Chris Arsenault

Worth knowing

Chris has backed Canadian companies from early rounds through IPO and acquisition, and he knows what separates the ones that make it from the ones that stall. He has been in the room for board decisions at Lightspeed, AppDirect, Groupe Dynamite and Super.com. Founders raising growth capital from Canada, and operators weighing a sale against staying independent, should get in touch.

Story

Chris was running his own internet company before most Canadians had used the web, serving as President and CEO of Solutions Internet Technologic from 1993 to 1997. He had left a BAC in administration and finance at Universite Laval unfinished to do it. That operating start shaped what came next. The firm he built in Montreal set out to fund Canadian companies at the scale they needed, rather than watching them leave for American investors. More than 25 years into a career spent inside the Canadian tech scene, he leads Inovia as CEO and general partner, and has been a charter member of The C100 since 2010.

In Chris's words

Montreal-based; studied at Universite Laval and has spent his career building Canadian technology companies.

Highlights

• Co-founder, CEO and General Partner, Inovia Capital
• Board director, Lightspeed Commerce, AppDirect, Super.com, and Groupe Dynamite
• Former board director, Luxury Retreats (acquired), Poka (acquired) and Well.ca (acquired)
• Portfolio IPOs include Lightspeed and Sonder
• President and CEO, Solutions Internet Technologic, 1993-1997