Although Canada’s private-capital funding ecosystem has made strides in recent years, there are still significant gaps that need to be addressed. This is why firms like Maverix Private Equity have made it their mandate to focus on building an innovative future in Canada fuelled by technology-enabled growth and disruption. In this episode of Contributors, Marnie and Russell sit down with John Ruffolo, the Founder and Managing Partner of Maverix Private Equity. Focusing on the value of investing in Canada’s future, the episode will explore how the firm’s mandate is to address the gaps in the country’s private-capital funding ecosystem. John shares three key actions all employers should consider today to ensure success over the long-term. Finally, John shares an inspiring personal story that underscores the importance of sustainability, ethics and focus – in life and business.
After this episode, you'll learn:
- The three things all companies need to tap into markets and customers (capital, talent, access).
- How ethics plays a role in business decisions – and why employers need a consistent approach.
- The secret to investing in Canadian innovation – and how our next generation will get impacted by it.
Listen to John's episode:
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Biography
John is the Founder and Managing Partner of Maverix Private Equity.
John’s focus is on guiding the strategy of the firm, Chair of the
Investment Committee and is deeply involved with sourcing and leading
opportunities particularly within the technology industry. John is also
the Founder of OMERS Ventures. Through John’s leadership as Chief
Executive Officer, OMERS Ventures had invested over $500 million of
capital in over 40 disruptive technology companies across North America,
including growth investments in Shopify, Xanadu, Wattpad, Wave,
Hootsuite, Rover, Desire 2 Learn, Hopper, DuckDuckGo, TouchBistro and
League. During his tenure at OMERS, John also formed OMERS Platform
Investments as its Executive Managing Director. He has led investments
in Purpose Financial, PointNorth Capital, District Ventures, OneEleven
and ArcTern Ventures. John is also the Co-founder and Vice Chair of the
Council of Canadian Innovators, a non-profit organization dedicated to
helping high-growth Canadian technology firms scale up globally.
Further, John sits on a number of boards of leading innovative
organizations in both the profit and non-for-profit sector.
John’s work has been recognized by numerous organizations. He has
been selected as Canada’s Most Powerful Business Person by Canadian
Business Magazine and as one of Toronto’s most influential persons by
Toronto Life Magazine. John has been awarded with the Outstanding
Progress and Achievement Award by the Schulich School of Business, an
award for outstanding career achievements in their respective field. In
2018, John was honoured with the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
which made him a 5th Class Knight. In 2020, John became a Fellow of the
Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario (FCPA).