Impact Investor Challenge (Founders)

Impact Investor Challenge

Scale your impact for a sustainable and equitable world.

Our Impact Investor Challenges (IICs) empower purpose-driven founders to increase their funding readiness, understand how investors evaluate impact companies and have the opportunity to be selected for a $100K+ investment.

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How It Works

Are you a startup founder driven to create positive change? Are you dedicated to building a problem-solving business that leaves a lasting impact on society and/or the environment? If so, welcome to a challenge that shares your values and fuels your ambition.

This includes:

  • Refining how to measure and leverage your impact
  • Making direct connections with investors
  • Polishing your pitch for like-minded investors
  • Understanding deal mechanics
  • Positioning your exit

Case Study

Dr. Karolina Valente of VoxCell BioInnovation, TELUS Women Led IIC Winner 2022

At the pitch finale for the first TELUS Women Led Impact Investor Challenge in 2022, Voxcell BioInnovation Inc. walked away with a $293,000 investment from the cohort of impact investors. Led by Dr. Karolina Valente, Voxcell opened a $1M round in April 2023 and was one of only four Canadian companies to be named one of TiE Silicon Valley’s prestigious 50 Startups of the Year.

VoxCell BioInnovation Inc. is creating fully vascularized, human-like cancer tissue models by combining a custom high-resolution 3D bioprinter, advanced vascularization software, and proprietary bioinks. VoxCell aims to accelerate the development of life-saving anti-cancer drugs by providing tissue models that can identify viable candidates earlier in the drug-development pipeline.

Past Challenges

Health Impact Investor Challenge

Powered by the TELUS Pollinator Fund, this challenge aimed to advance life sciences innovation within the impact investment and startup ecosystem.

Quebec Cleantech Investment Challenge

Powered by HSBC, this challenge was designed to increase the flow of capital investment into Quebec-based cleantech ventures. Delivered in collaboration with Social Innovation, Foresight Canada and Cycle Momentum.

Program Partners

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Program Sponsors

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