Ari Pandes, Associate Professor at the Haskayne School of Business has published numerous papers on the capital markets with a focus on early-stage venture financings. Ari is a champion of the public venture capital system in Canada, although it could be argued that private venture capital and public venture capital are very comparable sources of funding. He has researched numerous aspects of the financial markets as well the levers of success for both private and public companies. The findings he’s had are thought-provoking for any entrepreneur!
“With public venture capital, you’ve got the benefits of all the things that public markets offer.”
Ari also emphasizes the importance of retail investor participation in the venture markets. On both a philosophical and practical level, it is vitally important that retail investors can access and participate in early-stage deals. A lesson for all public company managers is that you should engage and embrace your retail investors because they are a major source of potential liquidity that helps you grow into attracting institutional investors.
Another fascinating part of our conversation is Ari’s recent launch of a student venture capital fund at the University of Calgary, a fund that has closed over $1 million in real capital, which the students are actively investing in early-stage companies.
“We have got about $1.2 million that the students are managing – real money – to invest in
private companies, which I think is super exciting.”
To learn more about this outstanding initiative and the many advantages of the public venture capital system, listen in.
