Shawn Abbott
General Partner @ Inovia Capital
Calgary, Canada
Shawn Abbott is a Series A investor at Inovia Capital in Calgary focused on Software and FinTech. A partner with iNovia Capital, Shawn Abbott has a passion for building Internet & communications start-up companies. Shawn is an investor and board member at Top Hat Monocle, CoolIT Systems, Peraso and Reflex Photonics. He has played entrepreneur, investor, technical and general management roles across two dozen technology start-ups in threecontinents over two decades.His work pioneering internet security as CTO, then President, at Rainbow Technologies (NASDAQ:RNBO) saw the company grow ten-fold in profitability before being sold to SafeNet (NASDAQ:SFNT) for nearly a half billion dollars. In the late 1980s, he established and built the AND Group, which pioneered the CD-ROM locking used on several million discs. He is an accomplished public speaker, having presented at more than one hundred conferences on digital security and entrepreneurism, and taught software design courses internationally. He is chair of theA100.org, past chair of the Banff Venture Forum and on the Venture Capital Association of Alberta executive.He holds an early patent as one of the inventors of now popular USB keys. His publications include a chapter on hardware cryptography in the ICSA Guide to Cryptography. Shawn earned his Bachelor’s of Science in physics at the University of Alberta and has done postgraduate study at the University of Calgary, Stanford, and UC Irvine. Shawn is also an active rotary wing pilot.
- Total investments:
- 31
- Last investment:
- Lead investor:
- 48%
Last updated:
For AI agents: llms.txt
Industries Shawn Abbott invests in
Stages Shawn Abbott invests in
Countries Shawn Abbott invests in
Round sizes
Round size
- Seed
- $538k–$5.2M
- Series A
- $3.8M–$20M
- Series B
- $5M–$51M
Investment Focus
Industry
- Software 5 (16%)
- FinTech 4 (13%)
- Financial Services 4 (13%)
- Mobile 3 (10%)
- Credit 2 (6%)
Stage
- Series A 8 (26%)
- Series B 7 (23%)
- Seed 4 (13%)
- Series C 4 (13%)
- Series D 2 (6%)
Country
- Canada 11 (35%)
- United States 3 (10%)
Investments
| Company | Description | Round | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
Credit App
|
Credit App is a fintech company that operates a credit application platform. The platform is designed to manage billions of applications, ranging from automotive to residential rentals. It provides a secure and efficient way for consumers to apply for credit. The company also offers tools and capabilities that enable lenders of all sizes to processapplications. In addition to serving online lenders and automotive dealerships, Credit App also caters to residential landlords, providing a comprehensive solution for credit application management. | $2M / Seed / Jun 14, 2024 | |
PayShepherd
|
PayShepherd is a fintech platform that helps you manage your contractor billing.They ensure that your facility is billed the right amount every time, avoiding overages that can cost you serious money over time. PayShepherd improves communication between facilities and contractors, ensuring pay is fair and accurate for everyone. | $5.2M / Seed / Mar 06, 2024 | |
Certn
|
Certn is the new standard in risk management tools for employers, landlords and property management firms. Certn is a fast, simple, comprehensive solution for applicant screening backed by great customer service. Services include criminal record checks, drivers abstracts, identity verification, employment & education verification, andreference checks. Certn also offers its proprietary Softcheck which scans over 100,000 databases for negative news, watchlists, SEC violations, provincial security violations, across the globe and returns results in minutes. If you want more from your background screening product, you want Certn. | $50M / Series B / May 10, 2022 | |
Neo Financial
|
Neo Financial is a Canadian financial technology company that directly issues a range of Mastercard credit cards and offers CDIC-insured chequing and savings accounts through partnerships with regulated banks. To help Canadians improve their credit scores, Neo uniquely offers all its cards, including its premium ones, as secured cards. Beyond corebanking, Neo operates a proprietary rewards network of over 11,000 merchant partners, allowing users to earn cashback on everyday spending. | $50.7M / Series B / Sep 15, 2021 | |
Bench
|
Bench is proud to be the largest bookkeeping service for small businesses in America. Founded in New York in 2012, it’s our mission to help business owners thrive. We take the hassle out of bookkeeping and tax filing, so our clients can focus on what really matters - running a successful business.Our intuitive software is designed to simplifythe process of organizing your business financial records, while our live bookkeeping team is available to provide expert support and advice whenever you need it. By combining the power of modern technology with the expertise of a professional service, we empower business owners to focus on their core business activities and do what they love.Join the thousands of small businesses who trust Bench for their bookkeeping needs, and experience the convenience, efficiency, and expertise of our service today. | $60.3M / Series C / Jun 03, 2021 | |
|
Certn
|
