CIX SUMMIT - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Executive Director of the DMZ
Abdullah Snobar is the Executive Director of the DMZ and the CEO of DMZ Ventures, the DMZ's for-profit investment arm. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, the DMZ is a startup incubator that provides founders with access to the coaching, capital, customers, and community needed to build world-class companies and has helped 500+ startups raise over $1 billion. Under Abdullah's leadership, the DMZ was ranked #1 incubator in the world by UBI Global and named one of Canada's Most Admired Corporate Cultures.
Abdullah is an advocate for building global relationships and has worked to establish a worldwide network of DMZ-powered incubators. With partnerships and satellite locations across North America, Latin America, Africa and Asia, the DMZ's network helps startups expand to new markets and connect with more customers, partnerships and investment opportunities globally.
As one of Canada's Top 40 Under 40, Abdullah serves on the Board of Directors for the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) and the Rideau Hall Foundation, is a Founding Member of the U.S.-Canada Innovation Partnership, and is a Forbes Tech Council member. Abdullah has held previous roles with the Canadian Armed Forces, Fairmont Hotels, and Marriott Hotels & Resorts and has spearheaded international development in Kenya.
Abdullah holds an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors and has MBA and BComm degrees from Ryerson University.
Job Titles:
- Partner, Industrial Innovation Venture Fund BDC Capital
Job Titles:
- Principal, Industrial Innovation Venture Fund BDC Capital
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President
- Senior Vice President, Fund Investments BDC Capital
Alison Nankivell is Senior Vice President, Fund Investments and Global Scaling. Based in Toronto, she leads the indirect investments of BDC Capital, which is one of Canada's largest venture and growth equity fund investors with more than $5 billion of assets under management.
She is also responsible for BDC Capital's strategic initiatives focused on environmental, social and governance and the global expansion strategy for the bank's most high potential direct investments.
Job Titles:
- Partner Raven Indigenous Capital Partners
Job Titles:
- Founding Managing Partner 7 Gate Ventures
Job Titles:
- Founder, Managing Partner Brand Project
Job Titles:
- Interim Managing Director
Job Titles:
- Manager, Capital Services Communitech
Job Titles:
- Founder & General Partner Version One Ventures
- Founding Partner of Version One
Boris is founding partner of Version One and one of the top tech early-stage investors in North America. Born in Germany and based in Vancouver, Boris takes a wide-angle view to find great companies all across North America: from New York and Toronto to Seattle and LA. He is a board partner with Andreessen Horowitz and is well-respected for his uncanny ability to find the next generation of leaders.
Today, Boris is focused on crypto/blockchain, marketplaces and SaaS, looking for the best teams who solve big problems in a unique way. As an investor and former entrepreneur, Boris knows when to push and when to ease off, while always remembering that he is an advisor, not a player.
Before becoming an investor, Boris built an online marketplace for used and out-of-print books in 1999, selling the business to AbeBooks.com where he became COO and led a team of 60 people. After AbeBooks.com was sold to Amazon, he moved into investing, first as an angel and now with Version One.
Boris finished his PhD at the Graduate School of Management (WHU), Koblenz, majoring in Business Economics & Business Management. In 2005, he was named the Pacific Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year. Boris is passionate about science, technology, and entrepreneurship and sits on the boards of Science World and Canada Learning Code. He is also involved as a mentor with the Creative Destruction Lab in Toronto and Vancouver.
Brenda Hogan - Chief Investment Officer
Job Titles:
- Chief Investment Officer
- Co - Chair of Canadian Women
Brenda has over 15 years' experience in venture capital at the co-investment, fund of funds, and fund level investing. She has represented OCGC's interests in over 25 venture capital investments.
Brenda has held senior roles in corporate development, finance, and strategic investing with Bell Canada, EY, the Business Development Bank of Canada, and a software start-up.
Brenda is Co-Chair of Canadian Women in Private Equity (CWPE); serves with the Institutional Limited Partners Association (ILPA) as a member of the Research and Benchmarking Committee; and served three terms on the Board of Women in Capital Markets, serving as Chair of the Governance Committee.
Brenda holds an MBA in finance, has completed the Institute of Corporate Directors SME Board Effectiveness Program, and has received leadership training from the Ivey School of Business.
