Slice featured prominently in a panel at the National Angel Capital Organization Summit in Ottawa, underscoring its role in shaping corporate venture capital and startup–enterprise collaboration in Canada’s tech ecosystem. The firm’s representative, Rachel Zimmer, joined other industry participants to discuss how large enterprises and startups can effectively “build together.”
Panelists focused on how to structure partnerships so they preserve innovation speed while leveraging corporate resources and expertise. They stressed that strategic alignment, rather than branding or publicity value, should anchor these relationships to ensure they deliver durable benefits.
The discussion highlighted the need for partnership models that create value simultaneously for founders, customers, and strategic investors. By emphasizing long-term, mutually beneficial structures, the panel framed corporate venture involvement as a way to strengthen rather than constrain startup growth.
For investors, Slice’s participation signals active engagement with corporate venture trends and evolving collaboration frameworks in the Canadian market. This positioning could enhance the firm’s access to deal flow, strategic capital, co-investment opportunities, and differentiated support for portfolio companies.
More broadly, the themes from the NACO Summit reflect sustained institutional interest in Canadian technology and the integration of corporate capital into the startup landscape. If these partnership models continue to scale effectively, they may bolster funding resilience and improve potential valuation and exit outcomes across the ecosystem.
Overall, the week underscored Slice’s efforts to embed itself within key corporate and investor networks, reinforcing its ecosystem-driven approach to supporting early-stage Canadian tech companies.