The journey through 2024 saw AIO help create or sponsor a great number of memorable events, programs and services to help both our angel investors and the entrepreneurs to which they provide both funding and important mentoring to.

We provided venues to help attract new prospective angels to meet and network with our organized angel groups across the province. In addition, we helped sponsor our groups in their local events, by providing panel members, social media and funding to help them gain additional local traction amongst the startup community and investors.  Continued interaction with our FedDev sponsors and Provincial counterparts occurred throughout the year.

Our annual AIO Links 2024 Golf & Networking Event brought together nearly 150 members from our ecosystem, fostering connections across the province, rekindling previous friendships, and introducing potential angels to our network.

The Angel Investment Forum, in collaboration with the Toronto Global Forum 2024, showcased an October day filled with premium investment insights panels, offering our attendees valuable ideas for the coming year. Additionally, it featured an unparalleled networking event, providing a perfect atmosphere for connections with fellow investors and guest speakers.

The annual Georgian Angels Investment Summit held January in snow country, saw a sell out crowd from across Ontario listen to speakers updating us with new trends in tech and investing.

AIO supported our friends at the TiE chapters at the TiE Con Canada annual conference, and TiEQuest Pitch events held in Ottawa and Toronto respectively.  TiE has 35 chapters around the world and 15000 members including entrepreneurs and investors.

AIO sponsored Women investor and entrepreneur events were held in the spring at the Ottawa Angel Investor Breakfast with Capital Angels Network and SheBoot as local partners, as well as in Toronto at several venues including an AIO Investor run event.

Continued presentations to our provincial government included a presentation in January at the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs where we got all party support to help entrepreneurs in the province, by supporting the angel networks. Pre-budget presentations were also concluded in our marathon effort to get the province back to funding our ecosystem operating infrastructure.

The OCX Discovery Conference re-boot in April saw AIO with a huge presence next to the Investor Zone. We had a chance to meet new and existing angels and many interesting entrepreneurs. We also attended Elevate Toronto this fall.

Angel Investors Durham had their first investment meetings this spring and AIO was a proud sponsor of the group’s creation over the prior six months.  Its also great to see the new Brampton Angel group from the year earlier, flourish in 2024.

In September AIO was a large sponsor of Re-ignite Investment Summit in Muskoka, with a record attendance of angels, founders and ecosystem partners province wide. A unique event in Ontario.

Investor and Founder education assistance was featured throughout the year as AIO continued to sponsor 60% of the cost of the very useful Dealum software portal used by our groups to manage their angel/founder information and communication.  AIO also added many new items to our Knowledge Hub with videos and recorded webinars.  Look for more additions in January!

FUNDED – by Angel Investors Ontario, a 100+ page publication this past month highlighted stories from Investors and Entrepreneurs and will prove to be a valuable resource to both groups in 2025. Get your e-copy at our website link below:

I want to thank my volunteer AIO Board of Parm Gill (Vice Chair), Michael Nobrega, Lubna Tirmizi, Blake Witkin and Krista LaRiviere.  Thanks to our former CEO/Exec Director, Jeff Steiner who provided 12 years of guidance to AIO. Thanks also go to our staff who helped create our successes. Volunteers also assisted us at many of our events, including Eddie Gobran as the golf committee chair. Our Marketing Communication’s committee, my co-chair, Frank Audino deserves a special shout-out.  Many thanks to Pitchscore for continuing to supply fabulous pitch scoring software and new services to the angel community. Finally, kudos to the whole team behind our Funded publication, a process that took more than 12 months to complete.  All this work is done to support the 18 angel groups across the province who monthly showcase entrepreneurs and facilitate the meetings of angel investors to let them perform their own due diligence.

The Ontario ecosystem will continue to evolve in 2025 as traditional funding sources for angel group operations diminishes, while the demand for investors to fund and mentor our innovators increases. We continue to ask the province to restart its funding after a 6 year hiatus.  We foresee a stronger VC community this year, being able to invest in more of the startups that we have supported in the last 3 to 5 years. The creativity of our founders has never been stronger and more diverse, and the resilience that they, and our investors exhibit is as equally strong.

On behalf of Angel Investors Ontario, I want to wish everyone a very safe, memorable and productive holiday season with your family and friends. Hope you get a few days to put the feet up, or lace up the boots for a frozen ice skate through the forests. We look forward to continued discussions and support of your endeavours into 2025!