Job Titles:
- Partner & Investment Director Telus Ventures
Job Titles:
- Managing Director / SVP CleanTech North & Venbridge
Job Titles:
- Director, Global Programs Creative Destruction Lab
With over 26 years of experience in the tech sector, Chris is passionate about supporting and empowering Canadian tech founders and firms to achieve breakaway growth and global impact. As the CEO and President of Communitech, Canada's leading innovation hub, Chris leads a team of experts who serve 1,600 founders and 28 accelerators across the country, providing them with access to talent, capital, and markets.
Chris Arsenault has more than 25 years of operating and investing experience, and through his vision, has been a key pillar of today's rich Canadian tech ecosystem. Through his decades of leadership, Chris has developed an outstanding track record of identifying high potential companies early on, supporting them as they scale, and managing their path to exit. Chris played a key role in supporting many of inovia capital's most valuable companies, including Lightspeed and AppDirect, where he currently serves as a board member and a personal coach to the founders. Chris founded inovia capital in 2007 and leveraged his entrepreneurial instincts to not only shape the culture of the Firm but also its vision and path forward which led to the inception of inovia growth. Chris is an active Charter Member of Silicon Valley-based entrepreneurs association The C100. He is a Campaign Cabinet Member of the Sainte-Justine Hospital UHC Foundation, a member of the Secretariat du AI (part the Quebec-based supercluster for Artificial Intelligence), an active member of Réseau Capital (Quebec-based Venture Capital Association) and the Canadian Venture Capital Association ("CVCA").
Craig's main interest is helping entrepreneurs to build powerful sales & marketing machines. He was the co-founder and CEO of Fitzii, an online recruiting company that uses a predictive algorithm to match candidates to employers (sold to the Ian Martin Group).
Craig worked at Deloitte - initially as a Marketing Director and later as a strategy consultant in the Enterprise Risk practice. Before that, Craig co-founded and led Ethos, the corporate responsibility practice of JWT - the world's fourth-biggest ad agency.
Craig has an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at University of Toronto. He was on the Advisory Board of AutoShare (sold to Enterprise) and, until recently, was on the Board at Evergreen.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Managing Director, Global Innovation Sector TMX Group
- Role of Innovation Sector Head for Toronto Stock Exchange
Dani Lipkin carries the role of Innovation Sector Head for Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV). In this capacity, he is responsible for working with private companies and their shareholders as they explore and consider the option of raising equity capital in Canada.
Prior to this role, Dani was the Head of Business Development for Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and Investment Funds on TSX. He had also worked with the listings group for TSX, where he helped assist companies in going public.
Dani holds a Bachelor of Management and Organizational Studies in Finance from the University of Western Ontario and an MBA from the University of Toronto.
Job Titles:
- Director, Tech & Innovation Banking National Bank of Canada
Job Titles:
- Portfolio Director - Impact and Sustainable Investment Fondaction
Job Titles:
- Director, Bell Ventures Bell Ventures
Job Titles:
- Senior Managing Partner, ESG Group CITIC Capital
Job Titles:
- Founder & General Partner Matr Ventures
- Founder and General Partner at Matr Ventures
Giselle is the Founder and General Partner at Matr Ventures, where venture capital is done differently. Based on hip hop principles and the philosophy that the Culture drives technology, not the other way around, Matr is proving that it takes a village to propel underestimated founders and support them in winning at all costs.
Infatuated with market systems and how money moves, Giselle has more than 15 years of success in wealth management, investment banking, and technology. She is highly sought after for her expertise in building complex technologies and buying and selling companies, enabling her to provide unique insight into building assets of value. As former Partner and the Head of Investment Banking for Toren & Associates, between 2017-2021, she facilitated buy and sell transactions for money managers, banks, wealth management firms, and family offices, completing transactions totalling over $5 billion in assets under management. From her work, she became known as, "the girl who moves money."
She is also the Co-founder and CEO of NicheeStudio, a software development corporation. Leading a team of over 20 software developers, the company builds web-based applications, machine learning systems, enterprise software, and mobile experiences for venture-backed companies.
