The CVCA Annual Conference is the premiere networking and professional development event for Canada’s venture capital and private equity industry and repeatedly sells out with over 650 industry professionals and influencers from across Canada and around the world.
Exclusive: a FREE BlackBerry PlayBook to Every CVCA 2012 Conference Attendee!!
We are pleased to announce that in collaboration with our Platinum Sponsor, Research in Motion, we will be delivering a unique mobile experience to our conference attendees. All registered 2012 conference attendees will receive a complimentary BlackBerry PlayBook, while supplies last!!!! SO REGISTER TODAY (Note: does not apply to people who register for Gala evening only).
BlackBerry PlayBooks will be given to each attendee at registration on May 23 & 24 in Montreal. The PlayBooks will have the newest OS 2.0, be wi-fi enabled and pre-loaded with the new CVCA conference mobile application.
CVCA Conference Mobile App
The CVCA conference mobile app will be the only source of conference materials including the detailed agenda, speakers’ bios, master attendee list, sponsors and partners. The app is the primary tool to access conference information during the conference, communicate with other conference attendees and session speakers and engage in social media (Note: be sure to complete your twitter, Facebook and Linkedin handles when you register).
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
LINK TO PDF FLYER AND REGISTRATION FORM
The Theme
This year’s theme is “Venture Capital & Private Equity: Outperforming the Markets”.
Since the beginning of time, investors have focused on stocks and bonds, shifting their allocations between these traditional asset classes with the times. Alternative assets like private equity and venture capital were rarely considered and poorly understood, since the traditional assets were considered safe and reliable. But the world has changed: major equity markets have traded sideways with growing volatility through the past several years, and fixed income investments are near zero real returns. The traditional model is broken as investors rethink the risk/reward equation and look for alternatives.
Private equity and venture capital can provide exactly what investors are looking for today: strong returns and companies that will take a leadership position in an increasingly competitive global economy. This is the opportunity to create new companies and transform existing ones. Active management by highly skilled private investors is the secret sauce. These investors jump right into their portfolio companies, working alongside management to truly transform these businesses. How do they do it? The 2012 CVCA Annual Conference will show you!
The Attendees
Attendees return year after year for the invaluable benefits of networking with key industry leaders and the topical issues presented and discussed at the various organized presentations. Participants and sponsors at this prestigious event include the following: Private Equity Investors ● Venture Capitalists ● Institutional & Corporate Investors ● Investment Bankers/Intermediaries ● Service Providers – Lawyers, Insurers, Accountants, Strategic and Financial Advisors, Executive Search ● Security Exchanges ● Government ● Academic ● Media
The Program
The program will have equal emphasis on venture and private equity issues. The conference will kick of with a welcome cocktail event on the Wednesday evening and includes a Gala dinner on the Thursday featuring CVCA’s “Entrepreneur of the Year” Award presentation followed by our popular scotch-tasting networking event. The conference closes on Friday after our country spotlight featuring China and networking lunch.
Sponsorship
Companies looking to increase profile in Canada's venture capital and private equity industry shoudl look no further than sponsorship at Canada's only national private caital conference.
LINK TO 2012 PACKAGE. Interested sponsors please contact Lauren Linton at llinton@cvca.ca
| Wednesday May 23, 2012 |
| 9:00 am – 3:00 pm |
Tourism and golf recommendations |
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| 9:00 am – 4:30 pm |
Founder Fuel’s Demo Day & C100’s AccelerateMTL event (complimentary to all CVCA Conference attendees) at Monument National
Link to details and free registration for Demo Day and AccelerateMontreal event. |
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| 3:00 – 7:00 pm |
Conference Registration |
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| 3:00 – 5:00 pm |
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| 5:00 – 7:00 pm |
Welcome Cocktail Reception
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Sponsored by
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| Thursday May 24, 2012 |
| 7:00 am |
Breakfast Buffet
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| 8:10 - 8:30 am |
Welcoming Remarks by 2012 Conference Chairs:
Chris Arsenault, Managing Partner, iNovia Capital Inc.
