Our Advisory Board

The Espresso advisory board provides oversight and advice on behalf of the Limited Partners, including a portfolio review.

Norm Francis Norm Francis

Former founder and CEO of Pivotal Corporation. Norm is a very active ‘super-angel’ with a number of significant investments and directorships in technology startups.

Steve Hnatiuk Steve Hnatiuk

Steve has been successfully working with emerging technology companies for more than 20 years. He is currently active on a variety of boards, and serves as Vice President of the board of directors for Canada’s Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (CVCA).

Paul Geyer Paul Geyer

Paul is very active in the medical technology industry as both a founder, angel investor, and board director at a number of companies and groups. Paul was awarded the BC Angel Investor of the year in 2010.

Frank Christiaens Frank Christiaens

Frank is an active angel investor with significant executive experience in Asian markets.

Sam Znaimer Sam Znaimer

Sam is the General Partner at Ventures West Capital, one of Canada’s pioneers in technology venture capital with almost 30 years of hands-on early stage technology investment experience.

Recent blog posts

Expert Panel Recommends Changes to SR&ED Program (Commentary and Opinion)

On October 17, the long awaited “Jenkins Report” on R&D in Canada was presented to the federal government. While the scope of the report was on all government R&D programs, there were a number of recommendations to government on the SR&ED program specifically. Since the SR&ED program is very important to Espresso Capital, we wanted [...]

Espresso Capital Announces First Close of $30 Million Tax Credit II Fund

Vancouver and Toronto, Nov 27, 2011–  Espresso Capital Partners,  a provider of alternative financing for growth companies in Canada, announces the first closing of its second Fund based on financing government tax credits . The $30-million Espresso Tax Credit II Fund was created in response to increasing demand from technology and digital media companies for funding [...]

Career Opportunity – Associate Partner covering Ontario and Eastern Canada

Espresso Capital is seeking a dynamic individual to lead the business in Ontario and Eastern Canada.  The successful candidate will be responsible for growing Espresso’s portfolio and all aspects of managing the client relationship.  The ideal candidate is currently involved in the technology finance sector with a minimum of 10 years experience, well connected in [...]

Paul Cataford joins Espresso Capital Partners

Experienced tech veteran, director, and former VC joins innovative financing firm   Espresso Capital Partners is pleased to announce that Paul Cataford has joined the firm as a Partner with primary responsibility for Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba investments.  With extensive experience in technology finance, Paul brings a complete understanding of Espresso Capital’s unique financing solutions to [...]

SR&ED program review — call to action

Canada’s SR&ED program is currently being reviewed by the federal government and your input is important.   Help us keep SR&ED intact – tell the federal government how it’s important to your company In December 2010, the federal government convened an Expert Panel to review federal support of Research and Development in Canada. Several organizations provided input [...]