runnr Delivery. It will allow us to accelerate our growth plans, invest in technology upgrades, and better serve both our business partners and customers. We are excited about the possibilities that this partnership brings and look forward to reaching new milestones with Metiquity Ventures by our side.”

About Metiquity Ventures:

Metiquity Ventures is a pre-seed stage focused venture fund based in Calgary, dedicated to supporting innovative startups in their pre-revenue and early-revenue stages. With a focus on empowering emerging businesses, Metiquity Ventures provides strategic investments and mentorship to drive growth and success.

About Runnr Delivery:

Runnr Delivery is a Saskatoon-based logistics management platform that is standardizing local third-party logistics by digitizing local delivery processes for enterprise companies while also modernizing local delivery vendors through a suite of tools to digitize and simplify their workflows. RUNNR aims to streamline the local delivery process and enhance the overall customer experience.

 

Metiquity Ventures Closes its $300,000 Investment in Calgary-Based Mastrius.

Metiquity Ventures, a leading pre-seed stage focused venture fund based in Calgary, has announced a strategic investment of $300,000 in Mastrius and its $1 million pre-seed round. Mastrius is a prominent virtual mentorship company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta. This significant infusion of capital is poised to further fuel Mastrius’s expansion, enhance its technological infrastructure, and bolster its presence in the burgeoning virtual mentorship market.

Mastrius, known for its cutting-edge platform connecting artists with mentors for live, personalized creative guidance, will utilize this investment to strengthen its position in the virtual mentorship sector. The company plans to innovate its platform, develop new features, and scale its operations to cater to a broader global audience of aspiring artists and creative enthusiasts.

Metiquity Ventures’ partner Bryan Slauko is thrilled to partner with the team at Mastrius, stating: “We are excited about the potential Mastrius holds in revolutionizing the way emerging artists and other creatives learn and grow. The Mastrius team have already proven global demand for their platform and their determination and commitment to succeed aligns perfectly with our mission to support innovative ventures here in Alberta. We believe that this investment will empower Mastrius to reach new heights in the virtual mentorship landscape.”

Mastrius CEO Mike DeBoer expressed gratitude for the investment, stating: “Metiquity Ventures’ support is a testament to the value we are creating in the creative community. This investment will enable us to expand our services, offer more opportunities to artists, and continue our mission of empowering creative minds. We are thrilled to embark on this journey with Metiquity Ventures.”

This investment marks a significant milestone for both Metiquity Ventures and Mastrius, showcasing the synergy between strategic investors and innovative startups in driving progress and fostering talent within emerging and often overlooked sectors in Alberta.

About Metiquity Ventures:

Metiquity Ventures is a pre-seed stage focused venture fund based in Calgary, dedicated to supporting innovative startups in their early stages. With a focus on empowering emerging businesses, Metiquity Ventures provides strategic investments and mentorship to drive growth and success.

About Mastrius:

Mastrius is a leading virtual mentorship platform based in Calgary, connecting artists with experienced mentors for personalized creative guidance. Through its innovative platform, Mastrius empowers aspiring artists to develop their skills, gain insights, and thrive in their creative pursuits. Emerging Artists join small, high-impact apprenticeship groups to be mentored in a live virtual setting by their choice of Master Artist, whom they’d otherwise never have access to. Mastrius brings its members the encouragement of a safe and trusted community of fellow artists, working together to help even the loftiest goals become achievable.

Metiquity Closes Investment in Calgary-based WaitWell

Calgary, AB – Metiquity Ventures is excited to announce the closing of its $300,000 equity investment in Calgary-based WaitWell Inc. WaitWell, a provider of service-delivery workflow solutions, recently raised $1 million in seed funding, backed by investors including Metiquity, Startup TNT and Be First Investments.

WaitWell was co-founded by Shannon and Steve Vander Meulen in 2020 when they saw a need for a digital workflow solution in their own business, East Calgary Registry. In the past two years, WaitWell has grown into a robust, award-winning solution, improving service delivery for over 500 locations and 4.4M users, while saving visitors a total of 1 million hours of waiting in line.

Bryan Slauko, Managing Partner at Metiquity Ventures, says the firm is thrilled to partner with Steve, Shannon, and the team at WaitWell.

