Backing the next generation of global companies: Laura Lenz Appointed Managing Director, Head of Ventures

Together with the OMERS Ventures team, Laura will lead the platform's next chapter of partnering with ambitious founders building globally competitive companies from Canada and beyond.

OMERS Ventures today announced that Laura Lenz has been appointed Managing Director, Head of Ventures, marking the next chapter for the platform as it continues to back ambitious founders building globally competitive companies from Canada and beyond.

“Laura brings the experience, judgment and deep understanding of founders needed to lead OMERS Ventures into its next chapter,” said Michael Block, Head of Private Capital. “She will build on the strength of an experienced team with a continued focus on supporting high-potential companies, deploying capital with conviction and helping founders build businesses that can scale globally.”

Lenz has been with OMERS Ventures for seven years and has worked in venture capital since 2004. She brings deep experience across venture capital, growth investing and company building, along with a strong understanding of founders, technology companies and the Canadian innovation ecosystem.

“Venture is ultimately a people business,” said Lenz. “The best outcomes come from trust, judgment, conviction and partnership. My priority is to build on that foundation: creating an environment where different perspectives are valued, individual conviction is encouraged and our collective standard remains high.”

Founded in 2011 with its first investment in Toronto-based Wave, OMERS Ventures has been an early and long-standing supporter of Canadian companies, founders and the broader venture ecosystem. Since inception, OMERS Ventures has backed 46 Canadian companies, including Shopify, Xanadu, D2L, Float, Hopper, Jobber, League, OneVest, Solink, Wave Accounting, Wattpad, Waabi, with more recent investments in Cohere and Dominion Dynamics.

Under Lenz’s leadership, OMERS Ventures’ focus will continue to be Canada first: backing ambitious founders and category-defining companies, while using OMERS global network, scale and flexible capital to help founders access capital, customers and growth opportunities.

“The ambition has been here in Canada,” said Lenz. “What is changing is our willingness to build around it. At OMERS Ventures, our part is clear: back exceptional founders early, bring meaningful capital and conviction, use the full strength of the OMERS network where it can help, and support those founders in building companies that can compete with anyone, anywhere.”

As part of OMERS, one of Canada’s largest pension plans, OMERS Ventures is able to connect founders with institutional expertise, global relationships and sector knowledge across markets and geographies. That platform advantage supports the team’s goal of helping companies scale while creating long-term value for OMERS members, and aligns with OMERS broader commitment to invest $10 billion more in Canada over approximately the next five years across asset classes.

OMERS Ventures sees a strong opportunity set in Canada, particularly in areas where AI is creating or reshaping markets, including defence technologies, physical AI, and vertical AI platforms built for specific industry workflows. Next week, OMERS Ventures will host its annual AI Assembly Summit, bringing together leading Canadian and international investors, founders and industry experts to discuss how artificial intelligence is reshaping venture capital, infrastructure, defence, robotics and the broader investment landscape.