Pascal Tremblay, President and Managing Partner, Novacap |
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President’s Address:
Gregory Smith, President, CVCA and Managing Partner, Brookfield Financial Corp/ |
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| 8:30 - 9:30 am |
Session 1: Evolution of VC and PE in Canada
Panelists will reminisce about the last few decades of the Canadian private landscape (venture and buyouts). This will be measured against a global context with specific discussion on the different sources of capital, the role of Canadian banks over time, the emergence of pension funds as direct investors and thoughts on where all this is going?
Moderator: Andy Willis, Senior Vice President, Communications and Media, Brookfield Asset Management
Panelists:
Marc Beauchamp, Founder and Chairman, Novacap
Brent Belzberg, Senior Managing Partner, TorQuest Partners
Gary Rubinoff , Managing Partner , Summerhill Venture Partners
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| 9:30 - 10:30 am |
Session 2: Investing Towards 2030: Anticipating the Future Business_Environment
Post 2008-2009 "Great Contraction", one must make sense of a new, complicated and interdependent global economic disorder, where politics, economics, demographics, technologies, mother nature, and ideologies can either cooperate or collide. How will ageing, deleveraging, globalizing emerged markets, natural resources demand, governance paradigms, techno progress and politics or environmental constraints affect our lives,
strategies and investments? Eric Noël will help us explore four megatrends shaping the world in 2030, suggest some strategic implications, mirages and new ages, and then exchange with two investors who are betting on these long term trends.
Overview: Eric Noël, SVP at Oxford Analytica and Visiting Expert at IESE Business
School
Moderator: Senia Rapisarda, Vice-President, Strategic Initiatives-Investments, Business Development Bank of Canada
Panelists:
Sebastien Burdel, Principal, Coller Capital Inc.
Dr. Michel Léonard, Senior Vice President & Chief Economist, Alliant Insurance | A Blackstone Group Company |
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| 10:30 – 11:00 am |
Coffee / Networking Break |
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| 11:00 - noon |
Session 3A (PE Stream): Leverage in PE Deals – Visibility on Today’s Changing Debt_Environment
Debt Pricing, Structure and Hold Levels have all fluctuated in the last two years. Our panel of decision makers, representing every major source of debt capital, will explore current and anticipated trends for mid-market and large PE Buy-outs, refinancings and re-caps. The panelists will also provide perspective on the future Debt Wall and the Euro Debt Crisis and their potential impact on PE Debt in Canada.
Introducer: Valerie Leach Principal, Continuing Education, Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA)
Moderator: Robert Olsen, Partner & Americas Leader - Capital Advisory, Deloitte
Panelists:
Blair Cowan, Vice President, Corporate Finance, CIBC Commercial Banking
Vipon Ghai, Senior Managing Director, Manulife Capital
Mark Jenkins, Vice-President and Head of Private Debt, Private Investments, CPP Investment Board
Joe Mattina, Managing Director, Macquarie Capital Markets Canada
David Torrey, Managing Director, National Bank Financial
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| 11:00 - noon |
Session 3B (VC Stream) : C100: Owning the Podium – How Canadians are Building the Biggest Companies in Tech
Canadian entrepreneurs and investors are behind some of the biggest names in technology. This new generation of Canadian tech leaders operate fluidly across the 49th parallel, tapping the best of Canada and the U.S. How are they doing it? How can investors profit from their networks and experience?
Moderator: Anthony Lee, General Partner, Altos Ventures
Panelists:
Jeff Mallett, President, Mallett Sports & Entertainment, former President, Yahoo!
Shawn Price, President, Zuora Inc.
