How To…

Choose Your Venture Fund

WITH ALISON PIDSKALNY, MARIANNE DUBOIS, HILARY KILGOUR, JENNIFER ANDERSON & JUDY FAIRBURN

Curated for aspiring investors who are eager to make informed, strategic choices in venture funding and align their investments with their personal and financial objectives, this panel session will cover:

Understanding how to evaluate and compare venture funds
Identifying funds that align with your values and financial goals
Gaining confidence in navigating the investment landscape
Learning practical tools for assessing fund strategies and risks
Building a personalized approach to selecting the right venture fund

DECEMBER 11, 2024
12:00 – 1:00 PM MT

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Aspiring investors often find themselves overwhelmed by the vast array of venture funds, struggling to identify which align with their values, goals, and risk tolerance. The challenge lies in deciphering the subtle differences between funds, understanding fee structures, and evaluating the long-term potential of their investment.

In this session, we will demystify the process of selecting the right venture fund by breaking down key criteria, including fund strategy, alignment with your values, and risk management.

How do you choose the best venture fund for your investment strategy?

About the Speakers

Alison Pidskalny, Moderator

Strategic Advisor, Pixelated Ventures
Managing Director, Movement51

Connect with Alison on LinkedIn.

As a strategic advisor Alison is a trusted ally to founders, CEOs and Boards.

She brings authentic insights into strategic planning to (re)invigorate and focus her clients on bold and courageous directions.

As a consultant, board director, business angel, fundraiser and philanthropist Alison brings her whole self: her vast network, her uncanny ability to synthesize big ideas, and her seemingly boundless enthusiasm for community, connectedness and inclusion.

She currently sits on the Board of Movement51 and the Board of the Indigenous Gathering Place Society of Calgary, and is the co-chair of Rosé and Croquet, an annual garden party benefitting YW Calgary's programs for vulnerable women and their children.

Marianne Dubois

Discovery Manager, Inovia

Connect with Marianne on LinkedIn.

Marianne joined Inovia in November 2022 and is now managing the firm's Discovery Fund, which invests in emerging managers across North America and founders at the pre-seed stage. With a strong background in tech startups, she has a proven track record of helping founders develop successful go-to-market strategies and optimize revenue operations.

Her experience includes playing a pivotal role in the growth of companies like Heyday (acquired by Hootsuite for $60M CAD), where she was the very first employee. Her expertise in leading operations and working at the earliest stages of startups makes her exceptionally well-suited for her role in the Discovery Fund.

Hilary Kilgour

Managing Partner & Founder, Audaxa Ventures

Connect with Hilary on LinkedIn.

Hilary Kilgour is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Audaxa Ventures, a seed stage investment fund that invests early stage capital in the most promising tech solutions at the intersection of climate and health that are being led by diverse Women and Non-Binary Founders. Hilary is leading the way forward towards greater sustainable and socially responsible investments. As one of the first funds to focus on gender and impact in Canada, she has been pivotal in implementing strategies that balance business growth with advancing impact. Hilary led the development of a measurement reporting tool and process based on best practices for triple bottom line portfolio success.

Hilary is focused on developing top innovators' capacity to scale growth and impact. Hilary is an Entrepreneur in Residence focused on Climate and Health at MaRS Discovery District, Canada's largest innovation hub, and a Founder Services Advisor at ventureLAB, a leading tech hub that helps Canadian startups build, grow, and scale their businesses. She is a former Director of Investment for Spring and Director of Future Capital (formerly Female Funders) at Highline Beta.

Her 15+ years of leadership experience spans Fortune’s 100 Fastest-Growing Companies, startups, and leading high growth, global brands in diverse sectors. Hilary has been recognized by Clean50, Corporate Knights and YWCA for her leadership in scaling impact for organizations including Lululemon, Hootsuite, and Grouse Mountain. She has served as a speaker and advisor for Google, Virgin Atlantic, Disney Interactive, Export Development Bank of Canada (EDC), Startup America and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. With an MBA in Sustainable Systems from Presidio Graduate School, she completed her undergraduate degree from Queen’s University where she was an All-Canadian athlete.

Jennifer Anderson

Partner, Renewal Funds

Connect with Jennifer on LinkedIn.

Jennifer’s deep experience in the energy and software sectors helps Renewal Funds accelerate investments in the clean energy transition.

Before joining Renewal Funds in 2021, she was a Customer Success Director at Uplight, a leading provider of customer engagement solutions for utilities across North America. Her earlier work at Crystal Decisions (now SAP) and BC Hydro focused on product management and strategy development. Between completing her HBSc in Medical Biophysics at the University of Western Ontario and obtaining an MBA from Queen’s, she got her first taste of venture capital as an analyst with Ventures West.

She is a Board member of two energy-related startups in Renewal’s portfolio and of the Youth Impact Challenge, a non-profit organization helping Canadian youth turn their ideas into action.

Judy Fairburn

Co-Founder, Fund Managing Partner, The51

Connect with Judy on LinkedIn.

A change-maker, board director, engineer, Creative Destruction Lab Fellow and early-stage investor, Judy has been at the vanguard of environmental sustainability, corporate/entrepreneurial partnerships and diversity as critical to future-proof business.

Along with her impressive experience as a C-suite corporate executive, Judy co-founded a $100 million digital/cleantech venture fund and led substantial change as the first Chair of the consolidated Alberta Innovates. In her spare time (ha) Judy is the very definition of “outdoorsy”, an avid hiker, skier and cyclist.

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