Industries that qualify
for venture debt financing

Venbridge is the leader in venture debt & SR&ED financing. With our competitive rates, automated systems, and cash in your account in as little as 2 days, we provide what you need to grow your business. If you need expertise in filing your claim, we can uniquely combine financing and consulting.

Industries 2

Which industries qualify for venture debt financing

Check the list below for typical activities that qualify for government tax credits or grants. Chances are, if you have employees doing research and development, digital media production, software coding, or developing new technology, Venbridge can provide you with a credit facility. Whether you’re building equipment for the oil sands in Alberta, developing CRM systems in Ontario, building a social media platform in British Columbia, or investing in a transportation system in Quebec, Venbridge has venture debt financing solutions to meet your needs.

Leverage the best incentive programs via SR&ED financing

The best programs are the ones that will achieve your business objectives and maximize your operating cash flow while reducing risk. There are many programs available and it is best to start with the largest and easiest to access programs. For instance, SR&ED is the single largest tax incentive program in Canada. Most of the time companies undertaking R&D qualify for the SR&ED program. Venbridge’s SR&ED financing program can get you the cash you need now, so you can grow your business.

Succeed in claiming your tax incentives

To effectively present your case for your tax incentive it is critical to understand what parameters are important to the government and the CRA and how to effectively articulate your project so that you qualify for the program. Almost all government programs require that you document your work effort and the time and/or money spent. This can be simple for structured experiments, capital acquisitions, and trade shows but can be much more complicated for SR&ED activities.

The key to a successful SR&ED claim is to determine how much time is spent on eligible activities and to be able to have evidence to support it since, unlike many other government incentive programs that focus on the results, SR&ED focuses on the effort made to advance technology. With all government incentives, having a systematic approach which complies with the program terms will maximize your refund or grant. Being organized and having a plan will help you have proper record keeping and a plan demonstrates maturity and efficiency. The easier you make it for the CRA or the granting organization, the more likely you are to maximize your returns and minimize the cost of compliance

Growth capital for your business

Instead of, or complementing equity, venture debt has many advantages. Our clients tell us that the cost of venture debt is lower than the cost of equity, they like retaining more ownership of their company, the effort to fundraise is lower and the time to receive the funds is quicker. The faster your business is growing, the more sense venture debt makes.

Information & Communication Technology

Activities that can qualify for SR&ED financing, SaaS financing or venture debt

Software Development

Application development, software tools, embedded systems, cross-platform development, big data, cloud

Hardware Development

Computing platforms, cellular hardware, embedded systems development, networking components, device development

Firmware Development

Consumer products (ie. timing & control systems, music processing), computer products (ie. BIOS development, startup firmware), routers & firewalls, NAS systems, any other electronic device with controls

Middleware Development

Distributed application architecture, database design, operating system development, remote procedure call design, portals

Platform Development

Computing platforms, cellular hardware, embedded systems development, networking components, device development

Mobile & Communication Development

Computing platforms, cellular hardware, embedded systems development, networking components, device development

Cyber Security

Computing platforms, cellular hardware, embedded systems development, networking components, device development

Manufacturing

Activities qualify for SR&ED and grant financing

Wood, Paper & Printing

Fibre processing, paper development, papermaking processes, tree biotechnology, ink development, screening technologies

Automotive, Rail & Ships

Fibre processing, paper development, papermaking processes, tree biotechnology, ink development, screening technologies

Aerospace

Systems design, fluid dynamics, propulsion design, guidance and control robotics, electronics engineering, materials engineering, avionics & software development

Textiles, Clothing & Leather
Tool & Die

Food, Beverage & Agriculture

Activities qualify for SR&ED and grant financing

Food Processing

Developing complex theoretical models, automating manual processes, developing reporting functionalities, integrating software systems, big data solutions

Beverages

Fuel economy & emissions, safety engineering, paint engineering, vehicle dynamics, NVH engineering, performance, assembly & shop floor engineering, electronics, mechanical engineering, materials engineering, software development

Agriculture

Systems design, fluid dynamics, propulsion design, guidance and control robotics, electronics engineering, materials engineering, avionics & software development

