Atlantic Canadian venture capital deals have so far mostly defied the industry’s global slide, as the region’s companies raised more money in the third quarter than in either of the two prior, according to data released Thursday by the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association, or CVCA.
The organization’s Canadian Venture Capital Market Overview found that Atlantic Canadian companies raised $76 million this quarter, compared to $51 million last quarter and $64 million in Q1.
Two provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick, radically outperformed not just their previous quarters, but their entire first half, raising $25 million and $40 million, respectively. In the first half, Newfoundland companies raised $11 million and New Brunswick startups raised $23 million.
Nova Scotia, meanwhile, underperformed the recent quarter with just $11 million raised, compared to $36 million in the previous three months. And Prince Edward Island recorded no new deals.
“VC investment in Atlantic Canada remains high with Nova Scotia breaking record highs of annual investment value and the second highest deal count in the province’s history,” says the report, although Nova Scotia’s record-breaking numbers are almost entirely due to its performance in the first half.
“The rise of investment in this region indicates a growing amount of investible companies out of Atlantic Canada.”
The CVCA releases quarterly totals for the national VC market, but its coverage for individual provinces provided only totals for the year to date. Entrevestor has calculated the provincial breakdown by quarter by subtracting the totals released in prior quarterly reports.
In total, Newfoundland startups have raised $36 million this year, Nova Scotia startups have raised $89 million, P.E.I. has raised $3 million from a singular deal, and New Brunswick has raised $63 million.
Newfoundland startups closed two deals in the third quarter for a total of six this year, Nova Scotia companies closed four deals in the third quarter and 15 year-to-date. New Brunswick added five new deals for a total of 11.
Newfoundland companies posted the highest average deal size, according to Entrevestor’s calculations.
Nationally, the venture capital markets had their worst quarter so far this year, with startups raising a paltry $896 million from 144 deals, compared to $1.65 billion in the second quarter and $4.5 billion in the first. Ontario led the pack with 62 deals worth a combined $500 million
In total, Canadian startups have raised $7.2 billion from 520 deals this year. But the average deal size in the third quarter plummeted to $6.7 million compared to $25 million in the second.
“Canada’s VC activity is mirroring the U.S. in both deal count and a similar drop in investment size, as investors continue to monitor market conditions and founders hold off on fundraising,” wrote CVCA Chief Executive Kim Furlong in the report.
“The biggest winners in Q3 for VC were investments into the cleantech sector and investments at the seed stage; both show continued growth.”