“WaitWell has such a strong, seasoned team of founders who have accomplished so much in only two years since starting the business. Customer service and experience expectations are driving a structural change in the way businesses serve their customers. Consumers have higher expectations today for convenience and speed. WaitWell’s ability to digitize workflow and transform service delivery is being recognized by a growing list of businesses across North America for meeting those expectations.”

WaitWell helps to reduce wait times by up to 30% for public offices, universities and large retailers. Organizations use WaitWell to streamline service delivery and vastly improve the customer experience, leading to an increase in customer loyalty. What’s most powerful with the WaitWell solution is the ability for an organization to illuminate their service operations with robust data captured throughout the entire service delivery workflow.

“Before WaitWell, the data available to service organizations was limited to point-of-sale records captured at the last stage in the customer engagement,” said CEO Steve Vander Meulen. “This left operations blind to what was really transpiring during the service workflow. Certainly, customers love the queue management and appointment booking features of WaitWell, but the true value is in how the solution empowers them to make data-driven decisions for how to improve services, customer experiences and business results.”

“We are really grateful for the support we have received from the Calgary investment community,” said CMO Shannon Vander Meulen. “We believe that outstanding service is always possible with the right processes and tools. We want WaitWell to be the trusted digital workflow partner of service delivery organizations around the world.”

WaitWell plans to use this funding to expand their workflow solution further into the United States. It will also be used to evolve their solution to incorporate AI into its data analytics capabilities.

About Metiquity Ventures

Based in Calgary, Alberta, Metiquity Ventures is a pre-seed growth equity fund formed to unlock growth potential for innovative founders on-the-cusp of growth and pioneering investors who invest alongside them.

Why bet on a unicorn when you can ride a camel

 

Angels, unicorns, centaurs, ponies, dragons, camels… oh my! 

Why should emerging market and early-stage investors nurture the camel before getting googly-eyed at a potential unicorn’s sparkles?

Because savvy investors place value on the real thing, not mythical creatures.

While you may hear about the latest “unicorn exits” in the headlines, it’s important to understand how we came about these “pet” names to categorize the best and brightest tech scales on the planet.

Here’s Metiquity’s who’s who in the zoo lingo cheat sheet:

What’s a Unicorn?

In tech and startup language, the most common description of a success story is usually labelled: the unicorn.

When we say the word unicorn, what comes to mind? A mythical beast resembling a horse with a single long-pointed horn between its eyes and wings on its midsection? That type of unicorn is an ever-elusive storybook creature or goal.

In the Venture Capital world, unicorns are companies that successfully reach a valuation of $1 billion or more. The reason these companies are described as unicorns is that it is extremely rare for an early-stage startup to reach such a high valuation, though it is not an impossible goal.

Becoming a unicorn can seem like a daunting journey. And while most advice focuses on raising as much capital as possible, the shortest path to becoming a unicorn is to focus on your customer and the value your company brings. A sustainable business model with a superior product or technology is what private investment firms look for, and that is the most significant defining factor to becoming a unicorn.

Becoming a unicorn is a true testament to the potential of any startup and puts a company in select groups who (usually) go on to achieve incredible things. 

Startups that gain valuations of $1 billion or more may not be as exciting or mystical as seeing an actual unicorn. But in reality, they’re almost as rare… so other creatures describe successful startup stories?

In the Prairies and Alberta’s tech ecosystem, there are a few notable unicorns gems, including Benevity and  Solium Capital, however – we’re an emerging market, and that means to create more unicorns, we need a beast with consistent tenacity and grit, as well as the strength of character to get us over any and humps (booms and busts, rainy days and most importantly, dry spells – a zone the camel excels in). 

Enter the Camel

Stick a unicorn, a dragon and a pony out in the open desert for a week or two and see who survives… Metiquity Ventures’ bet is the trusty camel. 

This startup metaphor is based on survival and profitable risk assessment. Camels put the management of resources first. They are focused on the long-haul scaleup. Not speedy exit rounds. 

When we hear horror stories such as the dot com crash of the early 2000s and other Silicon Valley cringers we know that we don’t want that happening in an emerging market such as Alberta.

