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  • Vancouver
    • Toronto Home
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  • Event Info
    • Why Attend TechExit.io
    • Travel + FAQ
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    • Conference Overview
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    • Speaker Archives
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Neelam Brar

Neelam Brar
Managing Director, Venture, Roynat Capital

Neelam advises, operates and invests in frontier tech enabled businesses that are changing the way we live – equalizing opportunities... Read More

Cameron Burke

Cameron Burke
Partner, Technology & Innovation Banking, Fort Capital Partners

Cam is an experienced VC, operator and advisor. He combines knowledge of operations, GTM strategy and Deals and Capital Markets... Read More

Lynda Brown-Ganzert

Lynda Brown-Ganzert
Founder & CEO, RxPx (Co-Founder of Curatio - Acquired by Pemba Capital Partners)

Lynda is a world-renowned leader in digital media, health technology and innovation. She is known for her abilities to combine... Read More

Ed Bryant

Ed Bryant
President & CEO, Sampford Advisors Inc.

Ed Bryant is the President and CEO of Sampford Advisors.  Ed started Sampford because he wanted to provide world-class Investment... Read More

Jon Conlin

Jon Conlin
Partner, Fasken

Jon Conlin is a corporate/commercial lawyer in Vancouver and a member of the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions group. He advises... Read More

Catherine Dahl

Catherine Dahl
CEO, Beanworks (acquired by Quadient)

As a Canadian startup CEO, Catherine Dahl heads an industry-leading accounting automation software company that is trailblazing modern accounting processes.... Read More

Stephanie Fan

Stephanie Fan
Partner M&A, Tiny

Stephanie Fan is a partner at Tiny, an M&A firm. Stephanie has over seven years of experience in the corporate... Read More

Brent Holliday

Brent Holliday
Founder & CEO, Garibaldi Capital Advisors

After nearly 30 years of technology operations and finance in BC and across Canada, Brent has amassed tons of hands... Read More

Matt Diederichs

Matt Diederichs
Head of Strategy & Corporate Development, Invoca (Formerly Corp Dev at Hootsuite)

Matt is a seasoned Strategy & Corporate Development leader, primarily working with late stage software-as-a-service companies to drive growth at... Read More

Fraser Hall

Fraser Hall
Partner, Rhino Ventures and Co-Founder & Director at Article (Co-Founder of Recon Instruments- Acquired by Intel)

As co-founder and former Chairman of Recon Instruments, Fraser and Dan are recognized for bringing the first consumer heads-up display... Read More

Shamil Hargovan

Shamil Hargovan
Managing Director, STS Capital Partners

Shamil Hargovan is an entrepreneur, CEO, and brand leader who has experience building award-winning products and services, consumer devices, B2B... Read More

Andrew Hennigar

Andrew Hennigar
Partner, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG)

Andrew’s practice is focused primarily on merger and acquisition transactions for private companies, with a particular emphasis on the technology,... Read More

William Johnson

William Johnson
Publisher, Vancouver Tech Journal

William is a Vancouver-based writer who’s contributed to local, regional and national publications. He is currently editor of the Vancouver... Read More

Damir Hot

Damir Hot
Managing Partner, Alphaninja Partners and Founder in Residence, Tegus (Co-Founder at Canalyst- Acquired by Tegus)

Damir is an entrepreneur and investor with two decades of product, sales, and executive leadership experience in high-growth technology ventures. ... Read More

Mik Kersten

Mik Kersten
CTO, Planview (Founder of Tasktop- Acquired by Planview)

Dr. Mik Kersten is the chief technology officer at Planview, joining the company in 2022 through the acquisition of Tasktop,... Read More

Barbora Gaziova

Barbora Gaziova
Director & Digital Accelerator, PwC Canada

I am a Director in PwC Canada’s Deals practice, with a focus on business and asset valuations and financial modeling.... Read More

Kristi Miller

Kristi Miller
Managing Partner, Krystal Growth Partners

A passionate believer in the power of Canadian entrepreneurs, Kristi focuses every day on driving and delivering positive change.  Kristi... Read More

Maria Pacella

Maria Pacella
Managing Partner, Pender Ventures

Maria joined Pender Ventures in 2017 as its founding partner. Previously, she spent 23 years investing in and operating emerging... Read More

Justin Ouyang

Justin Ouyang
Investor, OMERS Ventures, ex-Slack (Salesforce), Intercom, Zenefits

Justin is an investor at OMERS Ventures based in the Bay Area focused on B2B SaaS. He currently serves as... Read More

Genevieve Pinto

Genevieve Pinto
Partner, Renewal Funds

Genevieve joined the investment team at Renewal Funds in 2017, focusing on investments in consumer products and technology, and supporting... Read More

John Ruffolo

John Ruffolo
Founder & Managing Partner, Maverix Private Equity

John is the Founder and Managing Partner of Maverix Private Equity, a private equity firm focused on technology-enabled growth and... Read More

Shivalika Handa

Shivalika Handa
Managing Director, Corporate Finance, PwC Canada

Shivalika is the Canadian Deals Technology Leader and Managing Director in the Corporate Finance team, based in Toronto. Shivalika is... Read More

Shannon Byrne Susko

Shannon Byrne Susko
Founder & CEO, Metronomics, Author "3HAG Way" (Former President & CEO at Subserveo- Acquired by DST Systems)

Shannon has 18 years of experience leading financial technology services companies in North America. Her technical expertise is coupled with extensive sales, marketing and operations experience. Shannon has served on for-profit and not-for-profit boards at a regional, national and international level.

Kevin Sandhu

Kevin Sandhu
CEO & Co-Founder, Otter (Founder of Grow Technologies- Acquired by ATB Financial)

Kevin Sandhu is a technology and financial services entrepreneur and investor. He is a founder, investor, advisor and board member... Read More

Robert Madej

Robert Madej
CEO, PureFacts Financial Solutions (Acquired K2 Digital, Electric Brain Software Corporation, VennScience and Quartal Financial Solutions)

Robert is the CEO of PureFacts, a WealthTech 100 Company that provides wealth management solutions for the financial services industry in Canada,... Read More

Lisa Melchior

Lisa Melchior
Founder and Managing Partner, Vertu Capital

Lisa Melchior is the founder and Managing Partner of Vertu Capital, a Toronto-based technology private equity firm targeting high potential... Read More

Charlie Renzoni

Charlie Renzoni
Investor, OMERS Ventures

Charlie Renzoni is an Investor at OMERS Ventures and is responsible for researching, recommending and executing on investment opportunities. He... Read More

David Rozin

David Rozin
Vice President & Head, Technology and Innovation Banking, Scotiabank

David Rozin is the Vice President & Head of Roynat Capital’s Technology & Innovation Banking group overseeing a national team... Read More

Tarique Al-Ansari

Tarique Al-Ansari
CEO, Paystone

Tarique Al-Ansari, or “T”, is one of those elusive university dropout success stories. After three years of studying software engineering... Read More

Catherine Andersz

Catherine Andersz
Advisor & Investor. Co-Founder, Board Director and former CEO of PDFTron Systems Inc.

As Co-Founder & CEO of PDFTron for nearly 20 years, Catherine Andersz led the PDFTron/Xodo team in realizing its vision... Read More

Brad Atchison

Brad Atchison
Chief Executive Officer, Univerus Software

As the Chief Executive Officer at Univerus Software, we have acquired fifteen businesses and have built a 30M business in... Read More

Sean Silcoff

Sean Silcoff
Business Writer, The Globe and Mail

Sean Silcoff is an award-winning business writer specializing in technology and innovation with The Globe & Mail, Canada’s National Newspaper... Read More

Erin Campbell

Erin Campbell
Founding Partner and CEO, ECMB Capital

Erin is a capital markets expert with over two decades of hands-on experience in corporate finance and entrepreneurship. She focuses primarily on growth-stage technology, energy, and industrial companies that are preparing for next-phases of capital... Read More

Karen Starns

Karen Starns
CEO, OJO Canada (recently acquired by Royal Bank of Canada)

Karen is the CEO of OJO Canada, a powerful real estate platform helping more Canadians realize their homeownership goals by... Read More

Steve Desjarlais

Steve Desjarlais
Co-Founder & CEO, HeyDay (Acquired by Hootsuite)

Steve is a former Head of Product of Ubisoft, a crown jewel in the video game industry. Prior to co-founding... Read More

Tamara Grominsky

Tamara Grominsky
Chief Strategy Officer, Unbounce (Acquired Snazzy Copy & LeadsRX in 2011)

Tamara Grominsky builds product marketing and growth teams that drive go-to-market strategy and revenue acceleration. She has a breadth of... Read More

