Most founders think of the fundraising process as one-way investigation where VCs ask them a ton of questions about the business before investing. But it shouldn’t be so. While startup founders should have done some research on the fund mandate and on the information that is publicly available before reaching out to a VC, they should not hesitate to have their own probing questions to vet potential VC partners. Here are some questions startup founders can consider asking to kickstart a conversation with investors they want to connect with. #BKRCapital #LearningSeries #DiversityAndInclusion #BlackEntrepreneurs #BlackTech
BKR Capital
Venture Capital and Private Equity Principals
Toronto, Ontario 3,227 followers
Driving Performance through Diversity
About us
Founded in 2021, BKR Capital (formerly Black Innovation Capital) was built with the objective of investing in promising black founders in the technology space.
- Website
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https://www.bkrcapital.ca/
External link for BKR Capital
- Industry
- Venture Capital and Private Equity Principals
- Company size
- 2-10 employees
- Headquarters
- Toronto, Ontario
- Type
- Privately Held
Locations
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Primary
16 McAdam Ave
Toronto, Ontario, CA
Employees at BKR Capital
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Dana Ramnarine
COO at rhum.hr | Supporting transformative leaders and building diverse and impactful organizations | 🇨🇦 | 🇺🇸 | 🇪🇺
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Dr. Osman Hamid
Creativity and entrepreneurship ecosystem builder
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Lise Birikundavyi, CFA
Investor | Top 25 Women of Influence 2022 | 2023 Globe and Mail Changemaker | Empowers innovators solving pressing challenges | Co-founded first…
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Melisa Ellis
Tech Professional | Founder of Nobellum | Empowering Startups | Launching 100 Black-owned Startups in STEM by 2025
Updates
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“We invested in Protexxa because it is not a Band-Aid solution.” BKR Capital is very proud to have been a part of Protexxa’s journey from its very early days as well as its most recent 10M CAD Series A raise alongside Bell Ventures, Sandpiper Ventures, Export Development Canada | Exportation et développement Canada & Graphite Ventures. The new capital will fuel innovations in engineering and data sciences, as well as expansion into the U.S. Read more about the raise at TechCrunch: https://lnkd.in/duRvYsCu #BKRCapital #BKRPortco #VentureCapital #BlackFounders #BlackEntrepreneurs #TechStartups #Cybersecurity #Fundraising #BlackInTech
🚀 Exciting News from Protexxa! 🚀 We are thrilled to announce that we have successfully closed our $10M Series A funding round! Bringing our total raise to $15M. This raise is a significant milestone in our mission to enhance global cyber defense through individual cyber hygiene. 🔒 Our new capital will fuel innovations in engineering and data sciences as we continue to build our #AI-powered platform, #Defender. As well as allow us to expand our sales and marketing teams as we enter global markets, with a major focus on the #USA ✅ Investors in our Series A include Bell Ventures and Sandpiper Ventures, with strong support from Export Development Canada | Exportation et développement Canada, BKR Capital, and Graphite Ventures. Thank you to our incredible team, partners, and investors for your unwavering support! Together we are making the digital world safer. 🌎 #Cybersecurity #SeriesAFunding #Protexxa #Defender #Innovation #TechNews
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BKR Capital is joining BLCK VC Canada and Nobellum at LAUFT to organise a fun summer networking mixer, and celebrate the opening of a new Lauft location for the largest black-owned coworking network across Canada. Join us next Friday, July 26th 2024 to take part, and connect with like-minded innovators & investors. To attend, register with the link below: https://lu.ma/5o240bms #BKRCapital #BKRPortco #BlackFounders #BlackInTech #Networking #Entrepreneurship #Community #BlackOwnedBusiness #Coworking
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What is one of the biggest reasons why #startups fail or succeed? You have the idea, the execution, the business model and funding, but it still isn’t picking up…What is it? Bill Gross (Founder, Idealab), gathered data from hundreds of companies, his own and other people's, to conclude that the number one factor which affected the chances of success of a company is ‘Timing’. He supports his theory with great examples of successful companies like Airbnb (launched at the peak of recession which made people open to the idea of renting homes to strangers) and YouTube (broadband penetration had reached 50% in America making it easy to stream online content), which had launched their business when the market was primed for their product. On the flipside, his own company Z.com, failed despite a great idea and business model, because of low broadband penetration at the time of launch. Watch this TED Conferences Talk for great insights from a serial entrepreneur on the importance of assessing whether consumers are really ready for what you have to offer them. Check it out here: https://bit.ly/4eAuK52 #BKRCapital #WeekendWatch #VentureCapital #TechStartups
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“Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.” Celebrating #NelsonMandelaInternationalDay! Today, we honor the extraordinary legacy of a transformative leader who championed #DiversityAndInclusion. It’s a day for everyone who is a part of the tech ecosystem; both #StartupFounders and VCs, to embrace his spirit of #resilience & #grit. It’s time to overcome the fear of the unfamiliar and make #diversity in funding a norm; enabling better outcomes for ourselves and the communities we operate in. #BKRCapital #VentureCapital #BlackFounders #BlackEntrepreneurs #RepresentationMatters
