Find your path to Steven
374 people in our graph share verified history with Steven — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.
James DetweilerunlockedSteven: together at Tera AI (2025–2026)
Steven: together at Routethis
Steven: together at University of Waterloo
Steven: together at Cohere
About
Steven Woods is Partner and CTO at Inovia Capital, where he advises portfolio companies on product strategy, technology, and engineering leadership. He has over 30 years of experience in software engineering and company building, including co-founding three software companies—most notably Quack.com, an early interactive voice assistant acquired by Netscape/AOL in 2000—and leading product and engineering growth at Google Canada from 2008 onward. At Inovia, he evaluates investment opportunities through a technical and product lens while drawing on his background as an entrepreneur, engineer, operator, and board member.
Experience
- Inovia CapitalPartner & CTOcurrent2021 — presentGreater Toronto Area, Canada
- SpellbookMember of the Board of Directorscurrent2024 — presentToronto, Ontario, Canada
- CohereInvestor, past Member of the Board of Directorscurrent2023 — presentToronto, Ontario, Canada
- Signal 1Member of the Board of Directorscurrent2022 — presentGreater Toronto Area, Canada
- RouteThisInvestor, past Member of the Board of Directorscurrent2016 — presentGreater Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo Metropolitan Area
- Good Start LabsInvestorcurrent2025 — present
- Tera AIInvestorcurrent2025 — present
- ScribenoteInvestorcurrent2024 — present
- CARE-AIAdvisory Board Member - Centre for Advancing Responsible and Ethical Artificial Intelligencecurrent2019 — presentGuelph, Ontario, Canada
- Windigo HoldingsPresident, Windigo Holdingscurrent2010 — present
- Jaide HealthInvestor2024 — 2026
- Reliant AIMember of the Board of Directors2024 — 2026
- Quantum Valley Ideas LabMember of the Board of Directors2020 — 2024Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
- Mistral Venture PartnersExecutive Fellow2013 — 2021Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- GoogleSenior Director Engineering2008 — 2021Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
- GoogleEngineering Director, Mobile Shopping & Offers2008 — 2012Canada
- CommunitechBoard of Directors, Past Chair2011 — 2019Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
- OMERS VenturesAdvisory Board Member2012 — 2019Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- University of WaterlooBoard of Governors ad hoc Committee on Technological Innovation2014 — 2018Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
- FYidoctorsMember of the Board of Directors2014 — 2016Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Waskesiu FoundationBoard of Directors2012 — 2015Waskesiu, Saskatchewan Canada
Skills & more
Research SkillsExperimental Design
From Steven's professional profile.
Colleagues at Inovia Capital
Alex McIsaac
General Partner at Inovia Capital
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Alex Norman
Partner at N49P
Alice Reimer
Co-Founder & Venture Partner at Inovia Capital
Andreas Huber
Partner, COO at 3TS Capital Partners
Arie Koifman
Investor at Inovia Capital
Charlotte Borgognoni
Vice President at Inovia Capital
Chris Arsenault
Founder and Partner at Inovia Capital
Colleen Moorehead
Board Chair at The 51 Ventures
Network1
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Investors connected to Steven in public investor directories — a warm-intro map.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Steven Woods?
- Steven Woods is Partner and CTO at Inovia Capital, where he advises portfolio companies on product strategy, technology, and engineering leadership. He has over 30 years of experience in software engineering and company building, including co-founding three software companies—most notably Quack.com, an early interactive voice assistant acquired by Netscape/AOL in 2000—and leading product and engineering growth at Google Canada from 2008 onward. At Inovia, he evaluates investment opportunities through a technical and product lens while drawing on his background as an entrepreneur, engineer, operator, and board member.
- Where does Steven Woods work?
- Steven Woods is Partner at Inovia Capital.
- What check size does Steven Woods write?
- Steven Woods typically writes checks of $100K – $5M.
- Where did Steven Woods go to school?
- Steven Woods studied at University of Waterloo (Ph.D., Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence)); University of Waterloo (M.Math, Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence)); University of Saskatchewan (1987, B.Sc. Hons. (Computer Science)).
Same school
Also attended University of Waterloo585
Chamath PalihapitiyaFounder & CEO of Social CapitalApoorva MehtaFounder of Instacart; founder of Cloud Health SystemsAchintya ChaudhariInvestor at LightbankKarim GillaniGeneral Partner at Luge CapitalRohan MongaInvestment Associate at Luge CapitalAndrew MiklasGeneral Partner at Y Combinator
+ 579 more
Also attended University of Saskatchewan55
Desmond PadhiOperating Partner at Westlake Village BioPartnersWilson ActonManaging Partner at Tall Grass VenturesChris PatersonVenture Partner at Tall Grass VenturesDavid SullivanVenture Partner at Tall Grass VenturesTyler BradleyVice President at WestCapPeter WilsonVice President at WestCap
+ 49 more
Also attended Université Laval73
Laura WeigertSenior Associate at Marlin Equity PartnersAnastasia AltynnikovaInvestor at EQT VenturesLeah BaePrincipal at Higher Ground LabsDylan Lawrence MissonnierInvestment Director at CapagroJacques PerreaultPartner at Brightspark VenturesWenceslas MoussaHead of Risk & Compliance at Headline
+ 67 more
Shared employers
Also worked at RouteThis3
Also worked at Good Start Labs1
Also worked at Tera AI2
Also worked at Mistral Venture Partners7
Code CubittManaging Director at Mistral Venture PartnersPablo SrugoPartner at Mistral Venture PartnersRaif BarbarosPartner at Mistral Venture PartnersBernie ZeisigManaging Partner at Mistral Venture PartnersMike ScanlinVenture Partner at Mistral Venture PartnersJulien KathiresanHead of Finance at Mistral Venture Partners
+ 1 more