Not all heroes wear capes—some super-charge ecosystems.

That’s exactly what Ha Nguyen has been doing as a Partner at McRock Capital, Advisory Board Member of Migr8, and now, the 2024 Ecosystem Supporter of the Year by Start Alberta. It’s the Oscars of Alberta tech (minus the red carpet, plus innovation).

And no one deserves it more. Ha isn’t just part of Alberta’s tech scene—she’s a driving force behind its success. Since moving to Alberta seven years ago, she’s been helping startups, scale-ups, and immigrant entrepreneurs thrive. As she puts it, “I wanted to create a system to welcome brilliant entrepreneurs from all over the world, making them feel valued and supported, just as I have felt since coming here.”

That vision became Migr8, a powerhouse initiative with two sides: Migr8 Capital, a venture fund, and Migr8+, a nonprofit supporting immigrant entrepreneurs with resources and community. Think of it as a launchpad for innovators—because sometimes grit needs a little lift.

Ha’s impact doesn’t stop there. She’s a bridge-builder, connecting newcomers to Alberta’s dynamic tech network, from Evolve Lab to Edmonton Unlimited. The result? A stronger, more diverse innovation community where collaboration drives resilience.

Ha’s story mirrors Alberta’s spirit: bold, collaborative, and relentlessly forward-thinking. Her work is proof that diversity fuels innovation and inclusion strengthens everyone.

What’s next for Ha? Probably more groundbreaking initiatives and another well-deserved accolade. In the meantime, check out this video to see why Ha’s influence is extraordinary: Watch Here.

Here’s to Ha—breaking barriers, raising the bar, and making Alberta’s tech community stronger every day.

Here we grow again!

Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston had it right: One can have a dream, baby – two can make that dream so real. In the wake of our Fund III announcement, we’ve added two new Associates to the team: Mickey Mi and Pritish Sehgal, VC veterans and recent Canadians.

Pritish’s dad quoted John A. Shedd to him before he moved out of the family home for school: “A ship in a harbour is safe but that is not what ships are built for.” While Mickey hails from China originally and Pritish from India, they have a lot in common:

They joined the McRock team because we’re not like other VC firms – from our approach to the day-to-day to our diverse team to our commitment to founders (their words! We just happen to agree).

Both Pritish and Mickey took the paths that, while not necessarily easy, were just right for them. Pritish broke from family tradition and started from scratch each time he moved – and he credits his willingness to take the plunge for his success thus far. From moving away from his hometown for school to playing professional cricket to recently moving to Canada, Pritish has been clearing his own path from the very beginning.

Mickey learned a hard lesson in his teens and finished high school in Florida, discovering his independence and drive in the process. Since then, a combination of commitment and grit have propelled him to new heights, pushing to get a little better every day. He returned to China after graduate school, then lived briefly in the UK before emigrating to Canada.

From a professional perspective, Mickey has his Bachelors in Economics from the University of Washington in Seattle and his Masters in Enterprise Risk Management from Columbia. He’s actively pursuing his CFA designation. During his undergrad, Mickey explored entrepreneurship, founding an EdTech startup. Prior to joining McRock, he managed social impact investments for GMCVO, a British impact investment firm, worked on early-stage ICT deals at a leading Asian venture capital firm, and contributed to renewable energy investments at a publicly listed company.

Pritish also explored his entrepreneurial side, co-founding Interwood India from his dorm room. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from MIT School of Management and an honorary charter from the CGIA Institute. Prior to becoming a McRocker, Pritish worked at Grant Thronton, Faber Capital PE and most recently at IAN Group, where he led early-stage SaaS investments. His past investment experience includes sectors such as clean energy, logistics, enterprise tech, robotics and biotech.

In keeping with our McRock Twins alter egos, we asked what their superpowers would be. Watch out, VC: Mickey would read minds, and Pritish would time travel. That combination might just be unstoppable!

Oh, and when we asked what this year’s holiday music video should be, Post Malone might have come up. Our question is, who gets the face tattoos…Scott or Whitney?

Our latest Fund secures top tier institutional investors to focus on the growth of the Industrial Software sector

We’ve been diving deep into the world of Digital Industrial since McRock first opened its doors more than a decade ago. And guess what? Our expertise is paying off, and wow, does it ever feel good!

At the 11^th annual McRock Digital Industrial Symposium today, our co-founders Whitney Rockley and Scott MacDonald announced the first closing of McRock Fund III with US $81 million in commitments. Fund III will focus on industrial software.

McRock Fund III investors include longtime partners Export Development Canada, BDC Capital, Alberta Enterprise Corporation, Fonds de solidarité FTQ and Aspen Technology, Inc., plus newcomers Venture Ontario, Bell Ventures and CIBC Innovation Banking.

