26 – 100 in alphabetical order by company: Sergio Escobar, CEO & partner, BCF Ventures
Sergio Escobar leads BCF Ventures, Canada-based law firm BCF Business Law’s corporate venture capital (CVC) arm, as chief executive and partner. He is supported by portfolio manager Bonnie Chau and investment analysts Diana Sciortino and Alexie Bedard-Johnsson on the team.
The fund benefits from the expertise, resources and insights of the law firm as well as other notable advisers and invests jointly with other funds across North America and Europe.
Concerning BCF Ventures’ track record, Escobar explained: “In the past three years, we have deployed capital to nine investments, in which three investments have already exited by means of an acquisition.
“During the pandemic year, we have seen tremendous growth in our portfolio companies, mainly due to the resiliency of our investment thesis, enterprise software serving business-to-business (B2B) clients. We decided to double-down our capital into the winning companies as part of the fund’s strategy to return the best performance return possible.”
Regarding the unit, BCF said: “As members of the board, we are delighted to share the amazing work undertaken by BCF Ventures over the course of the last 12 months, particularly in the midst of a challenging year. As we conclude a third successful year of operations, let us take the time to reflect on a period of resilience, learning and growth.
“Irrespective of the trials and tribulations of the global pandemic, BCF Ventures’ relentless pursuit at excellence has never wavered. In fact, throughout the course of such unprecedented times, the operations and management of the fund was marked by considerable increases in efficiency.
“By fostering a growing network of institutional partners, co-investors and entrepreneurs, BCF Ventures continues to be recognised favourably on a regional, national and international scale within the venture capital ecosystem.
“From a strategic standpoint, our executive decision to pivot from being a marketed as a ‘super angel fund’ to a ‘CVC fund’ has proven successful.
“We are committed to capitalising on synergies and value-added propositions between BCF Business Law and BCF Ventures. As our portfolio companies continue to grow and scale exponentially, the priority remains to support their development toward possible exist or public offering. This fruitful partnership has resulted in a favourable reputational advantage for the law firm and its esteemed professionals.”
Prior to VC, Escobar was a technology entrepreneur in the global startup community. He has accumulated a wealth of experience and network as a business mentor for startup accelerators in the US, Canada, Europe and the Middle East, such as Techstars, Startup Canada and Founder Institute. Escobar is also the director at the Founder Institute Montreal, in which he has incubated over 60 startups by working with each founder to grow their business and to raise rounds from angel to series A. He has been actively developing a diversified investment portfolio of companies both as an angel investor and VC investor.
