Key Takeaways
- • Devolutions, a Montreal-based secure access and IT management company, has launched Devolutions Ventures, a corporate venture division focused on backing complementary companies across the IT and managed service provider (MSP) ecosystem.
- • The venture arm has completed seven investments, acquisitions, and sponsorships since 2025 totaling between $3.5 million and $21 million: DBATools Pro, Mizo, Obkio, UniGetUI, Avalonia UI, PowerShell Universal, and ControlR, with individual deal sizes typically ranging from $500,000 to $3 million per company.
- • Devolutions Ventures operates as an advisory-first investor rather than a traditional financial investor, leveraging the parent company's 15+ years of IT technology expertise and its global community of over one million IT professionals across 140 countries to support portfolio company growth and go-to-market strategy.
- • The strategy focuses on ecosystem building rather than consolidation, allowing portfolio companies to maintain operational independence, existing leadership, and product roadmaps while accessing Devolutions' resources in security, community building, and market execution.
- • The initiative positions Devolutions within Québec's strengthening venture capital landscape, which has grown ninefold since 2003 and generated $1 billion in investment volume across 122 deals in 2025, with increasing focus on scaling rather than deal volume.
Summary
Devolutions, the Montreal-headquartered secure access and IT management platform, has formalized its venture strategy through the launch of Devolutions Ventures, a dedicated corporate venture division aimed at supporting companies across the IT and MSP ecosystem. The announcement represents a structured approach to what has been an ongoing investment pattern for the company, formalizing seven prior investments, acquisitions, and sponsorships completed since 2025.
The portfolio to date spans complementary technology categories critical to IT operations: Mizo (AI-driven service desk automation), Obkio (network performance monitoring), DBATools Pro (database management), UniGetUI (application management), Avalonia UI (open-source UI framework), PowerShell Universal (IT automation), and ControlR (remote management). Individual investment sizes have ranged from $500,000 to $3 million per company, suggesting a combined portfolio value between approximately $3.5 million and $21 million. David Hervieux, CEO of Devolutions, emphasized that the venture division operates as an advisor and long-term backer rather than a traditional financial investor, leveraging the parent company's 15 years of IT industry experience and institutional knowledge.
The investment thesis deliberately diverges from consolidation-focused venture strategies. Instead, Devolutions positions itself as a platform enabler, allowing portfolio companies to maintain full operational independence, existing leadership structures, and independent product development roadmaps. In return, portfolio companies gain access to Devolutions' global community of over one million IT professionals across 140 countries, along with institutional expertise in go-to-market strategy, security infrastructure, and community development. This model aligns with a broader shift in Québec's venture capital ecosystem toward quality execution and scaling rather than pure deal velocity—2025 saw venture investment decline to $1 billion across 122 deals compared to prior periods, reflecting a recalibration toward profitability and sustainable growth.
The launch reflects Devolutions' strategic positioning within Québec's maturing startup ecosystem, which has evolved substantially since 2003 and now emphasizes scaling and institutional-grade execution alongside innovation. By formalizing a venture arm focused on adjacent IT technologies, Devolutions reinforces its ecosystem leadership while maintaining capital discipline through modest per-company investment sizes and advisory rather than controlling equity stakes.
The portfolio to date spans complementary technology categories critical to IT operations: Mizo (AI-driven service desk automation), Obkio (network performance monitoring), DBATools Pro (database management), UniGetUI (application management), Avalonia UI (open-source UI framework), PowerShell Universal (IT automation), and ControlR (remote management). Individual investment sizes have ranged from $500,000 to $3 million per company, suggesting a combined portfolio value between approximately $3.5 million and $21 million. David Hervieux, CEO of Devolutions, emphasized that the venture division operates as an advisor and long-term backer rather than a traditional financial investor, leveraging the parent company's 15 years of IT industry experience and institutional knowledge.
The investment thesis deliberately diverges from consolidation-focused venture strategies. Instead, Devolutions positions itself as a platform enabler, allowing portfolio companies to maintain full operational independence, existing leadership structures, and independent product development roadmaps. In return, portfolio companies gain access to Devolutions' global community of over one million IT professionals across 140 countries, along with institutional expertise in go-to-market strategy, security infrastructure, and community development. This model aligns with a broader shift in Québec's venture capital ecosystem toward quality execution and scaling rather than pure deal velocity—2025 saw venture investment decline to $1 billion across 122 deals compared to prior periods, reflecting a recalibration toward profitability and sustainable growth.
The launch reflects Devolutions' strategic positioning within Québec's maturing startup ecosystem, which has evolved substantially since 2003 and now emphasizes scaling and institutional-grade execution alongside innovation. By formalizing a venture arm focused on adjacent IT technologies, Devolutions reinforces its ecosystem leadership while maintaining capital discipline through modest per-company investment sizes and advisory rather than controlling equity stakes.
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