Investor Profile: The51 — Thesis, Cheque Size & How to Apply

The51 is a Calgary-based venture firm and financial platform built around a single, striking fact: women are 51% of Canada's population but receive only a small fraction of venture funding. Founded in 2019 by women who had experienced that gap as entrepreneurs and as would-be investors, it invests in women-led technology-enabled businesses and mobilises women's capital alongside them. For a woman founder in Canada, The51 funding means capital plus a community designed to close that gap, not just a cheque.

Investment thesis

The firm's thesis is that women-led ventures are an underinvested asset class. Women influence consumer spending and will control a growing share of wealth, yet women-led companies receive only about 2% of venture capital by the firm's own account, and about 4% of Canadian venture capital by a related measure it cites. The51 backs coachable women-founded teams that demonstrate collaboration, transparency and a relentless drive towards scalable returns and measurable social and environmental impact.

Sectors and stages

The51 invests at pre-seed, seed and Series A, primarily in Canada with some investments in the United States. Its newest fund, Fund III, focuses on three themes where women drive demand and shape markets: health, including reproductive, mental and age-related health, personalised wellness and modern caregiving; wealth, including budgeting, saving, investing and planning tools; and work, including marketplaces and enterprise solutions that reimagine how work is structured, delivered and valued.

Fund size and cheque size

Fund III has announced its first close with BMO as lead anchor investor and is targeting a $30 million final close. Its first two funds were reported at a combined $20M in an industry directory, with Fund I and a targeted Fund II each around $10 million in earlier reporting.

Notable portfolio

The firm's portfolio spans women-founded ventures across Canada and the United States. Industry reporting names Virtual Gurus of Calgary, led by an Indigenous, LGBTQ+ founder; Ayrton Energy, the Calgary hydrogen storage company; Blume Drinks of Vancouver; NL Patent, an AI-powered patent search platform from Toronto; MyFO of Vancouver; Cadence of Saskatoon; and Sprout Family of Toronto.

Partners and programs

The51 was co-founded by Shelley Kuipers and Judy Fairburn, alongside Alice Reimer, and veteran business leader Colleen Moorehead chairs its board. Its support model goes well beyond capital: a community of more than 45,000 people creates network effects across fundraising, growth and exits, and its limited partners bring customers and distribution, not just money. Its independent non-profit partner, Movement51, runs educational programmes including Founder Lab, a nine-week programme teaching founders how to raise capital, culminating in Road to the Summit pitch events where founders present live.

How to apply for funding

There is no open application portal described on the firm's funds page. The route to how to get funding from The51 is through the firm's site at the51.com, its funds and contact routes, and through its community: founders can build a relationship via Movement51 programmes such as Founder Lab, and via introductions from investors, advisors and founders already in its network.