CJ Prober, SVP Digital Publishing/Platform, Electronic Arts
Joel Scott, Chief Operating Officer, Autonomy/HP
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12:05 -12:15 pm
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The Private Capital Pulse - CVCA Members' Survey
W. Ian Palm, Partner, McCarthy Tétrault LLP
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| 12:15 -12:45 pm |
Keynote Speaker: 'The Making of "Hunters"'
Introducer: Paul Kirkconnell, Executive Vice President, Venture Capital, Business Development Bank of Canada
Michel Brûlé
President, Investissement M&M
Many of our entrepreneurs have demonstrated that Canadians can provide the best technology in the world and provide a game changer advantage in some sub-markets. The number of acquisitions of Canadian Tech. companies by Americans and Europeans over the years supports two facts: we have exceptional creativity skills and we have become experts in dressing the bride with the sexiest outfits.
From being the best in the world in some sub-markets to becoming world-dominant size wise in a market, a different strategy that involves a new set of challenges (and skills) is required. Could those struck with the “H” virus raise their hand? Here’s the ecosystem for you!
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| 12:45 - 1:45 pm |
Lunch
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| 1:45 - 2:15 pm |
Networking Dessert
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Sponsored by
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| 2:15 - 3:15 pm |
Session 4A (PE Stream): The Canadian Mid-Market: An Attractive Landscape
The Canadian mid-market for buyouts is a well-established segment of Canada’s private capital investment landscape. Over the past decade, the universe of Canadian GPs has matured. Strong returns have been generated, and leading Canadian GPs continue to receive robust support from LPs in Canada and around the world. Foreign GPs have also shown increasing interest in Canadian deals. This panel brings together leading mid-market participants to discuss the state of the segment. What makes the Canadian mid-market attractive to GPs and LPs and what distinguishes it from the US mid-market? What are the key success factors for investing in this segment? How important is it to be a Canadian GP when pursuing Canadian deals? How has the GP landscape evolved over time? Is the LP base shifting? And what will the Canadian mid-market look like in 10 years?
Introducer: Derek Smyth, Managing Director, OMERS Ventures
Moderator: Matthew Cockburn, Partner, Torys LLP
Panelists:
Eric Berke, Managing Partner, TorQuest Partners
Cody Church, Senior Managing Director, TriWest Capital Partners
Elmer Kim, Managing Director, Roynat Equity Partners
Stuart Waugh, Managing Director & Managing Partner, Northleaf Capital Partners
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| 2:15 - 3:15 pm |
Session 4B (VC Stream): Is Canada Sexy Now?
What’s the status of cross border syndication? Do US investors want/need/like a Canadian based investor to co-invest with? Is the mindset changing? Has the removal of section 116 made life easier to invest in Canada? What needs to happen for Canada to have vibrant growth in cross-border syndications?
Introducer: Todd Tessier, Vice President, BC Renaissance Capital Fund Ltd.
Moderator; Steve Hurwitz, Partner, Choate Hall & Stewart LLP
Panelists:
Paul Ferris, Co-founder and General Partner, Azure Capital Partners
Yona Shtern, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Beyond the Rack
Jeff Grammer, Partner, Rho Canada
Jit Sinha, General Partner, JMI Equity
Ralph Terkowitz, General Partner, ABS Capital Partners
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| 3:15 – 3:45 pm |
Coffee / Networking Break |
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3:45 – 4:45 pm
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Session 5A (PE Stream): Private Equity's New Challenge – Focus on Operations
Financial sponsors are now expected to drive returns by growing the intrinsic business value of their portfolio companies. With constraints on leverage and financial engineering now subject to the increasing risks of volatile markets, financial sponsors in the mid market need to demonstrate their ability to promote and support operational and strategic improvements in their portfolio companies. Limited Partners now evaluate General Partners by how consistently they generate returns through real business enhancements leading to a step change in the enterprise value of the portfolio company. This panel will provide the perspective of a lender, an LP, a GP and a CEO on the role of a financial sponsor in driving investment returns through achieving fundamental business improvements within portfolio companies.
Moderator ; Charles Chevrette, Partner, McMillan LLP
Panelists:
Alex Baniczky, VP, Bank of Montreal Capital Partners
Daniel Cotte, CEP, Naya Waters Inc.
