RippleX Fellowship

Happy Monday everyone, we come bearing good news! Our Founder Fellowship Applications are extended to Nov 8 🥳 We’re super excited by the overwhelming interest in our RippleX Founder Fellowship and appreciate the many requests to extend the application window. To ensure equal opportunity for all, we’re extending the deadline to November 8 11:59pm ET as the final close. Aas a recap, our program is designed to help founders at the earliest stages get unique access to customers, esteemed operators, and hands-on support from the Ripple team. If you need help with validating your problem space with customers, all the way to getting your first dollars of revenue and funding, you've come to the right place. Companies accepted in the batch will also have the opportunity to receive funding $50-100K from via the Fellow Fund! Woooohoooo! Still unsure? Check out our Wall of Love! https://lnkd.in/dUh8VDVu Apply here: https://lnkd.in/gYcNjBJG Let's hear from you, and reach out to Katie Ko if you've got any questions!! CC: Ripple Ventures Matt Cohen Dominic Lau Nazuk Thakkar

We’ve just wrapped up the final two stops of the RippleX Fellowship University Roadshow at the University of Toronto and Western University (Morrissette Entrepreneurship)! There’s something profoundly inspiring about meeting students RIGHT where they're at—on campus, in the midst of their journeys as they navigate critical stages of their careers! 😙 A heartfelt thank you to Shiri Yeung (UofT AI), Maya Lekhi, Arianna Tan, and Aleeza Jahan (Momentum), and David Zou (Overdrive AI) for their support in bringing together so many bright minds under one roof! I've been sharing a lot about the roadshow, so let's switch things up a little. Rather than recounting the tour, I’d like to take this opportunity instead to share a few reflections sparked from interactions I had with students on campus: There's a noticeable increased interest for Canadian students to join/ build startups (vs. going down the corporate path). Students lingered long after each event wrapped up, eager to connect, ask questions, and brainstorm new ideas. It’s so blatantly obvious that they’re craving environments where they can explore, collaborate, and build together. However, despite this groundswell of enthusiasm, a prominent chasm endures—the ambitions & innovation emerging at the student level have yet to be adequately acknowledged/ embraced by the larger support network of capital allocators and institutions. Folks at NEXT Canada (Mischa Hamara), Socratica (Jocelyne Murphy, Hudhayfa Nazoordeen), The Cansbridge Fellowship (Gabrielle Foss), V2 — A place to build the future (Scott Langille), and Tommy Trinh are doing outstanding work in nurturing these hubs of innovation in Canada, but there’s still immense potential for the broader ecosystem to engage & strengthen this wave. This leads to a pivotal question: once an idea takes shape, what’s lies ahead? How should founders approach market sizing, distribution, and eventually fundraising? How do we help student builders think BIGGER? That is precisely the gap the RippleX Fellowship is hoping to solve for. Our Founder Fellowship & Fellow Fund are designed to bridge this gap, equipping students and first-time founders with the mentorship, resources, and early capital necessary to bring their ideas to life. We’re fortunate to back phenomenal founders, like those behind Artemis, WaiveTheWait, Asepha, Tuuli, Canarie Ai, and OneChart (Prev: medX Insight), and this mission is only possible thanks to founders, venture partners, and alumni across the ecosystem who have been tremendously generous with their time. And yes, this feedback loop is exactly what the "Ripple Effect" is all about 🌊. Apps for the next fellowship batch close tomorrow. If you're a student/ first-time founder that values a hands-on venture fund in your corner that has deep experience in growing & scaling B2B companies, let's hear from you: https://lnkd.in/g-Y8S5qZ CC: Ripple Ventures Matt Cohen Dominic Lau Nazuk Thakkar

Check out some of these great resources! Our fellowship program is also a fantastic way to get involved in the community and also surround yourself with the right foundation to build your startup. The program is tailor designed to help founders at the earliest stages get unique access to customers, esteemed operators, and hands-on support from the Ripple Ventures team. If you need help with validating your problem space with customers, all the way to getting your first dollars of revenue and funding, you’ve come to the right place! 🌟 Interested? Applications are LIVE NOW! - Runs from Jan - Apr 2025 - ~10 companies in each batch - [NEW] Preferred in-person companies in Toronto or Vancouver (or able to commute to those cities 1-2 times/month for workshops/events) - Lots of mentorship, workshops, community engagement and more!! 🌊 Apply here: https://lnkd.in/gYcNjBJG