Geoffrey Hansen

Geoffrey Hansen
Strategic Advisor, Garibaldi Capital Advisors

A seasoned tech entrepreneur with multiple successful exits in communications, e-commerce, mobility and biotech. After years as a venture capitalist,... Read More

Richard Hungerford

Richard Hungerford
SVP of Corporate Development, Hootsuite

Rich Hungerford is the SVP of Corporate Development at Hootsuite. He joined the company in 2014 and leads the team... Read More

Randeep Janjua

Randeep Janjua
Director, BDC Capital

Randeep Janjua is a Director, Growth & Transition Capital (Technology Sector), in BDC Capital’s Vancouver office. He has been with... Read More

Lyndsay Kerwin

Lyndsay Kerwin
Vice President, Silversmith Capital

Lyndsay joined Silversmith Capital Partners in 2019 and is currently a Vice President.  At Silversmith, Lyndsay focuses on investments in SaaS... Read More

Brendan King

Brendan King
Co-Founder & CEO., Vendasta (Acquired Calendar Hero & MatchCraft in 2021)

Intense, boisterous, imaginative. Brendan King, Co-Founder and CEO of Vendasta is the innovative force of the company. Brendan has built... Read More

Allen Lau

Allen Lau
Co-Founder & CEO, Wattpad (acquired by Naver)

Allen Lau is a visionary serial entrepreneur, a leader in Canada’s tech community, and a sought-after speaker and authoritative voice... Read More

Aly Gillani

Aly Gillani
Managing Director, Technology Investment Banking, RBC Capital Markets

Over 10 years in the TMT sector, primarily focused on M&A and equity financing for tech and media companies. I... Read More

Boris Wertz

Boris Wertz
Entrepreneur turned investor, Entrepreneur at AbeBooks (sold to Amazon) and Early-stage investor through Version One VC

Boris Wertz is founding partner of Version One Ventures and one of the top early-stage tech investors in North America.... Read More

Mark Longo

Mark Longo
Managing Partner, Emerging and High Growth Companies, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP

Mark is Co-Chair of Osler’s Emerging and High Growth Companies Group and Managing Partner of Osler’s Vancouver office. Mark has... Read More

Atoussa Mahmoudpour

Atoussa Mahmoudpour
Chief Legal Officer, WELL Health Technologies Corp.

Atoussa Mahmoudpour is WELL’s Chief Legal Officer and Chief Privacy Officer. She joined WELL in September 2020 as VP of... Read More

Dan Martell

Dan Martell
Serial Entrepreneur (3 exits), Angel Investor and Executive Coach focused exclusively on B2B SaaS

Dan is a serial entrepreneur having built several multi-million dollar technology companies starting at the age of 17. He’s also... Read More

Jack Newton

Jack Newton
CEO & Founder of Clio (Acquired Lawyaw, CalendarRules and Lexicata)

As the CEO and Founder of Clio and a pioneer in cloud-based legal technology, Jack Newton has spearheaded efforts to... Read More

Jayesh Parmar

Jayesh Parmar
Co-CEO & Co-Founder, Gunkii (Founder Picatic acquired by EventBrite) / M&A Advisor, STS Capital Partners

Born in Saskatoon, Canada––San Francisco incubated, alumni of Toronto’s Extreme Startups, New York’s Canadian Technology Accelerator and Vancouver’s Hyper Growth... Read More

Cameal Soverall

Cameal Soverall
Content & Program Director, SAAS NORTH & TECH EXIT

Cameal has more than 20 years of senior event management experience in the association and non-profit sectors, developing programs and... Read More

Laurie Schultz

Laurie Schultz
Formerly CEO of Galvanize, Tech Board Director

Laurie Schultz—Board Director, Technology CEO Laurie Schultz has over 30 years of technology-related experience spanning the personal finance, small business... Read More

Shane Sparks

Shane Sparks
CEO, Enrollment Resources

Marketing and communications specialist for over 25 years. Shane co-founded Enrollment Resources in 2003. He has lead service delivery and... Read More

Kristine Steuart

Kristine Steuart
Co-Founder & Former CEO, Allocadia (Acquired by BrandMaker)

As CEO & Founder of Allocadia, Kristine led the company in working with customers including Unilever, Philips, Dell, ServiceNow, Hasbro,... Read More

Justin Young

Justin Young
Partner, Emerging and High Growth Companies, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP

Justin is a Founding Partner of Osler’s Vancouver office.  Justin’s practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, venture financing, and corporate... Read More

Constantine Hatzipanayis

Constantine Hatzipanayis
Partner, Growth Equity, BDC Capital

Constantine Hatzipanayis is Partner, Growth Equity in our Vancouver office. Constantine aims to support Canadian entrepreneurs through their growth journeys... Read More

Atulan Navaratnam

Atulan Navaratnam
Vice President of Mergers & Acquisitions, OpenText

Atulan leads buy and sell-side deals across North America, Europe and Asia from prospect mining and delicate early stage dialogue... Read More

Darrell Heaps

Darrell Heaps
CEO, Q4 Inc

Darrell Heaps is a serial entrepreneur and has spent his career building software companies from small to large. As the... Read More

Shawn Finder

Shawn Finder
Co-Founder/CEO, Autoklose (Acquired by Vanillasoft)

Growing up as one of North America’s top tennis players, traveling around the world competing to be the next Andre... Read More

Tarique Al-Ansari

Tarique Al-Ansari
CEO, Paystone Inc.

Tarique Al-Ansari, or “T”, is one of those elusive university dropout success stories. He moved to Canada with his family... Read More

Alex Loukas

Alex Loukas
Vice President, GrowthPoint Technology Partners

Alex joined GrowthPoint Technology Partners in 2013 from FanTravel.com, a web-based group travel platform for universities and organizations he co-founded.... Read More

Jade Bourelle

Jade Bourelle
Founder, Talemetry, (Acquired by K1 Investment Management)

Wes Fulford

Wes Fulford
CEO & Director, Bitfarms

Wes Fulford is the CEO of Bitfarms, one of North America’s largest vertically integrated blockchain infrastructure and cryptocurrency mining companies.... Read More

Bruce Townson

Bruce Townson
Director, Growth & Transition Capital – Tech Sector, BDC

Bruce Townson is a Director in BDC Capital’s Growth & Transition Capital group serving clients in the technology sector across... Read More

Geoff Hansen

Geoff Hansen
Senior Advisor, Garibaldi Capital Advisors

Diane Horton

Diane Horton
Partner, Tequity Inc.

Diane brings 20+ years in the Technology sector at both large multi-national organizations and small start-up companies, helping to drive strategy... Read More

Dani Lipkin

Dani Lipkin
Innovation Sector Head, TMX Group

Dani Lipkin carries the role of Innovation Sector Head for the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV).... Read More

Devon Thompson

Devon Thompson
Managing Director, RBCx

Devon leads a highly specialized team across Western Canada to deliver industry-tailored capital financing, business advice, and solutions that go... Read More

Katri Ulmonen

Katri Ulmonen
Partner, MNP LLP

As MNP’s B.C. Regional Leader for Technology, Media and Telecommunications I have a passion for serving mid-market clients in Canada.... Read More

Mark Jaine

Mark Jaine
Former President and CEO, Intelex Technologies ULC, (Acquired by Industrial Scientific, June 2019)

David Greenberg

David Greenberg
General Partner, JMI Equity

David is a General Partner at JMI Equity, a growth equity firm focused on investing in leading software companies. David... Read More

Sureel Sheth

Sureel Sheth
Principal, JMI Equity

Sureel has been part of the JMI team since 2010 and focuses on the healthcare IT sector. He is responsible for sourcing... Read More

Joel Espelien

Joel Espelien
PRESIDENT — CORUM GROUP LTD.

Joel Espelien has worked in a number of roles over a twenty year career in the technology industry. Most recently... Read More

David Ferguson

David Ferguson
Former CFO, Aquatic Informatics

David was most recently CFO for Aquatic Informatics. Over 12 years he served in various roles including leading finance, accounting... Read More

David Raffa

David Raffa
President, Valeo Corporate Finance Ltd.

Number of Transactions (last 2 years): 8 Number of Transactions (Career): >100 Area of M&A Expertise: Sell-side engagements for tech... Read More

Erin Campbell

Erin Campbell
President, ECMB Capital Partners

Drawing on 18 years of exposure in capital markets, Erin provides advisory leadership to CEOs and senior leadership teams in... Read More

George Reznik

George Reznik
Chief Financial Officer, Intrinsyc Technologies (Acquired by Latronix Inc)

George Reznik is the Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary of Intrinsyc Technologies. Mr. Reznik has more than twenty years... Read More

Hans Knapp

Hans Knapp
Partner and Co-Founder, Yaletown Partners

Hans co-founded Yaletown in 2001 and brings over 20 years of investing, legal and corporate governance experience to Yaletown’s team.  A seasoned investor with multiple $200M+ exits under... Read More

Iain Mant

Iain Mant
Partner, Fasken

Iain Mant is a prominent mergers and acquisitions lawyer in Fasken’s Vancouver office with more than 30 years’ of experience... Read More

Miriam Tuerk

Miriam Tuerk
Co-Founder & CEO, Clear Blue Technologies Inc.

