About Velocity
Velocity, an accelerator and incubator program founded in 2008, is based in Kitchener, Canada. With a presence in 5 countries, it has supported around 191 startups in sectors like Enterprise Applications, High Tech. As of Aug 2026, Velocity has 1 unicorn under its belt and has witnessed 28 portfolio exits. Most notable companies in
its portfolio include Faire, Kik and Hive. The program is backed by a team of 17 people who primarily support Grant (prize money) startups based in Canada. Its latest investment was a $1.8M Seed round in Voltra on May 15, 2025, which also saw participation from Contrary and Hanover Technology Investment Management.
Velocity's List of Top Investments
Velocity has a portfolio of 191 companies, one of which is a Unicorn. Their most notable investments are in LSK Technologies and SuperVisas.Their portfolio spans across Canada, United States, India and 2 more locations. They have invested in Enterprise Applications, High Tech, HealthTech and 33 other sectors, across stages such as Grant (prize money), Seed and 1 more. Here is the list of top investments by Velocity:1. Faire
Online wholesale marketplace connecting retailers with brands to facilitate direct purchases. It is an online wholesale marketplace that connects retailers with brands, allowing them to discover new products and streamline their purchase process through a user-friendly platform. The company facilitates wholesale buying and ordering across various product categories, serving both retailers and brands.
Key facts about Faire
- Founded Year: 2017
- Location: San Francisco (United States)
- Valuation: $*****
- Stage: Series I
- Total Funding till date: $1.7B
- Employee Count: 1,833 as on Jun 30, 2026
- Investors: equitywestsecurities.com, Baillie Gifford and 27 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series I, Nov 17, 2025, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
2. Kik
Kik is a mobile application that provides multimedia messaging for friends and family members. It allows users to send 1-to-1 text messages over the data plan or a Wi-Fi connection. Its features include photos, files, GIFs, emojis/stickers & voice recordings sharing support; group chatting, user nicknames support, and others. It also provides quizzes, fashion tips, news, advice and more. The app is available for iOS and Android devices.
Key facts about Kik
- Founded Year: 2009
- Location: Santa Monica (United States)
- Last Known Valuation: $*****
- Stage: Acquired
- Total Funding till date: $166M
- Employee Count: 56 as on Jun 30, 2026
- Investors: SIB Investment Group, Millennium Technology Value Partners and 16 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series D, Jul 03, 2017, $*****
- Highlight: Acquired
3. Hive
Developer of project management software for coordinating team workflow tasks. The platform provides tools for organizing projects, tracking time, and managing team collaboration through various visual formats including calendars, kanban boards, and gantt charts. Users can utilize artificial intelligence features to summarize content, search across connected applications, and generate updates. The system supports project planning, task assignment, and progress monitoring to facilitate team coordination.
Key facts about Hive
- Founded Year: 2015
- Location: New York City (United States)
- Stage: Series A
- Total Funding till date: $28M
- Employee Count: 65 as on Jun 30, 2026
- Investors: Dot Edu Ventures, Comcast Ventures and 8 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series A, Aug 30, 2021, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
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4. Vidyard
Provider of video tools for sales and marketing virtual teams. It offers video messaging, hosting, and agentic AI to personalize video communication. The platform provides features like AI avatars and video engagement analytics. It integrates with various GTM tech stacks to streamline sales activities.
Key facts about Vidyard
- Founded Year: 2011
- Location: Kitchener (Canada)
- Stage: Series C
- Total Funding till date: $90.7M
- Employee Count: 157 as on Jun 30, 2026
- Investors: Uncork Capital, Orthogonal Thinker and 16 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series C, Apr 16, 2024, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
5. Fiix
Cloud-based CMMS software for commercial spaces. It helps businesses organize and schedule their maintenance activities. Helps facility managers in tracking work orders, maintaining a work calendar, asset management, creating purchase requests, managing environmental, health, and safety standards data, etc. It helps in reducing equipment outages and optimizing maintenance costs. Also offers similar solutions through a mobile application for remote monitoring.
