Barn Ventures
Pre-seed · Waterloo
We invest in people before it makes sense.
We back founders before they're fundable — students, recent grads, experienced builders ready to go. First cheque, pre-incorporation, no finished pitch required. We run out of Builders Club, a Waterloo-based community of 700+ active builders with direct ties to the alumni showing up in every YC batch, across SF's best companies, and behind some of the most interesting new ones. We see great founders early because we're already in the room with them.
The community behind the fund
Thesis
The most interesting builders don't look like founders yet.
That's the point. We're not looking for traction. We're looking for signal.
Our edge is proximity, not process.
We're embedded in Builders Club. We see people before they're legible to anyone else — before the pitch deck, before the raise, before most investors are paying attention.
- —Pre-company or idea-stage okay
- —Students and recent grads welcome
- —Experienced builders ready to go again
- —Technical founders preferred, not required
- —Waterloo-rooted, globally pointed
People who build things
Jesse Rodgers
Founder, Barn Ventures
UWaterloo alum. Founded Builders Club and created two of Canada's defining startup programs — Velocity and Creative Destruction Lab. Previously founded and exited a venture-backed HR software company.
Chad Bayne
Co-Founder · Osler LLP, Emerging Companies
Waterloo engineer and one of Canada's top-ranked startup and VC lawyers. Led landmark deals including NASDAQ's $2.75B acquisition of Verafin and Wealthsimple's $750M raise.
Kevin Rooney
Co-Founder · Cooley LLP, San Francisco
Waterloo engineer and Silicon Valley veteran. 24 years advising high-growth companies. 150+ venture financings a year. 50+ private investments including a16z. Connective tissue between Waterloo founders and the global tech ecosystem.
Our investors
Waterloo · Toronto · San Francisco
Operators, founders, and technologists with deep roots in the Waterloo ecosystem and active networks across North American tech.
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Building something early and think Barn might be a fit? Tell us what you're working on. No deck required.
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