She believes technology is a powerful equalizer for underestimated communities to build generational wealth. With a passion for connecting with investors and advisors who are ready to help propel like-minded founders to success, she is excited to create solutions to drive economic empowerment for Black, Indigenous, and POC communities.
Job Titles:
- Director Touchdown Ventures
Job Titles:
- Partner & COO Diagram Ventures
Job Titles:
- Partner - Growth Venture Fund BDC Capital
Job Titles:
- Managing Director Esplanade HealthTech Ventures
Job Titles:
- Founder & Principal Jenifer Bartman Business Advisory Services
Job Titles:
- Manager of Partnerships District Ventures Capital
Joe Allen - Managing Director
Joe brings over 28 years of venture capital investing and a wealth of experience in the Mobile, Enterprise Software and Digital Media verticals.
His diverse and extensive experience allowed him to play an integral role in the formation, strategic direction, overall growth and business development of emerging companies.
Joe, as a co-founding partner, previously represented Whitecap III on the boards of Affinio and Irystec. Previously he co-founded Summerhill Venture Partners and represented the fund on the boards of Radian6, Trust Digital, BLiNQ, C2FO, Vantrix and Third Brigade.
For 14 years prior to joining Summerhill Venture Partners in May 2004, Joe served as EVP, CFO and Director of Whitecastle Investments, a leading Canadian private investment company, and Managing Director of its venture practice, Whitecap Venture Partners. As one of the venture practice founders, Joe was instrumental in shaping the vision and investment strategy of Whitecap. He was a core element of the senior team that brought a number of high-grossing investments to fruition.
Joe's past successes include investments in Radian6 (Acquired by Salesforce, NASDAQ: CRM), Third Brigade (acquired by Trend Micro, NASDAQ: TMIS), Trust Digital (acquired by McAfee Inc, NYSE: MFE), C2FO (acquired by financing consortium), Broadband Networks Inc. (acquired by Nortel, NYSE: NT), Positron Fiber Systems (NASDAQ IPO and acquired by RELTEC, NYSE: RLT), Loran International Technologies (acquired by Peregrine Systems, NASDAQ: PRGN), Electrophotonics (acquired by ETEC, NASDAQ: ETEC), PC Docs Group International (NASDAQ IPO, and acquired by Hummingbird, TSE: HUM & NASDAQ: HUMC) and ImagicTV (NASDAQ IPO, and acquired by ALCATEL, NYSE: ALA).
Joe began his professional career with KPMG, where he held various senior positions in both Canada and the U.K. Joe is a Gold Medal graduate from the University of Waterloo's Master of Accounting program (1986). Joe holds Chartered Professional Accountant and Certified Management Accountant designations in Canada.
Joe presently serves on the Board of Directors of Mariner Partners Inc., a leading Core IT and Strategic Advisory services firm based in Atlantic Canada, and is also a Member of the Advisory Board of the University of Waterloo School of Accounting and Finance where he helped launch the inaugural Student Venture Fund.
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Advisory Member Board Emeritus
- Founder & Partner Relay Ventures
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Managing Partner
John is an investor who daily resists the urge to get back to being an entrepreneur - but rather chooses to live vicariously through the founders in whom he invests. After having played leading roles in two successful startups in Asia Pacific, but being underwhelmed with the venture capital model, John transitioned from entrepreneur to investor, determined to give others a more rewarding experience. After a number of years angel investing, he cofounded Real Ventures in 2007, where he works with passionate entrepreneurs looking to use technology to pre-empt the status quo. He knows that the path to success is uphill and it doesn't have many signposts, but that an enquiring mind, an ability to inspire, a strong compass and dogged determination can enable entrepreneurs to find success in places others didn't know existed.
Job Titles:
- Senior Relationship Manager, Technology & Media Export Development Canada
Job Titles:
- Lead Investor, Head of Firm Georgian
- Managing Partner and Co - Founder of Georgian Partners
Justin LaFayette is a Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Georgian Partners. Justin leads Georgian Partner's investments in Bluecore, DefenseStorm, IEX, Integrate.ai, Polar, PrecisionLender, Signpost, Tealium, Top Hat, True Fit and WorkFusion. Justin also previously led the firm's investments in 41st Parameter, Kinnser Software, Kony, Shopify, Silanis/eSignLive, Syncsort and Turnitin.
