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.

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.