On October 11, 2023, Mark Blackwell of Builders VC was recognized with the Investor of the Year Award as part of the 2023 Start Alberta Tech Awards. The Investor of the Year is awarded to an individual or investment firm that has displayed the best investment acumen over the last year in Alberta’s tech sector. This individual or firm also demonstrates a positive example within the Alberta investment community with a high level of integrity and raises the profile of local investing.
Mark Blackwell is a General Partner and lead of the Canadian office at Builders VC. Builders VC has invested in prominent Alberta tech companies such as VEERUM, Mercator AI, Future Fields, Provisions Analytics, and QuoteToMe.
“As a general partner at Builders VC, I have one of the best jobs in the world, investing in some of the greatest companies and entrepreneurs that are looking to disrupt the way that traditional industries whether it’s construction, mining, agriculture, healthcare or industrials work today,” explains Mark.
Mark is also active in the Alberta ecosystem as the current Board Chair of the $100M Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund (OCIF), the Board of Governors of the University of Calgary, Vice Chair of the $1.19B University of Calgary Endowment Fund and Board Member of Emissions Reduction Alberta which has awarded over $800M in total funding to climate and emission-related technology projects.
Mark is also an associate of Creative Destructive Labs – Rockies. Mark has been honoured by the Order of the University, the Rising Star Alumni Award and recently the 2021 Rising Star with Venture Capital Magazine.
“I’m extremely grateful to Alberta Enterprise for not only sponsoring this award but for the entire Alberta Enterprise team for believing in Builders and myself since the inception of our first fund back in 2018. As an entrepreneur who built grew and sold his first startup in Alberta, having learned so many lessons and been mentored by so many inside the A100, it’s an honour to be sitting on the other side as a VC and getting the opportunity to work with such a diverse and inspiring group of companies here at home.”
Keep track of Mark Blackwell and Builder VC’s investment activity in the Start Alberta database.
The Investor of the Year Award is generously sponsored by Alberta Enterprise Corporation. Alberta Enterprise promotes the development of Alberta’s venture capital industry by investing in venture capital funds that finance technology companies.
Start Alberta is committed to helping the businesses and communities within our province’s tech sector thrive and grow. Since 2018, the Start Alberta Tech Awards have recognized individuals and organizations for their contributions to Alberta’s innovation ecosystem and those significantly impacting the province’s tech sector. The Start Alberta Platform connects our province’s innovation and tech ecosystem with data to help investors, entrepreneurs and policymakers with the insights needed to make their next, big move.
View the full list of 2023 Tech Award winners.
