Atlantic Venture Forum

The Atlantic Venture Forum has always been one of my favourite conferences, and this remains true after another successful AVF this year! I'm returning from Halifax feeling inspired about the incredible innovation happening on the east coast, and excited to continue my conversations with founders building transformational companies across sectors including but not limited to; climate, health, oceans, and more.

What consistently impresses me about companies I meet out east is the exceptional quality of deep tech innovation and product differentiation at the core of each business.  This week I met founders building novel solutions for carbon dioxide removal, leveraging AI for autism management, optimizing routes and fuel savings for ships, democratizing access to MRIs, increasing accuracy in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, and improving the lives of those suffering from locked in syndrome. Saying I was blown away by the mission driven teams I met this week would be an understatement.

I was also lucky to share the stage on two different panels with incredible founders and colleagues who shared insights about the fundraising environment, the path to exit, and more. Special shoutout to Rhiannon Davies (she/her) who set an important tone about the importance of celebrating the women on the stage not for their gender, but for their companies, investment decisions, and impact on the tech ecosystem as a whole.

Congratulations to Spencer Coulter and Marc Elrick from Critical Path Group on another successful conference. Thank you to Leslie McNabb-Kyritsis for the incredible moderation and to all of the speakers who shared their insights and inspiration as the tech ecosystem continues to heat up! 🔥