YukonU I&E partners with Yukonstruct and Yukon Venture Angels to develop interest and participation in a growing investment culture for entrepreneurs and investors in the Yukon Territory.
Building on our experience launching Yukon’s first Investor Challenge together, we have offered a hands-on Investment Readiness Training program to equip startups in the Yukon with the right tools to prepare for investment and funding.
The program is open to and intended for businesses at any stage – whether they are raising debt financing and equity capital now or considering the possibility in the future. The training focuses on what angel investment is about, what it takes to raise funds, and more generally how this fits with their entrepreneurial journey.
Stay tuned for the next program sessions, or get in touch with our team to learn more.
Past Sessions
From September 2022 to January 2023, eight sessions included interactive learning with experts, guest speakers, and other entrepreneurs from Spring Activator and Volition. This program provided tools, frameworks, and best practices to help entrepreneurs gain confidence to seek strategic impact funding.
At the end of the program, participants had the opportunity to apply to the Yukon Investment Challenge.
This Investment Readiness program is designed for founders who are seriously considering the investment process, or ready to raise funds but feel overwhelmed by the daunting and mysterious process.
This program is also suitable for non-profits/charities who are operating social enterprises, and are ready to think about scale finance as a tool to grow.
- Strengthen your sales and marketing strategy with practical hands-on tools adapted to your business
- Get a solid understanding of what raising funds will mean for your business and how to structure your approach
- Understand the legal implications when raising funds
- Hone your investor pitch
- Complete the program with a draft data room to use for your conversations with funders and investors
The Yukon Investment Challenge was a 10-week program facilitated by Spring Activator consisting of weekly interactive sessions and a pitch night in Spring 2022.
Accredited and aspiring local investors were introduced to investment-ready ventures in the region, along with early-look companies with high future investment potential. Participating investors learned how to evaluate prospective investments in emerging startups in and around the Yukon, and entrepreneurs were guided towards being investment-ready for a chance to win $50,000* of investment funding from the investor cohort.
This collaborative initiative between Spring Activator, Yukon University, Yukonstruct, and Yukon Venture Angels was funded in partnership with the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency.
At the end of the program, the investor cohort awarded up to $50,000 in investment to one Yukon-based startup.
The Challenge was a 10-week training program that consists of an investor track and an entrepreneur track. It was for individuals seeking to make angel investments in Yukon-based startups, and also for purpose-driven entrepreneurs in the region looking to fundraise.
Investor track participants navigated the ins and outs of early-stage investing while those in the entrepreneur track prepared for the capital-raising process. Across the program, investors selected five companies to accompany them into the core program where both parties collaboratively went through a due diligence process. The program culminated in a final pitch night where one winning startup was selected to receive investment.
Throughout the program’s 2-hour weekly sessions—delivered live and virtually—participants heard from industry experts and had the chance to gain insights, build their networks, and acquire resources to become successful in their respective domains.
The Yukon Investment Challenge is about more than one final investment winner. Participants connected with a community of purpose-driven investors, key players in the Yukon startup and innovation ecosystem, and startups looking to enrich the Yukon and beyond with their innovative ideas.
Investor track participants navigated the ins and outs of early-stage investing while those in the entrepreneur track will prepare for the capital-raising process. Across the program, investors selected five companies to accompany them into the core program where both parties collaboratively went through a due diligence process. The program culminated in a final pitch night where one winning startup was selected to receive investment.
At the end of the program, the investor cohort awarded up to $50,000 in investment to one Yukon-based startup.