BDC Venture Capital

Dinar Ahmed is a Partner at BDC Capital's Seed Venture Fund, where he focuses on investments in software, AI, deeptech, physical AI, and defence/dual-use companies.

Geoff J. Catherwood is a Partner on the Industrial, Clean & Energy Venture Fund and Asset Management Team at BDC Venture Capital. A Professional Engineer with 14 years of experience in process control and industrial automation, he brings operational expertise across service, engineering, management, and sales. Catherwood serves on the boards of multiple early-stage companies and focuses on venture capital investments in cleantech and electronics hardware.

Jack Fraser is a Partner at BDC Capital's Growth Venture Fund who focuses on hyper-growth companies in FinTech, digital media, and e-commerce. He has held Strategic COO and CFO roles overseeing product management, marketing, technology, corporate development, finance, and operations, and previously founded Canada's first travel credit card. His background includes corporate banking experience and involvement in global value chain development across multiple growth stages.

Phil Anzarut is Vice President and Partner in Asset Management at BDC Capital. He has experience across corporate strategy, corporate finance, venture capital, marketing, human resources, and mergers and acquisitions. His board committee experience includes HR, audit, M&A, strategy, governance, and CEO search.

Shirley Speakman is Managing Partner of the Climate Tech Fund and Sustainability Venture Fund at BDC, a $1.2B platform investing in Canadian companies addressing climate and sustainability challenges. Previously, she was a senior partner at Cycle Capital and Director of Investments for the MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund, where she led investments and transactions across sectors including clean technology, life sciences, and advanced manufacturing. Speakman holds an MBA from Wilfrid Laurier University and a BA in Economics from the University of Waterloo, and serves as Chair of the Research Innovation and Commercialization Center.

Steven Abrams is a Partner at BDC Venture Capital, where he focuses on the IT Venture, Thrive, and Women in Tech Funds. He serves as a board director or observer for numerous portfolio companies including Hopper, Waabi, Sanctuary AI, and Sheertex, among others, and has invested in companies that have achieved exits including Coveo, Unsplash, and Sonder. Abrams is a charter member of the C100 and holds board positions with the Upside Foundation and Mount Sinai Hospital Foundation.

Oversees finance and administration at Volta, with over 25 years of experience providing financial, corporate, and investor relations services to public and private mining and technology companies.

Matt Stanley is a Partner at BDC Capital's Climate Tech Fund with over 20 years of experience in sustainability and climate strategy across Canada and Europe. His career includes roles at IKEA, where he helped build the company's corporate venture arm, and advisory firms including SYSTEMIQ, Deloitte, and EY, focused on industrial decarbonization and capital deployment. He holds a Master's degree in Sustainability Leadership from the University of Cambridge and a Bachelor of Commerce from Mount Allison University.

A life sciences leader with over 20 years of experience building and scaling biotechnology and medical technology companies, appointed to lead the new fund with expertise in scientific models and commercialization.

Remi Fournier is a Partner at BDC focused on clean energy, climate technologies, and sustainability investments. With over 20 years of experience in venture capital and entrepreneurship, he cofounded Fibrenoire, a fiber optic network for businesses in Eastern Canada that was subsequently acquired by Videotron, where he served as VP of Sales and Engineering. His background spans telecommunications, digital advertising, software technologies, and product commercialization, complemented by technical expertise and farming operations.

Chief Operating Officer and Program Director who supports early-stage companies through VIATEC's programs including the Accelerator Program; has been a programmer, founder, angel investor, mentor and coach in local tech.

Duncan Stewart is a partner at the Business Development Bank of Canada's Deep Tech Venture Fund, which focuses on dual-use defence technologies and has $200 million in capital. He holds advanced degrees in applied physics from Stanford University and engineering physics from the University of Toronto, and has over 30 years of experience in science and technology for defence and national security. His background includes a decade leading a research centre at Canada's national laboratory with over 100 physicists and chemists working on quantum science and technology, and ten years at Hewlett-Packard Laboratories in Silicon Valley where he authored 60 patents and contributed to foundational research in nanoscale electronics and memristive materials.

Salman Qadir is an investor with the Sustainability Venture Fund at BDC Capital, a $150 million fund investing in early-stage companies developing scalable technologies for net-zero economies. His investment focus includes industrial IoT, proprietary data applications, and AI-driven solutions addressing climate action, clean energy, and sustainable urban development.

Directs Volta's AI Productivity Lab, helping Atlantic Canadian SMEs adopt practical AI tools through experimentation, training, and support. Specializes in process and organizational design, rapid prototyping, and knowledge translation.

Evan Machin is a Senior Commercial Account Manager at BDC with experience in investment, financial leadership, public-sector governance, and military service. His background combines analytical expertise with operational and team leadership experience.