Early Stage VC Groups and Investors Summit in Calgary

Emmet McGonagle

March 21, 2023
Canada’s early-stage investors and founders will meet in Calgary to dive deep into the asset class as an investment strategy and explore how the sector can create more global opportunities for startups and investors alike.
With opening remarks from Teruel Carrasco alongside Valhalla Private Capital chairman Randy Thompson, as well as Alberta Innovates’ associate vice president of investment and Douglas Holt; the summit will serve as a day of panel discussions to introduce and address early-stage investing to those who are interested but are concerned with the risk.
Valhalla Private Capital is holding Vantage, Early-Stage Investing 2023 Summit on March 22, 2023.
The day-long meet and panel discussion will include several of Canada's under-the-radar angels, heads of family and private firms, VC and micro-fund GPs and fund managers.
While attendees in some cases may seem like odd bedfellows (as private offices are often in friendly competition for limited partners as well as the most promising startups to invest in) they will come together to unite in an effort to create a conversation around tackling the importance of demystifying early-stage investing, an asset class of growing paramount to Alberta and Canada’s startup ecosystem growth globally.
“Our early-stage investment network needs nurturing and growth to move deal flow,” says Teruel Carrasco, Valhalla Private Capital President, adding that Vantage is one of many initiatives Valhalla has planned in the coming year to help support founders and bring together firms to work in collaboration resulting in exceptional growth and positive returns for all.
“There is an immense opportunity regionally for local and national private firms and individual investors to thrive. Yet, this is an asset class that is foreign to even many seasoned investors and family offices.”
Speakers include some of Canada’s successful angels, many of whom began their own journeys as founders. There will also be prominent guest speakers attending from the UK. 
“Furthering the conversation and action around early-stage investing is important to not only the growth that Alberta needs in its startup ecosystem but that Canada needs at this time to compete globally,” says Eric Gordon, CEO for Entuitive Compliance (Toronto), speaker at Vantage.
Gordon is now a successful investor who manages his family office. He began his career as a serial entrepreneur developing intuitive software companies from cradle to exit. 

Early-stage dollars not part of the traditional VC model

While headlines indicate massive growth in our startup sector and hundreds of millions invested into Alberta’s tech sector via VC dollars over the past few years, the majority of those dollars are segmented to mega-deals and a handful of companies. It is the smaller deals, startups, and pre-seed asset class of investors who are fueling the next generation of companies, founders and deal flow. 
“We have a deliberate strategy to create greater collaboration between the early-stage investment community not only in Alberta, but nationally and further afield,” Carrasco says.
“We also want to address the evolution of private investment from an equity and diversity perspective. This is an important part of making the asset class more welcoming for investors and all founders alike.”

Market gap — Alberta micro-funds, and Canadian early-stage investment

Metiquity Ventures founding partners Jacques LaPointe and Bryan Slauko established the Calgary-based micro-fund to address this market gap. 
“We’re on a mission to unlock growth potential for the next generation of Alberta’s technology founders and to give local investors access to the venture asset class,” says LaPointe, former President and co-founder of Calgary-based ATTAbotics. LaPointe led the robotics company through its first equity and grant funding and through significant investment and growth.
As a technology entrepreneur, LaPointe is well aware of the hurdles pre-revenue and early-stage companies in Alberta face when going to raise capital. Metiquity is now lead investor in six portfolio companies, and building on Fund I ($10 million). 
“Despite headlines about record venture investment, these founders are regularly overlooked and neglected. They can't access the capital they need to grow when they need it the most. We believe now is the best time to invest locally in our burgeoning ecosystem to truly unlock this potential and generate exceptional returns for investors,” LaPointe adds. 

Equity beyond "value of shares"

Danielle Brewin Graham, Co-founder of the Firehood and General Partner of Phoenix Fire, one of Canada’s first female General Partners in Venture Capital focused on early-stage women-led startups, Indigenous representation, as well as BIPOC founders and investors, will speak at Vantage about the importance of funds and initiatives focused on equity of representation. The Firehood has invested upwards of $1 million to women technology founders in the past six months alone and are growing a network of women angels that is over 50 across Canada and increasing monthly. 
“The face of investment, and those who will become the next Limited Partners, heads of family offices, and Venture Capitalists, are changing. As are the products and innovations that founders are developing and the businesses they are scaling. North America is a more diverse market and thus, the need for diversity in our investment sector is not just the so-called right thing to do; it’s frankly just good investment thesis,” Graham says, adding that Alberta has become an increasingly important hub for herself and other firms to explore over the past three years as the startup sector gains increasing momentum. 

Panel discussion topics include key areas such as: 

  • Introducing the Early-stage asset class 
  • Building Value Together - how early-stage investors can support founders
  • Elements of a Successful Investment and portfolio
  • Equity and Diversity - equals solid investment thesis 
  • A conversion with an Investor - from entrepreneur to investor
  • Doing Business Internationally - scaling a company


Feature Speaker:

Featuring a special afternoon keynote presentation by Peter Lafontaine, Chairman of Rainforest Energy Corp. Peter (Pete) is Board Chairman of Rainforest Energy Corporation, a new multi-billion-dollar clean fuels business proven process, that takes waste from forestry and agriculture (not crops) and produces green (no benzene or sulphur) gasoline. The facilities will be built in rural areas in partnership with indigenous communities. Peter has worked with industry leaders including Apple and Microsoft. He was a Founder, CEO of Zymeta Media Systems. Peter is a strong community contributor using technology and business skills to improve people’s lives.
Vantage will serve as a day of panel discussions, networking and ultimately important ecosystem building.
Valhalla Private Capital’s ‘Vantage: Early Stage Investing in 2023, from the comfort of Aspen Properties’ The Ampersand on 22 March. Tickets available. 
Sponsors include: Aspen Properties, Start Me UP PR Inc., Metiquity Ventures, Weave VC, Goodlawyer, Alberta IoT, Phoenix Fire Inc , Axiom International Financial Services and Entuitive Compliance 
As well as Plug and Play Tech Centre Alberta, Vantage will be one of the first of many collaborations between Valhalla Private Capital and Plug and Play Alberta, who recently partnered to amplify both companies' respective outreach across the North American startup ecosystem, increasing investor recruitment and engagement for both parties while supporting the startup ecosystem to gain traction globally.
Media are invited to attend day of, and post and pre-interviews may be possible - please contact us directly below if you are looking for a direct interview or angle... ;) 

Other experts and speakers at Vantage, Early-Stage Investing 2023 Summit  2023 include: 

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