Pique Ventures

02/08/2025

Remembering Tracey Friesen, October 16, 1966 - January 6, 2025.

Tracey Friesen was not only a Pique Fund investor, but also a friend and fellow adventurer in pursuit of good things at the intersection of money and impact.

Tracey was a champion and advocate for ensuring story-tellers and funders were connected - bringing craft and capital together to make positive social change a reality. She published her book Story Money Impact in 2016, and turned her vision into a not-for-profit of the same name that hosted programming to spotlight impact-driven documentary film-making and attract funders to the projects.

Let us remember Tracey for her generosity, creativity, and impact.

(Photos 1 & 2, Tracey with Bonnie at Pique Fund event, 2017, photo 3, Bonnie and Tracey at the launch of Integrated Investing, 2016.)

10/29/2023

Entrepreneurial skills stay with us for a lifetime and we can build upon them.

What entrepreneurial first or next step do you want to take?

What don’t you know how to do and what can you do to figure it out?

Bonnie Foley-Wong said she didn’t know what she was doing as a first-time entrepreneur.

“It wasn’t easy by any means, but I can proudly say I built a community investing with leadership diversity in mind.”

Foley-Wong, author and founder of Pique Ventures, an inclusive angel fund focusing on leadership diversity and BC-based women-led ventures, gives profound insight in this feature on navigating uncertainty and that gathering information and taking informed risks is all part of the entrepreneurial journey.

Read full feature here: bit.ly/44So0K4

Waterloo Math

09/21/2023

Thanks for the profile in your Fall 2023 Alumni Magazine. It’s been an exciting ad-venture!

08/24/2020

I’ve been working on a new book since November 2019. The kernel of the idea came, not only from my own attempt at building an investment firm, but from the amazing women I met along the way who had successfully launched their own funds. Each of their stories is so different. But the story that really kicked me into action was a post that Check Warner of Ada Ventures wrote in December - about fundraising and privilege. I’ve been wanting to share more about what I’ve heard, what I learned, and my process of writing. I didn’t know where to start. I don’t have any catchy listicles, buzz words nor memorable phrases that define the book. But for whatever reason, I’ve decided to just start sharing and see where it goes.

08/13/2019

There is a compelling body of research that demonstrates that diversity unlocks innovation and drives market growth, diverse teams are smarter, and there is a positive correlation between diversity and economic prosperity. However, diversity could disrupt team performance, as well as enhance it. What if communication styles and ways of processing information are so different within a team that it leads to friction or conflict?

Being in sync with your colleagues can lead to success. Daniel Pink, in his book When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, notes that, “A sense of belonging helps individuals cohere. And synchronization both requires and heightens well-being.”

Photo credit: Caleigh Mayer Being in sync with your colleagues can lead to success. Daniel Pink, in his book When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, notes that, “A sense of belonging helps …

08/08/2019

08/06/2019

'To start a VC firm from scratch, especially one that is different (with an impact investing lens, focused on leadership diversity, and founded on compassionate & integrated decision-making), it helps to get some support and learn from others.' says Bonnie Foley-Wong, CEO of Pique Ventures. Read More in our blog |

Building a new firm in venture capital from scratch is not easy. Traditionally it has been the domain of former investment bankers and exited entrepreneurs. There are now some interesting entrants …

08/01/2019

The industry average for raising a fund is 18 months as noted in First Republic’s 2018 survey of emerging managers. On the topic of fundraising duration, we share some other interesting findings from the survey:

The time required to raise a fund is critical, particularly for emerging managers. Time dedicated to raising a fund means time away from deploying capital into promising ventures. For some it also …

07/30/2019

To be hand held through the process, to have the opportunity to ask the questions I needed to ask. To even understand which questions I needed to ask.” Some of the first steps & difference makers for Jill Earthy making her first investment in our fund. Hear more on the https://buff.ly/32kXo54

We are entrepreneurs working together to build an environment and culture for entrepreneurial growth and success.

07/16/2019

“To be invited to participate was the first step - to have access to that type of opportunity. It was empowering.” We were excited to invite entrepreneurial leader Jill Earthy to be a pioneering investor in our first fund. Listen to her journey from business leader to investor on the Startup Canada https://buff.ly/2LgksNe

We are entrepreneurs working together to build an environment and culture for entrepreneurial growth and success.

07/11/2019

Congratulations to our portfolio company Beanworks for making it onto & ' The Periodic Table Of Tech In Canada! Learn More | https://buff.ly/2XCXWER

The Canadian periodic table highlights 150 Canada-based startups, investors, and exits, including the IPOs of Lightspeed POS and Shopify.