Key facts about Fiix
- Founded Year: 2008
- Location: Toronto (Canada)
- Stage: Acquired
- Total Funding till date: $57M
- Employee Count: 205 as on Jun 30, 2026
- Investors: Georgian, Graphite Ventures and 7 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series C, Jan 29, 2019, $*****
- Highlight: Acquired
Velocity's Year-on-Year Investment Trends
Velocity has invested in 191 companies over the last 15 years, with an average of 2 new investments annually in the last 10 years. In 2025, it made 1 investment. Its most recent first time investment was in Voltra and most recent follow-on round was in Pout.Year | No. of Investments | ||
|---|---|---|---|
1st Round | Follow-on | Total | |
2026 (YTD) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2025 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
2024 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2020 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
2019 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
2018 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
2017 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Velocity's Investments by Stage
Velocity has made 12 investments in Grant (prize money) stage with an average round size of $25K, 12 investments in Seed stage with an average round size of $355K and 1 investment in Series A stage with an average round size of $8.2M.Stage of entry | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Grant (prize money) | 12 |
Seed | 12 |
Series A | 1 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Velocity's Investments by Sector
Velocity has a diverse portfolio, with companies operating in the Enterprise Applications, High Tech, Vertical SaaS, Consumer and HealthTech. Notably, it has invested in 156 Tech companies, 112 Enterprise (B2B) companies, 95 Software companies and at least 54 companies focusing on Consumer (B2C).Sector | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Enterprise Applications | 15 |
High Tech | 8 |
Vertical SaaS | 5 |
Consumer | 3 |
HealthTech | 3 |
Others | 23 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Velocity's Investments by Geography
Velocity has made most investments in Canada (24), followed by United States where it has made 1 investment.Country | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Canada | 24 |
United States | 1 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Velocity's recent investments
Velocity has not made any investment in 2026 so far.Here are the most recent investments by Velocity:
Date | Company | Location | Round Details | Round Amount | Co-Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
May 15, 2025 | Canada | Seed | 7731 | [+1] | |
Nov 13, 2024 | Canada | Seed | 8692 | [+3] | |
Jun 28, 2024 | Canada | Series A | 9636 | [+1] | |
Nov 09, 2020 | Canada | Seed | 7785 | - | |
Aug 07, 2020 | Canada | Grant (prize money) | 4196 | - |
Unicorns in Velocity's Portfolio
Velocity has 1 unicorn in its portfolio - ApplyBoard. The most recent unicorn in their portfolio is ApplyBoard which became a unicorn in 2020, 6 years before Velocity first invested in it.Here is a list of unicorns in Velocity's portfolio:
Tracxn Score | Company | Short Description | Founded year | Sector | Location | Company Stage | First Investment/ Acquisition Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
56 | Study abroad application platform connecting recruitment partners and schools | 2015 | Kitchener | Series D | dwwjgmj |
IPOs and Publicly Listed companies in Velocity's Portfolio
2 of Velocity's portfolio companies have become public. Alchemy Nano got listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange - Venture Exchange (TSX-V), in Jul 2026 at marketcap of $38.7M and Chalk.com got listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) at marketcap of $3.7B.Here are Velocity's portfolio companies that went public:
Company | IPO Date | First Invested on | First Round of Investment | Round Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jul 09, 2026 | - | - | 9758 | |
Jul 30, 2021 | - | - | 6381 |
Acquired companies in Velocity's Portfolio
26 companies from Velocity's portfolio have been acquired. The most recent acquisition was Pitstop in Mar 2026 by Fullbay for $*****.Here are Velocity's portfolio companies that got acquired most recently:
Company | Acquisition Date | First Invested on | First Round of Investment | Round Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mar 25, 2026 | Apr 14, 2016 | Seed | 7154 | |
Oct 28, 2025 | - | - | 5821 | |
Jan 23, 2025 | Feb 28, 2020 | Seed | 2246 | |
Aug 16, 2024 | - | - | 2347 | |
Jan 11, 2024 | - | - | 3919 |
Team profile of Velocity
Velocity has a team of 17 members including 4 Partners and 8 Principals located in Canada. Velocity's team does not sit on the board of any company as of now.Here is a list of top team members in Velocity:
Name | Designation | Location | Board Memberships | Contact Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Partner | Waterloo | - | - | |
Partner | Kitchener | - | - | |
Partner | Kitchener | - | ||
Partner | Canada | - | - | |
Principal | Kitchener | - | - | |
Principal | Waterloo | - | - | |
Principal | Waterloo | - | - | |
Principal | Kitchener | - | ||
Principal | Waterloo | - | ||
Principal | Kitchener | - | - | |
Principal | Waterloo | - | - |
Co-investors of Velocity
Over the past 15 years, 68 investors have co-invested in Velocity's portfolio companies. This includes funds and angels.
- Invested before Velocity: Accelerator Centre has invested before Velocity.
- Top Co-investors of Velocity: 7 investors entered a company along with Velocity. These include investors like Inovia Capital (2 companies).
- Invested after Velocity: A total of 60 investors have invested in Velocity's portfolio after their investments. Top Investors include Accelerator Centre (6 companies) and Y Combinator (2 companies).
Recent News related to Velocity
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Waterloo-based startup runQL raised $1.65 million.Therecord•Nov 21, 2024•RunQL, MaRS IAF, Mistral, Inovia Capital and 1 other
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