When early-stage venture capital investors focus on growth at all costs (creating unicorns) it works best in the strongest bull markets and best conditions (in which only a unicorn could survive). Emerging markets take grit and planning, business acumen and hard work, plus cash flow and careful management of resources and assets.  

Emerging markets need Camels 

The Prairies and Alberta’s technology sector market need camels. Those founders, early-stage companies and tech startups ready to survive for long periods of growth in the heat and sun, sometimes with little sustenance and watering, because they were smart enough to store their energy and resources for a non-rainy day in their hump. 

They execute balanced growth, take a long-term outlook and make diversification a pillar of all business strategies. This allows them to scale on balanced growth. They can survive more market shocks and downturns. Their tenacity over shiny facade is what gives them the advantage. 

Camels support efficient and balanced economic growth

Investors that are looking to emerging markets such as that of Alberta and the Prairies tech sector and digital innovation ecosystems are interested in sustainable models of development and business. They should also be looking for mixed portfolios with companies that drive capital efficiency and crisis-resistant models. 

Metiquity look at investment in the emerging tech market and asset class from this perspective: where are the camels?

The data is still early, but there are strong indications that this is a strategy for pre-seed investment here to succeed. For one, survival rates are higher in emerging startup ecosystems. At the same time, because they are more capital efficient (and valuations on average are more reasonable), they can generate greater cash-on-cash multiples on higher ownership

By changing the way VCs search for new investments and by valuing more economically stable companies over longer time horizons, venture capitalists can create healthier and less risky startup business environments. This also allows them to reward well-run startups and mitigate their high risks. It is a win-win-win, and in the face of current market instabilities, it seems like the right time to start adjusting venture capital strategies.

When it comes to animals, we love them allwe’re happy to feed and water potential unicorns, dragons, ponies, centaurs and the like. But we’d be telling you a  tale if we didn’t admit that the camel is our favourite of the crew.

The Metiquity team will be the first to point out — much like the desert steed need and deserves a good wrangler, so do companies and founders in the form of their investors.

“Camels commit to a long-term scaleup and aren’t about quick exits. Meaning Camels (founders) should also be critical thinkers when assessing who invests in their company. Not all money is equal. A vetted hands-on investor is almost always the better option than a spray-and-pray fund or angel who is pushing for early exit with no chops for helping guide a company to scale to full potential.”
Jacques LaPointe MBA, PEng, Director and Co-Founder of Metiquity Ventures

Other interesting creatures include: Dragons, Centaurs and Ponies

  • Dragons: You’d think a unicorn would be about as good as it gets  –  but there’s an even more giant behemoth that rarely shows its fiery breath and impact. That is the dragon, also known as a private company valued at over $12 billion or more. 
  • Centaurs: The centaurs are companies with a valuation of more than $100 million in annual recurring revenue.
  • Ponies: These cute but consistent steeds have a valuation of more than $10 million. 

These four-legged categories bring us to the most important animal of all. Have we mentioned how much we love the camel yet?

Camel 101

  • Not blitz-scaling 
  • Measured risk and reward with balanced & sustainable growth
  • Long-haul founders and teams passionate about the global challenges they are disrupting
  • Strategic growth focus
  • Maintain reserves for dry spells 
  • Focus on strategic movement across the desert, no sparkle bombs (no smoke and mirrors) 😉 

Can you think of a more recession-proof animal? 

 

Metiquity Ventures Closes Investment in my-eforce

Metiquity Ventures Closes Investment in my-eforce

Metiquity is excited to announce the closing of its pre-seed equity investment in Calgary-based my-eforce. Metiquity acted as lead investor in this oversubscribed round.

my-eforce has developed a health and safety platform providing employers with critical life saving information before everyday incidents become life-changing tragedies. my-eforce provides a unique combination of real-time GPS location tracking and automated biometric feedback through its innovative wearable bracelet technology. The my-eforce platform also provides a proprietary connection to emergency dispatch to enhance the speed and safety of emergency response times.

“Metiquity is excited to partner with Brennan Lewis and the team at my-eforce. We believe my-eforce’s ability to understand the unique biometric footprint for each person on the platform will give customers critical insights that empower them to better protect the health and safety of their lone workers and at-risk individuals. At the same time, my-eforce’s platform will digitally transform an inefficient employee check-in process and allow customers to optimize their operations.” – Bryan Slauko, Managing Partner at Metiquity Ventures.

