The Canadian venture capital industry is showing signs of both resilience and vulnerability, according to a new report from BDC Capital, which reveals declining investments for a second consecutive year.
In 2023, venture capital investments in businesses totaled $6.9 billion in the country, a decline of 34% compared to 2022, according to data from the investment division of the Development Bank of the Canada.
The information and communications technology sector once again benefited from the majority of the sums, followed by the clean energy and life sciences sectors.
After reaching a peak of $15 billion in 2021, Canadian venture capital activities moved closer to pre-pandemic levels in 2023. But they still surpassed the average of $4.2 billion recorded between 2015 and 2019, indicates the report published Tuesday.
The number of transactions completed, which reached 660 last year, was also 25% higher than the five-year average.
“Overall, these figures demonstrate the persistence of investor interest and the fact that, despite a difficult economic environment, the ecosystem has remained active,” the document reads.
In addition, BDC Capital mentions that “Canadian venture capital investments are declining more slowly than globally, which demonstrates a certain resilience.”
In an interview, the executive vice-president at BDC Capital, Jérôme Nycz, emphasizes that “the venture capital industry in Canada has made a remarkable comeback over the last ten years.”
“We are at approximately 0.36% of gross domestic product (GDP) in venture capital, which puts us approximately in the middle of the pack of OECD countries,” he indicates.
Maintain a yield above 10%
However, the figures also reveal a certain vulnerability of the Canadian ecosystem. One of these signs is the decline in the ten-year net return on venture capital, which fell from 14.6% in 2022 to 11.7% in 2023.
This downward trend, which also affects the United States, “represents a bit of a reassessment of portfolio companies which are having more difficulty raising funds and delivering on the objectives that were established at the beginning,” explains Mr. Nycz.
The one-year return on venture capital in Canada fell into negative territory at -11.2%.
“If annual returns continue to decline for another year, we believe that five-year and ten-year returns will likely fall below the 10% threshold in Canada,” worries BDC Capital, the investor in most active venture capital in the country.
A long-term rate below double digits could impact the availability of capital.
“We hope that we have found the bottom of the industry in terms of returns. If yields remain above 10%, that bodes well for being able to interest other investors,” says Mr. Nycz.
He specifies that the 2023 performance data, however, presents good news. The 10-year yield gap narrowed again between Canada and the United States.
“Which means that we are able to build real technology companies in Canada and we are able to sell these assets at attractive prices,” he maintains.
Provincial data
For the first time, the BDC Capital report presents provincial data. Ontario mobilized almost half of the dollars invested in Canada, or $3.8 billion in 275 companies.
Quebec and British Columbia follow with, respectively, $1.4 billion in 136 companies and $1.2 billion for 92 transactions.
La Belle province “is doing well,” according to Mr. Nycz. In 2023, its share of venture capital investments corresponded to the weight of its GDP in Canada, or approximately 20%.
But Quebec stands out from the rest of Canada with larger asset sales, underlines Mr. Nycz. Since 2019, 32% of recorded exits have reached a threshold of more than $50 million, according to BDC Capital.
An advantageous situation since these money outflows can then be “recycled” in order to invest in new companies, argues Mr. Nycz.