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BKR Capital reposted this
Entrepreneurs noirs, la participation au sondage national du BEKH sur l'entrepreneuriat noir n'est pas seulement une action ponctuelle, c'est une occasion de devenir un partenaire stratégique dans l'élaboration de politiques et d'initiatives qui pourraient avoir un impact sur votre entreprise et votre communauté. Prenez la décision d’affaires judicieuse dès aujourd’hui — répondez au sondage qui pourrait façonner l’avenir des entreprises appartenant à des Noirs au Canada: https://lnkd.in/gGHdqmcB
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Attention all #BlackEntrepreneurs and #BusinessOwners in #Canada! The Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (BEKH) and Dr. Gerald Grant, Sprott School of Business at Carleton University are conducting a national research study to fill the gap in research on Black Entrepreneurs in Canada and collect data about on-ground challenges and experiences of Black Canadian entrepreneurs to establish a broad description of the group. This is a unique opportunity for Black Entrepreneurs to voice their needs and shape the future of Black Entrepreneurship in Canada. To participate in the survey, click here: https://bit.ly/4f6zBev Dream Legacy Foundation #BKRCapital #VentureCapital #BlackFounders #TechStartups
Black entrepreneurs, participating in the BEKH national survey on Black entrepreneurship isn't just a one-time action—it's an opportunity to become a strategic partner in shaping policies and initiatives that could impact your business and community. Make the smart business decision. Complete the survey today: https://lnkd.in/gGHdqmcB
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Goodee’s 2023 #ImpactReport is out and it's enthralling to see how #GoodPeople, #GoodDesign, and #GoodImpact are more than just words at the company; they are at the heart of its mission. This past year the company has achieved new milestones and transformed lives, showing the endless power of community support and collective effort. Every page is a testament to what can be achieved when we focus on #ProfitAndPurpose. It's more than the numbers; it's also the stories behind them, the additional change which we can bring about if we care just a little. Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/eGRqXRxH #BKRCapital #BKRCapitalPortco #VentureCapital #BlackFounders #BlackEntrepreneurs #BlackInTech #Growth #Innovation #TechStartups
Welcome to our 2023 Impact Report. Creating our annual report has become a meaningful tradition for us. This fourth edition is particularly significant as it showcases our achievements toward our short-term goals (2021-2023) and sets the stage for our mid-term goals. Here are some of our 2023 highlights: - 62% of our brand partners preserve endangered crafts, surpassing our 30% target; - 70% of our brand partners are recording and monitoring their energy consumption; - 4.7% product return rate, among the industry's lowest, helps manage shipping-related GHG emissions; - Creation of a dedicated Impact Manager role. We’re also grateful for new partnerships with brands like Fogo Island Workshops, ferm LIVING, and Niwaki and longstanding ones with ecoBirdy, PET Lamp ®, Baba Tree and TENSIRA. Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/eGRqXRxH
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BKR Capital’s Lise Birikundavyi was at Startupfest where she shared important insights with #StartupFounders looking to take their ventures to the next level. As a part of the BDC Women in Tech Bootcamp on July 10th, she was on a panel with female powerhouses Michelle Scarborough (Managing Partner, Thrive Venture Fund at BDC Capital (Canada)), Leah Nguyen (CIO, InBC Investment Corp.), and Neha Khera (Early-stage Investor) to discuss how women founders can navigate the current uncertainties to build a rock-solid company from ground up. Sharing insights from the other side of the table, Lise was also on a panel on July 11th with Satish Kanwar (Co-founder, Good Future), Meryeme Lahmami (Principal, Pender Ventures) and Marvin Liao (Partner, Diaspora Ventures), discussing the investor viewpoint as they look for investment opportunities during ambiguous macro-economic conditions. The founders walked away with some invaluable insights and best practices on building a fundamentally strong business, and on the potential impact of AI from a VC’s perspective. In the evening, BKR Capital cohosted a VC Social alongside friends from Espace CDPQ, including Accelia Capital, AQC Capital, Brightspark Ventures, Inovia Capital, StandUp Ventures, Two Small Fish Ventures and White Star Capital! The amazing event welcomed 400+ guests from the Quebec, Canadian and North American investment community and startup ecosystem at the Espace CDPQ offices, and made for a very fun get-together. Here’s to continuing to build a stronger, robust and more diverse tech ecosystem! #BKRCapital #Startupfest #VentureCapital #TechStartups #Growth #Innovation #DiversityAndPerformance
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#Focus This word gets thrown around a lot in the startup community. But on what? Product? That’s a given... Fundraising? But that takes a lot of time and attention away from the business... With so many activities vying for your attention as a startup founder, prioritizing where you focus is the key to success. Here are certain aspects of business-building we think startup founders should focus on, on an ongoing basis. #BKRCapital #LearningSeries #VentureCapital #BlackFounders #BlackEntrepreneurs #TechStartups