Canada’s technology sector is having a year unlike any other. In the first half of 2021, Canadian tech companies raised nearly as much venture capital as they did in all of 2019. Twenty-two companies have had financing rounds of $100-million or more during this stretch—while 10 achieved “unicorn” status, now valued at over US$1-billion each.
One of those unicorns is Toronto-based Clearco—founded in 2015 to help entrepreneurs raise money through revenue-sharing agreements. This past June, Clearco raised $215 million in a round led by Japan’s SoftBank; this followed a round in April that quintupled Clearco’s valuation to $2 billion.
In this season finale for Disruptors, an RBC podcast, host John Stackhouse speaks with Clearco co-founder and Dragons’ Den superstar Michele Romanow about the crazy pandemic year for Clearco, her entrepreneurial journey—she’s also founded a coffee shop, caviar fishery and mobile couponing app—and what she thinks it will take for Canada’s booming tech sector to continue to “kick butt and take names.”
Please click here to listen to the podcast.
“The unicorn is not known for its horn, beauty, or purity; but for it’s strength and courage as one.” – Nicole Beckwith