Is BDC too big to change?

About this episode

The episode discusses the impact of BDC on Canadian venture capital and the feedback from a government-commissioned report that was never acted upon.

"BDC is powerful in the sense that it can make or break a fund… And a lot of people are trying to close funds right now." In 2022, the federal government commissioned a report asking Canada's VCs what they thought about Crown corporation BDC. The report was effectively forgotten, and the feedback was never actioned. Why? What did the report have to say about Canada's largest venture investor? And with Canadian VC in a multi-year lull, is BDC's "steady hand" approach preferred or simply necessary? BetaKit reporter Madison McLauchlan joins to discuss. Related Links: The feds asked investors for candid feedback on BDC. It was never actioned BDC head says bank pulled back from life sciences "too early" as it preps new VC fund BDC unveils $4-billion defence technology platform Another fund partner leaves BDC "A perfect storm": 2025 was the worst year for Canadian VC fundraising since 2016

People in this episode

Guest: Madison McLauchlan

Topics covered

• BDC
• Canadian venture capital
• government reports
• investment strategies
• fundraising challenges

Keywords

• BDC
• venture capital
• Canada
• government report
• fundraising
• investment

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BDC, Canada

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