Jim has been involved with financing growth companies for over 20 years. Prior to founding Avrio Capital in 2006 Jim worked as a vice president for Farm Credit Canada and was responsible for launching and building the Bank’s growth equity and venture capital division, FCC Ventures. Under Jim’s leadership FCC Ventures grew from a new start-up to a team of 7 investment professional with offices in Toronto, Regina and Calgary.
Prior to joining Farm Credit Canada Jim was responsible for Bank of Montreal Capital Corporation’s activities in Western Canada. Following his years at Bank of Montreal he worked for Westcoast Energy to help establish their structured finance group. In addition to Jim’s years of experience in venture capital, growth equity, mezzanine and subordinated debt markets Jim spent time as an operator of a small manufacturing company in Calgary.
Jim has an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and an undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Alberta.
Daniel brings over 20 years of corporate finance and accounting experience to the Avrio team. Previously, Daniel was the chief financial officer with LifeMark Health Management Inc. At LifeMark, Daniel oversaw the financial and growth objectives of one of Canada’s largest rehabilitation companies, leading a finance group that completed more than 60 acquisitions over the span of seven years. Notably, Daniel renegotiated LifeMark's debt facilities including syndicated facilities and assisted in LifeMark’s sale and transition to a publicly traded entity.
Prior to joining LifeMark, Daniel was a manager with Ernst & Young in the taxation group. At Ernst & Young, he managed multinational engagement teams providing tax consulting and compliance services.
Denis brings over 20 years of agricultural investing and operational experience to the Avrio team. Previously, Denis was an investment manager with Farm Credit Canada (FCC) Ventures where the majority of his investments were focused on companies with strong technological advantages, particularly value-added food processors with high growth potential. Prior to joining FCC, Denis was an investment adviser with SGF Soquia, the director of agriculture and food processing accounts with the Royal Bank of Canada and a sales analyst with the Bank of Montreal.
Denis has built an impressive network in the Food- and Ag-related biotech industry. He has successfully managed loan and equity portfolios and has provided term debt, sub debt and equity financing to several companies to finance acquisitions, expansions and working capital and restructure debt.
Denis is a Professional Agronomist and has a Bachelor of Sciences (Agriculture) degree from McGill University.
Steven joined Avrio Capital in January of 2015 after a 10-year career at Roynat Capital where he was in charge of sourcing, investing and managing various Roynat equity investments. While at Roynat, Steven was directly responsible for an equity portfolio of companies with a cost base of over $50 million, generating overall gains of over $100 million. During this time, he led a number of highly successful food transactions, including: Liberte Foods, Pineridge Bakery and Kicking Horse Coffee. Pineridge Bakery was a highly successful exit for Roynat achieving an almost 5X ROIC over the life of the investment.
Prior to Roynat, Steven was an operator in several companies, including an executive with Mitchel’s Gourmet Foods where he led a successful restructuring. Steven has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Saskatchewan.