The Entrepreneurship Society Raising Capital Event [Invite Only] Toronto
BMO, 68 floor
100 King St W, Toronto, ON M5X 1A9, Canada
Toronto
Ontario
43.64863620000001
-79.3817439
Description
We are hosting an invite only Raising Capital Conference (for Emerging Tech Founders, Investors and Venture Debt Funds), an Investor Lunch (Fund of Fund / HNW / Family Offices meet VC & Venture Debt Funds)
(If you're a founder, lender or investor and looking for an invite or chance to speak, please reach out to community@thetechsociety.org)
What is the The Entrepreneurship Society?
The Tech Society facilitates transactions among emerging technology Founders/C-Suite, investors and service providers. The Tech Society owns The Entrepreneurship Society, The Cannabis Society, The Blockchain Society, The PropTech Society, The E-Gaming Society, and The Collective (Women's Only). The Tech Society creates, markets and executes 120+ emerging technology conferences and hackathons annually in the USA, Canada, and Europe with expansion planned for Asia in 2019.
Join The Entrepreneurship Society on June 6th in downtown Toronto for our [Invite Only] Raising Capital Conference. The Conference will include speaker presentations, panels, and a roundtable discussion designed to connect you to investment opportunities / sources of capital while learning from business experts and thought leaders.
Raising Capital Conference @ BMO Highlights
75+ high growth founders (post seed / series A stage) + CFO's who are Raising Capital
40+ Sources of Capital
5 panels: Accelerator & Incubator, Going Public, Family Office, Debt Panel, VC Panel
Here and Here are blogs posts to past Raising Capital Conferences hosted by The Entrepreneurship Society
*Tentative (Evolving) Schedule*
8:00 AM: Registration & Deal Making, Opening Remarks from TES & sponsors8:15 AM: Accelerator and Angel Panel with Two Small Fish Ventures, Exponential Ventures and TIMIA, moderated by Jagger8:40 AM: Co-Host panel: What they've learned on Raising Capital by Limelight Platform's CEO, Union Capital's Co-Founder, Couple's Co-Founder and Reuven Gorsht, moderated by Jagger9:20 AM: Going Public Panel with CSE and Mackie Research Capital, moderated by Miller Thomson9:50 AM: Family Office Panel with Kilmer Capital, Epstein Enterprises Inc, SQN and Friends, moderated by Two Small Fish Ventures10:20 AM: VC Panel with OMERs and Plaza, moderated by Miller Thomson10:40 AM: Founder Pitch with Scott Howard, FullStack Capital11:00 AM: Founder Pitch11:20 AM: Founder Pitch with Marek Jasinski, AI-GTS Inc.11:35 AM: Venture Debt Panel with BDC, Espresso, EDC and BMO, moderated by MNP12:00 PM: Deal Making & Conference Conclusion
*Schedule subject to change
Co-hosts:
Andrew Sider, Entrepreneur and Founding Partner, Union Capital
Andrew is a repeat entrepreneur and investor. Previously he founded Bandpage (acquired by Youtube) and Bunch (Acquired by VarageSale), before becoming CEO at VarageSale (acquired by VerticalScope). Through his career Andrew has raised over $50M in capital. Today Andrew is a Founding Partner at Union - a micro VC fund started by Toronto founders for Toronto founders. A long time mentor and angel investor, Andrew and a couple other founders decided to scale their support of the Toronto tech community by starting Union to offer ambitious Toronto founders early stage capital along with peer-level and tactical mentorship from experienced founders and operators.
