Funding with a Game
Plan:
Venture Coaches Debuts in
Ottawa
Seed venture capital fund to
focus on wireless & photonics market;
Unique service offering to
start-ups
OTTAWA, ON, October 18,
2000 – Venture Coaches, a venture capital group offering early-stage
seed funding for wireless and photonics start-up companies, announced today that
it has launched operations with a fund set to grow to $50M for Canadian
investments.
“Our years of management and entrepreneurial experience developing successful technology companies enables us to identify companies with great potential to change the dynamics of the industry,” said Claude Haw, Managing Partner of Venture Coaches, and a former Vice-President of Newbridge Networks (now Alcatel Canada).
“There are many experienced, knowledgeable, and
enthusiastic people with great ideas in Ottawa,” Haw added. “We want to ensure that these people
have the seed capital, business network, and other resources to turn great ideas
into exciting new companies. With
our established network of local business partners in the areas of finance,
legal, marketing and public relations, plus ongoing management coaching, Venture
Coaches will increase the speed to market of our portfolio companies and greatly
increase their success rates.”
The Fund will focus on seed capital investments in wireless and photonics ventures, two of the hottest emerging sectors in the telecom industry. Venture Coaches is well situated in Ottawa – home to several of Canada’s successful private sector telecom companies and leading edge research and development facilities.
“The wireless industry is so hot, and to come
out on top we needed more than a financial investment. We needed the kind of
knowledge that comes only from a local team with solid
experience with start-ups,” said Shane Young, President and CEO of DPS Wireless
Inc., a Venture Coaches investee company.
“Venture Coaches is a big part of why we can move forward and build
towards the next round of venture capital financing.”
Along with
initial financing, Venture Coaches' services include business plan review,
office infrastructure, management coaching, and recruiting assistance, leaving
the start-ups to focus their energies on
building the team and growing their business. Venture Coaches’ network
of business partners includes High Road
Communications (Public Relations), Hewson Bridge and Smith - HBS (Marketing
Communications), HT Search Company Ltd. (Recruitment), Rebel.com (Information
Technology solutions), AON Reed Stenhouse INC. (Insurance/Benefits), Deloitte
& Touche (Accounting/Taxation) and Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
(Legal).
The Venture Coaches team consists of managing partner Claude Haw, along with co-founders and partners Jaswinder Kaur, Larry Perron and John Saull. Each of the partners has played a role in the inception, development, and success of several technology-focused companies in the Ottawa area.
Based in Kanata, Ontario, Venture Coaches was founded in September 2000 to provide seed capital for new wireless and photonics communications companies, primarily based in the Ottawa area with a commitment to smart capital and a total team approach.
Further information on Venture Coaches can be obtained on the Web at http://www.venturecoaches.com/ or contact info@VentureCoaches.com.
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