We’re far from done

Digital Industrial technologies help operations run better, faster, cheaper, safer and greener. Add AI into the mix, and the Digital Industrial Revolution is picking up speed so fast it can feel like we’re going to run out of runway!

We’ve been paying attention to industrial software for quite a while, and that part of our portfolio has already been rocking and rolling. From former portfolio companies mnubo (acquired by AspenTech in 2019), Decisive Farming (Telus, 2019), ThoughtTrace (Thomson Reuters, 2022) and Poka (IFS, 2023) to active companies like Landing AI, Samdesk and our newest investment, Prevu3D.

“The next frontier in software is industrial,” notes Whitney. “The sector, supercharged by rapid AI advancements, is a highly promising area of growth. AI-enabled software’s ability to boost productivity and efficiency in industrial and smart city applications is seriously exciting.”

“We’ve always been clear that digital industrial solutions play an essential role in a sustainable future,” says Scott. “Our investors clearly agree, and we appreciate their confidence at this pivotal moment for McRock Capital and the incredible entrepreneurs we back.”

Now…let’s get McRock’n!

Montreal disruptors are reimagining the industrial environment by creating 3D digital replicas of real-world assets

Our latest investment is breaking the mold and changing the Digital Twin category with some downright cool innovations to help businesses take their first steps into the industrial metaverse. We’re excited to welcome Montreal-based Prevu3D to our portfolio!

Prevu3D offers a comprehensive platform designed to unlock the limitless potential of 3D technology for industries. Their innovative software seamlessly ingests reality capture data and connects real-world assets, data and personnel, enabling efficient management of industrial installations. Think heavy machinery, production lines, facilities, loading bays, etc. – exactly where we like to play. With Prevu3D, the future of industrial operations is where technology and efficiency converge. Their solution ensures precise documentation of industrial infrastructure and significantly enhances communication among stakeholders, mitigating risks and minimizing delays in engineering projects.

Our investment and expertise will assist Prevu3D scale its operations. We’ve been investing and believing in Industrial Software since we launched the firm in 2012. The successes of our first decade stem from applying our deep expertise and can-do attitude to nurture several high-potential industrial SaaS companies from basement startups into international success stories. Companies like Prevu3D don’t come along every day. This kind of innovation will continue to accelerate the Digital Industrial Revolution – with the right support.

“We’ve seen what McRock Capital has done for other Industrial Software companies, and we’re excited to access their growth capital and expertise as we scale our business,” says Nicolas Morency, Prevu3D Founder and CEO.

Curious about how they apply this tech in real life? We were too.

General Mills is an example of how Prevu3D can help customers manage their engineering projects safely, on schedule and within budget. Their engineering team used Prevu3D to create an accurate 3D model of their St-Hyacinthe plant, replacing outdated 2D plans. This digital replica enabled detailed site analysis without on-site visits, reducing safety risks and accelerating planning. Prevu3D’s RealityPlatform provided a comprehensive understanding of the site, streamlining engineering workflows and enhancing design efficiency. The software’s seamless integration required no specialized hardware and ran on standard computers, supported by initial training and ongoing customer success assistance. General Mills was able to advance their engineering project swiftly, maximizing the potential of 3D technology and improving value creation across their operations.

Eager to learn more? Check out this video about Prevu3D.

Visual AI is the Next Frontier

The potential applications for AI are limitless. It’s no longer just a tool for high tech industries, though we know all about that. Just look at how it’s made its way into the mainstream. And the next big opportunity in the application of AI is visual. About 90% of data is unstructured, and much of it is visual content, like images and videos.

Andrew Ng and Landing AI are leading the charge. Again. Is anyone surprised?

We’re not – that’s why we’ve partnered with Snowflake Ventures to further invest growth capital in our portfolio company Landing AI’s computer vision capabilities. This significant partnership will enable customers to leverage Landing AI’s capabilities natively on Snowflake via Snowpark Container Services and Snowflake Native Apps to create powerful, customer-built computer vision solutions that process images and videos at scale, all within the secure, governed boundary of the data cloud.

Landing AI sees the value in using large vision models (LVMs) to process and interpret the terabytes of visual data generated every year. And we see the value their intuitive software platform brings to enterprises that leverage generative AI technology for computer vision to innovate.

Think quality inspection, robotic assembly, and defect detection in manufacturing. Drug discovery, medication inspection, and cell analysis in the pharma industry. Automated checkouts and shelf inventory checks in retail. And that’s just for starters.

We can’t wait to see what’s next for this powerful partnership!