# Difference Capital

> Difference Capital is a VC fund in Toronto backing Software and Health Care. See 16 investments, check sizes, portfolio and contact details. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Toronto, Canada
- Total investments: 16
- Last investment: Apr 2015
- Lead investor: 31%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/difference-capital-funding-inc-
- X (Twitter): http://twitter.com/diffcap
- Website: http://differencecapital.com

Difference Capital is a VC fund in Toronto focused on Software and Health Care. Difference Capital Financial Inc. is a publicly-listed, Toronto-based specialty finance company focused on creating shareholder value through strategic investments in, and advisory services for, growth companies, particularly in the technology and media sectors, as well as through opportunistic investments in undervalued financial assets and realproperty.

## Contacts

5 contacts available for Difference Capital. Shizune tracks 7 team members at Difference Capital. Sign up free to unlock them: https://app.shizune.co/sign-up/investor-profiles/find-team-emails/difference-capital?utm_source=investor_profile

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Software | 5 | 31% |
| Health Care | 3 | 19% |
| Biotechnology | 3 | 19% |
| SaaS | 2 | 13% |
| Medical | 2 | 13% |

37 industries tracked in total.

### Stage

| Stage | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Series A | 4 | 25% |
| Series B | 2 | 13% |
| Series C | 2 | 13% |
| Funding Round | 2 | 13% |
| Post-IPO Equity | 2 | 13% |

8 stages tracked in total.

### Country

| Country | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Canada | 7 | 44% |
| United States | 4 | 25% |

