MaRS client Wave Accounting closes investment round

Toronto – June 24, 2011 – MaRS client Wave Accounting Inc., creators of free online accounting software for small businesses, has announced the closing of its seed round of financing, led by OMERS through INKEF Capital, the venture capital investment alliance of pension funds OMERS (Canada) and ABP (the Netherlands).

“One of the most exciting aspects of closing our $1.5 million seed round is the involvement of OMERS and INKEF Capital,” says Kirk Simpson, President and CEO of Wave. “The arrival of a lifecycle investor like OMERS points to a new way of doing business. Canadian tech start-ups can now create value on a global scale, without going outside Canada for funding.”

Though the startup scene in Canada is vibrant, the investment culture has often been characterized by small investments and short-term horizons. INKEF Capital aims to help grow the next generation of start-up companies by partnering with them throughout the investment lifecycle.

“We’re taking a long-term investment approach. We plan to work closely with great start-ups like Wave, and ensure that they have the mentoring and investment resources to reach their maximum potential. Wave has already shown the kind of innovation and growth we’re looking for, and we’re excited to have Wave among our first investments,” says Peter Carrescia, Managing Director at INKEF Capital.

Since becoming a MaRS client in 2010, Wave Accounting has worked with MaRS’ Information technology, Communications and Entertainment practice to optimize its pitch, develop a fundraising plan and connect with investors.

About Wave Accounting
Launched in November 2010, WaveAccounting.com is a free online accounting application designed specially for small businesses with 9 employees or less. Wave has signed up 20,000 small businesses in 162 countries in under seven months. Wave is privately held, and based in Toronto, Canada.

About INKEF Capital
Established in 2010, INKEF Capital is an innovative international partnership of Canadian pension fund OMERS and Dutch pension fund ABP. A new way of investing in start-ups, INKEF Capital will provide capital at an early stage and continue to finance successful companies throughout the investment lifecycle, all the way to a sale or an IPO. By investing in the knowledge economy of the future, INKEF Capital’s long-term strategy is to achieve top-quartile returns consistent with the risk profile of the investment class.

About OMERS
OMERS is one of Canada’s largest pension funds with over $53 billion in net assets. It provides first-class pension administration and innovative products and services to over 400,000 members. Approximately one in every 20 employees working in the province of Ontario is an OMERS member. Through the OMERS Worldwide brand, our team of investment professionals uses a direct drive, active management investment strategy to invest in public and private market assets, including publicly-traded equities, fixed-income, infrastructure, private equity and real estate. For more information, please visit www.omers.com or www.omersworldwide.com.

About MARS
MaRS Discovery District (www.marsdd.com) is a large scale, mission driven innovation centre located in Toronto and networked across Ontario, focused on building Canada’s next generation of technology companies. MaRS works closely with entrepreneurs to grow and scale their ventures into global market leaders in life sciences and health care, information, communications and entertainment technologies, cleantech, advanced materials and engineering, as well as innovative social purpose businesses.

For more information, please contact:

Vanessa Caldwell
MaRS Communications
vcaldwell@marsdd.com
416-673-8100 x 2240