Hi, I’m Raissa.
Building connected capital systems that deliver returns and resilience.
I believe capital is one of the most powerful tools we have for justice, and one of the most common ways injustice gets built into our economy. Who holds money, who decides where it goes and what it asks for in return shapes who gets to build, own and thrive. My work is about changing those terms.
I’ve come to this from the builder’s side. I’ve founded companies in health and wellness, consumer packaged goods and medtech, so I know what it takes to get a product to market and what it costs founders when the money isn’t built for them. One of those companies was ultimately bought out by the people it was created to support, which taught me that ownership can be part of the impact, not separate from it.
As an executive at a foundation focused on empowering Indigenous youth and strengthening communities, I learned that communities already know what they need. What’s often missing is capital that trusts them to lead.
I became an investor to fill a gap. Too many women and non-binary founders were doing the hard work and still being shut out of capital, or offered it on terms that served everyone but them. So I built Audaxa Ventures to back them.
I also work directly with mission driven organizations, from the arts sector to community organizations serving newcomer women, on capital strategy and blended finance, designing funding models that bring philanthropy, earned revenue and investment together so their impact can last.
Today I teach at Ivey Business School and Haskayne School of Business, develop case studies, and research how financial systems can be redesigned to share power and wealth more fairly. Closer to home, I serve on the board of Local Investing YYC, a member owned cooperative that lets Calgarians invest directly in local businesses, and I’m a steward of the Catalyst: Community Finance Initiative, which supports community finance across Canada. I also sit on investment committees and advisory groups with NorthX Women in Climate Tech, BDC Thrive Lab and FemTech Canada.
What connects all of it is a simple idea: when capital, companies and communities are connected well, you can build for returns and resilience at the same time.
Backing women and non-binary founders at seed stage through Audaxa Ventures, with capital that matches how their companies actually grow, and supporting them through the decisions that shape what they become.
Invest
Building blended finance vehicles and capital strategies that bring grants, investment and community capital together, so organizations can fund their work in ways that last beyond the next funding cycle.
Design
Working alongside early stage companies on leadership, strategy and operations, drawing on my own experience as a founder, so they’re ready to grow, raise capital and build teams that can carry them forward.
Build
Sharing what I’ve learned through teaching at Ivey Business School and Haskayne School of Business, developing case studies, and speaking on panels about capital, entrepreneurship and building more connected financial systems.