In addition, Justin sits on the Board of Canada Learning Code, a not-for-profit organization with the mission to provide 10 million Canadians access to meaningful technology education experiences by 2027.
Prior to co-founding Georgian Partners in 2008, Justin was Vice President of Strategy for Information Platform and Solutions with IBM Software Group. Previous to that, Justin was a co-founder of DWL, an enterprise software company that grew over 10 years to become a leader in master data management (MDM).
Job Titles:
- Investment Analyst Luge Capital
Job Titles:
- Partner, Thrive Venture Fund BDC Capital
Laura, with nearly 20 years of venture investing experience, has worked at Generation Ventures, MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund, and EdgeStone Capital Partners. She began her career as an investment banker at BMO Nesbitt Burns, later transitioning into private equity in Toronto and New York City. Laura's focus has always been Canadian emerging technology firms, particularly in Fintech. Leading investments in OneVest and Moves Financial for OMERS Ventures, she seeks out outliers in the sector.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner at Maverix Private Equity
Layth is a Partner at Maverix Private Equity. In this role, he is responsible for deal sourcing, execution and portfolio company oversight. He brings 15 years of industry experience spanning private equity, management consulting, investment banking and software development. Layth has been involved in the origination, evaluation, execution, and oversight of buyout and minority investment transactions since 2017.
Prior to his career in private equity, Layth joined McKinsey & Company where he led and operational and financial restructurings, due diligences, and strategic reviews for clients around the globe. He was previously an associate in the investment banking division of RBC Capital Markets where he was involved in a variety of capital markets and M&A transactions.
Layth holds an Honours BASc. degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Waterloo and an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business. He is a Young Patrons Circle Ambassador with the Royal Ontario Museum. In his time away you can find him skiing, scuba diving, or reading.
Job Titles:
- Partner - IP Backed Financing BDC Capital
Job Titles:
- Partner, Growth Equity Partners BDC Capital
Job Titles:
- Founding Partner & CEO Highline BETA
Marcus is CEO and Founding Partner of Highline BETA, a venture capital and a startup co-creation company. He leads visionary execution, strategic deals, accelerator
platform growth, and new venture funding. He has 20+ years as a serial tech entrepreneur and was previously the Co-Founder and CEO of HIGHLINE.vc and Managing Director of Extreme Startups. Marcus holds an MBA from the Smith School of Business - Queen's University and a BA from McGill University.
Job Titles:
- Lead Investor at Georgian
- Lead Investor Georgian
Margaret Wu is a Lead Investor at Georgian focused on business software companies exploiting Applied AI. Prior to Georgian, she was a Product Manager for mobile marketing at Amazon, co-founded a biotech company and served as COO at OneSpout, a local e-commerce startup. Margaret began her career in consulting at Accenture and holds an MBA from Cornell University, as well as a BSc and BES from the University of Waterloo.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director Verstra Ventures
Job Titles:
- Investment Analyst Brightspark Ventures
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Managing General Partner
Matthew is a seasoned growth-stage technology investor and career VC, having originated, managed and completed dozens of transactions. During his tenure at B.E.S.T. Funds, Matthew oversaw dozens of growth-tech finance investments with consistent double-digit returns and co-created multiple funds.
Today, Matthew is Plaza Ventures front-end specialist, focused on deal flow, investment transaction processing, ecosystem development, and investor relations. He is also the Managing Partner of Quayside Venture Partners, an early-stage, Canadian Urban Technology Venture Fund established in partnership with Alphabet and Sidewalk Labs. He sits on the board of numerous companies including Q4 Inc and MMB Networks, accelerators, and charities. Matthew is a Board Member of the Canadian Venture Capital Association, a member of the MaRS IAF Investment Committee, Co-Chair of the CIX Top 20 Awards Committee and Mentor at Techstars Toronto Accelerator and Creative Destruction Lab. Matthew is also an Advisor at NEXT Canada, where he mentors young entrepreneurs in building their own ventures. He is a frequent public speaker and guest lecturer on tech start-ups and Venture Capital, as well as an active angel investor.