Paul Day, VP, Equity, Export Development Canada
Peter Gordon, Managing Partner, Brookfield Asset Management
Charlie Huebner, Managing Director and CIO, RCP Advisors
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3:45 – 4:45 pm
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Session 5B (VC Stream): Building the $100M Business - Hidden Obstacles.
The majority of venture investments start with all parties focused on a hundred million dollar outcome. However, the rear view mirror as reported by Thompson Reuters and NVCA suggests that this optimism isn't warranted -- that most venture backed exits don't break that milestone. This panel will explore the obstacles that need be overcome to build a business worth $100M or more, by those that have made the hard decisions on the path and those well on their way.
Moderator: Shawn Abbott, Partner, iNovia Capital
Panelists:
Howard Gwin, Managing Director, OMERS Ventures
Daniel Debow, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Rypple
Joe Poulin, President & CEO, Luxury Retreats International
Eric Boyko, President & CEO, Stingray Digital Group |
4:45 - 5:00 pm
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Speaker: Thomas A. Kloet, CEO, TMX Group Inc.
'Ideas and Opportunity Require Capital and Know-How - Funding, Building and Nurturing the Next Generation of Canadian Businesses'
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| 6:30 – 7:30 pm |
Gala Cocktail Reception
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Sponsored by
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Represented by Jim White
Partner, Vice President,
Directors' Liability Practice HKMB HUB International
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| 7:30 – 10:00 pm |
| Gala Dinner |
Sponsored by
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Represented by Sebastien Burdel, Principal, Coller Capital
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Speaker:
Sam Hamad, Minister of Economic Development, Innovation and Export Trade, Government of Quebec
CVCA's 'Entrepreneur of the Year' Award Ceremony
Gala Keynote Speaker:
Martyn Mallick, VP, Global Alliances & Business Development, Research in Motion
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| 9:30 pm – midnight |
| Scotch-Tasting Networking Event |
Sponsored by |
Represented by Stephen Hurwitz,
Partner |
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| Friday, May 25, 2012 |
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| 7:30 am |
Breakfast Buffet |
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| 8:25 - 8:30 am |
Opening Remarks |
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| 8:30 - 9:30 am |
Session 6 :The Return of the Corporate Strategics
Over the past year, there is a marked increase in corporations as direct investors in both venture capital and private equity. This panel will explore the basis for this resurgence of corporate investment in major sectors: Life Sciences, Oil & Gas, Ag, and IT. The Why, the How, and What that may be different about how they go about their business. How they see their participation in relation to the rest of the VC/PE community, and what may this mean for the future evolution of our industry.
Moderator; Ross Bricker, President & CEO, AVAC Ltd.
Panelists:
Kevin Chew, Vice President & Managing Director, EMC Ventures
Reid Leonard, Managing Director, Merck Research Venture Funds and Executive Director, External Scientific Affairs
Andrée-Lise Méthot, Founder and Senior Partner, Cycle Capital Management
Alexander Munro, Investment Manager, Cenovus Environmental Opportunity Fund, Cenovus Energy
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| 9:30 - 10:00 am |
Session 7 : The Uncanny Valley
Inventing a technology and choosing a market are two important parts of every startup. Keyhole, the startup that led to Google Earth, faced some hard choices about what was possible and what was sellable. In the end, though, timing also matters.
Introducer: Shahir Guindi, Managing Partner, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Speaker: Brian McClendon, Vice President of Engineering, Google
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| 10:00 – 10:30 am |
Coffee / Networking Break |
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| 10:30 – 11:30 am |
Session 8 : Trends in Fundraising and New Rules of the Road
This session will focus on recent trends in fundraising for VC/PE funds and will feature 2 GPs and 2 LPs. Recent changes as outlined by the ILPA to align interests and change the historical management fee structure will be discussed. What is and is not getting funded and what models works from an LP’s perspective? This is sure to be a lively discussion featuring both LPs and GPs.
