Nicole LeBlanc

Nicole LeBlanc has worked for nearly 15 years as an investment professional in the venture capital industry. Currently she is an investor with 2150, an urbantech and sustainability focused VC based in Europe. 2150 works collaboratively with a number of large strategic investors to tackle industry level problems to support the advancement of the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals.  Prior to joining 2150 Nicole was the Director of Investments and Partnerships for Sidewalk Labs, an Alphabet company that imagines, designs, tests, and builds urban innovations to help cities meet their biggest challenges. She led the corporate venture capital strategy, building out a two tiered plan supporting a modest CVC thesis and a new external Seed/Series A urbantech VC fund anchored by Sidewalk, with committed capital from some of Canada’s largest corporates across automotive, financial services, and real estate. Additionally she supported a number of new product development teams (including the recently launched Mesa energy management solution) by leading market research, build/buy/partner analysis, and various stakeholder dialogues with startups, corporates and thought leaders. Lastly she was responsible for leading the engagement with the Toronto business & tech communities with events, stakeholder engagement, and partnership discussions to further advance the project.

Before joining Sidewalk she was a Director with BDC Capital, leading the investment and management of a 150+ portfolio of seed stage startups. This was the largest seed fund in the country, investing across various verticals and geographies within Canada. She also supported ecosystem development work by partnering with accelerators across the country, and actively engaging venture capital funds to collaborate on events, ongoing tech initiatives, and introducing the portfolio for co-investment opportunities. Some of these companies have gone on to raise funding from Tier I VC’s; Canvass, Resson Tech, Mejuri, Potloc, Sampler, and Xanadu. Nicole is also a founder and investor in Sandpiper.vc, a women led venture fund based in Atlantic Canada aiming to drive further engagement and support of women as both founders and investors.

Nicole began her career as a CPA, including roles as controller at Ganong Bros. Ltd., a Canadian family-run confectionery manufacturer that invented the chocolate bar. She stays active in the startup community through board roles at Innovacorp, Propel and Brilliant Labs, as well as actively mentoring with Creative Destruction Lab, Next Canada and Techstars.

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