Matt obtained his Honors Bachelor's degree from the University of Toronto, a Master of Science from the University of New South Wales, and a Master of Laws from Oxford University.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Partner & Director of Platform Services TELUS Pollinator Fund
Matthew works with Pollinator's portfolio of companies, connecting them to TELUS' breadth of industry experience, resources, leadership team and network.
Prior to joining TELUS, Matthew served as Managing Director for OneEleven, a post-seed accelerator in Toronto, scaling the next generation of Canadian tech companies. Before that, he co-founded the marketplace startup GroceryHero and worked for the United Nations World Food Programme and as a Management Consultant for Deloitte.
Matthew is also an angel investor, advisor and mentor. He is an instructor in the Schulich School of Business Tech MBA program at York University, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Toronto Zoo and Ontario Snowboard. Matthew also writes about macroeconomics, global affairs and public policy, often contributing to the Globe & Mail Report on Business, Financial Post and Toronto Star.
Job Titles:
- Analyst Impression Ventures
Job Titles:
- Principal Pender Ventures
Job Titles:
- Investor
- Co - Founder of BlueCat
Michael Hyatt is the co-founder of BlueCat, which was sold to Madison Dearborn Partners, of Chicago, IL. He serves as a director of BlueCat, ranks as one of Canada's top entrepreneurs, and is a known as a technology visionary. Michael is also a weekly business commentator on CBC and was a celebrated "Dragon" on CBC's online Dragons' Den. He is an investor on the hit Spotfiy podcast "The Pitch" and a Founding Partner and Fellow at the Rotman School of Management's prestigious Creative Destruction Lab. Michael sits on the CEO Board of Advisors of Georgian Partners, one of Canada's leading venture capital firms and was recently named an Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) at Blakes, one of the most successful law firms in the country. Michael also co-founded Dyadem, a highly successful software company which was acquired by IHS (NYSE: IHS). He was a finalist for Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and was a recipient of the Top 40 Under 40 Award. Michael is an active investor and philanthropist who chairs the Hyatt Family Foundation.
Michelle joined the venture world when she was seconded (having no idea what that meant at the time) to an early-stage fund. She found the people she loves collaborating with and launched StandUp to make sure she could do it every day. She's happiest hanging with her family or swimming in the ocean with all of the beautiful fish.
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner
- Managing Partner, Thrive Venture Fund and Women in Technology Venture Fund BDC Capital
Michelle Scarborough is Managing Partner, Strategic Investments and Women in Technology Venture Fund. In this position, she leads the origination and execution of strategic initiatives to fill current and future financing gaps in the Canadian ecosystem. She is also responsible for BDC's $200M investment to bring capital to high-growth tech companies with women in the lead.
Michelle has more than 25 years of experience as an entrepreneur and investor across various industries and sectors. Before joining BDC, she was Senior Vice President at Kensington Capital Partners Limited, where she was responsible for the growth and management of its fund of funds and direct investment activity in Western Canada, including venture capital, private equity, infrastructure and energy technology investments. Previously, she served as Managing Director of the Invest Ottawa Regional Innovation Centre, where she founded one of the first technology accelerators in Ontario. She also structured and launched the $250M Ontario Emerging Technology Fund and was a co-founder and Managing Partner of Fronterra Ventures, an oil and gas technology venture fund.
In addition, she served as CEO of Smart Seed Ventures Management Inc. and Scarborough Associates Management, and she was Interim CEO of Solflex. Michelle has also been a founder or co-founder of multiple private and public companies, including Roll Up Capital Corp., Rodeo Capital Corp. III, Metropolitian Energy Corp., and Bonita Capital Inc.
Michelle is a past director of the Canadian Venture Capital & Private Equity Association and is past chair of the National Angel Capital Organization. She is a founder of the Women's Angel Network in Canada.
Michelle holds a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Calgary.
