Canada directs $75 million to pre-seed and seed investing

Canada will direct $75 million to domestic pre-seed and seed investing, the first dedicated federal stream for companies at that stage, NACO said.

Industry Minister Mélanie Joly announced the funding on Oct. 22, 2026, at Waabi, a Toronto company developing artificial intelligence for self-driving trucks, according to a NACO release carried by GlobeNewswire. The money moves through Canada's Early and Growth Stage Investment Strategy and is placed in a line of federal programs that runs back to the Venture Capital Action Plan in 2013.

For advisors and family offices that reach pre-seed through angel syndicates and direct deals, the immediate consequence is a potential new source of capital at the stage where they invest. The release does not say whether the $75 million will be committed to pre-seed funds, co-invested alongside angel groups or used as matching capital; each choice would change what a private cheque competes against on an individual round.

In 2015, seven in ten Canadian-founded startups that raised US$1 million or more were based in Canada; by 2024, one in three, according to Leaders Fund cited in the release. The release's argument is that the first cheque often decides where a company builds its future, and a domestic pre-seed and seed pool strengthens the pipeline of startups progressing to Series A and beyond.