Miriam has over 20 years of experience as a serial entrepreneur and business visionary with a proven track record of... Read More

Nicky Senyard

Nicky Senyard
Founder & CEO, Fintel Connect, Former Founder & CEO of Income Access (Acquired by PaySafe)

Nicky Senyard is the CEO and Founder of Fintel Connect, a performance marketing company specializing in the financial services industry.... Read More

Joe Timlin

Joe Timlin
Managing Director, CIBC Innovation Banking

Number of Transactions (last 2 years): One as an investor, two banking portfolio companies. Number of Transactions (Career): 15. Almost... Read More

Jill Earthy

Jill Earthy
HEAD OF GROWTH — FEMALE FUNDERS

Jill Earthy is an entrepreneurially minded leader who believes diversity drives innovation. As a strategic advisor and Principal at Risery,... Read More

Brenda Irwin

Brenda Irwin
GENERAL PARTNER — RELENTLESS VENTURE FUND

Brenda is the Founder and Managing Partner of the Relentless Venture Fund (Relentless).  Relentless  is a mission-based, health technology venture capital fund that... Read More

Kyle Duignan

Kyle Duignan
Director, Growth & Transition Capital, BDC Capital

Number of Transactions (last 2 years): 5Number of Transactions (Career): 10+Area of M&A Expertise: Equity investment, leveraged financeCompany Specialty: M&A, Management Buyouts, High leverage... Read More

Kiki Anadu

Kiki Anadu
VICE PRESIDENT — PWC

Kiki Anadu is a Vice-President in PwC’s valuations practice under the firm’s Deals Group. Kiki is a Chartered Business Valuator... Read More

Teague Collins

Teague Collins
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT — CASCADIA CAPITAL

Teague Collins is a Senior Vice President at Cascadia Capital in the firm’s Technology practice. He has over 11 years... Read More

Christian Cotichini

Christian Cotichini
CEO — HEROX (EXITED ABSOLUTE SOFTWARE)

With over 20 years of experience leading startup and high growth technology companies, Christian Cotichini is an active angel investor... Read More

Paul Geyer

Paul Geyer
CEO — DISCOVERY PARKS AND NIMBUS SYNERGIES (EXITED MITROFLOW)

Paul Geyer, a successful Medtech Entrepreneur, is an experienced Board member and Angel Investor. Over the past 25 years Paul... Read More

Desmond Griffin

Desmond Griffin
CEO/CO-FOUNDER — GLANCE TECHNOLOGIES (EXITED VERRUS)

Desmond is the co-founder and CEO of Glance Technologies, a publicly traded company that owns and operates Glance Pay, a... Read More

Michael Hagerman

Michael Hagerman
CEO — DIRECTORSEDGE INC (EXITED PAYBYPHONE, SUBSERVEO, MAKE TECHNOLOGIES)

Michael Hagerman is the CEO of DirectorsEdge Inc. After careers in travel, financial services, Michael Hagerman entered the tech world... Read More

Andrew Jones

Andrew Jones
PRINCIPAL — CARDIN PARTNERS

Andrew is equally comfortable speaking the three languages of code, product and corporate finance. His career path is unique: from... Read More

Andrew Lugsdin

Andrew Lugsdin
PARTNER — BDC VENTURE CAPITAL

Andrew Lugsdin is a partner in the IT Venture Fund. He joined BDC Capital in 2001 and is based out of Vancouver,... Read More

Neil McDonnell

Neil McDonnell
CHAIR AND DIRECTOR — PHOTON CONTROL (EXITED WURLDTECH)

Neil McDonnell is currently chair of Agreement Express, Chair of Photon Control, Executive Chair of ResponseTek, director of Symbility Software... Read More

Lonny McLean

Lonny McLean
FOUNDER — CARECRU (EXITED LAYER 7)

Lonny McLean, is the Founder/CEO of CareCru Inc., an automated, data-driven growth platform for Health Clinics.  Lonny is an experienced... Read More

Steve Munford

Steve Munford
NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR — SOPHOS (EXITED ACTIVESTATE)

Steve Munford is Non-Executive Director at Sophos. He served as Sophos’ CEO from 2006 to 2012 and, during that time,... Read More

Manny Padda

Manny Padda
MANAGING DIRECTOR — NEW AVENUE CAPITAL

Manny Padda is an entrepreneur, angel investor, and philanthropist. He is the founder of New Avenue Capital, a global firm... Read More

Janette Pantry

Janette Pantry
PARTNER — EY

Janette is the leader of EY’s Transaction Tax practice in British Columbia. She has extensive experience advising on the tax... Read More

James Smith

James Smith
PARTNER — LABARGE WEINSTEIN

As partner at LaBarge Weinstein LLP, James Smith’s practice has literally grown up with Canada’s technology leaders since 1998. James... Read More

Oliver Vincent

Oliver Vincent
PRESIDENT & GENERAL MANAGER — GROUNDTRUTH (EXITED CANPAGES)

Olivier is a Vancouver based serial tech-entrepreneur. He created over 9 companies and startups. He was the founder and CEO... Read More

Hannes Blum

Hannes Blum
VENTURE PARTNER — ACTON CAPITAL

The German industrial engineer left Boston Consulting after just a few years to launch Justbooks. Until mid-2015 he was President... Read More

Kevin Collins

Kevin Collins
CO-FOUNDER & CEO — BIT STEW SYSTEMS (ENTREPRENEUR, ACQUIRED BY GE)

Kevin brings more than 30 years of experience in architecting and designing enterprise-class software and systems solutions, both as a... Read More

Jackie Cook

Jackie Cook
FOUNDER & CEO — FUNDVOTES (ACQUIRED BY MORNINGSTAR)

Jackie Cook is a specialist in corporate disclosure analysis focusing on developing data solutions that strengthen investor stewardship on environmental,... Read More

Kareen Zimmer

Kareen Zimmer
Partner, Fasken Martineau LLP

Kareen practices general corporate and business law with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, financings, and financial institution regulation. She... Read More

Marc Drouin

Marc Drouin
REGIONAL DIRECTOR, TECHNOLOGIES GROUP — BDC

Marc Drouin has been with BDC in various capacities since 2004, and currently holds the position of Regional Director, BC and... Read More

Caroline Dunn

Caroline Dunn
PRESIDENT AND CEO — VIVONET

Caroline Dunn has partnered with founders of North American technology companies for 20 years in the full range of ownership... Read More

Matias Marquez

Matias Marquez
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Buyatab (Acquired by Stored Value Solutions)

Matias Marquez is President at Buyatab Online Inc, an active advisor to early-stage technology companies and a PowerPlay Young Entrepreneurs... Read More

Paul Emond

Paul Emond
FORMER CEO — VERSATURE (ACQUIRED BY NET2PHONE)

Founder of TechSupport.ca, an IT focused company which made the Profit 100 two years in a row and was successfully... Read More

Igor Faletski

Igor Faletski
CO-FOUNDER & CEO — MOBIFY

As CEO and co-founder, Igor has successfully scaled Mobify from three people working in a downtown Vancouver apartment to the... Read More

Robert Antoniades

Robert Antoniades
Co-Founder & General Partner, Information Venture Partners

Robert Antoniades co-founded Information Venture Partners in 2014. Robert has led investments in and currently serves on the Boards of... Read More

Ian D. Heine

Ian D. Heine
PARTNER, NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY SECTOR TAX LEADER — PWC

Ian is a partner in the PwC Vancouver office providing tax consulting and compliance services to public and private companies... Read More

Oksana Horsman

Oksana Horsman
Partner - Deals, PwC

Number of Transactions (last 2 years): 100Number of Transactions (Career): 300Area of M&A Expertise: Purchase price structures, price mechanisms (including closing accounts and... Read More

Richard Hungerford

Richard Hungerford
VP, BUSINESS AND CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT — HOOTSUITE

Richard is VP Corporate Development at Hootsuite where he oversees Acquisitions and Partnerships. He’s worked on multiple partnership deals, M&A... Read More

Robert Hull

Robert Hull
FOUNDER — ADAPTIVE INSIGHTS (ACQUIRED BY WORKDAY)

A former CFO, Rob founded Adaptive Insights with a vision to provide modern finance leaders with an easy-to-use SaaS-based solution... Read More

Monique Janower

Monique Janower
SENIOR MARKET RESEARCH AND BUSINESS STRATEGIST — CATAPULT STRATEGY

Monique Janower is a research, business and brand strategist who founded, built and sold a multi-million dollar marketing communications agency.... Read More

Praveen Varshney

Praveen Varshney
FCPA, FCA, Director, Varshney Capital Corp.

