THOMVEST - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Principal
• Principal at Thomvest Asset Management

Amrit Dhillon is a Principal at Thomvest Asset Management in Toronto and is focused on direct investments, fund investments, and co-investments across asset classes. Amrit played a key role in Thomvest's investments in Neo Financial, DistillerSR, and Traction Complete, as well as a number of fund investments and co-investments. Prior to joining Thomvest, Amrit was a member of Scotiabank's Financial Sponsors & Infrastructure Investment Banking group, where he focused on equity and debt financings as well as M&A transactions. Amrit received a JD/MBA from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from McMaster University.

Job Titles:

• Partner
• Partner at Thomvest Asset Management

Andrew Pinkerton is a Partner at Thomvest Asset Management in Toronto and is focused on private technology investments in Canada. Prior to joining Thomvest, Andrew was a Managing Partner with Export Development Canada's Investment Team responsible for technology fund commitments and direct investments in private technology companies in Canada including 360insights, Clarius Mobile Health, Decisive Farming (sold to Telus), Nuvei Corporation (TSX: NVEI), Rank Software (sold to Arctic Wolf Networks), and Interaxon. Andrew joined EDC from GrowthWorks Capital where his investments included Camilion Solutions (sold to SAP); Perspecsys (sold to Blue Coat) and Terago Networks (TSX: TGO). Prior to his venture capital career, Andrew worked at Toronto based workforce management software vendor Workbrain Corporation. He also worked in the technology investment banking groups of Credit Suisse First Boston and Alex. Brown & Sons Technology Group in San Francisco and Boston, respectively, where he worked on transactions in the software, communications and storage industries. Andrew has a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard College and an MBA from the Rotman School of Business at the University of Toronto. He and his wife live in Toronto with their three children.

Job Titles:

• Principal

Ashish is focused on early-stage cloud, data/ML, and cybersecurity startups. He helps technical founders build lasting companies as a trusted long-term partner. Recent investments include Harness, Isovalent, , CyCognito, and more. Ashish is focused on early-stage cloud, data/ml and cybersecurity startups. He helps technical founders build lasting companies as a trusted long-term partner. He enjoys supporting founders with a balance of technical know-how, customer insights and empathy. His recent investments include Harness (devops CI/CD automation), Isovalent (creators of Cilium and eBPF), CyCognito (external attack surface management) and Opaque Systems (confidential computing) where he is a Board Observer. He runs a deep network of software builders, sales leaders, investors and CXO buyers that he tries to make available to founders. His first exposure to cloud was as a software engineering intern in 2008 who was tasked with building scalable Apps on AWS at a time when cloud computing was nascent and code samples were not readily available. He was a product manager at AppNeta (acquired by Broadcom), a Bain Capital-backed startup where he built NPM and APM products focused on collecting logs, traces and metrics. These deeply technical products leveraged distributed transaction tracing, packet train dispersion, network flow analysis and synthetic monitoring from headless browsers. Outside of work, he enjoys building and nurturing communities, and often brings people together with fun picnics and small lunches/dinners for thought-provoking conversations. Ashish has a BS in Computer Science from IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Job Titles:

• Special Advisor

Bob is Special Advisor at Thomvest. He has been general counsel and a senior executive at small and larger operating companies, having had responsibility for M&A, corporate finance, commercial matters, governance, regulatory affairs and government relations. Bob worked for many years in the telecommunications sector, and he has helped lead numerous enterprises through the complexities of transactions, including corporate financings (private and public), share sales, asset sales and major regulatory proceedings. Bob has an undergraduate degree from McGill University and Dalhousie University, and an LL.B. from Dalhousie Law School.

Job Titles:

• Senior Associate

Dave is a Senior Associate at Thomvest Ventures, focused on investment opportunities within the financial technology vertical. Prior to joining Thomvest, Dave was an investor at Morpheus Ventures, a venture capital fund focused on deep tech and financial technology. While at Morpheus, Dave invested in companies like Skolem Technologies (DeFi Prime Brokerage), VeriSIM (AI-assisted drug discovery), and others. Prior to that, Dave was a Vice President at Platform Ventures, a venture capital fund investing in technology and consumer companies. At Platform Ventures, he invested in companies like Peloton (Consumer Technology), Moneylion (Consumer Fintech), Unchained Capital (Cryptocurrency Prime Brokerage), Beam Benefits (Insurtech), and others. Additionally, Dave also served as the Chief Financial Officer of Shadowbox, a NY-based fitness business, where he oversaw strategic, financial, and growth initiatives. Prior to that, he worked in investment banking at Stifel in San Francisco. Dave is originally from Southern California and holds an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Accounting from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Job Titles:

