Today’s Opportunities and Landscape in Canadian Venture Capital

Aug 7, 2024

John Rikhtegar, Director of Capital at RBCx, and Brian Huber, Fund Partner at Gunderson Dettmer, dive into the changing landscape of Canadian venture capital. They discuss the misalignment in market opportunities and the critical infrastructure needed for emerging founders. The duo also touches on the challenges faced by new managers in fundraising, the importance of building anchor partnerships, and insights into the capital food chain. Key takeaways include the role of government support and future fundraising trends in Canada’s evolving ecosystem.

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Episode notes

Intro

00:00 • 4min

Navigating Canada's Venture Capital Landscape

03:37 • 11min

Strategic Support in Canadian Venture Capital and Fundraising Insights

14:50 • 2min

Challenges for Emerging Venture Capital Managers

17:09 • 7min

Navigating Venture Capital Dynamics and Founder Challenges

24:29 • 6min

Navigating Canadian Venture Capital

30:17 • 16min

Navigating Exit Opportunities in Venture Capital

46:23 • 4min

Highlights from this week’s conversation include:

John’s journey from operator to allocator (0:49)
Misalignment in the Market (3:30)
RBCx’s Venture Capital Approach (5:40)
Key Insights on Fund Investing (8:33)
Strategic Advantages of RBCx (10:14)
Advice for Corporates on Fund Practices (12:47)
Building Anchor Partnerships (14:00)
Insider Segment: Challenges for Emerging Managers (17:20)
Navigating Due Diligence Processes (19:04)
LPA Considerations for Institutional Investors (21:44)
Mortgage Challenges for Founders (25:59)
Surprises of Being an LP (27:37)
Understanding the Capital Food Chain (28:26)
Exit Value Insights (30:22)
Canadian Venture Market Dynamics (34:15)
Government Support in Early Stages (36:38)
Fundraising Trends in Canada (39:14)
Exit Value to Fund Size Ratios (41:09)
Future Outlook for Canadian Venture (42:06)
Canadian Life Sciences Focus (44:08)
Exit Opportunities in Venture (46:23)
Liquidity Challenges Ahead (48:05)
Final thoughts and takeaways (49:11)

John Rikhtegar is the Director of Capital at RBCx in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Prior to joining RBCx, John was the Chief of Staff & VP of Strategic Operations at Kognitiv Corporation for 10 months, where he contributed significantly to the company's strategic initiatives. Before that, he was the Head of Commerce Revenue, EMEA, at VaynerCommerce in London, United Kingdom, for 9 months, focusing on expanding the company's revenue streams across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. John also worked as an Enterprise eCommerce Consultant at Shopify Plus in the Waterloo, Canada area, where he advised high-growth, high-volume merchants on scaling and succeeding in the competitive eCommerce space.

Gunderson Dettmer is the preeminent international law firm with an exclusive focus on the innovation economy. The firm serves market-leading venture capital and growth equity investors and pioneering companies through inception, growth and maturity, as well as groundbreaking public companies that result from the global venture capital ecosystem. The firm’s clear-cut focus and well-honed technical skill enables an accelerated pace and unmatched efficiency, delivering best-in-class value at each phase of a client’s business. Learn more: www.gunder.com.

Swimming with Allocators is a podcast that dives into the intriguing world of Venture Capital from an LP (Limited Partner) perspective. Hosts Alexa Binns and Earnest Sweat are seasoned professionals who have donned various hats in the VC ecosystem. Each episode, we explore where the future opportunities lie in the VC landscape with insights from top LPs on their investment strategies and industry experts shedding light on emerging trends and technologies.

The information provided on this podcast does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this podcast are for general informational purposes only.