Seed capital for the unusual

Fiddlehead Ventures follows two distinct investment theses - Forward Thinging, and Deadpool. The Forward Thinging approach focuses on investing in things, before they become "a thing". Foraging the international technology landscape for the most intriguing and promising niche opportunities. The Deadpool approach leverages Darryl Kirsh’s experience as a 30+ year turnaround and restructuring professional, to identify undervalued failing and struggling tech companies where significant resources have already been invested, and real assets and value exist. More below; 

 Fiddlehead Ventures seeks to identify what's new, exciting, and with plenty of potential for growth before it's in the mainstream. That means beating the bushes, and imagining the business landscape 10 years out. In particular, we keep our eyes open for niches often overlooked, simply because they don't show up on the radar and are often considered boring, unappealing, and not part of the latest wave. Fortunately, these often make the most profitable investments.

We look for smart, savvy and dedicated entrepreneurs, who know that the journey will be difficult, but are committed to a vision. We're not looking to take on the world. We're looking at changing the status quo in niches that are normally ignored, or simply not noticed. Some businesses are simply not sexy or in fashion, but they can offer big returns.

What turns us on? Water, garbage (yes, really, trash), food tech, VR/AR, HR solutions, health, education, travel, and lot's more. No boundaries, no limits.

 Many tech companies of the past decade were designed to scale, and not for profitability. Fiddlehead’s Deadpool investment thesis is similar to a value investing approach — low pricing for high-value assets that not many are willing to look at, or even look for. This means an enormous deal flow without competition driving pricing (valuations). It means having a preference for results over exit appeal. It means separating from the herd that typically looks for healthy unicorns. By leveraging previous funding rounds, assets, IP, founder time, and hindsight, Fiddlehead believes that value and above average returns can be achieved. The majority of today’s tech investors are not entering the tech graveyard.

 We want to be an early believer, a first investor, and write the first cheque. We're sector agnostic. We know hardware is hard, and software is not always a soft and cushy ride. But in general,  a software product that is unique and has a clearly replicable customer acquisition strategy interests us. So do companies building a physical product in a sector that has lacked innovation during the past 20 years or more ( and there are many). Mostly, we like entrepreneurs who are believers in the possible and impossible.