Instrument
YC SAFE
Post-Money SAFE. Widely accepted, founder-friendly, and fast to close. Or a priced round if you already have one structured.
How We Invest
Fast. Fair.
Founder-first.
One decision-maker. Standard terms. Days, not months.
Our Process
Five steps from first contact to wire. No games, no surprises.
01
Screening.
Send us whatever tells your story best — an email, a deck, a demo, a video. We're trying to understand what you're building, why it matters, and whether the science is fundamentally new or 10x better than what exists today.
02
Meeting.
A 30-minute conversation. Tell us about your team, the problem, how your solution works, and why now. No slide deck required — just explain it like we're curious non-experts.
03
Research.
We do our homework. We'll talk to people in the space, learn about the market, and dig into the science. We may ask to speak with a few of your users or references.
04
Decision.
One decision-maker. Yes or no, typically within days. No investment committee, no partnership vote. If it's a no, we'll tell you why.
05
Diligence.
A quick red-flag check — cap table, existing legal docs, standard fundraising terms. Nothing unusual. Once clear, we wire the money and get out of your way.
How We're Different
Not a typical
VC fund.
Attribute
Typical VC Fund
McNamara Family Investments
Primary Mission
Returns for LPs
Build huge companies
Risk Tolerance
Low to moderate
Very high — DARPA-style
Investment Horizon
5–7 year fund cycle
As long as it takes
Decision Speed
Weeks to months
Days
Lead Investor
Usually required
Happy to co-invest
Terms
Investor-friendly
YC SAFE — founder-friendly
Investor Background
Finance or MBA
Founder + engineer
Our Terms
Fast and founder-friendly. Here's what to expect.
Cheque Size
≤$250k
Initial cheques up to $250,000.
Board Seat
None
No board seat, no observer rights. Your company stays yours to run.
Timeline
Days
One meeting to a decision. Close within days of agreement, not weeks.
Common Questions
What stage of company do you invest in?
As early as possible.
What stage of fundraising do you invest at?
Angel to Seed.
Do you lead rounds?
Angel rounds are often party rounds, but we're happy to be the first angel cheque.
Where do you invest?
Canada. We used to invest in the US, too, but have paused that while the current administration is in office and is being hostile towards others.
How do you help beyond capital?
Intros to other great deep-tech investors we co-invest with, and mentorship from someone who's scaled a startup to a multi-billion dollar public company. Beyond that, we stay out of your way and let you build.
Do you follow on in future rounds?
Not usually. Our goal is to help founders get started, and the best founders will have no problem raising future rounds from world-class investors.
Do you expect a board seat or specific rights?
We don't take a board seat, but we'd appreciate staying on investor update emails, even when later stage VCs come in and ask you to stop updating early investors (which they will).
What's your ideal investment outcome?
A hundred-year company. We're not optimising for a quick flip or a fund-cycle exit. We want to back founders building companies that matter for generations — companies that change what's possible.
Do you invest in other funds?
Yes. We back fund managers with deep sector expertise or access to founders we wouldn't reach on our own. If you're raising a fund aligned with our thesis, reach out.
Sounds like what
you've been looking for?
you've been looking for?