Press

June 14, 2014

Canada needs its companies to grow. For all the boasting about our flashy national success stories, for all the hype bestowed on hip new startups, for all the political lip service given to stable mom-and-pops, the real drivers of our economy are the legions of often unassuming businesses working to gain more clients, to penetrate new markets, and to sell better mousetraps. These growing ventures are the unsung heroes of Canadian business. They create jobs during an era of downsizing; they secure international sales as national trade deficits grow; they bring cutting-edge technology to market as wonks and politicians fret […]

March 31, 2014

When Richard Slingerland explores new business opportunities abroad, he often needs to let his products speak for themselves. That’s because the business development manager of Niagara-based Pillitteri Estates Winery only speaks English and a little bit of Italian, even though he sells his products to 31 countries around the world. “The way we try to get around the language barriers is with a lot of visuals,” he said, adding that he travels to trade shows and exhibitions abroad with price sheets, business cards, and other materials already translated to the local language, as well as a video display showcasing the ice wine […]

February 1, 2014

Overcoming two disastrous deals would put any entrepreneur to the test, but Brad Nathan’s private equity firm has survived. The past few months have been more thank kind to Brad Nathan: His Toronto-based private equity firm Lynx Equity snapped up a handful of companies, including social media marketing developer Majestic Media, and secured another round of debt financing from TD Bank. But never mind the latest flurry of activity. For Nathan, just to be in good standing with investors and financial institutions at all is a feat in itself, after two disastrous transactions left him with millions in debt and […]

January 1, 2014

REPORT CARDSTUDENT Brad NathanGRADUATED York Mills C.I., 1987BEST SUBJECT Gym, accountingWORST SUBJECT Calculus, scienceCURRENT JOB President, Lynx Equity Ltd. The business of investing in businesses is often imagined as follows. Discover a dynamic and exciting Silicon Valley–style startup. Meet with the spiky- haired developer-cum-CEO. Make a big offer. Move the company out of the garage. Watch as it flourishes into the next Apple or Amazon. These stories make great Hollywood screenplays, but Brad Nathan — president of Lynx Equity Ltd. and a York Mills Collegiate Institute grad — knows all too well this type of risky investment strategy is better […]