Topic: Venture Capital

The Short Report – May 8, 2019: Cannabis R&D, fuel cell demo, accelerator funding

With the goal becoming a mainstream healthcare company, Smiths Falls, ON-based Canopy Growth Corp. has spun off a new division – Spectrum Therapeutics – to oversee the company’s commercial medical and clinical research operations including Spectrum Cannabis, Canopy Health Innovations, and recently acquired Germany-based C3Cannabinoid Compound Company, which develops cannabinoid-based medical therapies. – Canopy Growth…

The Short Report – May 1, 2019: Licensing income, new Teachers fund, federal investments

Details are beginning to emerge on cuts to R&D in the April 11 Ontario budget: $1 million for the Mowat Centre (closing), the Institute for Competitiveness & Prosperity (closing) and the province’s Health System Research Fund (clawed back). R$ will investigate these and other cuts further. – Mowat Centre Canada and Japan have signed two…

OMERS Ventures hires veteran investor Michael Yang to open Silicon Valley office

OMERS Ventures, the venture capital investment arm of OMERS, hired veteran investor Michael Yang as a managing partner. Yang will open a new office in Silicon Valley, where he will lead U.S. operations for the firm. Yang was a managing director at Comcast Ventures since 2008, where he focused on e-commerce and emerging technologies. He…

Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association appoints new CEO

The Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (CVCA) has named Kim Furlong its new CEO, replacing Mike Woollatt, now the director of strategic partnerships at OMERS Platform Investments. Furlong brings a combined background in business and politics. She spent the last decade leading external affairs for Amgen Canada. Previously, she was Vice President Federal Government…

MoneyTree-PwC report: VC-backed deals up in Q2 as interest in AI soars

The venture capital community in Canada was upbeat in the second quarter of the year, investing in 116 deals from 112 in the first quarter. But the value of investments dropped by 7% to only US$900 million compared to the first quarter. Still, the latest MoneyTree report by PwC Canada and CB Insights noted a…