Job Titles:
- Principal Yaletown Partners
Job Titles:
- Associate Graphite Ventures
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate GreenSky Ventures
Job Titles:
- Head of Financial Health Strategy & Ontario Lead Fintech Cadence
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate First Ascent Ventures
Job Titles:
- Partner Mistral Venture Partners
Job Titles:
- Managing Director AsterX Quebecor
Job Titles:
- Partner FutureSight Ventures
Rick Nathan leads Kensington's venture capital investment program as a Managing Director and member of the firm's Investment Committee. His career spans many years across the private equity and venture market as an industry leader, investor and professional advisor. Rick currently serves as an active board member of several companies within the Kensington venture portfolio, and as a member of the investor advisory committee of several of Canada's leading venture funds.
Rick began his career as a corporate and securities lawyer at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, where he practiced law for 12 years, including as head of the firm's Technology Business Group from 1995 to 1999. He then entered the investment industry as a Co-founding Partner of Brightspark Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm. Rick served as President and Chair of CVCA- Canada's Venture Capital and Private Equity Association from 2005 to 2012, and was a founding Co-Chair of CIX- Canadian Innovation Exchange from 2008 to 2016. Rick joined Kensington in 2005.
Rick is a graduate of Dartmouth College (Computer Science) and the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.
Rob Rosen - Managing Director
CEO | First Maximilian Associates/Axel Industries
An investor and entrepreneur focused on the gaming, media, entertainment, business services, investment and technology industries. Robert is CEO of the investment and advisory firm First Maximilian Associates/Axel Industries, where his activities include a sustainability product and advisory company, originating and leading buyout transactions, and investment and advisory for business services, marketing, gaming and digital media companies.
For many years, Robert has been an executive, director or advisor for gaming and leisure, media & events, communications, marketing services and technology companies, as well as the investment community, and is currently an active investor in emerging companies. Robert is a co-founder of CIX.
Job Titles:
- BDC Capital in 2011 As Senior Managing Partner
- Senior Managing Partner, IT Venture Fund BDC
Robert Simon joined BDC Capital in 2011 as Senior Managing Partner in the IT Venture Fund. He is responsible for overseeing the IT Venture Fund investments and maximizing value creation across the portfolio.
Robert brings over 25 years of experience as a successful serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist in the field of information technology. He began his career as co-founder of T/Maker Graphics, a developer of Macintosh and IBM PC graphics and desktop publishing products. After founding and co-funding other high-tech businesses, in 1997, he moved into venture capital as a partner with Sierra Ventures, where he identified, sourced and evaluated business opportunities in the internet e-commerce and enterprise software sectors. During this time, he also founded DotBank, a direct competitor to PayPal, where he negotiated partnerships and its sale to Yahoo. In 2000, Robert became General Partner with Alta Partners, with an investment focus in Internet infrastructure, enterprise software, network security and wireless. More recently, he has been the Managing Director/Venture Partner with Saints Dakota/Saints Capital, a portfolio of companies purchased from Safeguard Scientifics.
Robert holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University.
Job Titles:
- General Partner
- General Partner at Rho Canada Ventures
Roger Chabra is a General Partner at Rho Canada Ventures, a division of Rho Capital Partners focused on early-stage investing in Canada's most innovative technology companies. With more than 15 years of venture capital, operating and entrepreneurial experience, he seeks to partner with passionate, energetic and visionary entrepreneurs who solve big problems and also possess the innate qualities needed to lead people to achieve their goals.
Roger joined Rho in 2010 and focuses on investments in new media, software, Internet, wireless and communication companies at the early stages of development. Prior to Rho, he worked as a venture investor at GrowthWorks Capital where he was involved in the funding and growth of numerous companies including Whitehill (acquired by Oracle), Xkoto (acquired by Teradata), Paymentus (acquired by Accel-KKR) and NetShelter. Roger was also previously an investor at the corporate venture arm of BCE's wireless division, where he was instrumental in the financing & development of many successful wireless and telecom companies across North America. He has also been a technology start-up CEO at Mobilessence and has worked in a variety of web technology-focused roles at Rogers Wireless and Sapphire Technologies (acquired by Randstad).
Roger is dedicated to maintaining and enhancing Canada's competitiveness in the global information economy. He believes Canadian entrepreneurs are among the best talents in the world, and he is passionate about the advantages of growing technology companies in Canada and making them global leaders. Roger Chabra is a General Partner at Rho Canada Ventures
Roger received an M.B.A. from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario and a B.A., also from the University of Western Ontario.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner at Radical Ventures
Salim Teja brings over 20 years of experience in the technology sector as an entrepreneur, venture investor, corporate innovator and innovation ecosystem builder.