Jonah Midanik, Founder, CEO Limelight Platforms
Jonah, Limelight Platform’s founder and CEO, drives the company’s growth and strategic vision to disrupt the live marketing industry. To date, the Limelight Platform has raised $10M CAD. An entrepreneur from an early age, he launched his first company, Casino Media Group, while in high school. The online gaming agency evolved into Immersion Media Group, an experiential marketing agency with millions in annual revenue, servicing Fortune 1000s across North America (since exited). Jonah has also held senior marketing roles at Virgin Gaming and The Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Reuven Gorsht, Proptech Entrepreneur, Investor and Advisor
Reuven Gorsht is an entrepreneur and advisor to startups. He co-founded MoveSnap, a real estate technology company, which he exited in 2018. Prior to co-founding MoveSnap, Reuven spent 15+ years as a senior executive helping fortune 500 companies evolve their customer experience and go-to-market strategies. He holds degrees in business and human resources and is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School.
Jeff Brenner, Co-Founder at Couple
In his role, Jeff leads the brand’s development and go-to-market strategy. Jeff conceptualized Couple as a result of his own frustrating, first-hand experience navigating the engagement ring market in 2017. After exhausting the traditional routes - renowned jewelers, independent shops and even the “friend-of-a-friend” - Jeff himself went straight to the source and met with diamond distributors to better understand the nuances of the diamond industry. It was there that he discovered a US-based lab making big strides in lab-grown diamonds, and after seeing how their stones were identical to mined diamonds - but with better quality and bigger carat size - Jeff knew he was on to something. He teamed up with co-founder Alan Shuster in 2017 to bring the idea of a simple, transparent engagement ring shopping experience to life. Couple launched in late 2018 and offers one quality of lab-grown diamond, set in eight timeless ring styles, at an exceptional fixed price.
Prior to co-founding Couple, Jeff was co-founder and CEO at Pressly, a content communications platform boasting notable clients such as Shopify, Salesforce, Time and Conde Nast. Jeff held the title of CEO until Pressly’s acquisition by Vision Critical in 2017. Jeff attended McMaster University where he earned a degree in software engineering and management. While attending McMaster, Jeff co-founded Nulayer, a software development agency
Presenters:
Scott Howard, CEO and Co-Founder, Full Stack Capital
Scott Howard is CEO of Full Stack Capital, a Digital Asset Management firm delivering productive capital to leading decentralized networks and outstanding returns to investors. As co-founder of leading blockchain projects such as ePIC Blockchain and BlockX Labs, Scott leverages his network, skills, and insight on the rapidly emerging blockchain market to enhance the technology’s impact.
Marek Jasinski, Founder & CEO, AI-GTS Inc.
Marek is a scientist at heart. He’s the inventor of new genetic activation method for plants and fungi. He’s skilled in genetics, biology, quantum mechanics, particle physics, artificial intelligence and other scientific fields. His proven track record of over 20 years with multiple companies and over $80 million in revenue generated.
Panelists:
Oded Levi, President, Epstein Enterprises Inc
Oded is the President of Epstein Enterprises Inc., a single family office based in Toronto. EEI is a multi-faceted investment company with direct and indirect investments in private and public corporations as well as commercial and residential real estate. EEI’s diversified portfolio includes a focus on technology investments that span pre-revenue through growth stage. EEI looks to support companies as they develop, grow and mature. In the past, Oded has played executive management and CFO roles at a number of EEI’s operating subsidiaries and continues to work closely with leaders of those enterprises. Prior to coming to EEI in 2006, Oded worked at Arthur Andersen, Deloitte and a boutique investment research firm. Oded is a CPA, CA and has a BBA in Accounting and MBA in Finance from the Schulich School of Business at York University. He has served on the boards of public, private and not for profit organizations.
Greg Smith, Chief Investment Officer, TIMIACapital
As Chief Investment Officer, Greg brings over a decade of experience in SaaS financing innovation. Prior to joining TIMIA in 2015, Greg co-founded Espresso Capital, an early trailblazer in debt and revenue financing. He also spent time at the Business Development Bank of Canada’s (BDC) Technology
Seed Investment Group. Before BDC, Greg sat on the other side of the investor-entrepreneur table—he founded and bootstrapped his own startup for seven years before a successful exit in 2000. Today, he is an active investor in numerous startups and venture capital firms.
