Yaletown’s Special Limited Partners have founded, built, and financed many of the companies at the core of our region’s technology and cleantech clusters. They are close strategic advisors to the General Partners and their experience and networks are available to each of the Fund’s portfolio companies.

Glenn Bindley

CEO, Redlen

Co-founder, PMC- Sierra (past)

Glenn was a co-founder and senior executive of PMC-Sierra (NASDAQ: PMCS). As General Manager of its largest division, Glenn helped grow PMC-Sierra into a global semiconductor leader. Currently, Glenn is CEO of Yaletown portfolio company Redlen Technologies, a maker of semiconductor materials used in medical imaging and solar energy applications. Under Glenn’s leadership, Redlen has transitioned from R&D to commercial production and sales with a customer list that includes GE, Siemens, Spectrum Dynamics and First Solar. An engineer/MBA, Glenn began his career in technical, product management and business development roles with Nortel and MPR Teltech.

Haig Farris

President, Fractal Capital

Co-founder & Partner, Ventures West (past)

A pioneer of the venture capital industry in Canada, Haig co-founded Ventures West in 1968 and spent twenty-five years working to establish the venture capital industry in Canada. Since retiring from the firm he founded, Haig has become one of the most active and successful technology angel investors on the West Coast. He has been instrumental in the creation, growth, and success of dozens of technology companies and careers spanning four decades. Haig has served as co-founder, chair, and director of many high-profile companies, university and industry associations, and has been honoured by the Science Council of BC and the BC Technology Industries Association with awards for lifetime achievement and contribution to technology on Canada’s West Coast.

Don Graham

Co-founder & Chairman; Cellex Power (acquired by Plug Power, 2007)
Co-founder & Chairman, Brightside Technologies (acquired by Dolby, 2007)

Don is a veteran entrepreneur with four decades' experience applying advanced technology to traditional industry problems. Over the past decade, Don has been co-founder, lead angel investor, and Chairman from inception to acquisition of Cellex Power, a fuel cell applications company recently acquired by Plug Power (Nasdaq: PLUG), and Brightside Technologies - a display technology company acquired by Dolby. Don began his career in marketing and management with IBM in 1963 and in the 1970’s co-founded Pacific Associate Stores, which he built into the largest independent operator of Canadian Tire stores in Canada, employing over 1,000 people in 21 locations. After the sale of his company in 1993, Don returned to the technology business as a hands-on angel investor, director and company builder.

Greg Peet

CEO. A.L.I. Technologies (acquired by McKesson, 2002)

Greg is an accomplished business leader, entrepreneur, angel investor and corporate director. Until 2004, he was VP and General Manager of the McKesson Medical Imaging Group, a role he assumed following McKesson’s (NYSE:MKE) acquisition of A.L.I. Technologies in 2002 for over $500 million. As CEO, Greg spent a decade directing the growth of A.L.I., from an R&D organization into a market leader in the digital medical imaging segment with over 400 employees. Greg was recognized as the Ernst & Young’s Pacific Entrepreneur of the Year in 2002, and B.C. Technology Industry Association’s “Person of the Year” for 2007. Prior to ALI, Greg was CEO of Enterprise Technologies and Norsat. He began his career in the financial services industry. Greg currently serves on a number of company boards, and is Co-Chair of the B.C. Premier's Technology Council.

Werner (Vern) Paulus

Founder and Chairman, Polygon Group of Companies

A highly successful financier and entrepreneur, Vern is an active investor in emerging technology companies throughout the Pacific Northwest. Vern’s extensive business and investment experience spans more than 45 years, bridging multiple industries and several continents from Polygon’s base in Washington State. Polygon is a diversified, professionally-managed investment firm with active current portfolios in technology, resources, agriculture, and real estate. Vern serves on numerous not-for-profit and company boards, including educational software vendor ePALS, managed hosting provider Peer 1 Network, and Yaletown cleantech portfolio company Microstaq. An active environmental steward and philanthropist, Vern chairs the board of the Wild Salmon Center where he has been active for the past eight years.

Don Rix

Co-founder & Chairman, MDS Diagnostic (acquired by Borealis, 2007)

Co-founder & Chairman, CanTest

As one of the most active and successful technology angel investors in the region, and a pioneer of the health sciences and environmental testing industries in Canada, Dr. Rix has been instrumental in the creation, growth, and success dozens of technology companies over four decades. He is the co-founder and Chair of MDS Diagnostic Laboratories, which was acquired recently in the largest-ever exit of a health sciences company in BC for over $1.3 billion. Dr. Rix is also co-founder and Chair of CanTest Laboratories, one of Canada's top testing labs for food, water, soils, and air quality. Dr. Rix has served on the boards of numerous companies and leading research, industry, and philanthropic organizations. He is an avid supporter of university education and technology transfer, and was principal donor of the Donald Rix Building at the University of British Columbia, an incubator facility for the commercialization of university research.