Certn is the new standard in risk management tools for employers, landlords and property management firms. Certn is a fast, simple, comprehensive solution for applicant screening backed by great customer service. Services include criminal record checks, drivers abstracts, identity verification, employment & education verification, andreference checks. Certn also offers its proprietary Softcheck which scans over 100,000 databases for negative news, watchlists, SEC violations, provincial security violations, across the globe and returns results in minutes. If you want more from your background screening product, you want Certn. | $19.9M / Series A / Nov 01, 2020 | |
Tugboat Logic
|
Tugboat Logic is security assurance solution for the emerging and mid-market enterprises. Unlike traditional GRC platforms designed for large enterprises, only Tugboat Logic provides an automated framework to demystify the process of setting up a security program and helping you successfully attain an industry accredited certification like SOC-2 orISO 27001. With Tugboat Logic, enterprises can quickly get secure and prove it to customers. Powered by artificial intelligence, Tugboat Logic’s patent-pending technology automates information security policy creation, gap assessment and RFP response so enterprises can gain trust with customers and sell more. Tugboat Logic helps respond to RFPs up to 45% faster and increases sales win rate by up to 300%. Tugboat Logic is a cloud-based subscription service, available in either annual or monthly licenses, starting at $400 per month. Free 14 day trial available. The company uses intelligent automation to simplify compliance, drive employee security awareness and reduce friction in enterprise sales operations. | $9.3M / Series A / Mar 16, 2020 | |
Top Hat
|
As a student engagement and interactive teaching platform, Top Hat’s software helps college professors activate classrooms. In a world of digital distractions, countless academic studies have reinforced the reality that students better understand the day’s lesson if they’re asked to engage with peers, interact with complex material and participatein class. In Top Hat, students use their personal devices for quizzes, polls, and difficult simulations, transforming lecture halls from passive to active learning environments. As an advocate for traditional, on-campus education, Top Hat not only modernizes established teaching methods but also facilitates new approaches including the ‘flipped classroom,’ ‘group learning. | $55M / Series D / Feb 04, 2020 | |
|
Certn
|
Certn is the new standard in risk management tools for employers, landlords and property management firms. Certn is a fast, simple, comprehensive solution for applicant screening backed by great customer service. Services include criminal record checks, drivers abstracts, identity verification, employment & education verification, andreference checks. Certn also offers its proprietary Softcheck which scans over 100,000 databases for negative news, watchlists, SEC violations, provincial security violations, across the globe and returns results in minutes. If you want more from your background screening product, you want Certn. | $699K / Seed / May 02, 2018 | |
WorkFusion
|
WorkFusion provides a platform of AI agents for automating business processes. The agents perform financial crime compliance functions, including sanctions screening and adverse media monitoring. The software is designed to improve operational efficiency for financial institutions. | $50M / Series E / Apr 05, 2018 | |
| See all 31 investments → | |||
Co-Investors
About Inovia Capital
Inovia Capital is a venture capital firm that works with founders to create influential and permanent businesses. The team leverages an operator mindset to provide founders with support, mentorship, and access to a worldwide network.
Inovia Capital Contacts
| Name | Phone | Socials | |
|---|---|---|---|
Francois Gauvin
Advisor
|
|||
Geoff Judge
Advisor
|
|||
Hugues Lalancette
Principal
|
|||
Mia Morisset
Principal
|
|||
Patrick Pichette
General Partner
|
Access 48,091 investors
822 industries, 177 countries. Updated daily. Emails and phones included.
Browse database — It's Free!
Find investors for your startup
Search 48,091 investors by industry and country. Emails and phones included.
Similar Investors
Similar industry
Similar stage
Similar country
Featured in Investor Lists
Recommended lists
FAQ
What does Shawn Abbott invest in?
Shawn Abbott invests primarily in Software, FinTech and Financial Services startups, most often at Series A and Series B stage. Most of the 31 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in Canada. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.
What is Shawn Abbott's check size?
Shawn Abbott typically joins rounds of $538k–$5.2M at Seed, $3.8M–$20M at Series A and $5M–$51M at Series B. These ranges are 10th–90th percentile round sizes calculated from confirmed public funding rounds, so they are a realistic guide to the rounds Shawn Abbott participates in.
When did Shawn Abbott last invest?
The most recent investment recorded for Shawn Abbott closed in Jun 2024. Shizune tracks 31 investments in total for this profile, including round sizes, stages and portfolio companies, all sourced from confirmed public funding rounds and refreshed monthly.
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.
Contact your first 100 investors today
Find who invests in your industry, stage, and country. Download investor list with emails in 5 minutes.
Find investors — It's Free!
Continue with Google
Continue with LinkedIn
