Michelle Scarborough – Managing Director, Regional Innovation
Centre (RIC)
Michelle Scarborough is an experienced entrepreneur with a track record of business achievement spanning more than 20 years. She is a Canadian innovator and investor who has helped shape technology commercialization by bringing together the right teams to grow companies across knowledge based industries. Her business model has been implemented across Ontario and in other parts of Canada and the US to commercialize early stage companies from financing to growth to exit. Her own team has worked with more than 400 companies in its four years of operation and raised more than $100 million in private and public financing to support scalable global growth.
Michelle has a long history in the commercialization of early stage companies through scalable financing and global growth. She has held a cross section of C-level roles in public and private sector organizations, acting on behalf of VC and angel investors to commercialize, lead and align resources in order to achieve significant milestones, investment, and growth. In addition, she has held C-level roles in several non-governmental agencies, giving her a strong background in partnerships, fundraising and leadership across multiple shareholders.
Active in the investment community, Michelle led the establishment of the Ontario Emerging Technology Fund, a $250 million early stage fund and founded the Capital Angel Network. She has also been a founder and investor in several capital pool companies, private and publicly traded businesses in a range of industry sectors. She continues to play an active role as an angel investor in knowledge based enterprise across Canada.
In 2007, Michelle founded the Canada’s Top 10 Competition (www.topcanadiancompanies.com) in order to identify some of the best investments in Canada and raise the bar on early stage investing. To date, winners have raised more than $700 million in private capital.
Ms. Scarborough graduated from the University of Calgary with dual bachelor designations in Science and Communications. She is a 2008 Top 40 Under 40 Award Recipient. She is Co-Chair of the National Angel Capital Organization in Canada and continues to provide commentary and guidance to government and private industry on early stage investing. She is a member of the C100 (www.c100.org) and a regular speaker at conferences and in the media on topics related to early stage investment, commercialization and general start up business building.
