Our Team

Ricky Bajwa, CFA, CPA, CA

Director, Finance

Ricky is the Director of Finance at InvestEco and joined the team in 2022. Prior to InvestEco, Ricky led a team in the Corporate Finance department at Fengate Asset Management, a fast-growing asset management company in North America. He also worked in the Corporate Finance team at Brookfield Asset Management and was an external auditor specializing in the Asset Management practice at PwC. Ricky holds a CPA, CA and a CFA designation, and obtained a BBA at the Schulich School of Business.

Alex Chamberlain, LLB, MBA, CFA

Managing Partner

Alex was part of the founding team of InvestEco in 2002 and is a Managing Partner. Alex is both a lawyer and CFA charterholder. Prior to InvestEco, Alex practiced law at Smith Lyons (now Gowlings WLG) and worked in the Corporate Finance & Investment Banking Group at Pricewaterhouse Coopers Securities. Alex has sat on a number of portfolio company boards and is currently a director of Chickapea and Mid-Day Squares and a board observer of M2 Ingredients and The Jackfruit Company. Alex is also Vice Chair and Treasurer of Environmental Defence Canada, one of Canada’s leading environmental advocacy organizations.

Charles Coristine, BA, MBA

Venture Partner

Charles is the re-founder and CEO/President of LesserEvil Brand Snack Co. LesserEvil just recently completed a successful sale to Hershey’s. Charles sits on a number of corporate boards, including Olyra Foods, Hello Yumi, and Floura and Co. Charles has a BA from the University of Western Ontario and an MBA from Cornell University.

Charles joined InvestEco team as a Venture Partner in February 2026.

Michael Curry, BA

Venture Partner

Michael joined InvestEco in 2002 and is currently a Venture Partner and director of the firm. Prior to InvestEco, Michael spent seven years in the Canadian reforestation industry before he co-founded and ran a successful building material distribution company. Michael’s primary role at InvestEco is to source deal flow, assist with due diligence and to provide portfolio company strategy. Michael has sat on a number of portfolio company boards and is currently a director for 100km Foods.  Michael formerly spent 6 years on the board of the Stop Community Food Centre and as trustee for Trees Ontario.

Julia Deans

Independent Director

Julia Deans is the President & CEO of Habitat for Humanity Canada. With degrees from Queen’s, Columbia and Osgoode Hall Law School, Julia practiced law with Torys LLP in Toronto and Hong Kong and built a legal recruitment business in Singapore before becoming a non-profit CEO with CivicAction, Futurpreneur Canada and the Canada Children’s Literacy Foundation, Chair of Ontario’s Expert Roundtable on Immigration and director of many non-profit and business organizations. She’s been named one of WXN’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women, a YWCA Toronto Woman of Distinction and Woman of Influence Canadian Diversity Champion and received the Pearson Centre for Progressive Policy Leadership Award, the Goodman School of Business Distinguished Leader Award and le Prix RelevesON Prix Hommage du Club Canadien de Toronto. In addition to InvestEco, Julia serves on the boards of George Brown College and the Canada Post Community Foundation, and on the Goodman School of Business Advisory Council.

Phil Donne

Operating Partner

Phil’s background centres on international business, general management, marketing, communication/media, branding and innovation with a focus on “better for you”/healthy products. His experience spans more than 20 years as CEO across eight countries for global brands such as Kellogg’s, Campbell’s and Coca-Cola. He currently serves on the Advisory Boards of Nature’s Path Organic Foods, Greenhouse Juice Co., Longo’s, Maison LeGrand, Love Good Fats, Valens Groworks and Canopy Rivers. He also serves as a member of the Subcommittee for Metrolinx Presto. He was CEO/President at Campbell Soup Canada, Cossette Communication Group, Kellogg Canada, Kellogg France/Benelux and Kellogg Italy/Greece/Cyprus. On a volunteer basis he has been Chair of Food and Consumer Products Canada, Advertising Standards Canada, Kids Helpphone and currently sits on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at UBC and recently joined the board Matthew House Refugee Services in Toronto. Phil has an MBA from The Schulich School of Business and a BSc with a concentration in Microbiology from the University of Toronto.