Greg has a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of BC.
Howard Katz, Managing Director, Mackie Research Capital
Howard is a 20 year capital markets veteran with a broad range of experience including both financing and advisory mandates to a wide range of sectors in the Canadian markets. Howard also has extensive management experience as a successful CEO having profitably sold his privately-held company in 2016. As a senior investment banker, Howard has led or co-managed billions of dollars in the junior and mid-cap sector in Canada. Howard is focused on the technology sector and special situations, providing advisory and finance solutions to clients, whereby leading management teams can share their successes with investors. Howard is a graduate of Yeshiva University, and earned his MBA from the Schulich School of Business.
Daniel Israelsohn, Vice President, Plaza Ventures
Daniel is a finance executive with extensive experience advising and leading multi-national corporations on their corporate finance and tax structures. As the finance leader for a high-growth SaaS company, Dan scaled up operations and managed the strategic sale of the company to a private equity firm. He has also served as a financial and strategy advisor to various early- and mid-stage tech companies. Today, Dan leads PV’s finance and administration, overseeing all due-diligence activities. He works closely with our portfolio finance teams to improve their finance functions, metrics tracking and governance. With our partners, Dan takes a leadership role in the practice helping to manage investments and deliver superior returns to investors.
William Sutherland, Vice-President, Kilmer Group
William holds the role of Vice President Investment Services and has over 15 years of experience in finance and operations. William previously worked as a Principal at Kensington Capital. He was a senior member of the deal investment and management team focused on private equity, venture capital and infrastructure platforms. William was selected on several occasions to take operating roles with portfolio companies where he was successful in implementing strategic plans and providing significant operational improvement. He has advised dozens of companies in the development of comprehensive operating plans, financial models, financial restructuring and M&A.
Prior to Kensington, William worked for the Global Investment Banking division of RBC Capital Markets, as an Associate in the Corporate Finance Energy Group in Calgary. William was also a member of the RBC ECM Generalist program and spent two years with M&A, sales & trading and equity research groups both in Toronto and New York. In addition, William has operatioal, engineering design and risk management experience with Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America and Toyota Tsusho Canada. William, a professional engineer, also ran his own engineering consulting firm, serving clients in the Ontario area.
Eva Lau, Managing Director and Co-Founder, Two Small Fish Ventures
Eva is a well-respected entrepreneur-turned-investor in Canada. Before starting Two Small Fish Ventures, she was Wattpad’s Head of Community and Content. She helped nurture and scale the Wattpad community from its infancy to become one of the largest online communities with tens of millions of monthly users around the world. With a sharp focus on investing companies with strong network effect as their defensibility, Eva has created the “ASSET” framework that many entrepreneurs and accelerators have adopted in their developing business strategies. Eva is regarded as an expert in this area. Eva currently serves as a mentor in Creative Destruction Lab at the Rotman School of Management. She is also involved in many Canadian incubators and accelerators, such as University of Toronto’s Entrepreneurship Hatchery, Ryerson’s DMZ, University of Waterloo’s Velocity, and TechStars. She also serves on the board of Branksome Hall and a number of startup companies.
Robert Cook, Senior VP Market Development, Canadian Securities Exchange
Mr. Cook is the Senior Vice President, Market Development of the Canadian Securities Exchange and is primarily responsible for the development of a range of services to applicants and companies listed on the CSE, and for the composition and maintenance of the CSE Composite Index. He has been a member of the executive management team of the exchange since 2002. He currently serves on the Ontario Securities Commission’s Small and Medium Enterprise Advisory Committee.Immediately prior to joining the CSE, he held the position of V-P Market Surveillance, Market Regulation Services Inc., which was created in 2001 by the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE) and the Investment Dealers Association of Canada (IDA) to regulate Canadian markets.
Rob had a 19-year career at the TSE where he held a number of positions in listed company regulation including Director, Original Listings, followed by six years as Director, Market Surveillance. Before that he worked in the mining industry for thre years as a mineral economist for a major mining company and an international consulting firm.