The market for lone worker safety solutions is well defined and growing. COVID-19 has created more lone workers than ever. Many countries are developing stricter occupational health and safety regulations to protect lone workers. Employee insurance costs are rising. And organizations are placing a greater corporate focus on health and safety to attract and retain their people.

Metiquity believes my-eforce’s technology will bring needed innovation to the existing market for lone worker safety solutions, and open new markets by broadening the application of these solutions across industries and geographies.

Metiquity Ventures


Based in Calgary, Alberta, Metiquity Ventures is a pre-seed growth equity fund formed to unlock growth potential for innovative founders on-the-cusp of growth and pioneering investors who invest alongside them.

my-eforce


About my-eforce
my-eforce has developed a proprietary understanding of each individual on the platform from a biometric perspective. This understanding allows us to tell the story of what events that individual is experiencing, enabling organizations to coordinate responses to their needs without wasting valuable time.

Metiquity Announces Investment in Calgary-based my-eforce

Metiquity is excited to announce the closing of its pre-seed equity investment in Calgary-based, my-eforce. Metiquity acted as lead investor in this over-subscribed round.

my-eforce has developed a health and safety platform providing organizations of all types with actionable, lifesaving information, long before everyday incidents become life-changing tragedies. my-eforce provides a unique combination of real-time GPS location and automated biometric feedback through its innovative and discreet wearable wristband technology. This automation ensures the story of a life-critical event is instantly told – crucial for when the wearer is unable to tell it themselves. The my-eforce platform also provides a proprietary connection to emergency dispatch to enhance the speed and safety of emergency response times.

Keeping Employees and Organizations Safe Through Biometric Technology

Organizations can now connect to individual employees to help keep them safe. The my-eforce platform understands and alerts to the wearer’s reaction to serious, abnormal, or life-critical events through acute changes in their biometric information. The more the wristband is worn, the safer the wearer becomes. Team leaders can then forward that life-critical information directly to first responders, drastically reducing time and logistics for emergency response. Any segment of industry will benefit from my-eforce, starting with higher-risk workers, then moving to the boardroom.

Bryan Slauko, Managing Partner at Metiquity Ventures, says the firm is excited to partner with Brennan Lewis and the team at my-eforce.

“We believe my-eforce’s ability to understand the unique biometric fingerprint for each person on the platform will give customers critical insights that empower them to better protect the health and safety of their employees. At the same time, my-eforce’s platform will digitally transform an inefficient employee check-in process and allow customers to optimize and automate their operations.” Says Slauko.

Market Disruption

The market for employee safety solutions is well defined and growing. COVID-19 has created more remote and disconnected workers than ever, forever changing its definition and therefore, requirements. Employee insurance costs are rising, and organizations are placing a greater corporate focus on health and safety to attract and retain their people. As the minimum standards for corporate-employee-responsibility shift, Metiquity believes my-eforce’s technology will bring needed innovation to the existing market for employee safety solutions, opening new markets by broadening the application of these solutions across overlooked industries, geographies and most importantly, employee’s themselves.

About Metiquity Ventures

Based in Calgary, Alberta, Metiquity Ventures is a pre-seed growth equity fund formed to unlock growth potential for innovative founders on-the-cusp of growth and pioneering investors who invest alongside them.

About my-eforce

my-eforce is the next generation of high-tech employee safety solutions, consisting of real-time GPS, automated biometric feedback, and emergency dispatch integration. Our Alberta developed technology includes a wearable wristband and is connected to a proprietary cloud platform. The my-eforce system is the first to understand and react to people’s unique health and wellness traits, allowing us to tell the story of what events that individual is experiencing in the field during a potential emergency where they may be cut off from other communications. Our technology enables organizations to better protect their workforce through coordinated responses to their workers needs without wasting valuable time.

Metiquity Ventures Closes Investment in Arolytics

Metiquity is excited to announce the closing of its equity investment in Calgary and Halifax-based Arolytics and its oversubscribed $700,000 seed funding round.