Praveen has been a principal of Varshney Capital Corp., a Vancouver based merchant banking, venture capital and corporate advisory services... Read More

Yong Kwon

Yong Kwon
PARTNER — NOVACAP

Yong is a Partner in the Toronto office of Novacap, a Montreal-based private equity firm established in 1981 and currently... Read More

Paulin Laberge

Paulin Laberge
PRESIDENT — ICOMPASS TECHNOLOGIES (ACQUIRED BY DILIGENT CORPORATION)

Paulin leads the iCompass team to help them develop solutions that empower local governments. With over 10 years of local... Read More

Amielle Lake

Amielle Lake
EVP, SALES AND MARKETING — CARBONET & FOUNDER & BOARD MEMBER, TAGGA (ACQUIRED BY CAMPAIGN MONITOR)

When asked about her journey as an entrepreneur, Amielle remarks that her ability to handle risks seems to be a... Read More

Carol Leaman

Carol Leaman
CEO — AXONIFY (FORMER CEO POSTRANK, ACQUIRED BY GOOGLE)

Carol Leaman is the CEO of Axonify Inc., a disruptor in the corporate learning space and innovator behind the world’s... Read More

David Levine

David Levine
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT — CORUM GROUP LTD.

Dave joined Corum in 2015 and has a diverse background in technology and life sciences. As an executive and entrepreneur,... Read More

Mark Longo

Mark Longo
Managing Partner — Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP

Mark is Co-Chair of Osler’s Emerging and High Growth Companies Group and Managing Partner of Osler’s Vancouver office. Mark has... Read More

Alex Mackay

Alex Mackay
STRATEGIC M&A ADVISOR — TEQUITY

Alex brings 35 years of experience working in enterprise software and services organizations. He’s worked with large global players such... Read More

David Tyldesley

David Tyldesley
Co-Founder/Producer, TechExit.io

David was born in Vancouver, British Columbia and has lived and worked in Vancouver and Melbourne, Australia. In the late... Read More

Julie McGill

Julie McGill
MANAGING PARTNER — FULMER CAPITAL PARTNERS

Julie partnered with Yuri at Fulmer Capital in 2016 to follow her passion to help small to mid-sized businesses achieve... Read More

Sheryne Mecklai

Sheryne Mecklai
PARTNER, MANNING ELLIOTT

Sheryne, a partner in Manning Elliott’s Tax Department, primarily focusing on estate planning and business succession services for Canadian owner-managed... Read More

Peter Mogan

Peter Mogan
PARTNER — MOGAN DANIELS SLAGER

Known as a leading mid-market M&A legal advisor in British Columbia, Peter Mogan, founder and senior partner of Mogan Daniels... Read More

Tea Nicola

Tea Nicola
CO-FOUNDER & CEO — WEALTHBAR (ACQUIRED BY CI FINANCIAL)

Meredith Powell

Meredith Powell
VENTURE PARTNER — VOYAGER CAPITAL

Meredith spent the first 12 years of her career in the fast-paced fashion industry travelling the globe unearthing emerging consumer... Read More

Lisa Shields

Lisa Shields
FOUNDER & CEO — HYPERWALLET (ACQUIRED BY PAYPAL)

Lisa Shields is the Founder of Hyperwallet Systems Inc. Lisa guided Hyperwallet from a technology startup to the leading international payments processor for... Read More

Hamed Shahbazi

Hamed Shahbazi
CEO — WELL

Mr. Shahbazi has 20+ years of experience as technology focused operator and founded TIO Networks (TSXV:TNC) as a kiosk solution... Read More

Greg Smith

Greg Smith
CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER — TIMIA CAPITAL

Greg joined TIMIA as the CIO in September 2015. He has been on both sides of the table as an... Read More

Derek Spratt

Derek Spratt
SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR AND INVESTOR — FORMER PRESIDENT & CEO, MOBIDIA TECHNOLOGY (ACQUIRED BY APP ANNIE)

I am currently a mentor and advisor to tech companies and a board member of the BC Discovery Fund. As... Read More

Kevin Swan

Kevin Swan
VP CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT — SHAREWORKS, FORMERLY SOLIUM CAPITAL (ACQUIRED BY MORGAN STANLEY)

Over the past 14 years, Kevin has split his time between Canada and the Silicon Valley and has served on... Read More

Catherine Warren

Catherine Warren
CEO — VEC

Catherine Warren is the Chief Executive Officer of the Vancouver Economic Commission (VEC), serving Canada’s fastest-growing, low-carbon economy, contributing to... Read More

Program Archives

2018 2019 2020 2022

February 15, 2018

12:30 pm
 
Registration
1:00 pm
 
Opening Remarks and Overview of Conference
Speaker:
David Raffa, President, Valeo Corporate Finance Ltd.
1:10 pm
 
Presentation: Exits in the Tech Sector – Being Exit Ready

Whether you’re in it to build your tech company to sell or not, you still need to be exit ready as you may be presented with an opportunity to sell and may need to sell for reasons you never thought of. Sometimes exits can happen sooner than expected, and sometimes they need to be accelerated based on what is happening in the market. Learn how to assess the market dynamics and read the signals so that you can strategically respond or plan for your exit. When do exits happen and why? What are the tell-tale signs that may warrant an early exit? As a buyer or seller in the technology sector, you need to learn how to think strategically. Be exit ready.

Speaker:
Teague Collins, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT — CASCADIA CAPITAL
1:40 pm
 
Buying or Selling – It’s about being prepared

Buying or selling a technology company is all about preparation – though the steps required are very different from buying or selling a bricks & mortar company. Managing the due diligence process, avoiding loss of intellectual property and trade secrets, managing commercial partnerships and customers relationships, all pose unique challenges to technology companies. You don’t want to reveal trade secrets to the competition, who may approach you under the guise of an acquisition, and you don’t want to put your business at risk should a sale not go through. In this panel discussion, you’ll hear from experts that have lived through an acquisition or sale. You’ll hear about the challenges they faced in managing their exits.

Speakers:
Andrew Lugsdin, PARTNER — BDC VENTURE CAPITAL
Paul Geyer, CEO — DISCOVERY PARKS AND NIMBUS SYNERGIES (EXITED MITROFLOW)
Iain Mant, Partner, Fasken
Manny Padda, MANAGING DIRECTOR — NEW AVENUE CAPITAL
Janette Pantry, PARTNER — EY
2:30 pm
 
Networking and Coffee Break
3:00 pm
 
Valuing Technology Companies – You Are More Than Just a Multiple

In 2012 Facebook bought Instagram, a company with 13 employees and 30 million users, for $1.0B and so it began. Analysts then described Instagram as a company without a business model. Since then it has been described as a brilliant move by Mark Zuckerberg. In 2014 Facebook bought WhatsApp for $19B, in 2016 Microsoft bought Linkedin $26.2B. Why do technology companies get acquired for strategic values that make other sectors look tepid, and how do you take advantage of this? And what can you do to drive exit value in your technology company? In this panel discussion hear from experts who have worked in, advised and sold technology companies discuss what drives exit value and how it is different from bricks and mortar companies. Learn about valuation techniques and also what steps you can take to increase your enterprise value.

Speakers:
Brent Holliday, Founder & CEO, Garibaldi Capital Advisors
Kiki Anadu, VICE PRESIDENT — PWC
Desmond Griffin, CEO/CO-FOUNDER — GLANCE TECHNOLOGIES (EXITED VERRUS)
Richard Hungerford, VP, BUSINESS AND CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT — HOOTSUITE
Hans Knapp, Partner and Co-Founder, Yaletown Partners
3:45 pm
 
The M&A Team – Who You Need On Your Side

A Tech Exit is an extremely labour intensive process. How do you manage this process and still keep your business running smoothly? The answer is forming an M&A team, both with inside resources and outside specialists, to lead and manage the process. Who are the key players you need to complete a successful acquisition or sale? What do they bring to the table and what are their costs and benefits? Which employees inside your company should be involved, and when? Learn about the roles advisors play and when to start engaging these experts.

Speakers:
Diane Horton, Partner, Tequity Inc.
Michael Hagerman, CEO — DIRECTORSEDGE INC (EXITED PAYBYPHONE, SUBSERVEO, MAKE TECHNOLOGIES)
Andrew Jones, PRINCIPAL — CARDIN PARTNERS
Steve Munford, NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR — SOPHOS (EXITED ACTIVESTATE)
James Smith, PARTNER — LABARGE WEINSTEIN
4:30 PM
 
Energy Break
3:45 pm
 
War Stories From Technology Entrepreneurs Who Have Sold Their Companies

No matter how much you prepare, you only really know what it will be like AFTER you have gone through the process of selling your company. Hear directly from technology entrepreneurs who have sold their technology companies. What did they wish they knew before they started? What did they learn in the process? What would they do over?

