The local private equity marketplace is seeing the re-emergence of a past performer with the launch of the new APERION Fund. Despite a global slowing and with layoffs in the sector, Alberta technology companies are continuing to capture investor interest.
Backed by leading Calgary venture capitalist Rob Purdy, the fund was created in late 2022 and includes a deep bench of entrepreneurs and portfolio companies in various stages of seed and Series A funding. The fund is focusing on 8 to 10 early-stage ventures in the areas of industrial technologies, software and hardware technologies, supply chains and logistics, disruptive health and wellness platforms, and fintech.
Purdy launched his initial private equity fund in 2010 and over a seven-year period the fund delivered strong returns to its partners and co-investors, rivalling some of the top funds in the private equity and venture capital space.
Purdy has been a founding and ongoing growth investor in launching companies such as Benevity, Solium Capital (now Shareworks), Computer Modelling Group, Deer Creek, Total Energy Services and each of the predecessor companies of Tourmaline, Kelt, numerous royalty trusts, and tech-focused infrastructure companies.
Industry veterans helping to curate the new fund’s portfolio companies include Brian Prokop, Gerry Leibel, Jason Orr, and Linda Bakken along with corporate development leaders Lambros Tsaprailis, David Krupp, and Lewk Schulze.
“The Calgary market has been strong for private equity in recent years as the inflows keep growing year after year,” said Purdy. “I think this new fund ties into the broader move by smart private investors into specific tech and innovation companies that can drive value and returns. We like to be invested early and often as we actively incubate our select investment opportunities.”
APERION is launching the fund with an invitation-only event on June 7 in Calgary with leaders of the portfolio companies in attendance. Brian Humphry and Dan Huras from TRION Battery Technologies, Rob Swiderski and Rory Millikin from TruCelium, Chris Hunt and Riaan Kirsten from Rainmaker.Earth, and Darrell Osadchuk from Zyng will share the opportunities and the potential developing within each of their companies.
The Calgary market will be watching. In 2022, Alberta tech firms attracted $729 million in venture capital funding which represented a fifth consecutive year of increased funding according to the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (CVCA).
Details on APERION can be found at aperion.fund or by emailing the company at invest@aperion.fund.
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