Approved Partners: SDTC works in partnership with a select group of Canadian accelerators which refer applicants to SDTC for seed funding. Organizations interested in becoming an Approved Seed Fund Partner can apply through SDTC’s Portal.

Partner Onboarding Process: The partner review, approval and registration process are as follows:

1. SDTC will review the submitted form and send you an invitation to register on the portal as a new user.
2. Follow the registration link in the invitation to set-up login credentials for the portal.
3. Register as a new user.
4. Confirm “My Profile” information and “My Organization” information.

Recommendation Letter: The nominating accelerator must submit a recommendation on behalf of the applicant on the Portal during the nomination period, clearly articulating the following points:

• Rationale for why the applicant should be considered for SDTC seed funding, including its key strengths and potential risks
• Confirmation the applicant is, or has been in the last 12 months, a member of the accelerator program. As such, the Applicant should benefit from the accelerator’s services and support such as business advisory, funding assistance, mentorship, and in-kind services.
• Certification that no commission or finder’s fee shall be deducted from SDTC’s non-repayable contribution to the applicant.
• Acknowledgment that accelerators and applicants must obtain SDTC’s written consent prior to issuing any publicity related to seed funding.

Accelerator referral and membership: The applicant must be referred to SDTC for seed funding by an SDTC-invited accelerator from which it is currently, or has been, a member in the previous 12 months.

Canadian company: the applicant must be Canadian owned and incorporated in Canada prior to applying.

Innovation: The applicant must be developing a solution with intellectual property potential.

Environmental or sustainability benefits: The project should have potential for clear and broad environmental and/or sustainability benefits.

Contributions: SDTC Seed Fund will award a one-time non-repayable contributions of $50,000 to $100,000.

Private Equity: Applicant must have raised in private equity funding (without recourses) at least twice (200%) the amount requested as funding from SDTC in the last 12 months. 

Acceptable funding: Company must have CLOSED at least 2x the non-repayable contribution amount with a minimum raise of $100k from a non-government and non-related party IN CASH within the past 12 months. Investment must be for equity without recourse – no royalty, no provision for repayment ahead of return of funds to SDTC for any reason.

Not acceptable funding: Government funding, debt, Friends and Family’s or applicant’s own funds, convertible notes or debt.

No prior funding from SDTC: Applicant should not:

• have secured prior funding from SDTC,
• have been rejected for seed funding by SDTC in the prior year,
  • If your company has been rejected because you did not raise sufficient funding, you can apply again at the next Seed Funding round.
  • If your company has been rejected at the jury stage, you can apply again but you must skip the next Seed Funding round.
• apply simultaneously to SDTC Seed Fund and SDTC Tech Fund.

Timing: SDTC has developed a swift and efficient selection process and intends to provide funding to these projects within 8 weeks from initial application.

Confidentiality: All material and information submitted by the applicant will be treated as confidential by SDTC except if required by the law.

Publicity and Announcements: Any public releases about SDTC funding from accelerators or applicants will require prior approval from SDTC.

Introduction

With up to 100 companies funded annually, funding rounds open every 3-4 months with a timeline of just 8 weeks to move from application submission to payment.

Phase 1: Referrals 

1. Seed Fund applicants must be nominated by approved accelerator partners.
2. An accelerator partner must submit a company recommendation (i.e., ‘nomination’) on SDTC’s Portal when a round opens.
3. SDTC reviews each nomination prior to inviting companies to the application phase.

Phase 2: Applications  

Once nominations are approved by SDTC, applicants will be invited to complete their application in two steps:

1. Applicants will receive a personalized access code to SDTC’s Portal, which they can use to access the system and create their login credentials.
2. After accessing the system and creating login credentials, Applicants can then complete their Organization Profile and Application Form. Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the application and attachment requirements prior to completing the online form. Click here to view a read-only version of the portal application form. Applicants must submit the following documents as part of their application:
   1. Investor/ Pitch Deck
   2. Signed Investors Agreements/ Subscription Agreements
   3. Bank Statements (last 3 months)
   4. CV of Key team members
   5. Financial statements and Financial Model (if available)
   6. Other relevant documents shared with other investors
3. After the Application period ends, SDTC staff will review the files for eligibility. Applicants should be prepared to provide additional materials and amend their applications if requested to do so.

Phase 3: Presentations & Deliberations

1. If the application is eligible, candidates will be invited to a pitch session where they will have the chance to deliver a 5-minute pitch followed by a Q & A session with the Seed Fund Jury. Presentation times will be confirmed in the week before jury week.  
2. The pitch is your chance to convince the Jury of how you will leverage SDTC’s support to advance your business.  The pitch should showcase for the jurors your:  
   1. Value Proposition, including an understanding of the market opportunity and size  
   2. The competitive landscape and customer acquisition plan (including Intellectual Property Strategy)
   3. Team and advisor capability and skills 
   4. Articulating how you plan to deliver environmental benefits. 
3. Following the pitch sessions, the jurors will deliberate and make recommendations to SDTC’s Board of Directors for a final funding decision. Please refer to Important Dates.

For information on how to use Microsoft Teams please use the following support guides:

Join a team as a guest
Join a Teams meeting as a guest outside the organization
Upload and share files

For additional technical support please contact: seedfund@sdtc.ca

No, applications will only be accepted through an SDTC-approved accelerator partner. We recognize the support provided by accelerators is critical to a company’s growth (e.g., mentorship, financial management, business plan, marketing).

SDTC Seed Funding seeks to support companies developing sustainable technologies in focus areas including but not limited to GHG reduction, circular economy, promoting well-being for humans and our environment.

Please see the complete list of our accelerator partners above. Don’t see your accelerator on the list? Encourage them to apply to SDTC to be a partner.

At SDTC, we believe in building a strong Canadian innovation ecosystem. We partner with incubators and accelerators across Canada in communities, big and small. 

Encourage your accelerator to become our next partner simply by emailing seedfund@sdtc.ca. We are looking forward to setting up an introductory call and to expanding our innovation network

With the initial vetting and due diligence is done by accelerators, the funding process is fast and streamlined. From the time of application to successful applicants receiving funds is less than eight weeks. This program has immediate impact, getting capital to where it’s needed, quickly.