James Tonn, Co-Founder, Exponential Ventures
James Tonn (JT) co-founded Podium Publishing, which he grew exponentially from a $10k investment into a 9-figure valuation in less than 5 years by leveraging technology and digital marketing. He has over a decade of strategic procurement experience, specializing in Innovation and Public-Private Partnerships (P3s), and has been entrusted as the Fairness Advisor on a number of multi-billion dollar and highly complex partnership projects. JT is a co-founder of Exponential Ventures (ExV), a digital asset impact fund investing in visionary startups that expand human potential and alleviate suffering. ExV built a safe, secure and compliant bridge to the new economy and are now, together with dynamic startup founders, architecting new companies inside this emerging digital asset world. ExV is the sole seed investor in the world’s first federally approved digital security.
Lawrence Wilder, Partner, Miller Thomson LLP
Canadian Corporate Finance, Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity, Venture Capital for a wide range of Canadian and International clients. Clients include public and private technology and real estate operating companies, REITs, financial institutions, and investment dealers. Lawrence is currently focusing on financing blockchain companies and am leading Miller Thomson's partnership with the Global Legal Blockchain Consortium.
Alex Smyth, CPA, CA, Partner and Business Advisor, MNP
Working out of the Toronto office, Alex draws on more than 10 years of experience to help clients in diverse industries achieve their strategic goals. Alex is skilled at providing support to clients, including helping them through complex accounting and business issues and Identifying and guiding resolutions and other challenges. He has extensive experience managing financial reporting and supporting key accounting policies, estimates and judgements. Alex’s services include assisting with stock options, Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) claims, obtaining seed and/or series financing, due diligence and tax planning on purchase and sale transactions.
Prior to joining MNP in May 2015, Alex worked with an international accounting and business advisory firm and served a variety of clients in diverse industries. Proactive, he makes a point of being available to clients, strives to achieve the best for his clients and ensures that their business and personal needs align. Alex’s clients include small- to medium-sized software service providers, app developers, solar and wind power and generation companies and venture capital funds.
Hooman Mehranvar, Associate, OMERS Ventures
Hooman Mehranvar is an investor at OMERS Ventures, where he is responsible for research and executing on investment opportunities in the Technology sector. His focus areas include real estate tech, blockchain and fintech areas. Prior to joining OMERS, Hooman was the GM of Toronto at Sonder, a hospitality-tech startup, where he oversaw the operations and business development of the local market. Hooman has also spent 6+ years in management consulting where he worked with Fortune 500 companies to address their strategic priorities. Hooman holds an MBA from Columbia University and completed his Bachelor of Engineering at the University of Toronto.
Dalal Zayouna, Account Manager, Technology Group, EDC
Dalal Zayouna is an Account Manager at Export Development Canada (EDC), working with technology companies as they continue to grow and scale globally. EDC is Canada’s export credit agency with the mandate of helping Canadian companies increase their global reach with risk management, financing, and knowledge solutions. Prior to joining EDC, she spent several years working with Not-for-Profit associations helping Canadian companies from various sectors, including technology, expand their footprint internationally.
Estelle Chen, Director, Technology & Innovation Banking, BMO Bank of Montreal
Estelle focuses on industry leading offers that meet the unique needs of technology companies, including venture debt and recurring revenue financing as a financial partner and advisor to help businesses grow fast. Know-how in advanced financial modeling, investment analysis, capital raising and senior debt financing, with a deep understanding of the innovation entrepreneurship ecosystems to help existing and future clients.
Prior to joining the banking industry in the technology sector, Estelle spent several years on the corporate side accumulating experience on both a public level as a Financial Analyst, Investments for public-private partnerships in infrastructure, and a private level as a Corporate Financial Analyst in cleantech to help the C-suite raise capital both in China and North America.
