The $150m BlackBerry Partners Fund II will invest exclusively in mobile computing companies from June 2011 and will have a broader international mandate than the first fund.
Research In Motion (RIM), a Nasdaq and Toronto-listed phone maker, Ontario Venture Capital Fund (OVCF), a C$205m ($207m) Canada state-backed investment fund, and Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) had previously agreed to be lead investors in the second BlackBerry Partners Fund.
RIM was a lead investor in the first fund, which was started in 2008 by RIM, media group Thomson Reuters and RBC, which had also co-managed the fund with venture capital firm JLA Ventures before the teams’ integration.
BlackBerry Partners Fund I has made 13 investments in Canada, the US, Israel and Ireland.
Jim Balsillie, co-chief executive of RIM, the maker of the BlackBerry phone, said: "We are very pleased with the positive impact of the first Fund on our mobile ecosystem and we look forward to BlackBerry Partners Fund II bringing additional resources and support to mobile innovators in a broader range of international markets."