Irfhan Rajani

Co-founder & CEO, Apparent Networks

Co-Founder, TeleBackup Systems (acquired by Veritas, 1999)

Irfhan is a serial entrepreneur whose reputation is built on the success of three technology companies founded over the past two decades. Apparent Networks, Irfhan’s third startup, was founded in late 2000 and is backed by leading US venture investors. Irfhan served as CEO of Apparent until mid-2007. Apparent develops software to improve the performance of networked applications. Its customers include Boeing, Nortel, Polycom, Siemens, IBM, Symantec and Electronic Arts. Before launching Apparent, Irfhan co-founded TeleBackup, one of the first software companies to use the Internet for off-site computer backup. TeleBackup was purchased by Veritas for over $200 million. Earlier in his career, Irfhan founded Zentra, a network storage systems integrator.

John Seminerio

Co-founder & CEO, OctigaBay (acquired by Cray, 2004)

Co-founder & CEO, Abatis (acquired by Redback, 1999)

John is one of Canada’s most successful entrepreneurs with an impressive track record in communications, networking, and high-performance computing. Most recently, John co-founded super-computer company OctigaBay Systems, which was acquired Cray (NASDAQ:CRAY) in 2004 in a transaction that was recognized as “Deal of the Year” by the Canadian venture capital industry. Previously, John co-founded Abatis Systems, which was purchased by Redback (NASDAQ:RDBK) for over C$1 billion, generating one of the highest returns in Canadian venture capital history. An electrical engineer, John honed his sales and leadership skills at Nortel and DSC. He has received the Engineering Alumni Achievement Medal from the University of Waterloo and has been honoured as “Person of the Year” by the BC Technology Industries Association.

Dr. Ken Spencer

Co-Founder & (retired) CEO, Creo (Nasdaq IPOm 1999;
acquired by Kodak, 2005)

Ken Spencer co-founded Creo in 1983. Creo grew to be British Columbia's largest technology company with over 4000 employees in BC, the United States, Europe and Israel. Ken retired as CEO in 1995, remaining active on Creo’s board through its Nasdaq IPO and until its acquisition by Kodak for over $1 billion in 2005. For over a decade, Ken has been an active angel investor in BC and has served as co-founder, chair or director of numerous technology companies, educational associations, and institutions in BC. He is currently on the boards of emerging companies Bycast and Sirius Genomics, is a member of the Board of the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), is chair of UBC's Electrical and Computer Engineering Advisory Committee, and is on the Council for UBC's University Liaison Office.

Ignition

Martin Tobias

Venture Partner, Ignition Partners

Chairman & CEO (past), Imperium Renewables

Founder & CEO, Loudeye (Nasdaq IPO, 1999)

Martin is a former Microsoft manager and a serial entrepreneur with impressive credentials in cleantech and digital media technologies. Most recently, as CEO of Seattle-based Imperium Renewables, Martin raised hundreds of millions in capital to transition Imperium from a small bio-diesel start-up into a global renewable fuels leader. Previously, Martin founded Loudeye Technologies, a provider of audio and video enabling solutions for the Internet, which he took public on Nasdaq. Loudeye is now a division of Nokia. Martin joined Ignition Partners in Seattle as a Venture Partner after his success with Loudeye. In that role and through his angel investing activities in the Pacific Northwest he has financed over two dozen technology start-ups and served on numerous boards. Earlier in his career, Martin was with Microsoft and Accenture. He is a founder of the Northwest Energy Angels, a network of investors and entrepreneurs building cleantech companies in WA, OR, and BC.

Ralph Turfus

Founder & CEO, Class Software (acquired by Active Network, 2004)

Ralph is an accomplished technology entrepreneur who has launched several start-ups over the past three decades. Most recently, he was founder and CEO of Class Software, a leading developer of software for municipal government. In 2004, Class was acquired by California-based Active Network in a private equity-financed transaction. An engineer/MBA, Ralph’s passion is developing the marketing and sales capabilities of entrepreneurial technologists. He is a highly-regarded speaker on the topic and is a hands-on angel investor and mentor who is active with the founders of numerous next-generation technology companies emerging on Canada’s west coast. In recognition of his business success and industry contributions he was named the B.C. Technology Industry Association’s “Person of the Year” in 2006.

Laurie Wallace

Co-Founder & President, FlyOver Entertainment
(acquired by Vivendi, 2006)

Co-founder & CEO, Datum (acquired by PMC-Sierra, 2000)

Laurie is a serial entrepreneur who has, to date, launched and led two successful technology companies in the digital media and wireless sectors. Most recently, Laurie co-founded and led online casual game developer FlyOver which was acquired by Vivendi Games in 2006. Previously, he co-founded Datum, a designer of semiconductors for the wireless data base station market. Acquired by PMC-Sierra for over $200 million in 2000 generating one of the highest returns ever in BC for an angel-backed company, Datum became PMC-Sierra’s wireless products division. Laurie led PMC-Sierra’s wireless marketing initiatives throughout Asia, Europe and North America until his departure in 2003. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Laurie worked in systems engineering, sales and executive management with industry leaders MPR Teltech, IBM and Apple.