Jasmin Ganie-Hobbs, Senior Development Banker-Tech, BDC
Jasmin works extensively with emerging technology, innovation, knowledge based companies, and women entrepreneurs. Jasmin provides both financial and consulting solutions to entrepreneurs. She serves as a Champion for both the technology industry and women entrepreneurs. As such, Jasmin is a frequent industry guest speaker.
Jasmin is well known in the market, and has successfully worked with many of the best and brightest companies. Much of her success lies in her astute ability to determine the credibility of a business's management team, and the potential for commercialization and success. She has consistently earned top ranks at BDC, and is currently providing analysis on “Beyond the Deal” for Dragon’s Den. An example can be found at http://www.cbc.ca/dragonsden/bdc/smart-sweets .
Mark Gilbert, Director, Espresso Capital
Mark Gilbert is a seasoned tech banker who brings 12 years of sales and underwriting experience at financial institutions. Prior to joining Espresso, Mark was at a Tier 1 Canadian Bank, where he was the Regional Market Leader of the bank’s Technology practice for the Greater Toronto Area. He has financed technology companies across Canada, a number of which have been recognized via industry awards for their leadership and growth.
Jay Berard, Founder and CEO, Jagger Search Group
Jay Berard is the Founder and CEO of Jagger Search Group - A modern Headhunting Firm built for today's talent market. Jay has advised hundreds of companies on how to attract, acquire, and retain top talent across North America. He built Jagger to help build the teams of companies ranging from early stage start-ups, to some of the biggest employers across the world.
Conference Sponsors
Gold Sponsors:
Silver Sponsors:
Bronse Sponsors:
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Family Offices & LPs (Fund of Funds Investors) [Invite Only] Lunch
Following the Raising Capital Conference, The Entrepreneurship Society at Osler Law (located in First Canadian Place), will be hosting an invite only lunch for Fund of Funds Investors and VC / Venture Debt Funds. 10+ HNW / Family Offices / Fund of Fund investors are expected.
LUNCH ADDRESS: Osler, First Canadian Place, 100 King St W, Suite 6200, Toronto ONTentative (Evolving) Schedule*
12:OO PM: Registration and Deal Making12:10 PM: Opening remarks from The Tech Society and Sponsor Presentations12:30 PM: Panel: How LPs & Family Offices are thinking about VC investments with CPP, Cidel, Epstein & EDC, moerated by Osler12:50 PM: Lunch & Deal Making1:15 PM: Conclusion of lunch
*Schedule subject to change
Panelists:
Max Miller, Principal, Private Equity Funds (Venture Capital) Toronto Office, CPP Investment Board
Max Miller is responsible for executing and managing private equity fund investments and co-investments in North America and Europe. Max has been instrumental in launching and implementing CPPIB’s Venture Capital program, and currently covers the asset class for the organization.
Prior to joining CPPIB in 2014, Max worked as a management consultant at A.T. Kearney, focused primarily on executing strategic projects for Fortune 100 companies globally.
Max holds a B Comm. from the University of British Columbia.
Henry Perren, President, Cidel Bank Canada and Cidel Trust Company
Henry is President of Cidel Bank Canada and Cidel Trust Company, Chairman of Cidel Asset Management Inc. and a member of the Cidel management committee. He is responsible for Cidel’s Canadian operations. Henry first joined Cidel in 2003, then served as chief operating officer of AFL Investments Limited (2005-2008), a Bermuda-based financial services firm, before re-joining Cidel in 2009. Henry is a director of The Mabin School. Henry holds an MA from the University of Cambridge.
Oded Levi, President, Epstein Enterprises Inc
Oded is the President of Epstein Enterprises Inc., a single family office based in Toronto. EEI is a multi-faceted investment company with direct and indirect investments in private and public corporations as well as commercial and residential real estate. EEI’s diversified portfolio includes a focus on technology investments that span pre-revenue through growth stage. EEI looks to support companies as they develop, grow and mature. In the past, Oded has played executive management and CFO roles at a number of EEI’s operating subsidiaries and continues to work closely with leaders of those enterprises. Prior to coming to EEI in 2006, Oded worked at Arthur Andersen, Deloitte and a boutique investment research firm. Oded is a CPA, CA and has a BBA in Accounting and MBA in Finance from the Schulich School of Business at York University. He has served on the boards of public, private and not for profit organizations.