Speakers:
Diane Horton, Partner, Tequity Inc.
Michael Hagerman, CEO — DIRECTORSEDGE INC (EXITED PAYBYPHONE, SUBSERVEO, MAKE TECHNOLOGIES)
Andrew Jones, PRINCIPAL — CARDIN PARTNERS
Steve Munford, NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR — SOPHOS (EXITED ACTIVESTATE)
James Smith, PARTNER — LABARGE WEINSTEIN
5:30 pm
 
Closing Remarks
Speaker:
David Raffa, President, Valeo Corporate Finance Ltd.
5:35 pm
 
Happy Hour

Meet Founders and Investors at a Happy Hour unlike any other. Enjoy premium food and drinks including an oyster bar, a sushi bar, a scotch bar, and more! Mingle with leading deal makers and entrepreneurs in a relaxed environment.

April 10, 2019

7:45 am
 
Registration, Networking & Continental Breakfast
8:45 am
 
Conference Overview by Chair
Chair: David Raffa, President, Valeo Corporate Finance Ltd.
8:55 am
 
Keynote Market Overview

This session will address the key trends for growing and exiting a tech company in Canada

Speaker:

Cameron Burke, Partner, Technology & Innovation Banking, Fort Capital Partners

9:20 am
 
Morning Keynote, Fireside Chat: Adaptive Insights, A Looming IPO went Acquisition Instead

Join Robert Antoniades, General Partner with Information Ventures Partners as he sits down with Robert Hull, Founder of Adaptive Insights, which was acquired by Workday for $1.6 Billion, after a recent IPO announcement. Presented by RBC

Speakers:

Robert Hull, FOUNDER — ADAPTIVE INSIGHTS (ACQUIRED BY WORKDAY)

Robert Antoniades, Co-Founder & General Partner, Information Venture Partners

10:10 am
 
The Buying Journey: A Purchaser’s Perspective

There are different types of buyers in the M&A continuum: strategic, private equity, corporate dev teams, among others. Understanding your potential buyer universe will help you clarify your objectives for selling and what you want success to look like. In learning about the different classes of buyers, you will quickly see that it isn’t a one size fits all game. It’s about the best fit for the type of business you are building.In this session you will hear from different buyers and what influences their purchasing decisions.

Speakers:

Marc Drouin, REGIONAL DIRECTOR, TECHNOLOGIES GROUP — BDC

Igor Faletski, CO-FOUNDER & CEO — MOBIFY

Richard Hungerford, VP, BUSINESS AND CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT — HOOTSUITE

Yong Kwon, PARTNER — NOVACAP

Hamed Shahbazi, CEO — WELL

10:50 am
 
The Valuation Levers

It is never too early to be thinking about your exit strategy – even if you don’t plan on selling right away. Most entrepreneurs don’t get nearly what they should because they weren’t prepared, and this can gravely affect the value of your company. Furthermore, a successful exit for your shareholders can be very different from what you, the entrepreneur, defines as a success. This session will explore how to enhance the value of your business from the get-go and what levers you need to “push or pull” in order to optimize the results you are looking for.

Speakers:

Jackie Cook, FOUNDER & CEO — FUNDVOTES (ACQUIRED BY MORNINGSTAR)

Paul Emond, FORMER CEO — VERSATURE (ACQUIRED BY NET2PHONE)

Brenda Irwin, GENERAL PARTNER — RELENTLESS VENTURE FUND

Meredith Powell, VENTURE PARTNER — VOYAGER CAPITAL

Alex Mackay, STRATEGIC M&A ADVISOR — TEQUITY

11:40 am
 
Concurrent Sessions (Breakouts)
 
A1: Deal Killers: Common Deal Challenges & How to Address and Avoid Them

The LOI is signed. Great! But challenges lie ahead that must be carefully navigated to avoid collapses or changes to the negotiated deal. Buyers and sellers often have different needs and objectives – and the idea of providing unfettered access to your confidential business information is scary. This session will look at real-world examples of how to structure your company well in advance of a potential sale; help you consider all of your business options to reap the benefits and avoid pitfalls; and tactics to avoid major post-sale surprises. This is your opportunity to learn about common “deal breakers” so that you and your advisors can prepare well in advance.

Speakers:

Paulin Laberge, PRESIDENT — ICOMPASS TECHNOLOGIES (ACQUIRED BY DILIGENT CORPORATION)

David Levine, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT — CORUM GROUP LTD.

Mark Longo, Managing Partner — Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP

Tea Nicola, CO-FOUNDER & CEO — WEALTHBAR (ACQUIRED BY CI FINANCIAL)

 
A2: Liquidity vs. Exits

Finding a potential suitor for your business is the most monumental decision you will make in your life. Depending on the size of the business you are operating and your personal goals, there are different financial options to consider that will make your venture profitable. Strategic or private equity buyers might be your most lucrative exit strategy, but there are other liquidity options to help you put growth capital to work. This session will feature experts from tech-specific private equity firms, classic strategic buyers, other financiers.

1:00 pm
 
Roundtables Discussions with Industry Leaders

Meet the day’s experts during this interactive discussion with conference thought leaders and other subject matter experts who will give you the tactical take-aways you need around IP strategy, negotiating deal terms, debt financing, governance, etc.

 
Roundtable Discussion – Crossing the Final Hurdles: Keeping Your Leverage Throughout the Transaction

Join David Levine and Joel Espelien from Corum Group, the leading seller of software and related technology companies, to discuss how to do more than just get a deal across the finish line The only way to get an optimal outcome for your company—best price and structure—is to have multiple buyers at the table, by running a carefully managed global process. But after you’ve chosen a buyer and entered the “no-shop” period, how do you maintain that leverage? We’ll discuss war stories, best practices and strategies that you’ll want to understand well in advance of signing that LOI.

Speakers:

Joel Espelien, PRESIDENT — CORUM GROUP LTD.

David Levine, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT — CORUM GROUP LTD.

 
Roundtable Discussion – The Metrics That Matter

Join Brent Holliday and Geoff Hansen from Garibaldi Capital to discuss the metrics that matter. How you measure customer acquisition and manage churn rates are two essential areas your potential acquirer is going to want to examine once an offer is on the table. This Roundtable discussion will dive deep into the mechanisms that buyers use to evaluate growth, churn, and essentially how they will predict the future growth of your business.

Speakers:

Geoff Hansen, Senior Advisor, Garibaldi Capital Advisors

Brent Holliday, Founder & CEO, Garibaldi Capital Advisors

 
Roundtable Discussion – Think Like A Buyer

Are you confident you’re able to position yourself and your company to attract the attention of a buyer? How do buyers think differently from VCs? Join PwC Canada’s Shivalika Handa, Managing Director, Corporate Finance to uncover how you can attract attention of different buyer groups, regardless of your company size. We’ll discuss strategies to help you think like a buyer and position yourself in the best light to ultimately get you the offer.

Speaker:

Shivalika Handa, Managing Director, Corporate Finance, PwC Canada

1:45 pm
 
Luncheon Keynote: Setting the Table for Acquisition: Why Knowing What Kind of Company You Are Building From Day One Will Be The Key To Your Success

Positioning your company based on your technology, product or brand, among other factors will become the determining value drivers in your time to exit, capital needs and costs, and ultimately the exit price you will get. This session will feature a global story of a tech entrepreneur and his or her major investors who achieved a strategic exit value.

Speakers:

Kevin Collins, CO-FOUNDER & CEO — BIT STEW SYSTEMS (ENTREPRENEUR, ACQUIRED BY GE)

Hans Knapp, Partner and Co-Founder, Yaletown Partners

2:20 pm
 
Concurrent Sessions (Breakouts)
 
B1: Building & Leveraging Your Board to Win

This session will explore how best to work with your board, who should be on your board at the different stages of your company’s life-cycle, and how to run an effective boarding meeting. Whether you are fundraising, scaling up, or planning your exit strategy, the people who accompany you on this journey need to be right for you. Hear from top VC firms, as well as entrepreneurs who have exited, as they share best practices for how to leverage this integral extension of your team.

