Phoenix Fire Fund

A national movement to increase the participation, leadership and prosperity of women in technology.

Phoenix Fire is an angel stage investment fund that applies a systematic, disciplined approach to investing in women entrepreneurs across Canada.

Our Mission

To invest in early-stage women entrepreneurs with high growth and revenue-generating potential by applying a systematic and disciplined approach to drive returns for angel investment in women-led teams:

  • Active portfolio management with experienced angel investors;
  • Extensive networks, support and mentors who share in the upside through participation in investments;
  • National partnerships to access and attract diverse deal flow.

Our Focus

Phoenix Fire focuses on seed-stage start-ups with strong, research and data-driven IP in:

Technology
Sustainability
Health Tech
Industry 4.0

Portfolio

The Phoenix Fire Team

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.

At BMO, Claudette served as the CIO, Enterprise Technology Experience and at TD she was the Global Executive Officer for Protect Fusion & Cyber Experience. Claudette is currently the Chief Executive Officer for 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. McGowan recently co-led the launch of Phoenix Fire & The Firehood, a multi-million dollar women-focused angel fund and network for women in technology.

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.

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.

Diane Wolfenden
General Partner

Diane is an active angel investor and a charter member of the Golden Triangle Angel Network (GTAN). A former GTAN board member, she represents GTAN on the Board of Equation Angels which is chairs. Formerly an investor advisor with RBC Dominion Securities, she now gives back to the community as a volunteer. She is a former Chair of both the board of Governors of the Grand River Hospital Foundation and the Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce, and was the recipient of the GTAN David Borges Community Builder of the Year Award in 2016.  Diane received both her MLS and MBA from McGill University in Montreal.

Thealzel Lee
General Partner

Thealzel Lee is an entrepreneur, angel investor and business strategy advisor to companies with a focus on strategy development and operational alignment. She manages the monthly VANTEC Angel Network (VANTEC) and the Vancouver chapter of the Keiretsu Forum (Northwest Region) for the local startup community of entrepreneurs and angel investors. She also serves 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 a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology from the University of Alberta, and a Masters of Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario.