Main Stage Speakers
Alan Arcand
Chief Economist, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME)
Jim Balsillie
Entrepreneur, Investors, and Policy Advocate
Ryan Benitez
Chief Commercial Officer, NATO DIANA
Benjamin Bergen
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (CVCA)
Lissa Bjerkelund
Vice President & Head of Investments, Export Development Canada (EDC)
Hon. Kody Blois
Member of Parliament and Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister
Brian Clow
Canadian Political and Executive Advisor, Former Deputy Chief of Staff to Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Stephen Denton
Partner, SeaFort Capital Inc. & Invest Canada ’26 Co-Chair
Rebecca Giffen
VP Investments, Alberta Enterprise Corporation (AEC)
Shahir Guindi
Partner, Chair Emeritus, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Brett House
Professor of Professional Practice, Economics Division, Columbia Business School
Isabelle Hudon
President and CEO, BDC
Kory Jeffrey
Partner, Inovia Capital
Allen Lau
Operating Partner & Co-Founder, Two Small Fish Ventures
Christopher Legg
Senior Managing Director, Progress Partners
Etienne-Rene Massie
Assistant Deputy Minister, Innovation, Sciences and Economic Development Canada (ISED)
Bernard Mills
Executive Vice President of Defence, Kraken Robotics
Eric de Montgolfier
CEO, Invest Europe
Lauren Moss
SVP Finance, Cohere
Chris Moyer
Founding Partner & President, Pelorus
Melanie Nadeau
Chief Executive Officer, COVE
Hon. Seamus O'Regan
Journalist, Broadcaster, and Former Cabinet Minister
Ashley Orser
VP of Market Development, COVE
Ross Prusakowski
Deputy Chief Economist, Director of Export Development Canada’s Economic and Political Intelligence Center (EPIC)
Senia Rapisarda
Managing Director, HarbourVest Partners (Canada)
Mackenzie Regent
Managing Partner, Kalos LLP
Zain Rizvi
Partner, Davies
Adam Smalley
Managing Director, Portfolio Manager, Board Director, Farm Credit Canada (FCC)
Louis Taylor
CEO, British Business Bank
Laurence Vigeant-Langlois
Partner, AE Industrial Partners
Jeff White
President and CEO, New Brunswick Innovation Foundation (NBIF) & Invest Canada ’26 Co-Chair
Kristina Williams
President and Chief Executive Officer, Alberta Enterprise Corporation (AEC)
A curated lineup of senior voices.
Speakers
Marie-Claude Boisvert
Partner, Head of Sagard Private Equity Canada
Mark Brodkin
Managing Director and Head, Roynat Equity Partners
Paula Cruickshank
Senior Vice President, Fund Investments,
BDC
Mark Dobbin
Founder and President, Killick Capital
David Kornacki
Director, Data & Product, CVCA
Guillaume Marion
Partner, Sagard
John Markell
Managing Partner, Armentum Partners
Amy Olah
Managing Director and Head of Canadian and U.S. West Coast Venture Banking, CIBC Innovation Banking
Vanessa Pilotte
Chief Executive Officer, Gestion Choquette-Legault (GCL)
Joseph Regan
Senior Managing Partner – Venture Capital, BDC Capital
John Rikhtegar
Vice President, Private Equity, Northleaf Capital
Sunil Sharma
National Leader, Transaction Services and Private Equity, BDO Canada
Lara Skwarek
Investment Principal, Invest Nova Scotia
Mohit Talwar
Partner, Investments, Maverix Private Equity
Andrew Waitman
Executive Chairman, Assent
Paul Walker
Head of Insights, Carta
David Wilson
President, Wilsons Security
Turn Three Days Into a Year of Progress
Invest Canada ’26 brings together more than 700 senior delegates from 170+ active venture capital and private equity firms. The room includes 60+ unique LP entities representing over $3T in aggregate assets under management.
Over the past decade, the conference has enabled an estimated 50,000 strategic meetings and has sold out four consecutive years. Repeat attendance reflects the value of concentrated access and meeting density for capital decision-makers.