Kristen Marumoto

Investment Stage

Focus Areas

About Investor

Kristen Marumoto is a Canadian startup ecosystem professional, entrepreneur, accelerator program manager, and former Executive Director of Durham’s Neighbourhood Association of Angel Investors (Spark Angels), with extensive experience supporting early-stage companies, coordinating angel investor networks, and developing entrepreneurship programs across Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Her professional background combines startup advisory services, entrepreneurial education, investor relations, business development, marketing, and venture ecosystem management. Her LinkedIn profile indicates that she is transitioning to Senior Manager, Programs at Genesis, a startup support organization in Newfoundland and Labrador, where she will lead its Residency program and help develop its Entrepreneurs in Residence network. She previously worked as a Programs Manager at Memorial Centre for Entrepreneurship (MCE), Memorial University, supporting founders through entrepreneurship programming, community engagement, and business development initiatives. Her historical investment-related interests include SaaS, Enterprise Software, Enterprise Applications, Consumer Internet, E-commerce, Direct-to-Consumer (DTC), Gaming/eSports, InsurTech, Internet of Things (IoT), and Food & Beverage, reflecting the sectors associated with her historical investor-directory profile. Her geographic experience is primarily concentrated in Canada, particularly Ontario's startup ecosystem, although her entrepreneurial programs and founder relationships may extend beyond these regions. Her historical investor-directory classifications cover the Pre-seed and Seed stages, with an emphasis on emerging businesses developing scalable products and validating early commercial opportunities. According to Signal, the historical investment range associated with her Spark Angels profile is $10,000 to $250,000, with a preferred investment ticket of approximately $80,000. These amounts should be interpreted as third-party estimates associated with the angel investment network, not as verified personal investments by Kristen or current investment criteria at Genesis. Kristen served as General Manager at Spark Angels from approximately 2020 to 2023 and subsequently as Executive Director from 2023 to 2025, helping coordinate relationships between angel investors and entrepreneurs, facilitate investment-related events, and strengthen the regional early-stage funding ecosystem. Her experience includes supporting founder presentations, investor engagement, entrepreneurial networking, and fundraising education. However, specific startup investments, individual portfolio companies, personal angel investment transactions, and lead financing rounds could not be reliably attributed to her. Consequently, her individual lead investor status remains unverified. In addition to her work with angel investor networks, Kristen is the Co-Founder of Insights to Markets, an entrepreneurial advisory and business development platform established in 2020. The company helps first-time founders and small business owners evaluate business ideas, validate market demand, develop commercial strategies, and establish pathways toward sustainable profitability. Its services include business validation, strategic planning, market research, revenue projections, go-to-market development, and one-on-one founder support. Kristen has explained that Insights to Markets was designed to provide an alternative to conventional accelerator programs, particularly for entrepreneurs who need flexible, practical support without surrendering company equity. Her earlier professional experience includes working as a Small Business Centre Coordinator for the City of Barrie, as well as roles involving startup client services, marketing, operations, and business development. She also has experience with PUSH, a technology company subsequently acquired by WHOOP, and iCiDIGITAL, contributing to her understanding of startup operations and technology business development. Kristen earned a Bachelor of Arts in Arts and Business through the Co-operative Education program at the University of Waterloo, completing her studies between 2013 and 2018. She has also participated in entrepreneurship mentorship and ecosystem initiatives, including volunteering with The Prosperity Project. Through her combination of startup advisory experience, angel investor network management, entrepreneurial program development, and business operations, Kristen supports founders with investment readiness, fundraising preparation, pitch development, business model validation, market research, go-to-market strategy, revenue planning, investor introductions, community building, and early-stage business growth. Her expertise is particularly relevant to Canadian founders seeking entrepreneurial guidance, access to startup support programs, and connections within the regional angel investment ecosystem. Although she has substantial experience facilitating early-stage investment activity, her current professional role is primarily focused on entrepreneurship programming rather than a publicly confirmed mandate to make direct venture capital investments.