Sprout Fund backs software startups across Canada and it began as a small $1 million pilot fund with about 50 local investors before growing into Sprout Fund II, led by partners who have founded and grown their own startups rather than coming purely from finance backgrounds. The fund sources many of its deals through its own network of entrepreneurs and advisors, offers hands-on mentorship to the companies it funds, tends to invest in overlooked B2B and industrial software tied to Western Canada's economy, looks for founding teams that combine hustle with diversity, and often invests alongside other regional investors instead of trying to take over a round on its own.