John Stokes

Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Real Ventures

📍 Montreal, Quebec, Canada🔄 Updated September 2026💼 11 investments📅 17 years investing🗓 Last invested Jul 2021
VC🌍 Canada
11
Total investments
7
Early stage
1
Mid stage
1
Late stage
17y
Years active

Portfolio

9 investments · sorted by recency
All investments
Early stage
Mid stage
Late stage
Board Member
Jul 2021
MindBridge is the global leader in AI-powered financial decision intelligence. We help finance and audit professionals find what others miss, protect margins, and make smarter decisions across the business. Trusted by leading organizations worldwide, MindBridge applies proven AI at scale to turn complex financial data into clear, confident insight. With more than 120 billion transactions analyzed, MindBridge sets the standard for accuracy, transparency, and impact in modern finance.
Board Member/Observer
May 2020
Wrk combines the power of advanced automation technology and a human community to fulfill your company’s work at exactly the scale you need. No volume minimums and a skilled community on tap means you can go from local to global in a single click. Our self-serve software was expertly engineered to handle any type of work - from simple data entry and research tasks to complex internal processes like generating custom reports or configuring entire websites. Plus, Wrk can complete multiple projects in tandem, and delivers quality-assured results in real time. Wrk can be called upon to fill gaps, create efficiencies, and alleviate strain on your employees, providing the work your business needs, the moment you need it most. Contact us today to discover what Wrk can do for you.
Board Member / Investor
Jan 2019
Breathe Life is redefining the life insurance industry. Whether driven by Advisors, Consumers, or a Hybrid of both, our distribution platform provides life insurers with best-of-breed tools to increase the speed of policy delivery while reducing operational costs.
Board Member
Sep 2018
dcbel develops technology and designs products that put people at the center of the modern energy ecosystem. The company was founded in 2015 on the principle that everyone deserves clean, reliable and sustainable energy to live a life without compromise. dcbel Home Energy Station perfects the art and science of smart home energy, allowing people to take ownership over their energy supply with one small device. Homeowners can supply their home and EV with solar power, use vehicle-to-home charging to make power outages a thing of the past, and reduce energy costs with artificial intelligence.
Board Member
Dec 2014
Foko Retail is a mobile-first task management and communication platform used by 60+ of the world’s leading retailers for store operations, visual merchandising and marketing, communication, and store audits. With native apps for Android, iOS, and Web, you can take Foko Retail anywhere, whether it’s on a mobile device or tablet in-store, or desktop at HQ.
Board Member
Feb 2014
Transit simplifies local travel in more than 200 cities worldwide. Right on launch, it shows you all nearby transport options and departure times in big text and bright colours. Users can plan trips, set reminders, and get notifications about disruptions. Plus, Transit also integrates other sustainable transport modes — bikeshare, scooters, carshare, and ridehail — so users can determine the best way to get from A to B.
Board Member / Observer
Jul 2013
Breather is the leading provider of space-as-a-service, with a growing network of private workspaces built for productivity. Breather enables businesses to access workspace for hours to years, with hundreds of locations across the globe including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and London. Every space is designed to be comfortable, private and productive, with plug-and-play technology that ensures you can get to work as soon as you arrive. No matter how much space you need for however long you need it, Breather provides workspace solutions without lengthy turnarounds or leases that lock you in, leaving you space to concentrate on what’s next.
early stageReal Estate
Board Member / Investor
Aug 2012
In 2013, Unsplash launched as a modest Tumblr blog. Since then, Unsplash has evolved into one of the most impactful online communities. Today, over 10 billion Unsplash images are seen every month. A photo featured on Unsplash will now be viewed more than the front page of The New York Times. The Unsplash community is fueled by contributors who offer their images freely for anyone to use, inspiring hundreds of millions of creators from 13-year-old graphic designers to multi-platinum recording artists. Unsplash is a special community, where the powerful principles of sharing and openness have taken the place of strict copyright and legal red tape. The web was meant to connect, inform, and inspire us in unprecedented ways. The Unsplash community embodies this philosophy fully. Unsplash has become a place where the impact of our connected world is on full display. Instead of images being hoarded and shut down, images on Unsplash are fuel for creativity. At Unsplash, our mission is to enable everyone to create. You don’t need to know someone, or have an agent, or have a name to be great on Unsplash. Were a place where creators meet their audience. A place where individuals become a community. And a source of inspiration for millions of people from every country in the world. We’ve seen how the willingness to give a single image unlocks the creative potential that exists in us all.
Board Member
2009
Beyond the Rack is one of North America's leading online shopping clubs featuring top designer brand name apparel, accessories, beauty, and home decor at up to 80% off retail. We work with hundreds of major brands to hold first come, first served sales that are open exclusively to BTR members.
Experience · 15 entries
All (15)
Investments (11)
Founder (2)
Board (11)
2021
Board Member
Jul 2021
MindBridge is the global leader in AI-powered financial decision intelligence. We help finance and audit professionals find what others miss, protect margins, and make smarter decisions across the business. Trusted by leading organizations worldwide, MindBridge applies proven AI at scale to turn complex financial data into clear, confident insight. With more than 120 billion transactions analyzed, MindBridge sets the standard for accuracy, transparency, and impact in modern finance.
2020
Board Member/Observer
May 2020
Wrk combines the power of advanced automation technology and a human community to fulfill your company’s work at exactly the scale you need. No volume minimums and a skilled community on tap means you can go from local to global in a single click. Our self-serve software was expertly engineered to handle any type of work - from simple data entry and research tasks to complex internal processes like generating custom reports or configuring entire websites. Plus, Wrk can complete multiple projects in tandem, and delivers quality-assured results in real time. Wrk can be called upon to fill gaps, create efficiencies, and alleviate strain on your employees, providing the work your business needs, the moment you need it most. Contact us today to discover what Wrk can do for you.
2019
Board Member
Oct 2019
The mission of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal is to be the voice of Montréal’s business community and to promote the city’s prosperity. The Chamber of Commerce is involved in key areas of economic development, promoting a philosophy of action based on engagement, credibility, proactivity, collaboration and innovation. OUR VISION A strong Chamber of Commerce, in an economically thriving city, proud of its businesses and their success at home and abroad. OUR VALUES Team spirit, commitment, vitality, pride, professionalism.
Board Member / Investor
Jan 2019
Breathe Life is redefining the life insurance industry. Whether driven by Advisors, Consumers, or a Hybrid of both, our distribution platform provides life insurers with best-of-breed tools to increase the speed of policy delivery while reducing operational costs.
2018
Board Member
Sep 2018
dcbel develops technology and designs products that put people at the center of the modern energy ecosystem. The company was founded in 2015 on the principle that everyone deserves clean, reliable and sustainable energy to live a life without compromise. dcbel Home Energy Station perfects the art and science of smart home energy, allowing people to take ownership over their energy supply with one small device. Homeowners can supply their home and EV with solar power, use vehicle-to-home charging to make power outages a thing of the past, and reduce energy costs with artificial intelligence.
Show all 15 entries ↓
Investment activity
2009–2021 · 11 investments
200912012120131201422016120181201922020120211
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