The last few years of the venture capital (VC) ecosystem were
defined by explosive growth and record VC fundraising.
As we start a new year, our Emerging Companies and VC Practice
outlines three predictions for key developments in the Canadian VC
environment in 2020. First, we expect to see a renewed focus by
companies on strong corporate governance to temper headline risk.
We also predict that debt will increase as a percentage of venture
financials. Lastly, our practice group expects the excitement
surrounding direct listings in the U.S. will not likely be
replicated in Canada.
Prediction: 2020 will see venture-backed companies focus on
strong corporate governance.
A prevailing theme in 2019 was the corporate governance
deficiencies in mature venture-backed companies. This issue was not
exclusive to mature venture-backed companies, but they drew most of
the media’s attention. Considering this, we predict that in
2020 a greater emphasis will be placed by both