• Managing Director

Don is a Managing Director at Thomvest Ventures. His investments are focused on financial technology and marketing technology companies that leverage emerging and persistent data sources to better acquire and serve customers. Much of Don's work has focused on the combination of these traits to drive significantly better customer experiences. His portfolio of investments spans many of the emerging next-generation leaders in financial services and marketing automation. Together with the Thomvest team, Don's investments in financial technology include Blend (NYSE: BLND), Carta, Credijusto, Figure, Kabbage (acquired by American Express), Ladder Life, LendingClub (NYSE: LC), LendUp, Orchard (acquired by Kabbage), PeerStreet, Ribbon, SoFi (NASDAQ: SOFI), Tala, Unqork, and Zendrive. His investments in marketing technologies include DataXu (acquired by Roku), NetBase Quid, Singular, and Vungle (acquired by Blackstone). Don's prior investments reflect his earlier focus on data and cybersecurity and include Cylance (acquired by Blackberry), FlashSoft (acquired by SanDisk), GuardianEdge (acquired by Symantec), and Okena (acquired by Cisco). With his focus on data, financial services, and cybersecurity, Don started the Thomvest Chief Risk Officer (CRO) Working Group. This group includes current and former CROs from across the portfolio, and provides a bi-annual forum for CROs to discuss advances in risk analytics, anti-fraud technologies, and how borrower behavior is evolving over time. Prior to Thomvest, Don helped lead the Japanese business development efforts for several startup companies in the data analysis and networking industries as part of his work with Asia Pacific Ventures. Don's work in business development gave him firsthand experience in driving the revenue growth of several of his clients. Prior to doing business development for startups, Don spent three years as an Analyst with Lehman Brothers, where he worked with clients in the software and semiconductor industries. Don received a B.A. in Chinese from UCLA and M.A.s in both East Asian Studies and Political Science from Stanford University. Don is also a contributor to Forbes, where his writings are focused on fintech, martech, and the evolution of venture capital. Get in touch with Don at don@thomvest.com, and follow him on LinkedIn.

Job Titles:

• Strategic Finance Operating Partner
• the Strategic Finance Operating Partner

Eddie Ackerman is the Strategic Finance Operating Partner at Thomvest Ventures where he serves externally as the key financial thought partner to the company's portfolio companies and internally as the driver behind fund data aggregation and analysis. Prior to Thomvest, Eddie led Finance & Operations at Styra, a series B cloud-native authorization startup, where he covered a wide range of responsibilities including: financial planning and reporting, cash flow management, AR/AP and budgets, cross-organizational data analysis, pricing strategy and PLG lead discovery. Prior to his time at Styra, Eddie was the Head of Financial Analysis at Thomvest where he drove portfolio company financial analysis, quarterly business reviews, support for new and existing investments and thought leadership in the venture finance space. Eddie's previous career experience includes his time at Encino Energy where he was the 7th employee and served on the Strategic & Corporate Finance team where he led financial acquisition analysis, corporate forecasting and financial LP reporting. Eddie started his career as an Investment Banking Analyst at Deutsche Bank where he focused on M&A and financing for exploration and production companies. Eddie has a BBA with High Honors in Finance and Accounting from McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas and holds an MBA from Stanford University.

Job Titles:

• President
• President of Thomvest Asset Management

Eugene is the President of Thomvest Asset Management. He is responsible for Thomvest's investing activities outside of Tech and Venture Capital (principally Private Equity, Public Equities, Credit, Real Estate, and Infrastructure). Previously, he was Head of Investments at Export Development Canada (EDC), and before that, a Managing Partner at Canterbury Park Capital, a Canadian private equity firm that had $170M in committed capital. He was also, earlier in his career, a Principal in Morgan Stanley's Investment Banking Division in New York (mostly) and Toronto. Eugene has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Toronto and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He and his wife live in Toronto and have three children.

Job Titles:

• Operations Manager

Eve Espinueva is the Operations Manager at Thomvest Ventures in charge of our San Francisco office. Her responsibilities include management of the office for the West Coast team as well as planning and executing Thomvest LinkedIn account and networking events. Prior to joining Thomvest, Eve worked for nonprofit organizations in the education, social services, and environmental care sectors, leveraging her extensive experience and expertise in database management, operations, and event planning at the firms. Eve holds a Bachelors of Arts in Business Administration, and is a certified yoga teacher and Ayurveda counselor. She resides in San Francisco with her semi-famous dog, Kit. A plant enthusiast, she continues to volunteer her time and expertise to charities, and explore the great California outdoors.