Speakers:

Hannes Blum, VENTURE PARTNER — ACTON CAPITAL

Catherine Dahl, CEO, Beanworks (acquired by Quadient)

Amielle Lake, EVP, SALES AND MARKETING — CARBONET & FOUNDER & BOARD MEMBER, TAGGA (ACQUIRED BY CAMPAIGN MONITOR)

Julie McGill, MANAGING PARTNER — FULMER CAPITAL PARTNERS

Catherine Warren, CEO — VEC

 
B2: Taxation: Effectively Structuring Your Company for Selling

If your business is acquired, you will inevitably face a significant taxation bill. If you’re not careful, you could find yourself with less than half the purchase price in your pocket. How options are taxed, for example, can leave many business owners and their employees, deeply disappointed! Fortunately, with the right preparation and enough time to implement, there are a number of opportunities to reduce or eliminate tax burdens. In this special focused session we will look at real-world examples, how to structure your company well in advance of a potential sale or recapitalization so you have to consider all of your business options to reap the benefits and avoid the pitfalls.

Speakers:

Ian D. Heine, PARTNER, NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY SECTOR TAX LEADER — PWC

Sheryne Mecklai, PARTNER, MANNING ELLIOTT

Peter Mogan, PARTNER — MOGAN DANIELS SLAGER

George Reznik, Chief Financial Officer, Intrinsyc Technologies (Acquired by Latronix Inc)

3:05 pm
 
Networking & Coffee Break
3:20 pm
 
The Checklist: How to Prepare for Your Exit

Once you have decided on what you want your exit outcome to look like, you need to be thoughtful around all of the decisions leading up to your sale. Operating efficiently, professionalizing processes, limiting vulnerabilities around IP, source code, accounting records, are just a some of the things to take into consideration. This session will address the essential do’s and don’ts for getting exit ready and identify some of the significant mistakes companies unknowingly make which end up limiting their options and reducing value.

Speakers:

Caroline Dunn, PRESIDENT AND CEO — VIVONET

Brent Holliday, Founder & CEO, Garibaldi Capital Advisors

Monique Janower, SENIOR MARKET RESEARCH AND BUSINESS STRATEGIST — CATAPULT STRATEGY

Iain Mant, Partner, Fasken

4:00 pm
 
War stories: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Plenary
War stories: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Speakers:

David Raffa, President, Valeo Corporate Finance Ltd.

Carol Leaman, CEO — AXONIFY (FORMER CEO POSTRANK, ACQUIRED BY GOOGLE)

Lisa Shields, FOUNDER & CEO — HYPERWALLET (ACQUIRED BY PAYPAL)

Derek Spratt, SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR AND INVESTOR — FORMER PRESIDENT & CEO, MOBIDIA TECHNOLOGY (ACQUIRED BY APP ANNIE)

Shannon Byrne Susko, Founder & CEO, Metronomics, Author "3HAG Way" (Former President & CEO at Subserveo- Acquired by DST Systems)

4:45 pm
 
Happy Hour

November 24, 2020 | Conference Program

8:30 AM - 9:15 AM
 
Welcome remarks by Conference Chair Shannon Susko & Opening Keynote: Intelex, an Acquisition Story

This behind-the-scenes discussion dives deep into the June 2019 $750M+ CAD strategic acquisition of Intelex Technologies ULC byIndustrial Scientific, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fortive Corporation.  Not only was this one of the largest Canadian exits in 2019, it was one of the top five largest Canadian technology company exits in the last decade.       

The groundwork for the successful acquisition was put in place many years before the exit.  The process itself was tactically grueling with many twists and turns.      

  After attending this session, you will understand:   

  • What strategies were successful and what Intelex may have done differently if they went through their process again.   
  • How Intelex maintained process tension throughout their discussions with interested parties  
  • Why Industrial Scientific made the decision to acquire Intelex, and what factors impacted the sale price   
  • Who the key stakeholders were throughout the sales process and how they were influenced
Speakers:
David Greenberg, General Partner, JMI Equity
Mark Jaine, Former President and CEO, Intelex Technologies ULC, (Acquired by Industrial Scientific, June 2019)
Shannon Byrne Susko, Founder & CEO, Metronomics, Author "3HAG Way" (Former President & CEO at Subserveo- Acquired by DST Systems)
9:25 AM - 9:50 AM
 
So You Want To Be “M&A Ready”? Behold: The Checklist!

Whether you want to be ready for a knock on the door, or you are embarking on an acquisition strategy, it takes time (and in some cases years) to check all the boxes.  Early and measured preparation is key throughout all phases of the process – from strategy to integration.      Operating efficiently, professionalizing processes, limiting vulnerabilities around IP, source code and accounting records are just some of the things to take into consideration. This session will showcase the most comprehensive, essential must-do’s for getting M&A ready.

Why attend this session:

  • Get the roadmap and understand the exact steps required to successfully plan for a sellside acquisition.
  • Learn how to maximize your company’s valuation even if you have no plan to exit.
  • See where most companies make mistakes in the process and get the tools to avoid these pitfalls.
Speaker:
Shannon Byrne Susko, Founder & CEO, Metronomics, Author "3HAG Way" (Former President & CEO at Subserveo- Acquired by DST Systems)
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
 
M&A & The Changing Landscape of Liquidity for Technology

Pandemic or not, Canada has the talent, capital and innovation to build global tech giants. There are now more options than ever to take chips off the table.  This quantitative session will address key sectors, trends multiples and global trends for full and partial exits in tech.  

You will walk away with:   

  • An understanding of the current market trends with respect to mergers and acquisitions for technology companies.   
  • Insights into industry sector consolidations and new business and liquidity options. 
Speaker:
Cameron Burke, Partner, Technology & Innovation Banking, Fort Capital Partners
10:40 AM - 11:10 AM
 
A1: Selling to a Third Party – Who Do You Need On Your Side (and What Will It Cost)?

If you want the biggest possible exit one day, you’ll likely want to “run a process” to attract multiple bidders for your company. This probably means that you will need a team of experienced professionals helping you, after-all, the sale of a business involves many moving parts, making it the largest and possibly most complicated transaction of your life. You can’t do this alone. The right team will get you the best price, terms and most importantly, ensure that the transaction closes.

After attending this session, you will understand: 

  • What “running a process” looks like.
  • What the ideal exit team is, and how to select the best advisors for your business.
  • What your exit team will cost and how they’ll be paid.
Speakers:
David Raffa, President, Valeo Corporate Finance Ltd.
George Reznik, Chief Financial Officer, Intrinsyc Technologies (Acquired by Latronix Inc)
Alex Loukas, Vice President, GrowthPoint Technology Partners
10:40 AM - 11:10 AM
 
A2: How To Be a Buyer: When it Makes Sense to Ante Up

Covid is presenting potential buyers with new acquisition opportunities every day – is now the time to consider growth by acquisition? Whether it’s about competition, consolidations in your industry, or team talent, you may need to consider growth by acquisition strategies. Before you are ready to buy a company, however, you need to understand what problem you are trying to solve.        

This session will address the essential do’s and don’ts for getting buy-side ready and identify some of the significant mistakes companies unknowingly make which end up limiting their options and impacting the outcome of potential acquisitions.  This session will discuss reasons to become a buyer and the strategy behind it including:   

  • aquahires  
  •  assets   
  • ip   
  • whole co.   

You will learn:   

  • How to choose who to buy (product/culture/revenue) and how to spot acquisition opportunities before other prospective buyers   
  • How and what to prepare   
  • Obligations & liabilities to look for   
  • How to handle intellectual property issues    
  • Why company culture fit is important   
  • Why cost & length of integration is important    
  • See the key mistakes buyers make when acquiring new businesses
Speakers:
Hans Knapp, Partner and Co-Founder, Yaletown Partners
Erin Campbell, President, ECMB Capital Partners
Darrell Heaps, CEO, Q4 Inc
10:35 AM - 10:55 AM
 
Virtual Networking Break
11:30 AM - 12:15 PM
 
Closing Keynote: Lessons from Seasoned Buyers

Positioning your company based on your technology, product, team or brand could be the single most powerful factor to ultimately stoke acquisition interest in your firm. Covid has flipped the M&A world upside down and back again, so are you prepared for what acquirers are looking for in this new climate?  What do buyers look for when assessing a potential acquisition? Growth prospects, bottom line, management team and strategic fit are just a few of the considerations.      In this session you will hear from a broad spectrum of serial acquirers who will help you get in the mindset of active buyers in today’s turbulent market, and understand which buyers are buying, and why.     

