Karsten Wenzlaff, Advisor
August 26th, 2025
Karsten Wenzlaff is a Crowdfunding and Fintech Expert from Germany. He is Secretary-General of Digit[...]
Michael Katchen and Rachel Zimmer Launch Simple Ventures
Launch | March 6, 2024
Image: Simple Ventures
Simple Ventures Promises to Ignite Canadian Innovation with Global Ideas
Toronto, March 6, 2024 - a pioneering venture studio, Simple Ventures, has officially launched with a mission to revolutionize the Canadian startup landscape. Co-founded by prominent entrepreneurs Rachel Zimmer (CEO) and Michael Katchen (Chair), Simple Ventures aims to fill the gaps left by international companies deterred by local complexities.
Unlike traditional venture capital, Simple Ventures scouts globally for products and services missing in Canada, partnering with founders and investors to localize these innovations. Supported by over 30 esteemed Canadian entrepreneurs and corporate investors, including names from Wealthsimple, Knix, Shopify, and Sobeys Inc, the studio has a strong foundation for fostering entrepreneurship.
See: Exploring ARK’s 2024 Big Ideas: AI & Fintech Future
The venture studio has plans to launch several startups in wellness, digital health, and more with their first portfolio company, Alma Care, who is addressing unmet needs in the Canadian market, offering comprehensive support for new parents.
Are Venture Studios The Next Big Thing?
The venture studio model, also known as a startup studio or venture builder, is an innovative approach to entrepreneurship and startup creation. It combines company building with venture funding, offering a more integrated support system for entrepreneurs. Below are some key points about the venture studio model:
- Venture studios create and launch multiple businesses by providing initial capital, operational support, and expertise. Their goal is to found as many successful startups as possible from the ground up.
- The venture studio market has experienced a 625% growth over the last 7 years, indicating its increasing popularity and success rate.
- According to the Global Startup Studio Network, startups launched from studios have a 30% higher success rate compared to traditional methods. Almost every company launched from a venture studio raises a seed round, and 72% of those go on to raise Series A financing.
See: 10 Innovative Product-Led Growth Strategies
- While 47% of venture studios are 'vertical agnostic', meaning they don't focus on a specific industry, many concentrate on technology-centric companies in areas like financial services, industrial manufacturing, logistics, and more. Technology-driven startups, especially those exploring AI, IoT, and DLT use cases, are of particular interest.
Outlook
Simple Ventures promises to be a catalyst for bringing the world's most transformative ideas to Canada, promising a brighter, innovation-driven future for Canadians.
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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