News

Inaugural Fund based in Atlantic Canada investing in Women-Led Companies

Halifax - September 29, 2021 – Sandpiper Venture’s flagship SV Fund I (SVF I) announced the successful first fundraising close of the venture capital (VC) fund investing in women-led companies, reaching an initial fundraising goal in excess of $10M. Created and launched to invest in women and women’s innovation as a proactive and profitable business decision.

July 20, 2021 - Halifax, Canada – Today, lead investor Sandpiper Ventures announced its investment in Coloursmith Labs Inc., based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This is the second investment from Sandpiper’s inaugural fund focused on women entrepreneurs, with an emphasis in Atlantic Canada. Coloursmith, a tech-enabled optical materials company, is disrupting the potential of modern eyewear with breakthrough optical filtering technology. The company can create endless varieties of novel optical filters in eyeglass and contact lenses. Specifically valuable are the firms’ products targeting colour enhancement and hazardous light protection.

Halifax, Nova Scotia - May 27, 2021 - Sandpiper Ventures today announced the first investment of their inaugural fund in the clean technology company DeNova, led by Founder and President Brianna Stratton. This investment represents the fund’s commitment to identifying high-growth opportunities led by women. DeNova, based in Nova Scotia, addresses two global challenges: climate change and the pending protein shortage.

In this special episode of the “Home Office” podcast, hosted by Mark Leger, Cathy Bennett and Rhiannon Davies discuss their origins and the road to building Sandpiper Ventures.

Throughout International Women’s Month, Managing Partners, Cathy Bennett, Rhiannon Davies, and Sarah Young participated in several panels and events, dedicated to shedding light on the huge gap in women’s participation in the innovation driven economy and the amazing opportunities that could be unlocked by supporting diversity and inclusion in early-stage tech.

To mark International Women’s Day, Atlantic Business released its annual list of the 25 most powerful women in business in Atlantic Canada, which featured Sarah Young and Cathy Bennett, two of Sandpiper’s managing partners, among its nominees.