Job Titles:

• Founder of CMO
• Founder of the USMCC
• Operating Partner

Kip Knight is the Operating Partner at Thomvest Ventures. He is a board member at Netbase-Quid. Kip is also the founder of CMO Coaches, which helps to develop aspiring world-class marketing leaders. Kip Knight is the Operating Partner at Thomvest Ventures (a $500M evergreen fund based in San Francisco focused on Fintech, Cyber and Cloud Infrastructure). He is a board member at Netbase-Quid (a leading consumer and marketing intelligence company). In addition, he's the founder of CMO Coaches, working with with professionals who aspire to be a worldclass marketing leader. A marketing leader himself, Kip started his career in marketing research at Burke Marketing Research in Cincinnati, Ohio. Over the past 45 years, he has worked in over 60 countries around the world. He spent a decade in brand management at P&G, and worked for 12 years in PepsiCo's international restaurant division in a variety of marketing and general management roles, including GM of North Latin America, as well as head of marketing for KFC International. Kip also served as Chief Marketing Officer for Taco Bell. Kip worked at eBay, where he was vice-president of marketing for North America. He was also responsible for managing eBay Canada. He was the first head of international marketing as well as serving as Regional Vice President for eBay International for Latin America, Australia and Taiwan. Kip served as president of H&R Block, the world's largest tax preparation company. He was also head of their international and ex-pat businesses. Kip is the founder of the USMCC (US Marketing Communication College), which has trained hundreds of diplomats at the US State Department on how to create effective communication strategies and programs. He's the co-author of Crafting Persuasion: A Leader's Handbook to Influence Minds and Change Behavior and author of Learn to Leap: How Leaders Turn Risk Into Opportunity. He earned his B.S. degree from LSU in marketing and his MBA from the University of Cincinnati. He is married, has two sons, and is based in southern California.

Job Titles:

• Principal

Nima Wedlake is a Principal at Thomvest Ventures, focusing on investment opportunities across the real estate & financial technology verticals. He currently serves as a Board Observer at LoanSnap, Wholesail, PeerStreet, and more. Nima Wedlake is a Principal at Thomvest Ventures, focusing on investment opportunities across the real estate & financial technology verticals. He currently serves as a Board Observer at LoanSnap, a mortgage technology company, Wholesail, a B2B payments network, PeerStreet, a real estate debt marketplace, and Singular, a marketing attribution provider. He also spearheaded Thomvest's investments in Ribbon, Tala, Blend, Baselane, Maxwell, Mynd, Obie and PeerStreet. Nima was previously a Board Observer at Vungle (acquired by Blackstone in 2019) and DataXu (acquired by Roku in 2019). Nima has been recognized as one of 40 emerging managers under 40 by Venture Capital Journal and one of 25 Rising Stars of Fintech VC by Business Insider. He regularly publishes his research on the Thomvest Ventures blog, including residential and commercial real estate technology market maps which are released annually. The complete list of Nima's articles is available here. Prior to joining Thomvest, Nima worked as a management consultant advising technology clients on issues related to go-to-market strategy with the firm ZS Associates. He was also on the founding team at Sponge, a venture-backed customer support platform, where he led product development efforts. Nima is originally from the Bay Area and graduated from UC Berkeley, where he studied Business Administration and Operations Research.

Job Titles:

• Chairman
• Founder
• Director of Thomson Reuters Corporation

Peter J. Thomson is a Director of Thomson Reuters Corporation and the Chairman and Founder of Thomvest. Peter sets the investment strategy and direction for the Firm and is committed to helping entrepreneurs build industry-leading companies in large and growing markets. Peter is also the source of capital for the Firm. Peter J. Thomson is a Director of Thomson Reuters Corporation and the Chairman and Founder of Thomvest. Peter founded Thomvest in 1996 based on his enthusiasm for technology and its increasing impact on our lives. Peter sets the investment strategy and direction for the Firm and is committed to helping entrepreneurs build industry-leading companies in large and growing markets. Peter is also the source of capital for the Firm. Prior to founding Thomvest, Peter worked on three continents for subsidiaries of The Woodbridge Company of Toronto, during which he gained a broad range of operational and strategic experience. Peter currently serves as the Co-Chairman of The Woodbridge Company. In addition to his work with Thomson Reuters, The Woodbridge Company, and Thomvest, Peter owns a rally racing team, Thomson Motor Sport, for which he has won a number of titles as a competitive rally racer.