This session will dive into:    

  • The metrics that matter most to different buyer personas     
  • Lessons these buyers have learned along the way     
  • How did cultural fit impact the purchase process    
  • If you just want to take some cash off the table, what kind of partner or buyer is right for you      
  • Hear about the process successful acquirers go through before making an offer
Speakers:
Aly Gillani, Managing Director, Technology Investment Banking, RBC Capital Markets
Lyndsay Kerwin, Vice President, Silversmith Capital
Atulan Navaratnam, Vice President of Mergers & Acquisitions, OpenText
Constantine Hatzipanayis, Partner, Growth Equity, BDC Capital
Sureel Sheth, Principal, JMI Equity
12:15 PM - 1:00 PM
 
Virtual Meet & Greet

November 25, 2020 | Conference Program

8:30 AM - 9:10 AM
 
Welcome with Conference Chair Shannon Susko & Opening Keynote: Buyside Drilldown – Closing, and Holding Down Acquisitions in Uncertain Times

COVID-19 did more than distort valuations, it shifted buyer/seller priorities within deal terms and normal course due diligence activities.  Opportunities exist, of course, and in this session you’ll hear from two CEOs who managed to close strategic tuck-in acquisitions during the pandemic, while navigating and protecting their new-found asset after the deals closed.   

You’ll hear:    

  • How these deals were progressing before and after the pandemic     
  • How these acquisitions are impacting perceived valuations for the acquirers    
  • Stories about post-merger integration and challenges so that you can prioritize buyside strategies and protect the value of your new asset    
  • About culture navigation in a remote-office world
Speakers:
David Rozin, Vice President and Head, Technology and Innovation Banking, Roynat Capital | Scotiabank
Tarique Al-Ansari, CEO, Paystone Inc.
Robert Madej, CEO, PureFacts Financial Solutions (Acquired K2 Digital, Electric Brain Software Corporation, VennScience and Quartal Financial Solutions)
Shannon Byrne Susko, Founder & CEO, Metronomics, Author "3HAG Way" (Former President & CEO at Subserveo- Acquired by DST Systems)
9:20 AM - 9:55 AM
 
B1: Reverse Takeovers: Going Public as an Option for Liquidity

So…. you need cash for growth, or share currency to make acquisitions down the road – but you want to maintain control. How does a Reverse Takeover work?  What considerations or qualifications should you take into account? Is it achievable in a ‘Covid’ reality?       

This session will explore first-hand what steps owners took on their road to RTO and share their reflections now that they are on the other side.       

You will learn:       

  • How a reverse takeover works and the keys to preparing for it    
  • Why a reverse takeover might be the best (or worst) option for your business and how to make this decision    
  • Lessons (and mistakes) from those who’ve chosen this option
Speakers:
Wes Fulford, CEO & Director, Bitfarms
Miriam Tuerk, Co-Founder & CEO, Clear Blue Technologies Inc.
Dani Lipkin, Innovation Sector Head, TMX Group
9:20 AM - 9:55 AM
 
B2: Typical Deal Terms and Negotiation Points for Selling Entrepreneurs

In every acquisition, there are a number of key terms (including price but much more) that are at stake. As a seller, your bargaining power diminishes when you go “exclusive” with a prospective buyer – hence it is important for you to be well prepared and know in advance what are your desired outcomes on a number of fronts. This session will explore if the current climate can actually help you to gain leverage in the negotiation process.       

You will learn:    

  • What “market” is for terms these days and how deal terms have changed during COVID    Considerations if you’re pursuing a sale and running out of cash     
  • How to maximize leverage and bargaining power while you have it    
  • Common terms included in transaction structures    
  • Do terms correlate to the type of tech company? (eg: services companies vs software companies vs MSPs, etc)    
  • Earn-outs – how to make them more favourable
Speakers:
Oksana Horsman, Partner - Deals, PwC
David Ferguson, Former CFO, Aquatic Informatics
Mark Longo, Managing Partner — Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
10:05 AM - 10:50 AM
 
Deal Killers: Preparing for Transaction Challenges

So….someone wants to acquire your company, and you’ve signed an LOI – now what? Will uncertainty in the market slow the process down (or speed it up?)  Negotiating the sale of your business requires providing unfettered access to some of the most confidential aspects of your business – sharing that information can be scary.    

As a seller, what will buyers be looking for in a post-pandemic world? How can you prepare?  The challenges that are inevitable to this phase must be carefully navigated to avoid the collapse of the deal.    

You Will Learn:       

  • Why so many acquisitions fail during the due diligence phase    
  • Areas that buyers will focus on that you may not have thought about    
  • Negotiation tactics used by savvy buyers and their acquisition teams    
  • Tactics to avoid major post-sale surprises.
Speakers:
Joe Timlin, Managing Director, CIBC Innovation Banking
Kyle Duignan, Director, Growth & Transition Capital, BDC Capital
Shivalika Handa, Managing Director, Corporate Finance, PwC Canada
Iain Mant, Partner, Fasken
10:50 AM - 11:05 AM
 
Virtual Networking Break
11:05 AM - 11:50 AM
 
Closing Keynote Panel: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

This candid discussion features conference MC Robert Antoniades with three entrepreneurs that achieved tremendous success in their exits.  You’ll hear their behind-the-scenes learnings on what worked, what didn’t and what they would do differently if they went through their acquisitions again.

Speakers:
Shannon Byrne Susko, Founder & CEO, Metronomics, Author "3HAG Way" (Former President & CEO at Subserveo- Acquired by DST Systems)
Jade Bourelle, Founder, Talemetry, (Acquired by K1 Investment Management)
Matias Marquez, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Buyatab (Acquired by Stored Value Solutions)
Nicky Senyard, Founder & CEO, Fintel Connect, Former Founder & CEO of Income Access (Acquired by PaySafe)
Shawn Finder, Co-Founder/CEO, Autoklose (Acquired by Vanillasoft)
11:50 AM - 12:30 PM
 
Virtual Networking Reception

April 19, 2022 | VIP Welcome Reception

5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
 
Speakers Social – BY INVITATION ONLY

April 20, 2022 | Conference Program

7:15 AM - 8:30 AM
 
Networking & Continental Breakfast
7:15 AM - 8:30 AM
 
Registration
8:30 AM – 8:40 AM
 
Welcome Remarks by Conference Chair, Catherine Dahl
Chair: Catherine Dahl, CEO, Beanworks (acquired by Quadient)
8:40 AM – 9:10 AM
 
Opening Keynote: From “Written Off” Tech Company to 1 Billion Dollar Exit

Galvanize was acquired by New York-based Diligent Corporation. The deal’s eye-popping $1 billion USD price tag made Galvanize Canadian tech’s latest unicorn at the time. This fireside discussion tells the story and lessons learned from one of the largest exits in the history of British Columbia and Canada’s technology sector. You can expect to learn:

  • What all tech companies can learn from Laurie’s experience growing, scaling + exiting Galvanize.
  • Both Sides of the M&A Table: The details of acquiring and getting acquired (Galvanize acquired Rsam in 2019)   
  • What leaders should keep in focus as they build toward the future.

P.S. Special thanks to BetaKit for the title of this session.

Speaker:
Laurie Schultz, Formerly CEO of Galvanize, Tech Board Director
In discussion with:
Catherine Dahl, CEO, Beanworks (acquired by Quadient)
9:10 AM – 9:35 AM
 
Keynote Market Overview

This session will examine the major investments and exits over the recent year including the biggest investments, biggest investors, largest acquisitions and most frequent acquirers. In his popular + research-driven State of M&A session, Charlie Renzoni will go over acquisition trends & predictions for tech in Canada. Learn about market dynamics, key trends, and how to position your company early.

Speaker:
Charlie Renzoni, Investor, OMERS Ventures
9:35 AM – 9:55 AM
 
Coffee Break
9:55 AM – 10:35 AM
 
CONCURRENT SESSIONS: BREAKOUTS 1 & 2
 
BREAKOUT 1: Buying Companies to Fuel Growth: Secrets to a Successful Acquisition-Focused Growth Strategy

Acquisitions can generate tremendous value (and can add to your capabilities). But this approach to growth can be risky and if done poorly it can have huge negative consequences. Join this dynamic discussion and get a behind-the-scenes look at companies making acquisitions to fuel their growth:

You’ll learn:

  • Challenges of integrating products, companies, teams and cultures (and how to overcome them)
  • What it took to close the deal
  • Protecting and growing your asset after the deals close 
  • How these acquisitions are impacting perceived valuations for the acquirers
Speakers:
Tamara Grominsky, Chief Strategy Officer, Unbounce (Acquired Snazzy Copy & LeadsRX in 2011)
Brendan King, Co-Founder & CEO., Vendasta (Acquired Calendar Hero & MatchCraft in 2021)
Atoussa Mahmoudpour, Chief Legal Officer, WELL Health Technologies Corp.
In discussion with:
Randeep Janjua, Director, BDC Capital
 
BREAKOUT 2: Lessons Learned from hundreds of Acquisitions

In M&A, nothing quite beats experience. To help demystify the deal-making process we’ve brought together a panel of 4 longtime M&A experts, with hundreds of acquisitions under their belt, to cover topics like: 

  • What buyers look for when assessing a potential acquisition 
  • The metrics that matter most  
  • What works and what doesn’t  
  • Hard earned lessons  
  • The process successful acquirers go through before making an offer 
Speakers:
Brad Atchison, Chief Executive Officer, Univerus Software
Jon Conlin, Partner, Fasken
Lyndsay Kerwin, Vice President, Silversmith Capital
David Rozin, Vice President & Head, Technology and Innovation Banking, Scotiabank
10:40 AM – 11:20 AM
 
CONCURRENT SESSIONS: BREAKOUTS 1 & 2
 
BREAKOUT 1: An Unexpected Acquisition Offer Came Across Your Desk. What Now?

