StarForge Fund

The StarForge fund is an actively managed portfolio that invests in innovative, early-stage B2B Canadian companies with disruptive technologies, significant scale-up potential, and valuation advantages over the U.S. market.

The fund aims to drive returns for investors through actively sourcing deals mostly within the Toronto-Waterloo start-up ecosystem and growing portfolio businesses by leveraging the power of alliance networks in North America.

Our investments focus on Technology, Sustainability, Health Sciences, and Smart Manufacturing.

StarForge applies an active and disciplined approach to drive returns for angel investment:

  • Active and enhanced deal sourcing backed by the Canadian startup ecosystem
  • Rigorous selection and due diligence process along with negotiation of fair and equitable investor rights
  • Active portfolio monitoring and access to global channels to help portfolio companies achieve superior growth
  • Disciplined rules for exit and liquidity decisions to balance early returns and minimize downside risk against maximizing long-term returns

Our Mission

To unlock capital and accelerate Canada’s transition into an innovation economy through:

  • Making angel investment more accessible to investors
  • Helping entrepreneurs innovate faster
  • Scaling Canadian startups to the U.S. and global markets
  • Supporting the angel ecosystem

Our Focus

Technology
Sustainability
Health Tech
Industry 4.0

Portfolio

The StarForge Team

Ellen Fang
General Partner

An angel investor and a former executive at L.E.K. Consulting and Deloitte, Ellen had accumulated rich experience in evaluating and investing in opportunities across a wide range of sectors. She had helped many Fortune 500 corporations expand business in Asia through equity/asset acquisition, partnership, licensing, and joint ventures. She had also worked with leading growth capitals and buyout funds evaluating deals, and developing growth strategies and value activation plans for their portfolio companies. Ellen’s current focus is investing in innovations in technology, healthcare, and renewable energy in Canada, the US and China. Ellen holds a bachelor’s degree in Material Sciences and an MBA from CEIBS with an exchange program at London Business School. Ellen sits on the Association Council of Upper Canada College.

Jacky Chen
General Partner

Jacky is dedicated to angel investment and has built up a portfolio of tens of startup companies in Canada and the US. Further to the role of a GP of Archangel StarForge Fund, Jacky also serves as a Managing Director of Wharton Alumni Angels. Prior to angel investing, he had acquired concrete business experiences as a successful founder in the startup ecosystem and an executive of Fortune 500 companies over the last two decades. His remarkable accomplishments range from building startups from scratch to leading a billion-dollar business with the leverage of 14,000 enterprise channel partners. The unique journey has shaped Jacky’s outstanding investment in early startups. Jacky holds the degrees of Mater’s E.E. and MBA, and he graduated from CEIBS and The Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania.

David Rich
General Partner

Prior to starting angel investing, David had a 30 year career in the food industry. He was country manager for one of the world’s leading flavour and ingredient companies. He brings a strong record of corporate governance, financial and risk management. David was the 2018 GTAN Angel of the Year. He sits on the Board of Directors at Hospice Wellington. David has a B.Eng. from McGill University and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.