While we may not be able to be physically together right now, technology has granted us the ability to check in on members of our community. We recently had the opportunity to talk to our recipient of the Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Business and Finance, Andrée-Lise Méthot, to discuss how her business has been affected due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Andrée-Lise Méthot is the founder and managing partner at Cycle Capital Management (CCM), an investment firm that focuses on sustainable impact investing. With over 25 years of experience in venture capital investment, management and engineering, Méthot and her team have established CCM as an impact investor and Canada’s largest clean technology private venture capital investment platform. Today, CCM manages 5 funds in North America and China and has almost $500 million under management.
The Coronavirus pandemic has affected different industries in different ways- given the portfolio based nature of CCM, we asked how Méthot’s firm has been specifically affected.
“While some of our portfolio companies are thriving, others have been hit. For Cycle, the past few months have mostly been about accompanying our portfolio companies in a way that they can capitalize on the unstable and changing economy. We are going through tough times with the COVID crisis and on a larger scale, the death of George Floyd and the resulting movement forcing us to question our ways,” said Méthot.
Although some businesses have taken this time to build their digital presence, Méthot and her team were already well-equipped in that department due to having team members in Ontario, the US, and China. However, venture capital by nature is centered around human interaction. Therefore, Méthot’s team explained how they overcame quarantine and social distancing restrictions. “While switching to a more digital presence had its limits, we have been using all the tools we have at our disposal to keep the human side intact.”
A key component in achieving this has been through maintaining open and constant communication with their team, portfolio companies, and limited partners. This consistency has permitted information to flow smoothly and quickly to all those involved.
In addition, in direct response to the pandemic, CCM was “quick to support [
As for the future, in addition to adapting to the constantly changing environment we are in, Méthot (being one of Canada’s 16 #Clean16 figures and co-founder of the Ecofuel Fund) intends to continue focusing on clean and sustainable investments with CCM.
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Did you like this post? Click here to check out our blog about Mackenzie Snow, Tales of Triumph 2019 Entrepreneurship Award winner and here to read about Stéphanie Côté, Entrepreneur of the Year 2020 for Wellness!