It is every Founder’s dream and nightmare rolled into one: an unexpected business acquisition offer. Yet, it happens all the time. 9/10 acquisition offers are unexpected and unsolicited. Getting this offer was the furthest thing from your mind and you are unprepared. While selling your business may be an unforeseen event, there are many things to consider. Learn why and how you need to be “M&A Ready” from day one. Learn how to start preparing for a potential knock on the door – even if you have no plans to exit.

Speakers:
Brent Holliday, Founder & CEO, Garibaldi Capital Advisors
Geoffrey Hansen, Strategic Advisor, Garibaldi Capital Advisors
 
BREAKOUT 2: Negotiation Secrets from Three Exits

Within four years, Dan Martell had scaled the business to 30 employees when he received an acquisition offer that would change his life. Martel has gone on to start and exit two more businesses since, and in this talk, he shares his acquisition negotiation tips and tricks.

You’ll learn:

  • The strategic shift Dan Martell made at the four-year mark which made is business much more valuable
  • A negotiation trick to get all your potential acquirers into one room
  • How to use currency arbitrage
  • Where to find the most natural, strategic buyers for your business
  • How to approach potential acquirer without losing negotiation leverage
  • The secret to getting the deal terms you want (Martell cut his industry’s standard three-year earn-out down to just six months)
  • The definition of optionality and why you want it
  • The surprising downside of a big financial windfall
Speaker:
Dan Martell, Serial Entrepreneur (3 exits), Angel Investor and Executive Coach focused exclusively on B2B SaaS
11:30 PM – 12:10 PM
 
Deal Killers Discussion (How to address & avoid them)

The discipline of M&A is a complex and labyrinthine one, peppered with its share of false starts, thrilling chases, and heartbreaking shortfalls. This panel of experienced lawyers, investment bankers and serial acquirers discuss why deals are falling apart in 2022 from both the buyer and seller perspective. 

You will Learn:      

  • Why so many acquisitions fail during the due diligence phase
  • Areas that buyers will focus on that you may not have thought about   
  • Negotiation tactics used by savvy buyers and their acquisition teams   
  • Tactics to avoid major post-sale surprises.
Speakers:
Tarique Al-Ansari, CEO, Paystone
Iain Mant, Partner, Fasken
Katri Ulmonen, Partner, MNP LLP
Justin Young, Partner, Emerging and High Growth Companies, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
12:10 PM – 1:10 PM
 
Lunch Break
1:10 PM – 1:40 PM
 
LUNCHTIME KEYNOTE: An Inside Look at Wattpad’s $754 Million Acquisition to Naver to Accelerate Growth & Become the Next Disney

Wattpad, the proudly Canadian-based company grew from humble roots as a feature-phone app in 2006 to a global entertainment company and data-driven social storytelling platform that was acquired by Korean tech giant Naver last year for a cool $600 million USD. Join Allen Lau, CEO & Co-Founder of Wattpad and Sean Silcoff, Business Writer from the Globe and Mail for a candid conversation about Wattpad’s acquisition and growth journey, what it was like to join Naver, how Allen approach the acquisition (and what you can learn from it) and what’s next for Wattpad.

Speaker:
Allen Lau, Co-Founder & CEO, Wattpad (acquired by Naver)
In discussion with:
Sean Silcoff, Business Writer, The Globe and Mail
1:50 PM – 2:30 PM
 
CONCURRENT SESSIONS: BREAKOUTS 1 & 2
 
BREAKOUT 1: Valuation Check-In

Do you know what your business is worth? This session will explore how to enhance the value of your business from the get-go and what levers you need to “push or pull” in order to optimize the results you are looking for. These experts have acquired and advised acquisitions and will teach you:

  • The mechanisms that buyers use to evaluate growth and retention.
  • How buyers will predict the future growth of your business and the value of your business.
  • Valuation techniques
  • What steps you can take to increase your value
  • What drives exit value.

Speakers:
Catherine Andersz, Advisor & Investor. Co-Founder, Board Director and former CEO of PDFTron Systems Inc.
Ed Bryant, President & CEO, Sampford Advisors Inc.
Cameron Burke, Partner, Technology & Innovation Banking, Fort Capital Partners
Devon Thompson, Managing Director, RBCx
 
BREAKOUT 2: Dear Founder, Here’s What You Need to Know About M&A

The process of buying and selling companies is described by many tech execs and founders as: lengthy, all-consuming, taxing, stressful and intense.

In this session, our goal is to make sure you’re more prepared, so the process is less stressful. Top M&A practitioners will share their experiences, knowledge and advice to teach you:

  • About common deal types and expected agreement terms
  • How to organize, manage, and create an accelerated due diligence process
  • Ways to retain and enhance bargaining power
  • How to manage a well-run process
  • And other must-know M&A details you should know about

Speakers:
Erin Campbell, Founding Partner and CEO, ECMB Capital
Richard Hungerford, SVP of Corporate Development, Hootsuite
Mark Longo, Managing Partner, Emerging and High Growth Companies, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
2:40 PM – 3:10 PM
 
CONCURRENT SESSIONS: BREAKOUTS 1 & 2
 
BREAKOUT 1: Your Liquidity Options: Partial Exits & Two-Part Exits

You’ve taken a lot of risk in putting your time, energy and often equity into your company. But the path to liquidity is years away.  This session will help you seek solutions to eliminate distractions, alleviates the financial pressures of being a founder and reduce the appeal of exiting early — a win for you as a founder and your investors — while still allowing you to focus on the long-term growth of the company

Speakers:
Lisa Melchior, Founder and Managing Partner, Vertu Capital
Shane Sparks, CEO, Enrollment Resources
Bruce Townson, Director, Growth & Transition Capital – Tech Sector, BDC
 
BREAKOUT 2: Acquired by Tech-Giant, Eventbrite: Founder Story Untold

A behind-the-scenes tell-all from tech entrepreneur, Jayesh Parmar. You’ll hear Jay’s behind-the-scenes learnings on what worked, what didn’t and what Jay would do differently if he’d go through an acquisition again.

Speaker:
Jayesh Parmar, Co-CEO & Co-Founder, Gunkii (Founder Picatic acquired by EventBrite) / M&A Advisor, STS Capital Partners
3:10 PM – 3:30 PM
 
Coffee Break
3:30 PM – 4:15 PM
 
KEYNOTE PANEL: The Things They Don’t Tell You When You Get Acquired

Hear from a panel of CEOs + Founders who have recently exited and now can reflect on the process in the rear-view mirror. Let them help you build and broaden your frame of reference by sharing their own tales from the trenches.

You’ll hear:

  • What goes into selling your company
  • How and why founders decided to do it
  • What they wish they had known, their key learnings and what they would change.
  • If you join another team, what it’s like to go from being in charge to being an employee?
  • The emotional side of selling and what it’s like to walk away from something you put so much time and energy into building.
  • What each founder learned from that experience of selling the company, how it helped them grow, and what you can learn looking at your own company’s journey.
Speakers:
Kristine Steuart, Co-Founder & Former CEO, Allocadia (Acquired by BrandMaker)
Steve Desjarlais, Co-Founder & CEO, HeyDay (Acquired by Hootsuite)
Jayesh Parmar, Co-CEO & Co-Founder, Gunkii (Founder Picatic acquired by EventBrite) / M&A Advisor, STS Capital Partners
In discussion with:
Catherine Dahl, CEO, Beanworks (acquired by Quadient)
4:15 PM – 4:45 PM
 
CLOSING KEYNOTE: The Rise of the Canadian Acquirer: From Hunted to Hunter

Watch out! Canadian technology companies are becoming more and more acquisitive. Including B.C. unicorn, Clio.

Clio made its first purchase three years ago, buying Lexicata, a provider of legal customer relationship management programs. Since then, it’s acquired CalendarRules and most recently, Lawyaw. Join Clio CEO & Founder, Jack Newton as he sits down with Sean Silcoff from The Globe and Mail to talk about how he went from getting acquisition offers to making them.

Speaker:
Jack Newton, CEO & Founder of Clio (Acquired Lawyaw, CalendarRules and Lexicata)
In discussion with:
Sean Silcoff, Business Writer, The Globe and Mail
4:45 PM - 6:00 PM
 
Happy Hour
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