Finance

Social Impact Investing combines purpose AND profits and is powering the biggest, boldest, bravest ideas building technology for good. Investing in entrepreneurs addressing the biggest challenges by connecting them with the resources and capital they need to thrive is a strategy deployed by future-focused corporations committed to communities.

In our podcast today, Leah Nguyen talks about Telus – once primarily renowned as a communications company and now diversified in health, education, agriculture and the environment; and how this progressive corporation is leveraging the power of technology and social impact investing to drive better social outcomes and economic growth.

You’ll learn what sectors the Telus Pollinator Fund funds, what size and level of investment they make, and how global companies can access the fund if there is a dire t or indirect benefit to Canadians.

Leah is an Investment Director for the TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good, which brings a dual-lens approach to investing in the next generation of startups that are leveraging technology to build solutions that drive positive social, health, and/or environmental outcomes. She drove the strategy and execution for launching the TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good, and now leads sourcing, evaluating, and executing investment opportunities that align with the Fund’s key areas of focus. Leah is active in the startup ecosystem, mentoring entrepreneurs and aspiring VCs, and regularly participates in speaking engagements and as a judge in pitch competitions.

Prior to launching the Pollinator Fund for Good, Leah held different roles at TELUS. Most recently, she was with TELUS Ventures, one of Canada’s longest standing and most active corporate venture funds where she helped to identify and source investments to drive growth into new markets while also serving as a strategic advisor to other TELUS business units.

Before TELUS, Leah was a management consultant with Accenture and a project manager at lululemon athletica. Outside of work, Leah stays active with her husband and three kids, serves as a board member for the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau, and volunteers with the parent advisory committee at her children’s school. She holds a BBA from Simon Fraser University.

Canada’s Trade Accelerator Program is presented by the World Trade Centre Vancouver. It gives BC-based businesses the training and support needed to become a successful exporter. Go to www.wtcvancouver.ca/tap and find out more.

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