Jacqueline Ovens, Portfolio Manager, EDC
Jacqueline joined Export Development Canada’s Investments team in 2016 as a Portfolio Manager for the group’s $2bn of committed capital in direct and fund equity investments. EDC Investments provides Canadian SMEs with equity capital via direct investment and private equity fund investment in the mid-market, venture capital and Cleantech sectors. Prior to EDC, Jacqueline worked in M&A advisory roles with investment banks in London, Montreal and Toronto.
André Perey, Partner, Emerging and High Growth Companies, Osler
André is a corporate partner in Osler’s Toronto Office. His practice focuses on M&A, startups and venture capital financing. André advises a broad range of foreign and Canadian clients operating in various industries, including software, digital media, online commerce, financial services, retail, food & beverage and renewable energy. André represents emerging and growth stage businesses, and strategic and financial investors in and acquirers of such businesses, and he is involved in numerous local and national innovation, incubator and business accelerator initiatives. André regularly advises foreign companies investing in or establishing Canadian ventures and helps structure, negotiate and implement a variety of complex commercial contracts involving the development, licensing and acquisition of intellectual property and technology.
He has developed expertise in international joint venture transactions and has assisted clients in incorporating and investing in new ventures and related governance matters. André represents several domestic and international investment funds in connection with their Canadian activities. André's M&A practice has a particular industry focus on (i) media, technology, and e-commerce, (ii) alternative asset funds and wealth management, and (iii) retail and consumer products.
André provides legal services to a broad range of entrepreneurs, media and technology start-ups and leading academics commercializing ground-breaking IP. He has been at the centre of some of the largest and most strategic M&A activity in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) space and has acted for several leading academics in machine learning and AI transactions with global consumer internet companies and research institutes.
Andre also plays a central role in Osler’s efforts in Rotman’s Creative Destruction Lab, NEXT Canada, Peerscale, C100 and the League of Innovators.
Attendees:
Jamie Rosenblatt, Principal, Golden Ventures
Akilan Karuna, CFA, MFin, Vice-President, CI Investments
Akilan leads the marketing and business development support team at CI Institutional Asset Management (CIIAM). In his role he will build, drive, and execute the overall marketing and sales strategy for CI’s institutional business. He has over seven years of experience in the asset management industry and joined CIIAM in 2017. Prior to joining CI, he spent five years at Invesco where he held roles primarily in Product Management, Research & Development servicing institutional and retail investors.
Lunch Sponsors
Venue Sponsor:
Gold Sponsors:
Silver Sponsors:
Bronse Sponsors:
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REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Family Offices & LPs (FOFs)$49+HST & Service Fee+ Access to Raising Capital Conference+ Access to Family Office & LPs (FOF Investors) Lunch
VCs & Tech Lenders: EARLY BIRD: $199+HST & Service Fee+ 1 complimentary ticket for a Founder + Access to Raising Capital Conference+ Access to Family Office & LPs (FOF Investors) Lunch
FoundersEARLY BIRD: $59+HST & Service Fee+ Access to Raising Capital Conference+ DOES NOT include access to Lunch
This listing has no upcoming events
Start:
2019-06-06T08:00:00-04:00
End:
2019-06-06T12:00:00-04:00
Category
Business
Tickets
Family Offices/LPs (includes participation in conference & lunch)
50.0
CAD
30
Fee
50.0
CAD
2
Founders
83.64
CAD
100
Investor/Lender (includes 2 tickets; one to invite a founder as a guest and one for investor/lender)
178.57
CAD
60
Service Provider (by invitation only)
236.71
CAD
20