Gerry Pond, the driving force behind the East Coast startup community, has received the first-ever BDC Entrepreneurship Champion from the Business Development Bank of Canada.
He received the award during a reception in Toronto last night. Tonight, by coincidence, he will be the first speaker at the Startup Grind Halifax meeting at the McInnes Cooper officee.
The BDC Entrepreneurship Champion is a national award that recognizes the achievement of a Canadian entrepreneur and community leader. It is given to someone who has created and grown one or many successful small or medium-sized businesses while significantly contributing to the prosperity of the Canadian entrepreneurship ecosystem.
“Gerry exemplifies the qualities of the consummate entrepreneur –innovator, visionary and community leader,” said BDC President and CEO Jean-Rene Halde in a statement. “He has demonstrated these qualities throughout the course of his career and has imparted his wealth of knowledge and experience, inspiring other Canadian entrepreneurs to achieve national and international success.”
The former president of New Brunswick Telecom, Pond is chairman and co-founder of Mariner Partners Inc., one of the largest tech companies in the region. He holds the same titles with East Valley Ventures, whose members have invested millions of dollars in dozens of tech startups.
Pond was an early investor in several successful start-ups, including Q1 Labs and Radian6. They exited for a combined value of more than $1 billion in 2011, and some of the proceeds have been reinvested in the Atlantic Canadian economy.
As an advocate for advancing entrepreneurship in Atlantic Canada, Pond co-created Propel ICT, a start-up accelerator. He is also a cofounder of the Pond Deshpande Centre at the University of New Brunswick, which encourages emerging entrepreneurs and innovators in the region to accelerate the creation of sustainable, scalable enterprises.
“At its core, entrepreneurship is about hard work and determination to make something better,” he said in the statement. “It’s about focusing on the greater good, and collectively making positive change. We need more people, especially young people, to embrace this mindset, tackle difficult issues, and continue the proud tradition of Canadian entrepreneurship.”
Pond recently offered $500,000 to any institution or institutions that can set up a school for international sales. He believes the lack of skill in selling in foreign markets is a key factor holding back the region’s tech companies.
A national selection committee representing the Canadian business community selected the winner.
The BDC Entrepreneurship Awards are presented throughout the year to recognize outstanding contributions in four pillar areas: serial entrepreneurship, mentorship, innovation, and entrepreneurial resiliency.