## Team

| Name | Title | Investments | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Jordan Udaskin | Vice President | 1 | — |
| Tom Astle | CIO | 10 | — |
| Henry Kneis | CEO | 0 | — |
| Michael Wekerle | Chief Executive Officer | 2 | — |
| Steven Russo | Vice President | 0 | — |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| TouchBistro | TouchBistro is an iPad-based restaurant point-of-sale system enabling owners to manage reservations and take orders instantly. Instead of servers repeatedly moving between customers and terminals for order management, servers can remain with customers and instantly submit orders to the kitchen and bar. Servers no longer need to write down an orderand then enter it into a distant terminal. TouchBistro's single entry system reduces errors and increases efficiency. Menu items can be presented in vibrant color with every detail captured and can be quickly and easily updated and even published to the Web, providing more dynamic impact than a traditional menu can provide. | $4.4M | Series A | Apr 14, 2015 |  |
| QuickPlay Media | QuickPlay Media is the leading provider of managed service solutions for the distribution of premium video to IP-connected devices. Successfully used by the world’s largest communications and media companies, QuickPlay’s cloud-based OpenVideo platform provides the most scalable and secure way for companies to deliver engaging multiscreenentertainment experiences. For more information, please follow QuickPlay Media on Twitter at @quickplaymedia. Interested parties can also follow QuickPlay on Facebook at www.facebook.com/quickplaymedia.QuickPlay was founded in April 2004 by telecommunications executive Wayne Purboo and media executive Raja Khanna and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada with local sales offices in North America and Europe. | $41.7M | Private Equity | Mar 26, 2015 |  |
| Cardiac Dimensions | Cardiac Dimensions, Inc. is a medical device company developing novel interventional tools for the treatment of heart failure and the related condition of mitral valve regurgitation. Our product, the Carillon® Mitral Contour System®, is a groundbreaking, non-surgical device developed to treat functional mitral valve regurgitation. Our system uses acatheter based approach to reshape the mitral valve and reduce mitral regurgitation. | $15.2M | Series A | Mar 11, 2015 |  |
| Bluedrop Performance Learning | Bluedrop Performance Learning Inc. (BPL) is the publicly listed holding company for its two wholly owned operating divisions, Bluedrop Training and Simulation Inc. (BTS) and Bluedrop Learning Networks Inc. (BLN) to which it provides management oversight and shared corporate and financial services. Founded by majority shareholder and CEO EmadRizkalla, BPL’s mandate is to lead and dominate niche markets where technology and learning can deliver new levels of operational success and improve and save lives.Bluedrop Training & Simulation Inc. (BTS) operates within the defense and aerospace industry where it designs and develops highly specialized, high performance, tactical training for front line operators of equipment working in complex environments and high-risk situations. This includes, training systems needs analysis, custom courseware development, virtual simulation training devices, and ongoing training support for in service support. Typical customers include Tier one OEMs such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky.Bluedrop Learning Networks Inc. (BLN) provides unique SaaS-based workforce development solutions to help government and corporate customers improve employment outcomes and keep workers safe. By understanding the complex operating environments of its target markets, BLN’s solutions are able to address multiple stakeholders. These solutions help workers to manage mandatory certifications, apprentices to track new skills at work, the unemployed to get jobs, the underemployed to advance, dreamers to start businesses, and local businesses to grow. Typical customers include workforce investment boards, apprenticeship authorities, government agencies, NGOs and workers’ compensation boards. | $457K | Post-IPO Debt | Feb 18, 2015 |  |
| Thunderbird Entertainment | Thunderbird Entertainment is a rapidly growing Vancouver-based multiplatform entertainment company with offices in Los Angeles, Toronto and London. Thunderbird creates award-winning programming for Canadian and International broadcasters and boasts divisions in scripted and unscripted development and production, theatrical distribution, andanimation.Thunderbird’s upcoming projects include the theatrical release of the critically acclaimed feature film Never Steady, Never Still directed by Kathleen Hepburn. Recent hits include the second season of the Canadian comedy Kim’s Convenience, the thrilling sequel to the cult classic Blade Runner, Blade Runner 2049, and the animated Netflix original series Beat Bugs, featuring reimagined songs from the Beatles catalogue sung by the biggest recording artists of today. | $8.4M | Series C | May 20, 2014 |  |
| SHOP.CA | SHOP.CA is the first multi-merchant marketplace built for Canadians, and managed by Canadians.In June of 2012 the site launched and now has millions of products, across 28 categories, and includes over 5000 brands.SHOP.CA provides Canadians with the brands, products and services they need and want from trusted retailers, manufacturers andservice providers, all through one universal shopping cart and one account. Through a cloud based Marketplace-as-a-Service (MaaS) platform, SHOP.CA makes it easy for approved partners to list, price and sell their products and services they have online and/or offline to Canadians, through a single destination.By integrating social elements into the eCommerce platform and user experience, SHOP.CA engages and rewards Canadians for every purchase and for social activities that lead to purchases. | $31M | Series B | May 01, 2014 |  |
| Aurinia Pharmaceuticals | Aurinia Pharmaceuticals is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapies to treat targeted patient populations that are suffering from serious diseases with a high unmet medical need. The company is currently developing voclosporin, an investigational drug, for the potential treatment of lupusnephritis, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, and Dry Eye Syndrome. | $52M | Post-IPO Equity | Feb 14, 2014 |  |
