How it works

Export Development Canada (EDC) can match investments of $10 million or more with our expedited co-investment program.

With the goal of accelerating the growth of Canadian businesses, EDC leverages the due diligence of your venture capital or private equity investor(s) to help you access more capital faster, and “matches” new investments on their terms and conditions

As a female founder of a software company exploring the various funding programs available to me, efficiency is key. What really blew me away about EDC was how quick the Investment Matching Program funding process was compared to all other fundraising processes I’ve been through. Knowing that EDC was investing in Plum gave other investors confidence and boosted the amount of capital available to us in that round of funding. We used the additional capital to help bridge a gap and set us up to replicate the success we’ve had in Canada in the United States by growing our enterprise accounts in that country. The fact that EDC is helping to level the playing field by increasing their support for diverse-owned and -led businesses by fostering inclusion, diversity and equity is well-aligned with Plum’s values, and made our decision to work with them that much easier.

Caitlin MacGregor  —  CEO,  Plum.io Inc

With an expedited due diligence process, and approval possible in as little as 30 days, we enable entrepreneurs to get quicker access to the capital they need to grow their business.

  1. You connect with your venture capital or private equity investor(s) to let them know you’re interested in the EDC Investment Matching Program.
  2. Your investor will connect with EDC to find out if they qualify as a co-investment partner with EDC. To qualify, they must have a fund of at least $100 million, or be backed by EDC, Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) or Farm Credit Canada (FCC).  In addition, they must enter into a contractual obligation to align and share information with EDC.  
  3. Once qualified, your investor will share their term sheet, investment memorandum, and diligence materials, as required, with EDC.
  4. EDC will then engage with you and your investor(s) to verify due diligence, gather additional information as required, and better understand the investment opportunity. Note: Approval isn’t assured, and meeting eligibility criteria is only one step in EDC’s expedited co-investment review process. Opportunities are assessed by EDC, to ensure they align with our strategy and standards (including ESG).  
  5. Following approval, the timelines for the legal documentation process (payable by you, the investee) and closing date of the transaction will follow market standards. 
  • You, the investee, must have international expansion as a key corporate priority of your growth plans and/or use of funds —if you’re not already doing business internationally. 
  • You must have a new term sheet created with an aligned, qualified Canadian or international institutional venture capital or private equity investor.
  • Exporters with $1 million to $10  million in revenues can potentially access up to $10 million in matched investments (inclusive of follow-on  investment reserves as deemed appropriate by EDC).
  • Companies with annual revenues of at least $500,000 may be eligible under EDC’s Inclusive Trade Investments Program  and cleantech initiatives.
  • Exporters with $10 million to a maximum of $300 million in revenues can potentially access up to $25 million in matched investments (inclusive of follow-on  investment reserves as deemed appropriate by EDC).


 

Put your growth and commercialization plans into action with confidence

With our program, you can:

  • Get quick access to capital with our efficient approval process and minimal financial reporting requirements.
  • Gain a collaborative, non-controlling partner who closely aligns with your institutional investor to help you execute on your international growth and commercialization plans.
  • Boost your credibility, capital, and financial profile with the backing of a well-known, trusted partner.
  • Tap into EDC’s expertise, financial solutions, and powerful network of resources to help you scale.

                                       


 

A woman facing a computer monitor speaks into a headset and gestures with her hands.


Questions about EDC’s Investment Matching Program?

If you’re an existing customer, contact your EDC relationship manager to discuss your business needs.

If you’re new to EDC and inquiring about the EDC Investment Matching Program, have your investor reach out to us to begin the discussion. They can call us at 1-800-229-0575 or send us a question. 


 


 

Date modified: 2023-06-12