Canadian Venture Capital
Tuesday, April 19, 2005, 4:45pm - 6:00pm
Show me the money! Canada has always been a home for innovation, and sometimes it’s even funded innovation outside of Canada. These Canadian venture capitalists share what they’re looking for in startups, where they invest their twonies, and how they make sure they don’t go looney in the process.
Robin Axon, Vice President, Venture West
Robin Axon joined Ventures West in 2001 and focuses on IT and telecommunications investments.
Prior to joining Ventures West, Robin was at MD Robotics (formerly Spar Aerospace) and the Canadian Space Agency where he helped to prepare the Canadarm2 for installation onto the International Space Station.
Robin currently serves as a director of Instrumar Limited and an Observer of Fortiva Inc. He is also the founder of the CVCA´s Young Venture Capitalists (YVC) Committee.
Robin holds a B.A.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Toronto and a MBA from Queen´s University.
Ronald Gruia, Sr. Strategic Analyst, Emerging Communications Solutions, Frost & Sullivan
Ronald Gruia is the Program Leader, Enterprise Solutions and Senior Telecom Analyst at Frost & Sullivan, where he covers topics such as VoIP, triple play services, IMS, and carrier messaging platforms. He is a frequent speaker at conferences such as VON, IPComm, 3GSM, Supercomm, Intel Communications Summit, and IP World Canada.
Ronald also writes articles for various publications, appears on Report on Business Television (Canada), and is often quoted in publications including Business Week, Forbes, Chicago Tribune, National Post, Globe&Mail and Washington Post. He is an MIT graduate in Electrical Engineering, and has accumulated years of experience in the telecom industry (held several roles at Nortel Networks' Enterprise Division, where he earned a U.S. patent).
Jim Glover, Investment Director, BDC Venture Capital
Jim Glover is an Investment Director at BDC Venture Capital focusing solely on telecommunications investments. Prior to BDC, Jim had over 18 years experience with a major telecommunication equipment vendor, having held senior positions in product management, engineering, finance and marketing. Jim is a director at Navtel Communications, Sirific Wireless and New Step Networks. He also sits on the advisory board for the University of Toronto, Master of Engineering in Telecommunications Program. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science degree from the University of Waterloo and an MBA from McMaster University.
David Mc Carthy, Managing Director, BCE Capital
David McCarthy joined BCE Capital in 1995. He is currently Managing Director, based in the Ottawa office. David has played a key role in the financing and growth of dozens of companies in Ottawa, Silicon Valley, and elsewhere. He has an extensive background in technology and business management. Prior to BCE Capital, he spent 15 years at Nortel in a variety of management roles in strategic planning, business development, product development and operations. BCE Capital is the venture capital investment arm of BCE Inc., a world-leading communications company. BCE Capital invests in early-stage telecommunications technology companies in Canada and the US, through its offices in Toronto and Ottawa.