We're SO back baby!! 🥳 The RippleX Fellowship is now accepting applications again for our next batch. Check out a quick recap I compiled that goes over key details about our program and what to expect during your time with us. Key Takeaways: - We have deep experience supporting/ designing programming for B2B software companies built by students/ first-time founders in Canada and the United States. 💻 - All companies will be building in B2B software and will get direct help and access to customers that is relevant to their sectors. 🚀 - Companies will receive daily mentorship from the Ripple Ventures team to help you get on a venture-scale path. There will also be workshops led by alumni, venture partners, and founders who have been through the startup journey. 🌱 - In-person workshops and demo day in Toronto and Vancouver to build a deep community across the batch. 💞 - Opportunity to receive funding post-program ($50-100K cheques). 💰 I'm so excited for what's to come and we can't wait to hear from you! ☺️ ⌛ Applications close early November. Apply here: https://lnkd.in/g-Y8S5qZ CC: Ripple Ventures Dominic Lau Matt Cohen Nazuk Thakkar

As Nazuk and I always joke, there’s something truly special about the water in Waterloo! It’s always an honour to be on campus, immersed in the infectious energy of aspiring founders. Our team recently spent a day at the University of Waterloo, connecting with student builders and early-stage entrepreneurs. We hosted office hours to kick off the day, where we had the privilege of meeting startups and discussing their progress. From students building advancements in 3D modelling to innovations in medical AI, we were genuinely inspired by the remarkable ideas emerging from this community. The day’s highlight was an intimate fireside chat with Ben Cox, CEO of Page, moderated by our Managing Partner, Matt Cohen. Ben shared reflections from his early career at Ipsos conducting political research, where he saw the inefficiencies within government relation workflows. He also dived into his journey joining Shopify a decade ago starting as a Technical Support Engineer all the way to becoming their Director of Product Engineering. My favourite part was hearing Ben's emotional motivation and conviction behind his ultimate decision to go start his own thing. His openness about his experiences navigating customer validation offered valuable insights to all in attendance. We closed the day by gathering in the atrium, enjoying thoughtful conversations and the chance to connect further. A heartfelt thank you to the University of Waterloo, the University of Waterloo Student Venture Fund, and the University of Waterloo - School of Accounting and Finance for their warm hospitality and support in making this event possible. We’re already looking forward to our next visit and are grateful for the chance to continue supporting this incredible ecosystem. CC: Ripple Ventures Matt Cohen Dominic Lau Nazuk Thakkar

An absolute thrill hosting a Founder Get-Together to end of the summer! Over 50+ young builders across the city gathered under one roof to learn from each other and contribute to the vibrant startup community in Toronto. 🍁 We kicked off with pitches from RippleX Fellowship's current batch & alumni, where our founders shared how they're fearlessly tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges. From deploying voice agents, improving medical charting, to decarbonizing built environments, the innovation and progress on display were nothing short of inspiring. I then had the pleasure of sitting down with Braden Ream to learn about his journey starting and scaling Voiceflow, as well as his take on the State of AI today. Read on for key takeaways + some of my personal reflections below: On Navigating the -1 to 0: 🚀 Speed Beats Strategy: Fast iteration is more valuable than having a perfect strategy. Testing ideas quickly by writing code and talking to users daily accelerates learning/ product refinement, and ability to move fast can open up unexpected opportunities. 💡 Optimise for problems and not solutions: Customers often articulate their needs as specific solutions, but the key to unlocking unique insight is by first understanding the underlying problems driving those requests. Building exactly what they ask for can lead you down the wrong path. On Scaling 0 to 1: 🌱 Start Small, Scale Smart: Early-stage startups should avoid the trap of chasing big enterprise deals too soon. Instead, focus on smaller, faster-moving customers who provide rapid feedback and iteration cycles. Build a strong base of smaller clients, refine your product, and then scale up to larger enterprise contracts when you’re ready. Big logos don’t guarantee big paydays—depth of value matters more than company size. 🦾 Never Settle: When you allow mediocrity to creep in, especially in a comfortable country like Canada—you set yourself up to fail. Entrepreneurship is about tail outcomes. Mid-tier startups fail because the average startup fails, so hire only the best and never settle for anything less. On the State of AI: 📈 Tech Hype vs. Business Adoption: There’s always a disconnect between what’s technologically possible today and what’s actually being adopted by businesses. Real innovation is happening in the mid-market, where companies are flexible enough to implement AI but large enough to make a difference in revenue. ✨ AI Isn’t Enough—Focus on Delivering Value: Many companies are using "AI" as a marketing buzzword, but that’s not enough. It’s not about having AI—it’s about solving real problems more efficiently. Long run, AI will become as standard as cloud services are today, and the companies that win will be those that can improve efficiency and outcomes, not those that slap AI onto their offering. Join our future events: https://lnkd.in/g7BR4k7b CC: Ripple Ventures Matt Cohen Nazuk Thakkar Dominic Lau

