• Invests in EBC Eligible Tech Startups Based in BC

  • BC Investors Receive 30% Tax Credit from Investing

  • Invests $50K - $250K Initial Cheques

  • Can Lead Investment Rounds

  • Saves Capital for Follow On Investments in Winners

  • Aims to Invest in One New Company Per Month

  • Businesses that require technical expertise - We’re looking for novel technical innovation being built by experts in their field.

  • Mission-driven founders - With the passion and grit to pull through when the going gets tough.

  • A unique advantage - Something that’s difficult to replicate and has a defensible moat that evolves over time.

  • Solutions for hard-to-solve, mission-critical problems - Why will customers prioritize this? Is the cost-benefit analysis a no-brainer?

  • A well timed business - We’re looking for current trends with strong tailwinds in a growing market.

  • A team surrounded by technical, industry and business experts - Who is giving your their time to help you succeed?

What we look for…

Current Areas of Focus

Deep Tech - Hard Tech - Life Sciences - AI Infrastructure - Energy - Materials

Things We’re Avoiding

Marketplaces - Tech-Enabled Services - Consumer Products - AI Agents - AI Interfaces - B2C

WUTIF PORTFOLIO
WUTIF PORTFOLIO

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions? Take a look at the FAQ or reach out anytime. If you’re feeling ready, go ahead and apply.

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  • This gives us an opportunity to get to know founders and receive feedback from the members.

  • We don’t want to waste founders’ time or our own.

  • We’ve partnered with Future Standard to provide a monthly workshop on creating a data room - Learn More Here.

  • We’ve partnered with Sales Primer to provide a monthly workshop on these exact areas - Learn More Here.

  • We generally ask ~40 questions to help fill in any gaps in the data room and ensure we fully understand the business and opportunity.

  • We’re generally not the experts in the areas we invest, so we validate the business with experts and get different perspectives.

  • We assess assumptions, strategy, market knowledge, risks and capital management on this call.

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Here’s Our Due Diligence Process

  1. Have companies pitch at VANTEC Angel Network.

    • This gives us an opportunity to get to know founders and receive feedback from the members.

  2. Confirm we’re aligned on the Terms of the Deal.

    • We don’t want to waste founders’ time or our own - Click here for our preferences and a Template Term Sheet.

  3. Review the company’s data room.

    • We’ve partnered with Future Standard to provide a monthly workshop on creating a data room - Learn More Here.

  4. Assess the company’s numbers behind the business plan.

    • We’ve partnered with Venture Primer to provide a monthly workshop on these exact areas - Learn More Here.

  5. Send founders a Company Q&A of 40-50 questions.

    • This is to fill any gaps in the data room and ensure we fully understand the business and opportunity.

  6. Meet with Technical Experts, Industry Experts, Customers, Advisors and Other Investors.

    • We’re generally not the experts in the areas we invest, so we validate the business with experts and get different perspectives.

  7. Have the CEO walk us through the Financial Model and answer any final questions.

    • We assess assumptions, strategy, market knowledge, risks and capital management on this call.

  8. Submit an Investment Proposal to the WUITIF Investment Committee.

    • This committee is made up of the management team and board of directors of WUTIF Capital.

  9. We may ask the founder to have a virtual call with our Investment Committee.

    • This last step is for our committee to ask the founder(s) any questions directly before making a decision.

APPLY TO PITCH AT VANTEC
APPLY TO PITCH AT VANTEC

Successful Exits

History & Background of WUTIF Capital

Mike Volker founded WUTIF Capital in 2004, 5 years after launching VANTEC Angel Network, as a way to pool angel capital, write bigger cheques and reduce risk through diversification.

WUTIF stands for Western Universities Technology Innovation Fund, and is pronounced “What if”. It got its name because of its initial focus on university spin-out companies from British Columbia universities. It has since evolved to invest in any technology businesses based in BC.

As an evergreen VCC, WUTIF is always raising and deploying capital. Shareholders get access to the full portfolio of 80+ companies and receive 30% back as a cash tax credit on their investment.

Today, WUTIF acts as a lead investor and is one of the most active investors at the angel, pre-seed and seed stages in BC.

Mike Volker President & CEO

Aaron Stuart COO