District Ventures Capital

District Ventures Capital is a Calgary-based venture capital fund founded in 2016 by Arlene Dickinson, the renowned Canadian entrepreneur and long-time Dragons' Den star. The firm specializes in consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies in food and beverage and health and wellness sectors across Canada and the US. Fund I closed at $100 million in September 2019 with institutional LPs including OMERS ($33 million), BMO, Farm Credit Canada, and BDC Capital. Fund II has followed with Export Development Canada (EDC) as a committing LP. With 48 investments to date, District leads rounds with typical checks in the $500,000 to $5 million range. Portfolio companies include Just Vertical (hydroponic growing systems), Three Farmers (roasted bean snacks), and Vertiball (muscular care device). The firm's largest investment to date is a $20 million deal in Huha Wear Inc. (women's intimate apparel), co-invested with EDC in November 2025 — the largest investment in Dragons' Den's 20-year history, originating from Season 18. Partner and CFO Jason Berenstein oversees transaction origination, due diligence, and fund operations. District also operates Venturepark Labs, an accelerator program investing $150,000 per startup in semi-annual cohorts, giving the firm a built-in pipeline of early-stage consumer brands. The combination of Dickinson's public profile, institutional LP base, and operating accelerator makes District well-positioned to identify and accelerate emerging CPG brands before they reach broad retail distribution.