Perspectives

Perspectives from
the Northside

News and bold ideas from founder, Alex McIsaac, and the Northside community.

The Northside Approach: Our Vision for Backing Exceptional Canadian Founders. Before Day One.

Today, I’m proud to introduce the new Northside Ventures website and our refreshed branding that reflects the lessons learned from thousands of founder conversations over the last two years since I launched the fund in 2023.

Should You Talk to VCs When You’re Not Raising?

For pre-seed and seed stage founders, there are really three different scenarios — and the right approach is different for each.

State of the Venture Market Today

My perspective on the forces shaping early-stage venture in 2025.

Tech Trends I Observed in Q1 2025

Here are the trends that emerged after screening 1,600 companies and having 100+ founder conversations last quarter.

Announcing Northside Ventures $15M CAD Fund I

Northside Ventures has secured final close for Fund I to back Canadian founders at inception.

September 5, 2024

Year One Reflections and Strategies for Emerging Fund Managers

Practical advice for navigating the first year of fundraising.

3 Archetypes of Canadian AI Founders

In a year dominated by the meteoric rise of AI we observed the emergence of three founder archetypes.

December 19, 2023