Vancouver’s PenderFund Capital Management has launched of Pender Ventures, a new group to accelerate its private investments into disruptive technology companies across Canada.
Led by managing partner Maria Pacella, Pender Ventures will serve as the umbrella for all of Pender’s private technology investments with a combined AUM of approximately $100 million. Portfolio companies include Jane, Copperleaf, Checkfront, and One45.
“When I joined Pender, the goal was to focus our investing on some of the most exciting growth opportunities, and these happened to be in technology. Now three years later, technology companies are becoming even more integral to how we live and work,” said Pacella.
“This continued digital transformation has provided the impetus and Pender Ventures is the vehicle that will position us to double-down on the Pender ‘inflection point’ thesis. Our goal is to help companies scale faster, have global impact, and generate outsized returns for our investors.”
In connection with its launch today, Pender Ventures also announced that Kristina Bergman is joining the team as a second female partner. Moving home to B.C. from Seattle to take on the role, Bergman is a veteran executive, entrepreneur and investor with 20 years of technology, marketing, product and investing experience.
“I’m thrilled to be joining the Pender Ventures team,” said Bergman. “As a founder myself, I understand the challenges that entrepreneurs face in scaling companies and the critical role capital can play in a firm’s life cycle, if injected at the right time. I look forward to helping Pender back founders and technologies that can move the world forward.”
The firm also announced the final close of its latest fund, the Pender Technology Inflection Fund LP I. PTIF is a $25 million fund focused on helping companies scale past seed stage. Investors include Export Development Canada (EDC) and Vancity amongst others. To date, the fund has successfully invested in five dynamic Canadian companies across a range of information and health technology.