North Forge is excited to welcome Candy Dong as the North Forge Angel Network Manager to support the continued growth of Founders through our Angel Network, as well as those who are a part of our Mitacs partnership. 

Candy has two years of entrepreneurial experience as a graduate of the Asper MBA program, with general business knowledge in Project Management, Finance, Marketing and Supply Chain Management. She brings with her a versatile skill set with industry experience in investing, marketing, business analysis, customer service, and sales. 

We chatted with Candy to find out a little more about her:

Q: What drew you to the role of North Forge Angel Network Manager?
A: As an investment manager with Red Leaf Capital, sometimes, there are start-ups that come to us without being ready for institutional investors, as some of them just have a vague idea about investment but do not know how and what process should be gone through. Some of them may think Venture Capitalist is the one-stop solution while omitting the fact that angel investors could also be a stepping stone helping the business from the ground before they get funded by a VC with a less complex process. At the same time, some high-net-worth individuals want to diversify their investment portfolios by investing in tech start-ups but don’t know-how. This position works perfectly to demystify the process of investment and start-up.

Q: What are you excited about bringing to the team?
A: ​I am ready to share my experiences gained at Red Leaf, meet new entrepreneurs and help entrepreneurs to get ready for their investment.

​Q: What are you looking forward to about your new position?
A: ​To me, this is a mutual learning experience as this position provides me with more opportunities to connect with entrepreneurs and investors coming from different backgrounds. I can also learn from people I am about to meet regarding the industry dynamics and their insights which may enlighten me or broaden my horizons of knowledge.

Q: How did you become involved in the investment industry?
A: It is a natural process, I’d say. Prior to my current position at Red Leaf, I was involved with a couple of start-ups and witnessed how the founding team struggled with funds. At that point, I learnt how important capital is to the start-up alongside the networks and resources that investors could offer. I joined Red Leaf as a business analyst and completed a couple of consulting projects including local ones and international ones. When Red Leaf initiated its investment fund, I became responsible for the deal sourcing and screening.

Q: What do you like to do when you’re not working?
A: When I am away from work, I tend to go rock climbing and do workouts. 

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Next Steps:

If you are an accredited investor, and interested in joining the North Forge Angel Network, please fill out the Expression of Interest form.

If you are a non-accredited investor or new to investing, and interested in joining the North Forge Angel Network, we ask that you fill out the Expression of Interest Form as North Forge is able to provide online courses through NACO to help you on your journey to becoming an accredited investor.

If you are a founder in the science-based, technology-enabled, or advanced manufacturing industries and are interested in the North Forge four-stage Founders Program to work toward accessing the North Forge Angel Network, you can learn more and submit your application form here. Our Programming Team will be happy to chat with you about your innovation.