Job Titles:

• Associate

Rabeel Shafqat is an Associate at Thomvest and focuses on evaluating and executing private technology investments across a variety of verticals. He is also involved with post-close portfolio company monitoring and value creation initiatives. Rabeel is an Associate based in the Toronto office and focuses on evaluating and executing software & technology investments across a variety of verticals. He has participated in the firm's investments in DistillerSR, Traction Complete and the sale of ecobee to Generac. Rabeel is also involved with post-close portfolio company monitoring and value creation initiatives. He is particularly interested in how technology can be used to enable the transformation of legacy industries by providing scalable, vertical-specific solutions that modernize manual workflows. Rabeel received his Bachelor of Arts in Honors Business Administration (HBA) from Ivey Business School, where he graduated on the Dean's Honor List.

Job Titles:

• General Counsel

Stephanie is General Counsel at Thomvest. Previously she was Associate General Counsel & Managing Director at BMO Financial Group, where she and her team supported Global Corporate Banking for Capital Markets. Prior to joining BMO, Stephanie was an equity partner in the Financial Services Group of McMillan LLP. She is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), a Fellow of the American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers (ACCFL) and an instructor in the Osgoode Hall Law School Professional LLM program in Financial Law. Stephanie graduated from Queen's University and from the JD/MBA program at Osgoode Hall and Schulich School of Business. She served as the Director of Governance on the Board of Directors of Girl Guides of Canada from 2019-2022.

Job Titles:

• Analyst
• Analyst at Thomvest Asset Management

Tyler Gremont is an Analyst at Thomvest Asset Management, based in the Toronto office, focused on direct and third-party investments across a range of asset classes. He is also involved with the Canadian Venture team, conducting due diligence on potential private tech investments.

Job Titles:

• Venture Partner

Umesh is a Venture Partner at Thomvest Ventures focused on investments in the cybersecurity, data infrastructure, AI/ML and cloud infrastructure sectors partnering with founders and CEOs of companies developing disruptive platforms solving key pain-points for CXOs. With his operating experience he actively helps portfolio companies with strategy, recruiting, customer introductions and operational issues. He currently serves as a Board Member at Isovalent, Bolster, Quiet AI, and Impinj(public), Avalanche Technology and as a Board Observer at Clari. He is also an investor in Harness, Baffle, CyCognito, and Opaque Systems. Prior to joining Thomvest, Umesh was a successful entrepreneur, investor and CEO of a public company. He most recently worked for over 8 years at Bessemer Venture Partners in their Menlo Park offices. Prior to Bessemer, he was an Executive Vice President at LSI after its acquisition of a public video infrastructure and distribution company in C-Cube Microsystems, where he served as President and CEO. Umesh has served on over 35 public and private company boards, bringing extensive operating experience and skill set valued by CEOs and founders. Previously, he was a Board Member at Mellanox (Public, Sold to Nvidia), Integrated Device Technology (Public, Sold to Renasas), Lastline (Private, Sold to VMware),Blue Willow Systems (Private, Sold to Philips), Avnera (Private, Sold to Skyworks), Skyhigh Networks (Private, Sold to McAfee), C-Cube Microsystems (Public, Sold to LSI), Entropic Communications (Public, Sold to Maxlinear), Silicon Image (Public, Sold to Lattice), Elantec (Public, Sold to Intersil), Berkeley Design Automation (Private, Sold to Mentor Graphics), Monolithic Power Systems (Public), Tilera (Private, Sold to EZchip), PA Semi (Private, Sold to Apple), and a Board Observer at ShieldX (Sold to Fortinet). He was also an investor of Thousand Eyes (Private, Sold to Cisco). Umesh holds a Bachelor's in Technology from Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai and a Master's in Engineering from Stanford University. He has served on several advisory boards at Stanford University and currently serves on the boards of Palo Alto Medical Foundation and Sutter Pacific Group. If you are a visionary entrepreneur with a disruptive idea, Umesh is reachable at umesh@thomvest.com, and you can also follow him on LinkedIn.

Job Titles:

• Vice President, Accounting and Finance

Yvonne is the Vice President, Accounting and Finance, for Thomvest Asset Management in the Toronto office. She started with Thomvest in 1998, and has managed the expansion of the accounting and finance team over the years to five employees. She is involved in many operational aspects of Thomvest, as well as the tax planning and compliance function. Prior to joining Thomvest, Yvonne worked as an accountant at Arthur Andersen and a small CPA firm. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Commerce from the University of Toronto, as well as the CPA, CGA (Ontario) designation.