Canadian VCs Launch Initiative to Provide Support to Startups During COVID-19 Pandemic

Canadian venture capital (VC) investors are launching an initiative called VCHOURS focused on supporting Canadian startups during the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative, co-founded by investors from Panache Ventures, Luge Capital, Mistral Venture Partners, Ferst Capital Partners, and Brightspark, allows members of the Canadian startup community to schedule on-on-one calls with any VCs that have committed to the program.

The initiative’s target market is Canadian innovators who do not have investors, advisors, or other stakeholders to rely on during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, VCHOURS is also open to those in the venture community hoping to connect and exchange ideas with their peers regarding the post-COVID world.

Phone calls can be scheduled online and are expected to last between 15 and 30 minutes. According to the founders, “With VCHOURS, founders and others in the startup community can schedule short one-on-one calls with any VCs committed to this initiative. We would love to hear your thoughts, challenges, and opportunities and share the lessons we’ve learned from working with our own portfolio companies over the last few weeks.” Organizers of the initiative are emphasizing that these calls are not intended to facilitate pitches.

Author: Matt McDonald