Salim is currently a Partner at Radical Ventures, a USD $350 million venture capital firm investing in entrepreneurs applying machine learning and artificial intelligence to transform massive industries.
Prior to Radical Ventures, Salim served as President, Venture Services for MaRS Discovery District, one of the world's largest urban innovation centres. Salim led the strategic direction of MaRS' Venture Services Program across four sectors including Health, Cleantech, Fintech and Enterprise. This program engaged a portfolio of over 1200 high growth ventures who raised over $1.3B in capital and generated over $1.4B in revenue.
Prior to MaRS, Salim was Vice President Corporate Development with Indigo Books & Music where he drove the formation of the company's Digital Innovation Lab. Prior to Indigo, Salim held the position of Chief Operating Officer at CX Digital, a leading online ad network.
Salim has also held roles as Chief Operating Officer of b5media and Partner with early-stage VC firm Brightspark Ventures, where he was the driving force behind investments, including Radian6 (acquired by Salesforce.com). He was also Co-founder and Vice President of Sales & Business Development for San Francisco-based MobShop Inc, a pioneering e-commerce venture funded by GE Capital, Visa International, Mayfield Fund and Marc Andreessen.
Salim is a graduate of Western University's Ivey Business School.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate Whitecap Venture Partners
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder Managing Partner Nex Gen VC Partners
Job Titles:
- Head of Business Development
Senia Rapisarda joined HarbourVest in 2014 to focus on partnership and direct co-investments in Canada and to expand HarbourVest's local presence in the market.
Senia joined the Firm from BDC Venture Capital, where she was responsible for the establishment of a team focused on direct and indirect investments across Canada. Her previous experience includes positions at Nur Energie in London, London Business School, Nomura International, and Salomon Brothers, among other roles.
Senia received a JD (summa cum laude) from LUISS University in Rome in 1987 and a Masters in Law and Economics (Fulbright Scholar) from Columbia University in 1989. An Italian and Canadian citizen, Senia speaks fluent Italian, French, and Spanish.
Job Titles:
- Partner Brightspark Ventures
Growth: it's pretty much the only thing that inspires me in business. My entire career has been about interpreting clients needs and creating new products and solutions. I have deep expertise in financial products like banking, insurance, investments - and the application of technology to deliver those financial services.
Firefly Growth works with companies to transform and be as good, better than, leapfrog, or re-define their business or offerings in the market; through inspiring teams, designing strategies, sharing knowledge and/or delivering transformational outcomes.
Job Titles:
- General Partner Theodorus Investment Funds
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- Principal TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Lead Investor Georgian
Tyson Baber is a Partner on Georgian's Investment team and manages a range of activities including deal selection, due diligence and post-investment support. In addition to serving on the boards of several portfolio companies, Tyson provides expertise and guidance in the areas of business alliances, investment analysis and exit strategy.
Combining deep knowledge of both business and legal matters, Tyson is well versed in contracts, negotiations, transaction structure, strategic partnerships, licensing, royalties, acquisitions, divestitures and strategic minority equity investments. He plays an important role in our applied analytics workshops and leads Georgian Data Union, a consortium of portfolio companies that share aggregated, anonymized data for benchmarking and advancing other common operational objectives
Paul is the founder of Vanedge Capital and is focused on investments in SaaS businesses that target underserved markets and digital media technologies.
Paul was the former President of Electronic Arts and has been a successful angel investor for over 25 years. Paul serves on the Premier's Technology Council, the UBC Sauder School Faculty Advisory Board and the Vancouver Public Library Foundation's Campaign Cabinet.
He is also Chair at D-Wave Systems. Paul has received many awards including Business in Vancouver's "Forty Under 40", British Columbia Technology Industries Association Person of the Year, and an Honourary Master's degree from the Centre for Digital Media.
Paul is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), and holds a B.Comm with honours from the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia.
Job Titles:
- Director, Investments MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund
Job Titles:
- Manager, Venture Recruitment the DMZ