Announcing our first batch of the RippleX Founder Fellowship! 🎉 We've been sitting on this one for a while, so you can imagine our excitement to finally reveal the eight ventures that we've been working closely with over the past 6 months! 💫 As a quick recap, the RippleX Founder Fellowship serves as a launchpad for underrepresented student founders who are building within the world of B2B software, where we provide fellows with resources, mentorship, and funding opportunities to support them from idea to beyond. 🚀 We are immensely proud of all the founders we've had the pleasure to support and our team is perpetually inspired by their innovation, resilience, and dedication to driving meaningful waves of change in their industries. 🌊 We'd also like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to our mentors, alumni, and the broader RippleX community for sharing their invaluable experiences and providing guidance as our ventures navigated the ebbs and flows of startup building. 💌 Read more about our announcement here: https://lnkd.in/gM4wUDFY Early applications for next batch: https://lnkd.in/gYcNjBJG Apply for funding: https://lnkd.in/gY9wFhmN CC: Matt Cohen Dominic Lau Nazuk Thakkar Katie Ko Anshita S. Rashad Philizaire Kiran Dhatt Vincent Kenn Royce M. Aishik Sanyal Tony Goel Shreyas Suri Kevin Ouyang Adil Mohammed Jack Orr Rohin Arya Andrew Nijmeh Anmol Sahai Ilia R

And that’s a wrap on our first ever RippleX Summit! Last week, we had the incredible privilege of hosting our first-ever RippleX Summit in Downtown Toronto, and what an unforgettable experience it was! We brought together over 70 visionary founders and startup operators from across Canada and the US. Event highlights below: 💫 Batch 1 Demos: After an intensive 6-months in the RippleX Founder Fellowship, their hard work and dedication culminated to this final showcase, where our fellows pitched their innovative solutions that range from applications of AI in legal compliance to leveraging data for mining operations. 💬 Fireside Chats: We had two engaging panels with seasoned founders who shared invaluable insights and personal experiences. #1 - Navigating Imposter Syndrome: Braden Ream (Voiceflow), Eunice Wu, (Asepha), Akshay Maharaj (Aview International), Matt Espinoza (Halation) #2 - Pivots & Rebounds: Vit Vimal (Tuuli), Jenna Earnshaw (Wisedocs), 🏪 Adit Gupta (Lula Convenience), Nicholas Chepesiuk (OnCall Virtual Care, now part of Qualifacts) 🪑Roundtable Discussions: Hosted by our event partners, fostering collaboration and idea exchange on critical topics like scaling, customer acquisition, and product development. Thank you to all the founders, speakers, sponsors, and participants who made this day a resounding success. We’re especially thankful for our amazing partners who made this event into an exciting reality 💗 : - Google Cloud (Jeffrey Kwong & Michael Huang): Shared insights on optimizing cloud infrastructure and enhancing technical capabilities for integrating AI/ML into startups. We also extend our gratitude to Google for providing the beautiful venue and coordinating event logistics alongside us. - Gardiner Roberts LLP (Lydia & Parish Bhumgara): Led an insightful session on navigating legal structures when expanding into new markets. - Scotiabank / Roynat Capital (Jeffrey Liu & Julia Whytock): Facilitated an engaging conversation on various financing options for startups and the importance of nurturing strong banking relationships. - Boast (Miriam Dong, Anastasia Hambali): Discussed strategies for scaling GTM operations and leveraging non-dilutive capital sources to fuel growth. - Voiceflow: For providing us with a cozy and inviting venue for our off-site social! As we reflect on the day, we are more inspired than ever by the potential within our community. This summit was not just a celebration of innovation but a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when the startup ecosystem comes together 🌱 . We can't wait to see the remarkable journeys and groundbreaking successes that lie ahead for these startups. If you’re a founder building within B2B SaaS + want to chat / get involved at our future events, please message Katie or Naz on our team. Until next time, keep innovating and pushing the boundaries of what's possible! 🚀 Cc: Ripple Ventures Matt Cohen Dominic Lau Nazuk Thakkar Katie Ko

We're extending applications! 😙 ✌ If you haven't had a chance to apply yet, your second chance is here! Join our next batch of the founder fellowship, where 8-10 companies are selected to incubate under the direct mentorship of Ripple's team and seasoned founders/ operators in our network. We've got amazing programming and mentors lined-up, and we are excited to support more early-stage B2B SaaS founders through this program! 💫 Soo... let's hear from you. ➡ Apply here by May 3rd: https://lnkd.in/gFj5PB8s Cc: Matt Cohen Dominic Lau Nazuk Thakkar Katie Ko

⌛ Last chance to apply to our fellowship program! 🚀 The RippleX Founder Fellowship is a 6-month program for underrepresented student founders building companies in B2B software. We aim to support founders strategically in identifying the right problem, validating it with customers, and prepare founders for potential funding from the Fellow Fund ($50-100K on a standard YC SAFE). The goal is to help them get access to otherwise hard-to-obtain resources, customers, and capital. Besides fireside chats with our mentors, our fellows benefit from weekly strategic sessions led by the Ripple team, as well as a vibrant, supportive builder community innovating alongside other ambitious founders. 📌 Apply by April 26: https://lnkd.in/gFj5PB8s Applications close tomorrow, we look forward to reviewing your submissions! Cc: Matt Cohen Dominic Lau Nazuk Thakkar Katie Ko