ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Peter van der Velden
Managing Director, M.Sc., MBA
Fusion Capital Partners (www.fusioncapital.ca)

Peter is one of the founding partners of Fusion Capital Partners, which is a Toronto based M & A and financing firm focused on the IT sector.

In 1988, after completing an M.Sc. (Pathology) at Queen’s University, and an MBA in finance and policy at York University, Peter moved to Alberta to join what was then the largest venture capital company in Canada, as measured by assets under management. For four years he led and managed a number of equity transactions, primarily in consumer and retail related private companies, and was instrumental in defining and leading the company’s first “venture investment” in a small-cap, publicly-traded company.

In 1992, Peter returned to Toronto to head up the business development efforts of an early-stage public biotech company that had significant venture capital backing. During his three years with that company, he was instrumental in signing its first commercial partnerships, establishing its AustralAsian subsidiary while playing a key role in raising more that $75 million of public equity capital.

In 1995, Peter joined a Toronto-based merchant bank as a vice-president, and in 1997 he became one of three managing partners. During his four-year tenure, he played an instrumental role in all aspects of the business, including managing and maintaining a highly-involved role with each of the investee companies, while pursuing new investments on behalf of his firm.

In early 2000, Peter joined Mike Middleton at a Toronto-based investment boutique, where he headed up corporate finance. Together they were instrumental in building that firm into the number-five financier of Canadian small cap non-telecommunications technology companies for the year 2000. In late 2000, Peter and Mike shifted the primary focus of the firm’s financing activities to the needs of private Canadian growth companies. Financing and merger and acquisition successes during that period led Mike and Peter to recognize the opportunity to found a firm dedicated to these activities on behalf of private Canadian growth companies: Fusion Capital Partners.

COST FOR ATTENDANCE

Cost for lunch: $10 for members and students, $15 for non-members, payable at the meeting. Receipts will be available. Cheques should be made payable to the Toronto Computer Lawyers’ Group.

REGISTER BEFORE NOON, FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2004

Cancellations also accepted before noon, Friday, March 5, 2004. Substitutions are permitted anytime. Registrants who do not attend and do not cancel or send a substitute will be invoiced for lunch.

PLEASE E-MAIL REGISTRATIONS OR CANCELLATIONS TO: secretarytclg@hotmail.com

MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS AND NEW MEMBERS

The fee to join the TCLG for 2003-2004 is $30. Law students enrolled in full time studies may join free of charge. The TCLG meets monthly from September to May, usually in the second week of each month, at a location announced in the meeting notice.

Please circulate this notice to business associates, clients, colleagues or others who may be interested in attending a meeting or joining the TCLG.