Currently amid the Fourth Industrial Revolution, we are witnessing unprecedented technological change triggered by a multitude of disruptive forces. These changes have shaken Canada’s business ecosystem, causing new players to rise and existing leaders to fall.
Consequently, incumbents are faced with a harsh reality where constant innovation and technological adoption is no longer just a competitive advantage, but instead a requirement for survival. There is a void in Canada’s private capital funding ecosystem to assist these companies as they transform themselves to meet these technological shifts. How do we address this massive untapped investment opportunity in Canada’s economy? Closing this gap, by pioneering a community of disrupters who create transformative and sustaining impact, is exactly what Maverix Private Equity, a Toronto-based growth private equity firm, has set out to achieve.
Maverix is run by entrepreneurs, funded by entrepreneurs, and for entrepreneurs. Since their launch in April 2021, the firm is investing out of an inaugural fund of USD$500M in tech-enabled emerging operating companies in the areas of health and wellness, financial services, transportation and logistics, live, work, play and learn, and retail. The firm is led by an experienced and talented team, with a diverse set of professional and personal backgrounds that firmly believes in respect, transparency, and treating entrepreneurs as partners.
John Ruffolo, Founder & Managing Partner, guides the strategy of the firm with unparalleled investment experience as the Founder of OMERS Ventures, which invested in North America’s top growth companies including Shopify, Wattpad, Hootsuite, Hopper, League, Wave, and DuckDuckGo. Mark Maybank, the former President & COO of Canaccord Genuity, and Michael Wasserman, previously a Managing Director at H.I.G Capital, join John as Managing Partners.
Further, the Maverix Advisory Board is stacked with Canada’s most accomplished entrepreneurs including Peter Gilgan of Mattamy Homes, Dani Reiss of Canada Goose, Wes Hall of Kingsdale Advisors, Arlene Dickinson of District Ventures, Jim Balsillie of BlackBerry, John Bitove of PointNorth Capital, and Jonathan Goodman of Knight Therapeutics. In short, the Maverix team hopes to build a dynamic community of Canadian entrepreneurs who embody what it means to be a Maverix/ Maverick: [a person who thinks and acts independently of and different from others]. Entrepreneurs who are nonconformist, eccentric, and original will lead Canada through today’s age of disruption which, in turn, will become the future of national wealth and prosperity of tomorrow.
