Who We Are
Archangel is a network of funds dedicated to accelerating Canada’s transition to an innovation economy. Our team comprises entrepreneurs, business leaders, seasoned angel investors, venture capitalists, and professionals with a wealth of experience.
We’ve led tech companies to successful exits while remaining committed to reinvesting in Canada’s innovation ecosystem.
Our Team
Stephanie Aivaliotis
Marketing Administrator
Stephanie is Archangel’s Marketing and Communications Administrator. She is a versatile freelance writer and creative with experience in content writing, video editing, and social media. When Stephanie’s not working, she enjoys making music, writing poetry, and reading.
Stephanie graduated from the University of Toronto where she specialized in Political Science and minored in Philosophy with a concentration in Political Theory.
Peter Barr
Independent Board Director
Peter is AltaML’s Chief Strategy Officer where he helps develop their national platform of applied Ai.
He was previously with Deloitte for 40 years and held a variety of leadership positions. Most recently he was the Managing Partner for the Waterloo and Western Ontario Region where he created Deloitte’s innovative new office and team that focuses on disruptive technologies and the insurance industry. From 2008 to 2012 Peter was a member of the Deloitte Board of Directors and has been a member of the Board of Governors at the University of Waterloo since 2017. He is also an alumnus of the School of Accounting and Finance.
Todd Bissett
Legal Advisor
Todd is a widely experienced business, technology and international transactions lawyer, licensed in California and Ontario. He previously practiced for several years in Silicon valley and Greater China. He is a partner at Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP’s Waterloo Region office.
Todd’s emerging growth practice focuses on the complete life-cycle of startup companies, from formation and organizational work through equity and debt financings, mergers and acquisitions, and complex business combinations. Todd acts for both issuers and investors in investments, and sellers and buyers in M&A transactions. He has worked extensively with venture capital and private equity funds, major institutional and strategic investors, and companies and issuers from early stage startups to multinational public and private organizations.
Jacky Chen
General Partner
Jacky is dedicated to angel investment and has built up a portfolio of tens of startup companies in Canada and the US. Further to his role with Archangel, Jacky also serves as a Managing Director of Wharton Alumni Angels. Prior to angel investing, he acquired concrete business
experiences as a successful founder in the startup ecosystem and as an executive of Fortune 500 companies over the last two decades. His remarkable accomplishments range from building startups from scratch to leading a billion-dollar business with the leverage of 14,000 enterprise channel partners. The unique journey has shaped Jacky’s outstanding investment in early startups.
Jacky holds an MBA from CEIBS and The Wharton Business School, and a masters of Electrical Engineering.
Ellen Fang
General Partner
Ellen is an angel investor and a former executive at L.E.K. Consulting and Deloitte. Ellen has accumulated rich experience in evaluating and investing in opportunities across a wide range of sectors. She has helped many Fortune 500 corporations expand business in Asia through
equity/asset acquisition, partnership, licensing, and joint ventures. She has also worked with leading growth capitals and buyout funds evaluating deals, and developing growth strategies and value activation plans for their portfolio companies. Ellen’s current focus is investing in innovations in technology, healthcare, and renewable energy in Canada, the US and China.
Ellen holds an MBA from CEIBS with an exchange program at London Business School and a bachelor’s degree in Material Sciences. Ellen sits on the Association Council of Upper Canada College.
Amber French
Principal
Amber is a Managing Partner at Catalyst Capital, focusing on innovative investments in the Waterloo Region. She is the co-founder of Catalyst Commons, a 70,000 sqft coworking space in Waterloo, and most recently co-founded Catalyst Entertainment Technology, a VR gaming company. Amber is the former Director of Capital Services at Communitech and is an active GTAN member who mentors early-stage technology companies.
Amber holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Waterloo.
Danielle Graham
General Partner
Danielle Graham is Managing Partner of Phoenix Fire and Co-Founder of The Firehood. She founded Communitech’s Fierce Founders, the first women-focused tech accelerator in Canada. Previously, Manager of Ontario Centres of Innovation’s Market Readiness fund, Principal at Sandpiper and Dream Maker Ventures and consulting at Deloitte.
Randall Howard
General Partner
Randall has had a distinguished career building and funding global firms based on innovation. A prolific technology visionary, CEO, investor and philanthropist, Randall has worn many hats in both investment and operation including as a Manager Partner of Verdexus, Co-founder and Partner of Cognition Fund, and co-founder of CEO MKS Inc. a software company that was taken public and acquired.
In the Waterloo-Toronto Tech Corridor, Randall is well known as a co-founder of Communitech and a major driver of GTAN, the local angel organization.
Randall graduated from the University of Waterloo with an honours degree in computer science and mathematics.
Thealzel Lee
General Partner
Thealzel Lee is an experienced board member, entrepreneur and angel investor who advises companies on technology commercialization and developing achievable business strategies. She has managed angel investor group meetings including the VANTEC Angel Network (VANTEC) and the Vancouver chapter of the Keiretsu Forum (Northwest Region). She also served on committees with the National Angel Capital Organization (Canada) and the Angel Capital Association (U.S.). Thealzel is co-founder and director of angel investment funds Nelsa Investment (VCC) Inc., the VANTEC Entrepreneurs (VCC) Fund Inc. dba eFund and the Montfort Capital Corporation (TSX.V:MONT) which provide equity and non-equity investments in these entrepreneurs.
