Meet our team
Together, we offer investee companies a knowledge base and expertise in the food and beverage and health and wellness sectors that is unparalleled in the Canadian venture capital industry.
Founder and General Partner
Arlene Dickinson
Arlene Dickinson is one of Canada's most iconic entrepreneurs. From her starring role on the Gemini award-winning CBC series, Dragons' Den, to her bestselling books Persuasion and All In, Arlene Dickinson is a household name in Canada. At the helm of Venture Communications for 30 years, Arlene has established herself as one of the country's most recognized marketing, sales and communications experts, and knows how to build powerful consumer brands. Her leadership and business acumen have been recognized with a number of awards, including Venture's selection as one of Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies for 3 consecutive years. She has also received multiple honours and awards including the Marketing Hall of Legends, Canada's Most Powerful Women Top 100, the Pinnacle Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence, and PROFIT and Chatelaine's TOP 100 Women Business Owners.
Partner & CFO
Jason Berenstein
Jason has been active in the Canadian accounting and finance industry for nearly 25 years. Before joining District Ventures Capital, Jason was working as the CFO of an institutionally backed wholesale bakery company. Prior to this, he spent over 10 years with a prominent Toronto-based family office where he was a Principal in two Private Equity funds focused on the buy-out of and growth capital investing in mid-market Canadian companies across different industries. Jason has worked with Deloitte’s Transaction Advisory group performing due diligence assignments on behalf of financial and strategic acquirers and began his career in public accounting qualifying as a CPA, CA in 1998. At District Ventures Capital, Jason is responsible for transaction origination, due diligence and execution as well as helping to manage Fund operations. Jason graduated with an M.B.A. from the University of Toronto in 1997.
Vice President Marketing
Andrea
Stodart
As one of the most recent additions to the Park, Andrea Stodart joined our team as vice president of marketing for District Ventures Capital, helping to support our brand partners. Her role brings additional marketing expertise and perspective to the investment choices our capital fund makes, and she brings a wealth of experience in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry to Venturepark as a whole. Stodart completed her BA Hons. Political Science at Western University, and has worked at Unilever with Dove on their Real Beauty campaign, at Tetley Tea as a brand manager, as well as Conagra to lead their snacks portfolio (with brands like Orville Redenbacher’s, Duke’s, etc.)
Vice President
Pete Cobban
Pete is responsible for the origination, execution and management of early-stage investments in consumer brands across North America in addition to running ad hoc strategic initiatives and supporting Fund operations. Prior to joining District Ventures Capital, he worked in the Corporate Development group of a leading Canadian healthcare company primarily focused on driving acquisitive growth.
Pete has also worked with PwC’s Corporate Advisory and Restructuring group, developing tactical solutions for lenders, companies facing underperformance and other stakeholders. He began his career in public accounting at PwC in 2012, qualifying as a CPA, CA in 2014. Pete holds an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration (Co‐op Option) degree from Wilfrid Laurier University.
Senior Associate
Tyler
Standing
Tyler is the most recent addition to the team at DCV, responsible for supporting the execution and management of investment initiatives, as well as assisting fund operations. Prior to joining, he worked at Deloitte as an M&A and strategy consultant, advising consumer goods and retail clients on several large transactions and market entry efforts.
Tyler has also worked with and invested in early-stage consumer companies based in Canada, developing their financial models and strategy documents. He began his career on the equity trading floor at Mackenzie Investments, executing trades and monitoring portfolio performance. Tyler holds a Bachelor of commerce Degree (Co-op) from Dalhousie University.
Controller
Andrea Pember
Andrea is an experienced Controller who has worked both internationally and in Canada. Andrea received her Chartered Accountant designation while working for KPMG in 2013. She has held senior finance positions for companies backed by private equity. She understands the financial challenges and opportunities experienced by small businesses and entrepreneurs. Andrea strives to add value by actively partnering with businesses to provide financial information for strategic decision making.
