Group seeks to unlock growth opportunities for Canada’s innovation economy

An independent working group, funded by Toronto-based TMX Group Ltd., will examine ways to increase access to growth capital for companies in Canada’s innovation economy. Launching in September 2016, the Advancing Innovation Roundtable, will focus on the scalability issues of Canadian technology and innovation firms caused by insufficient growth funding beyond the initial seed and start-up stages.

The Roundtable will deliver a set of actionable recommendations in early 2017 on how to successfully scale globally competitive enterprises in a variety of sectors including technology, clean technology, life sciences and advanced manufacturing. Roundtable members will include senior leaders from the Canadian investment community, including pension plan groups, banks, endowments, venture capital firms and private equity funds.

Roundtable members will include senior leaders from the Canadian investment community

The Roundtable will be chaired by Salil Munjal, general partner at Yaletown Partners, a leading private investment firm focused on financing growth-stage technology companies. Earlier in his career, Munjal was president & COO of Leitch Technology Corp., manufacturer of equipment for the broadcast, television and video post-production industries.

“TMX is focused on powering the development of an innovation economy in Canada,” says TMX Group CEO Lou Eccleston. “Canadian capital markets are vital to helping entrepreneurs through the crucial start-up phase, but also later in the financing chain as their companies scale up to become market leaders. The Roundtable recommendations will help accelerate the growth of Canadian businesses and better position Canada’s economy for high-quality economic development and job creation. Salil’s experience in both the private and public markets as a leading investor and successful business leader positions him well to help guide the Roundtable.”

Roundtable will consult with industry stakeholders, investors and financial leaders

Before delivering its recommendations, the roundtable will consult with industry stakeholders, investors and financial leaders who are key partners in building Canada into a competitive innovation country.

“Where Canada lags behind our global peers is in the development of market-leading technology companies with significant scale,” Munjal adds. “The Roundtable will explore new strategies to increase the supply of growth capital to develop large, next generation companies in Canada. TMX plays a vital role in Canadian capital formation and has a demonstrated history of leadership in driving change, such as the Mining Standards Task Force that gave rise to National Instrument 43-101 and mandated majority voting to help improve corporate governance standards in Canada. I look forward to collaborating with TMX and leading experts in the Canadian investment community to realize the full potential of Canada’s innovation economy companies.”