Thealzel holds an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario and a BSc from the University of Alberta.
Benton Leong
General Partner
In his career, Benton has served as a teacher and researcher in computer science at Penn State University and the University of Waterloo. He is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, coach to many startups, innovation ecosystem builder and community activist. Some of Benton’s roles include: Communitech’s Executive-in-Residence; Canada’s National Angel Capital Organization (NACO)’s Angel-in-Residence; Co-founder of MapleSoft – MapleSoft was acquired by Cybernet Systems Group in 2009.
A business developer at heart, Benton identifies opportunities that are not obvious at first glance; he puts together teams with complementary expertise to capitalize on those opportunities. As well as serving on the board for tech ventures, Benton also helps in the general community as a board member and volunteer for organizations that serve people under stress, recent immigrants, and those without shelter.
Claudette McGowan
General Partner
Claudette McGowan is a global information technology leader with more than 20 years of success leading digital transformations, optimizing infrastructure and designing new approaches that improve service and cybersecurity experiences. She has worked in the technology industry for several organizations such as Deloitte, Metropolitan Police Services, North York General Hospital, Bank of Montreal and TD Bank.
Claudette is the founder and CEO of Protexxa, a Canadian-based cybersecurity software and services company.
Claudette is an active member of the Canadian innovation ecosystem. She is the chair of the Coalition of Innovation Leaders Against Racism (CILAR), a group of senior business leaders committed to fighting systemic racism within the innovation economy. Her commitment to community is evidenced by her multiple board seats for leading organizations such as MaRS Discovery District, SickKids Hospital Foundation, Black North, The Coalition of Innovation Leaders Against Racism (CILAR), Elevate Technology Festival, Northwind Professional Institute, and the U.S. Consul General of Toronto U.S-Canada Innovation Council.
Claudette completed her studies in Canada and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Lakehead University, a Master of Business Administration from Athabasca University, and an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Carleton University. Claudette is currently in the Computer Science PhD program at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Peyvand Melati
General Partner
Peyvand is a highly accomplished entrepreneur and angel investor who has successfully launched multiple businesses. He is an expert in the commercialization and growth of companies in major industries, with a focus on AI, IOT, CleanTech and Med Tech. He is a seasoned veteran in the start up process from initial inception to launch. Peyvand has a particular knack for setting priorities, developing strategies and building teams to scale ventures.
Peyvand is the founder & CEO of QEA Tech, an AI driven sustainability company that uses drones to gather comprehensive thermography, quantification, and energy audit service for building’s infrastructure.
Peyvand is an electrical engineer and holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and from the Schulich School of Business.
Ehsan Mirdamadi
General Partner
Ehsan has been an active entrepreneur since 1999. Throughout his 20 + years of experience, he has founded, led and exited multiple successful ventures in cloud computing, cloud software and biotechnology in Canada and the United States. Ehsan is the founder and CEO of smartcocoon. He acts as a technology and venture development advisor to dozens of ventures.
Ehsan holds a B.Sc in Computer Science from York University.
Alexandra Puthon
Operations
Alexandra’s work at Archangel involves managing day-to-day fund operations by supporting Archangel’s four portfolios, including reviewing legal documents for fund investments and interacting with portfolio companies and limited partners.
Alexandra earned an LL.B from the University of Edinburgh and is licensed with the Law Society of Ontario. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree at Western University, with a double major in Globalization Studies and Nutrition.
Aaron Rezaei
General Partner
Aaron is a serial entrepreneur, investor and advisor who has co-founded several companies in electronics design, electronics manufacturing, voltage power (protection control), and SCADA panel design in Canada and the United States. He is currently the CEO of STIM, Canada.
As an angel investor, Aaron is most interested in pre-seed and seed-stage start-ups in the tech, fintech, electronics design and manufacturing spaces.
By trade, Aaron is an electrical engineer and holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management.
David Rich
General Partner
Prior to angel investing, David had a 30 year career in the food industry. He was country manager for one of the world’s leading flavour and ingredient companies. He brings a strong record of corporate governance, financial and risk management.
David was the 2018 GTAN Angel of the Year. He sits on the Board of Directors at Hospice Wellington.
David holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a B.Eng. from McGill University.
Diane Wolfenden
General Partner
Diane Wolfenden is an active angel investor. Since 2009, she’s been a charter member of the Golden Triangle Angel Network (GTAN) and has twice been on its board. In 2016, she received GTAN’s David Borges Community Builder of the Year Award. Formerly an investor advisor with RBC Dominion Securities, she also gives back as a community volunteer. She sits on the board of Stratford Summer Music, and chairs the Community Aid Fund for the Kitchener Conestoga Rotary Club. She’s a former chair of Equation Angels, the board of Governors of the Grand River Hospital Foundation and the Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce.
Diane received both her MBA and MLS from McGill University.