Latest fund size
$21M
Announced
October 15, 2026
Global HQ
Canada
Members only
Check size
$100K-$700K
Members only
Stage focus
Pre-Seed, Seed
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Regions of investment
North America
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Genesys Capital is a Toronto-based life sciences venture capital firm with more than 25 years of experience and over $400M invested across six early-stage venture funds, 44 companies, and 20 exits. Its Genesys University Seed Fund invests in early-stage life sciences spinouts from the University of Toronto, McMaster University, and their affiliated teaching hospitals, including Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the University Health Network (UHN).
Kelly Holman, Co-founder and Managing Director
Damian Lamb, Co-founder and Managing Director
Sarah Farr, Principal
Jamie Stiff, Managing Director
Jennifer Williams, Partner and CFO
Members only
Names, roles, emails and LinkedIn profiles for the team, plus the fund's website.
The Genesys University Seed Fund targets pre-seed and seed-stage life sciences startups spinning out of the University of Toronto, McMaster University, and their affiliated teaching hospitals.
Its focus spans biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and medical technology, including medical devices and drugs targeting cancer, heart, and brain ailments.
The fund aims to close the early-stage capital gap that otherwise pushes Canadian university- and hospital-derived life sciences IP and founders to relocate to Boston or Silicon Valley to raise money, keeping the commercialization of Canadian research domestic.
Members only
What the fund looks for in founders and which sectors it backs.
The Genesys University Seed Fund held its first close in July 2026, raising over $21 million in commitments toward a target of up to $28 million.
First-close limited partners include the University of Toronto, McMaster University, Venture Ontario, the Temerty Group, and RBC, with the University of Toronto and McMaster University directing fund returns back into their own research and innovation programs.
In October 2026, the fund announced its second close, adding Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the University Health Network (UHN) as new hospital and limited partners.
Members only
Fund size, LPs and track record.
Leadership
Genesys Capital was co-founded by Damian Lamb and Kelly Holman, who serve as Co-founders and Managing Directors of the firm.
Jamie Stiff, who joined Genesys in 2002 and became Managing Director in 2016, also leads the firm, alongside Jennifer Williams, Partner and CFO.
Investment Strategy
The fund writes initial checks of up to roughly $700,000 per startup across 10 to 15 portfolio companies, with up to approximately $3.5 million reserved for follow-on investment in its strongest performers.
Other
Genesys Capital is a 25-year-old Toronto-based life sciences venture firm that has invested more than $400 million across six early-stage venture funds, backing 44 companies and recording 20 exits firm-wide.
Members only
Leadership, investment strategy, notable investments and exits.