| Baanto International | Baanto International is a Mississauga, Ontario based company engaged in the design, development and marketing of proprietary infra-red (IR) based optical touchscreens based upon ShadowSense:tm: technology. Baanto was formed in 2009 as the commercialization vehicle for what is now known as ShadowSense. Eight (8) patents have been filed sincethe inception of the technology and cover the topology, implementation, and algorithmic aspects of ShadowSense position sensing technology. ShadowSense touchscreens combine high performance with a cost effective architecture, allowing Baanto to compete effectively in multiple market segments and across various use models.Baanto is exiting 2012 with twelve (12) production touchscreen solutions ranging in size from 8” (diagonal) to one of the largest commercial touchscreens in the world with a diagonal span of > 266”. Baanto product momentum is supported by the multi-touch experience and familiarity developed by the 500 million + smartphones and tablets sold over the last 5 years. The majority of these devices are multi-touch enabled, creating a user expectation that displays of all sizes will be interactive and have the common “iPad:registered:” multi-touch experience of swipes, pinches, and rotates. On the PC front, the touch capability of Windows 7:registered: and pending release of the multi-touch features of Windows 8 reinforces the need for the multi-touch experience to be present on laptops, “All in Ones”, PC desktops and larger displays as well.As a result of the staggering growth over the last five years, DisplaySearch estimates the touchscreen market size (TAM) to be $15.88 billion (USD) in 2012 and growing to more than $24 billion by 2017. While a significant portion of the recent growth is directly attributed to smartphones, tablets, and PC’s, even excluding these market segments the Baanto served available market (SAM) for existing products is estimated to be $2.67 billion (2012) with a calculated average growth rate (CAGR) of 13.6%. | $6M | Series C | Jan 20, 2014 |  |
| Alida | Alida is a continuous customer insights solution provider that enables organizations to drive better business outcomes while ensuring world-class customer journeys. By combining deep insight with broad feedback, Vision Critical empowers some of the most powerful brands in the world to improve the customer experience. Hundreds of leading brandsincluding BuzzFeed, LinkedIn and Red Bull are building better products and fostering customer loyalty with Vision Critical. To learn more about Vision Critical, follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, or visit us at www.visioncritical.com. | $3.5M |  | Jan 14, 2014 |  |
| Bluedrop Performance Learning | Bluedrop Performance Learning Inc. (BPL) is the publicly listed holding company for its two wholly owned operating divisions, Bluedrop Training and Simulation Inc. (BTS) and Bluedrop Learning Networks Inc. (BLN) to which it provides management oversight and shared corporate and financial services. Founded by majority shareholder and CEO EmadRizkalla, BPL’s mandate is to lead and dominate niche markets where technology and learning can deliver new levels of operational success and improve and save lives.Bluedrop Training & Simulation Inc. (BTS) operates within the defense and aerospace industry where it designs and develops highly specialized, high performance, tactical training for front line operators of equipment working in complex environments and high-risk situations. This includes, training systems needs analysis, custom courseware development, virtual simulation training devices, and ongoing training support for in service support. Typical customers include Tier one OEMs such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky.Bluedrop Learning Networks Inc. (BLN) provides unique SaaS-based workforce development solutions to help government and corporate customers improve employment outcomes and keep workers safe. By understanding the complex operating environments of its target markets, BLN’s solutions are able to address multiple stakeholders. These solutions help workers to manage mandatory certifications, apprentices to track new skills at work, the unemployed to get jobs, the underemployed to advance, dreamers to start businesses, and local businesses to grow. Typical customers include workforce investment boards, apprenticeship authorities, government agencies, NGOs and workers’ compensation boards. | $2.2M | Post-IPO Equity | Jan 09, 2014 |  |

10 of 16 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [Lumira Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/lumira-ventures) — VC Fund, 3 deals together
- ILJIN Life Science — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [Relay Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/relay-ventures) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [Torstar Corporation](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/torstar-corporation) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [Aperture Venture Partners](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/aperture-venture-partners) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Apple Tree Partners](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/apple-tree-partners) — VC Fund, 1 deal together

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- [General Catalyst](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/general-catalyst-partners) — VC Fund

## FAQ

### What does Difference Capital invest in?

Difference Capital invests primarily in Software, Health Care and Biotechnology startups, most often at Series A and Series B stage. Most of the 16 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in Canada. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### How do I contact Difference Capital?

Public channels for Difference Capital include LinkedIn, X (Twitter) and the website linked on this profile. For a verified work email and phone number, create a free Shizune account — contact data is searched across 20+ sources and validated before delivery, so your outreach lands in the right inbox.

### Who are the partners at Difference Capital?

The team at Difference Capital includes Jordan Udaskin (Vice President), Tom Astle (CIO) and Henry Kneis (CEO), among 7 team members tracked by Shizune. The Team section lists each member with their title, investment count and links.

### Is Shizune's investor data accurate?

Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

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