MaRS Capital Program

Liam has supported venture deals as a startup lawyer and has experience as both a founder and an angel investor. This background has allowed him to assess the venture capital industry from a range of vantage points and offers a unique understanding of the incentives and dynamics that drive both founders and investors, ensuring that he can help startups navigate the fundraising process with clarity, confidence and a strategic advantage.

Scale-up experience:

• COO and Acting CEO, Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC)
• Oversaw operations, strategy and ecosystem partnerships for a national $20-million organization funding Canada’s leading cleantech ventures.
• Led corporate transformation and stakeholder engagement across government and industry to advance sustainable innovation.
• EVP, Operations and Engineering, Iogen Corporation
• Led the commercialization and scale-up of cellulosic ethanol technology through a U.S.$105-million industrial facility with Raízen (Brazil).

• Directed $190–200 million annually in cleantech investments, approving more than $800 million into 200+ projects driving environmental and economic impact as VP Investments at SDTC.
• 25+ years of experience in cleantech innovation, impact investment and technology commercialization.

• Scaling cleantech ventures and technology commercialization
• Impact investment strategy and portfolio management
• Public-private partnerships and sustainable innovation policy
• Organizational leadership, governance and stakeholder relations

Scale-up experience:

• Managing Director, Orrick / Director, Perkins Coie LLP
• Led in-house investment banking platforms, raising more than $300 million for emerging and growth-stage companies.
• Global Head of Venture Pipeline, DLA Piper LLP
• Raised more than $100 million and managed a $100-million venture portfolio, achieving 4.4x fund return.
• Originated and executed venture and private equity transactions across 3D printing, cleantech, fintech and enterprise SaaS sectors.
• Chief Sustainability Officer, Hycrete Inc.
• Led product commercialization and capital strategy, launching three advanced materials products and raising a $15-million Series C round.
• Oversaw sustainability reporting and secured $4 million in non-dilutive funding to accelerate market expansion.

• Founder and managing partner of CAЯBON where he built sustainable development group advancing vertical farming, decentralized energy, and cleantech infrastructure ventures
• Principal, NJTC Venture Fund where he deployed 60 percent of a $100-million fund with 4.4x return
• Founder of EDGE, a Black and Brown founder accelerator

• Venture capital fundraising and investor syndication
• Alternative investments, ESG strategy, and capital formation for sustainable industries
• M&A strategy and impact investment structuring

Capital Experience:

• Venture Partner at 1517 Fund
• Venture Partner at Amplify Capital
• Advisor - Lab2Market Program

• Co-Founder and CEO of Medella Health where he raised funds from 1517 Fund, Jaan Tallinn, GTAN, Garage Capital, BDC Seed Fund, etc.

• Pitching for capital
• Term sheet negotiations
• Mentorship and community building

Jon is an experienced founder, executive, and board member of private and public entities in energy, mobility, and alternative fuels. He was formerly the Senior Vice President of Venture Services at MaRS. Prior to leading the Venture Services Team, he was the Managing Director of the Cleantech Practice. He is also the founder of the MaRS Advanced Energy Centre.

Prior to joining MaRS, he led business development for Hydrogenics Corporation (now Cummins) through the launch of the company’s fuel cell and hydrogen generation divisions. He also co-founded Sustainable Energy Technologies (now Eguana Technologies), a leading Canadian provider of power electronics for the solar power industry. He has also served on the Energy Transformation Network of Ontario, on the Board of Directors of the Ontario Clean Water Agency, and on the investment committee for Arctern Ventures fund 2.

Scale-up experience:

• CEO of Argus Software
• Scaled to $60 million ARR/$15 million EBIT
• >80,000 customers in nine countries with 40,000 SMB users
• Transitioned Company to SaaS Model
• CEO of GuestLogix
• Company in turn-around; stabilized and refocused business to supporting 2.4-million daily travellers
• launched an innovative customer experience

• Ranked Wall Street analyst, managing director RBC Capital Markets. Covered B2B, B2B2C and other tech companies
• BS/MS Engineering MIT; MBA from Harvard
• Creative Destruction Lab Mentor
• President, Rogers New Media

• Optimizing your value proposition, demand generation and product value pricing strategies
• Positioning your company for success in public markets and late-stage financing, including understanding and managing investor and board stakeholder perspectives

As Director of Venture Growth at MaRS, Matt leads a team delivering programming and advisory services across the MaRS portfolio — supporting ventures from early stage through to those scaling toward $100M in ARR. He brings diverse experience across financial services and technology, having worked as an insurance underwriter, corporate development analyst, investment banker, senior operator at a tech startup, and most recently, head of capital services at Communitech. Matt holds a Bachelor of Mathematics from the University of Waterloo and an MBA from Western University’s Ivey School of Business.