Daniel Faierman, MBA, BA

Venture Partner

Daniel joined InvestEco in May of 2025 as a Venture Partner. He is currently a General Partner at Habitat Partners, an early stage VC firm based in NY focused on Pre-Seed to Series A investments across the consumer brand and software ecosystems. The fund was born out of the renowned creative and branding firm, Red Antler. Habitat Partner’s active consumer portfolio includes Pop Up Bagels, Zero Acre Farms, Muddy Bites, Mezcla, Happy Wolf Snacks, Original Sunshine, Inn Beauty Project, Sincerely Yours and several others. Daniel has been an investor and operator in the consumer space for nearly 10 years with prior experience at organizations such as PepsiCo, AB InBev, Selva Ventures, VMG Partners, and Forum Brands. Daniel is also an active angel investor in 20+ companies such as Mid-Day Squares, Brightland, Tiny Health, Keychain, and several others. Daniel holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a BA from Yale University, where he was a former varsity tennis player.

Andrew Heintzman, BA, MA

Managing Partner

Andrew Heintzman is a Managing Partner and co-founder of InvestEco Capital. Andrew sits on a number of corporate boards, including Little Sesame, Gusta Foods and Mara Renewables. Andrew is a director of Generate Canada, and an advisor to EntrepreNorth. He is the author of The New Entrepreneurs: Building a Green Economy for the Future, published by The House of Anansi Press. Andrew has a BA and an MA from McGill University.

Charles Holt, JD, CBV, LLM, CAIA, ICD.D

Partner

Chuck is a Partner and has been with InvestEco since 2007. He is a commercial lawyer and a Chartered Business Valuator. Charles manages various legal matters for InvestEco and its portfolio companies, including due diligence on prospective investments. He is also a Director of Rowe Farms and Board Observer for Kuli Kuli. Prior to joining InvestEco, Charles practiced corporate/commercial law at Shibley Righton LLP, before which he earned an LL.M. from the London School of Economics and a J.D. from the University of Ottawa. For several years, Charles also assisted in media relations at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Kasia Hulicki

Accounting, Admin and Office Management

Kasia has been a member of the InvestEco team since 2007, providing support in accounting, business administration, and office management. She brings extensive experience across multiple organizations and simultaneously provides accounting services to Key Gordon Communications and Key Publishers. Her previous roles include Accounting Assistant at Green Living Enterprises, Canadian Art, and Northwood Entertainment; Coordinator of the Green Living Show; and personal assistant to Michael de Pencier. Kasia holds diplomas in Business Administration and Business Management from Humber College and a Payroll Compliance Practitioner (PCP) certificate.

Marc Lafleur

Venture Partner

Marc’s entrepreneurial journey began in 2016, at the age of twenty-five, when he co-founded truLOCAL, an online marketplace for grocery shoppers to connect with local farmers and producers. Over the course of five years, Marc worked as the co-founder and CEO of the company, growing the business to over sixty employees and expanding the scope across Canada.

Following a string of successes, including a successful pitch on Dragons’ Den and landing the cover of the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business, truLOCAL’s story culminated in a $16.7 million dollar acquisition in 2020. Three years later, Marc published his first book with Forbes titled, “True Founder: What No One Else Has The Guts to Teach You About Starting Your First Business.” The book was an instant success, quickly becoming an Amazon best-seller.

Today, Marc serves as the CEO of DB8 Labs, a leading prompt engineering firm specializing in LLM product development for businesses putting Marc at the forefront of consumer AI adoption. In 2025 Marc joined InvestEco to help advise portfolio companies on AI adoption.

Craig Miller

Venture Partner

Craig Miller was Vice President of Corporate Development for Pineridge Group from 2007 to 2017, focusing on acquisitions and growth strategy. In collaboration with Swander Pace Capital, Pineridge managed a portfolio of companies that included Liberté Brand Products and Liberté Natural Foods, Pineridge Bakery (Oakrun Farm Bakery and Gourmet Baker), and Lavo. Craig has been working with InvestEco since 2015, including serving as board chair for InvestEco portfolio company Rowe Farm Meats Ltd from 2015 to 2019. Craig began his business career working for 6 years at McKinsey & Company. His subsequent work as an independent consultant included major assignments with Cott subsidiary Destination Products International and British retailer Tesco. Craig has also had extensive experience in the hotel and restaurant industry in France and Canada.

Cora Xiao, BBA, CFA

Partner

Cora started with the team in 2019 as an Associate. Previously, she worked on the investments team at Export Development Canada which invested in high-growth Canadian companies with international ambitions. She has also held previous internship roles with Forum Equity Partners and Shanti Uganda. Cora has completed all three CFA exams as well as ILPA Level I, and has a BBA specializing in finance from the Schulich School of Business at York University.