Grand Challenges Canada

WHO WE ARE

Grand Challenges Canada is dedicated to supporting Bold Ideas with Big Impact¨. Funded by the Government of Canada and other partners, Grand Challenges Canada funds innovators in low- and middle-income countries and Canada. The bold ideas Grand Challenges Canada supports integrate science and technology, social and business innovation Ð known as Integrated Innovation.

$228,000,000

TARGET SIZE OF FUNDS

Sector

Healthcare, Social Impact, Education, Environment

Stage

Region

North America, Oceania

Countries

Canada, Australia, US

Founder(s)

Annie Theriault

Annie is an experienced investor and lender across multiple sectors and stages who also chairs the investment committee of The Big Push, an accelerator for women-led tech companies, and is an advisor to the CEO of FrontFundr, a Canadian fintech company. She gained her experience as a lender while consulting with a US-based fintech company specializing in accounts receivable financing and term loans to CPG companies and as a senior executive for Grenville Strategic Royalty Corp., a Toronto-based publicly traded royalty finance company focused on revenue-based financing in the technology and technology-enable services sectors. Prior to focusing on debt products, Annie built a strong track-record as a venture capitalist as a senior investor with two venture capital teams, first with Northwater Capital ManagementÕs Intellectual Property Funds and subsequently with Export Development CanadaÕs venture capital team where she was an instrumental lead investor and board member/observer for portfolio companies she helped raise multi-million dollar rounds of debt and equity financing. Annie spent her early career in capital markets primarily focusing on quantitative products and traded assets. Annie obtained her Ph.D. in Management from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, is a CFA Charterholder and holds the ICD.D designation. She also earned a MasterÕs Degree in Business Economics from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours in Chemistry from Mount Allison University. When not solving business challenges, Annie can be found doing messy science experiments with her daughters, or skiing and hanging out by the pool with her family.