Members of the startup community were saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Heather Boyd-Kinnie, the Funding Manager and Program Coordinator of the Pond-Deshpande Centre at the University of New Brunswick.

Boyd-Kinnie passed away at her home in Fredericton on March 16, 2021.

Born October 12, 1962 in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, she was a graduate of Dalhousie University Law School and a former member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Barristers Society.

She managed PDC’s ChangeMaker Fund, helping more than 200 companies get off the ground with their first financial investment.

“She was not only the heart and soul of the Pond-Deshpande Centre but a dear friend and treasured member of a large family of Change Makers, Social Innovators and Entrepreneurs who are on a quest to make this world a better place,” said PDC Executive Director Karina Schmidt LeBlanc in a tribute on Facebook. “We will miss her deeply and send our love to all her friends and family.”

Her obituary said there will be a celebration of life held at a later date, when interprovincial travel becomes easier.