Other

Developing complex theoretical models, automating manual processes, developing reporting functionalities, integrating software systems, big data solutions

Chemicals, Plastics & Rubber

Activities qualify for SR&ED and grant financing

Chemicals

Battery science, synthetic chemistry, agriculture and food chemistry, nanotechnology, polymer chemistry, inorganic chemistry, climate changes, molecular synthesis and design, energy & fuel, biochemistry, forensics, paint, pigments, and coatings, astrochemistry, cheminformatics, geochemistry, nanochemistry, nuclear, textiles, dyes, pigments and inks

Plastics

Recycling, extrusion, polymers, injection molding, mold making & tooling, mold automation

Rubber

Polyester urethane, styrene, polyacrylic, silicone, nitrile

Other

Any research into chemical compounds or practical applications using chemicals, plastics or rubber that are not common to your industry

Life Sciences & Pharma

Activities qualify for SR&ED and grant financing

Biology

Biochemistry, bioengineering, biomechanics, biophysics, botany, cell biology, ecology, genetics, hematology, marine biology, molecular biology, neurobiology

Medical sciences

Anesthesiology, cardiology, dermatology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, geriatrics, gynecology, hematology, hepatology, infectious disease neurology, nephrology, oncology, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, pathology, pediatrics, pharmacology, pulmonology, psychiatry, radiology, rheumatology, urology, veterinary medicine
Other

Pharmaceutical Research

Pharmacology, toxicology, pathology

Other

Genomics, neuroscience, biocomputers, biodynamics, biomaterials, biomedicine, cognitive neuroscience, environmental science, food science, genomics, kinesiology, medical imaging, optometry, sports science

Banking & Insurance

Activities qualify for SR&ED and grant financing

Fintech

Payment solutions, app development, robo-advisors, insurtech, blockchain, cryptocurrencies

Software Development

Applications Development, Systems Development, Web Development, Embedded Systems Development, Scientific Development, Test Automation

Middleware Development

Application infrastructure middleware, message oriented middleware, object middleware, remote procedure call middleware, database middleware, transaction middleware, portals, embedded middleware, content-centric middleware

Platform Development

Cloud computing, embedded systems, software frameworks, virtualization, mobile platforms, platform as a service development

Other

Developing complex theoretical models, automating manual processes, developing reporting functionalities, integrating software systems, big data solutions

Energy & Natural Resources​

Activities qualify for SR&ED and grant financing

Power and Power Distribution

Software development, distribution efficiency, turbine development, emission reduction, quality improvement, transmission

Wind, Solar & Hydro

Turbines, power storage, batteries, converters, silicon research, generators, photovoltaic research, solar concentration technology

Oil & Gas

Oil and gas technology, processing equipment, material science, software development, water treatment, separation technologies, drilling and pumping technologies, remote sensing, fluids & lubricants (demulsifiers, fracking and drilling fluids)

Media & Gaming

Activities qualify for SR&ED, digital media and grant financing

Game Development

Game developers typically qualify for SR&ED and digital media tax credits in addition to grants. Each province has different criteria for game development

Interactive Digital Media

Virtual reality, augmented reality, video games, educational software, entertainment products (in some provinces), simulators

Animation

Designing, modelling, rendering, lighting, painting, animating, compositing

Film & Television

Developing complex theoretical models, automating manual processes, developing reporting functionalities, integrating software systems, big data solutions

Other

TV shows (except news, talk shows, game shows, award shows, reality TV)

Other Industries

Activities qualify for tax credit, SaaS and grant financing

Fintech

Payment solutions, app development, robo-advisors, insurtech, blockchain, cryptocurrencies

Software Development

Applications development, systems development, web development, embedded systems development, scientific development, test automation

Middleware Development

Application infrastructure middleware, message oriented middleware, object middleware, remote procedure call middleware, database middleware, transaction middleware, portals, embedded middleware, content-centric middleware

Platform Development

Cloud computing, embedded systems, software frameworks, virtualization, mobile platforms, platform as a service development

Other

Developing complex theoretical models, automating manual processes, developing reporting functionalities, integrating software systems, big data solutions