Moderator: Jocelyn Blanchet, Partner, National Leader, M&A Tax Services, KPMG LLP
Panelists:
Jacques Foisy, President and Managing Partner, Novacap
Clint Harris, Managing Partner, Grove Street Advisors, LLC
David Zug,Vice President, Harbourvest Partners, LLC
Jacques Bernier, Managing Partner, Teralys Capital
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| 11:30 – 1:00 pm |
Session 9: Country Spotlight on China: Dancing with the Dragon: Building Profitable Relationships in the China market for the Benefit of Canadian VC and PE Fund Managers and their Portfolio Companies
As Canada’s trade and investment flows increasingly turn toward the Far East, Canadian fund managers and their portfolio companies need to reconsider how China fits into a larger strategy for developing international sales and partnership opportunities. In this panel, you will hear from Chinese fund managers and Canadian LPs active in China market on how Canadian fund managers and their portfolio companies can better develop local networks and market insights that will allow them to profit from one of the most enduring high growth markets in the world.
Moderator; Alison Nankivell, Head of Fund Investments, EDC Equity, Export Development Canada
Panelists:
Pierre Fortier, Vice President, Investments, Emerging Countries, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec
Shelby Chen, Managing Partner, Tsing Capital
Frank Tang, Managing Partner, FountainVest Partners (Asia) Limited
Raymond Yang, Managing Director and Partner, WestSummit Capital Management
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| 1:00 pm – 1:10 pm |
Closing Remarks |
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| 1:10 pm – 2:30 pm |
| Networking Lunch |
Sponsored by |
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LINK TO ON-LINE REGISTRATION
ACCOMMODATION: Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth
Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, Montreal, (900 Rene-Levesque West, Montreal, Quebec H3B 4A5).
Participants wishing to stay at Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, Montreal must book directly with the hotel. CVCA has contracted a limited room block at the hotel. Negotiated rates are available only while supply lasts, with guestroom rates starting at $199.00 CAD (pre-tax) per night. Our room block will be released by May 3, 2012, at which time you risk a higher room charge or a “Sold Out” hotel, so we encourage you to book your accommodation quickly.
Please book online at: https://resweb.passkey.com/go/cvcassociation . You may also call toll-free at the Global Reservations Centre, 1-800-441-1414 or Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth Reservations Department at 1-514-861-3511 and reference the CVCA Annual Conference by quoting the Block Code Number CVCA12.
EXTRA TICKETS FOR GALA EVENING (MAY 24, 2012):
Your fee for the conference includes the GALA evening, however you are welcome to purchase additional ticket(s) for you guest(s). Please call the CVCA office at 416-487-0519 or send your request to gala@cvca.ca . Single ticket price is $287.44 ($250 registration fee + 5% GST $12.50 and 9.5% QST% $24.94)
AIRLINE; Porter
Porter Airlines offers a 20% discount on all fare classes for attendees travelling to Montreal for the CVCA 2012 Annual Conference. Porter provides free in-flight snacks and beverages, including beer and wine. Please book online at www.flyporter.com or call 1-888-619-8622 using the promo code CVCA12. The 20% discount applies to the best available published fares at the time of booking. The discounted fares are available for travel between May 20 and May 28, 2012. Porter. Flying refined.
2012 Organizing Committee
Chris Arsenault (iNovia Capital) (Co-Chair)
Pascal Tremblay (Novacap) (Co-Chair)
Jacques Bernier (Teralys Capital)
Ross Bricker (AVAC Ltd.)
Alain Denis (Fonds de solidarité (FTQ))
Howard Gwin (OMERS Ventures )
Steve Hnatiuk (VanEdge Capital)
Lorne Jacobson (TriWest)
Karen Kew (CVCA)
Anthony Lee (Altos Ventures )
Chris Legg (Tandem Expansion Fund)
Lauren Linton (CVCA)
Joe Lucke
Alison Nankivell (Export Development Canada)
Karamdeep Nijjar (iNovia Capital)
Wayne Pommen (TorQuest)
Senia Rapisarda (BDC)
Richard Remillard (CVCA)
Kathryn Ryan (CVCA)
Sunil Sharma (CVCA)
Christian Turgeon (Novacap)
Mark Usher (Wellington Financial)
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2012 SPONSORS:
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