26 – 100 in alphabetical order by company: Richard Osborn, managing partner, Telus Ventures
Rich Osborn leads Telus Ventures, a corporate venture capital (CVC) arm of Canada-based diversified conglomerate Telus, as managing partner. The unit invests in areas including agricultural, connected consumer, digital health and smart cities and the internet of things technologies.
The unit has most recently backed data-powered healthcare simulation service Lumeto, online pharmacy operator PocketPills, machine-to-machine connectivity platform Eseye and farm management software developer AgriWebb.
Telus Ventures exited healthcare communication and workflow management software developer PatientSafe Solutions when it was acquired by peer Vocera Communications in April 2021. MindBeacon Software, on the other hand, went public in an initial public offering on the Toronto Stock Exchange four months earlier.
Under Osborn’s leadership, the Telus Ventures team continues to be proactive in identifying and investing in companies that, through innovation, are improving social outcomes. Now more than ever, virtual care tools are essential for helping Canadians and Telus Ventures remains committed to providing all Canadians access to quality healthcare no matter their socioeconomic status.
“Telus Ventures has established and is leading a group of immunologists, infectious disease experts, general practitioners and business leaders in the fight against covid-19,” Osborn said. “Together, the group is focused on exploring the validity of serology tests – a type of test that can identify whether a person has produced antibodies in reaction to covid-19.
“Serology testing will be a key part of helping Canadian return to normal life, helping healthcare officials understand how many people have actually come in contact with the disease and whether individuals who contract it develop immunity.”
Telus Ventures has completed a total of 86 deals since it was founded in 2001 and is one of Canada’s longest-standing CVC funds. It has 30 active portfolio companies from around the world, including Canada, the United States, Asia, Europe and Israel.
Before joining Telus Ventures in 2016, Osborn was the founder and managing partner of investment fund RecapHealth Ventures, a Canada-based investor in North American healthcare companies. Prior to founding the firm, he was a partner at private equity firm Second City Capital Partners, acquiring majority ownership positions in leading mid-market companies.
Osborn co-founded an institutionally supported VC fund and co-managed two Business Development Bank of Canada funds with additional external general partners. He began his career in technology as an early employee of Multactive, the company behind a first-generation CRM product called Maximizer.
Osborn is the founder of one of Canada’s first social impact funds, BC Social Venture Partners, and is an adviser to an international microfinance fund and several Canadian impact funds. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Queens University and an MBA from the University of British Columbia.