Arolytics has developed a software platform to help clients track and disclose greenhouse gas emissions performance while leveraging data to optimize emission reduction opportunities. Arolytics’ platform provides reliable and consistent reporting to management, regulators and investors. It also empowers clients to optimize long-term business sustainability by finding a balance between a responsibility to mitigate climate risks and a need to drive competitive and sustainable returns to shareholders.

“Metiquity is thrilled to partner with Liz, Emmy and the team at Arolytics. They have already achieved strong early traction with leaders in the energy industry. With new methane regulations, increasing ESG pressure, and rapidly growing global investment industry demands for better climate risk disclosures, we believe Arolytics is well positioned to be a leader in helping oil and gas firms meet their emissions disclosure and reduction targets.” – Bryan Slauko, Managing Partner at Metiquity Ventures.

Metiquity is also proud to have partnered with M-Tech Innovations and Startup TNT in providing the early-stage funding that will unlock Arolytics’ growth potential. “Continued growth of our ecosystem will not happen without more support from investors who are willing to invest in the early-stage funding gap faced by so many founders. M-Tech and Startup TNT are great partners who understand the need to work together to mobilize capital into this gap.”

Metiquity Ventures

Based in Calgary, Alberta, Metiquity Ventures is an early-stage growth equity fund formed to unlock growth potential for innovative founders on-the-cusp of growth and pioneering investors who invest alongside them.

About Arolytics

With proprietary algorithms and emissions modelling, Arolytics has developed AROviz, a SaaS platform that optimizes energy sector emissions management while unlocking significant cost savings. Aggregating data from any sensor or source, the platform manages greenhouse gas emissions for compliance, disclosure, and ESG purposes, equipping everyone from the field to the board with readily available and verified emissions information. Formed in 2018, Arolytics originated out of one of Canada’s largest emissions research labs and has locations in both Halifax and Calgary.

Metiquity Ventures Announces Investment in Calgary-based Takemetuit

In keeping with its commitment to help Alberta’s founders navigate a significant funding gap and unlock early-stage growth potential, Metiquity Ventures today announced the closing of its $300,000 equity investment in Calgary-based Takemetuit. Metiquity acted as lead investor in the current $700,000 round.

Takemetuit has developed a unique indoor positioning technology that navigates people to products within 10cm of accuracy in three-dimensional space, without the need for chips or tags to transmit location data. Takemetuit’s patent protected acoustic-based technology is designed to operate in a similar way as GPS technology, using standard mobile devices. Metiquity believes there is a clear need for reliable, cost-effective sub-metre accuracy in the market that is not being met.

Takemetuit has initially targeted the grocery retail industry, which is known for very thin operating profit margins and is currently struggling to deal with the broken economics of its online distribution channel. The global acceleration of online grocery shopping during the pandemic threatens to massively dilute retailer profits without action to improve the economics of the channel. Employee inefficiencies with online order fulfillment and product stocking are major challenges that Takemetuit can solve today

“We are extremely excited to partner with the team at Takemetuit. Takemetuit’s technology provides an indoor positioning solution with low cost infrastructure, that is scalable with large numbers of devices, uses low battery strength, and can deliver the high accuracy the market needs. We believe that Takemetuit has the potential to transform the rapidly growing indoor positioning market the same way that GPS transformed outdoor navigation beginning in the 1990’s.” says Bryan Slauko, Managing Partner at Metiquity Ventures.

“Metiquity is a perfect fit for Takemetuit as we begin to commercialize our proven indoor positioning technology platform. They bring both seed funding and advisory depth as we launch our first projects in the retail sector.” says Don Thompson, President of Takemetuit Inc.

The global indoor positioning market is currently a $7 billion industry and is forecast to grow at an annual rate of over 25% between 2020 and 2025. Metiquity believes Takemetuit is well positioned to capture significant growth in this market.

Metiquity Ventures

Based in Calgary, Alberta, Metiquity Ventures is an early-stage growth equity fund formed to unlock growth potential for innovative founders on-the-cusp of growth and pioneering investors who invest alongside them.

Takemetuit Inc.

Takemetuit’s high-precision indoor positioning platform helps businesses and consumers easily find what they are searching for.

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