Lise Birikundavyi is the co-founder and managing partner of BKR Capital, Canada’s first institutionally backed Black-led venture capital firm. Her career spans hedge funds, impact investing, and startup leadership, with experience across North America, Asia, and Africa. Those experiences shaped her investment philosophy around a persistent mismatch between entrepreneurial talent and access to capital, and the opportunity to back founders other investors overlook.
At BKR Capital, Lise backs Black-led technology companies and the global networks that help them grow. In this conversation, she reflects on the firm’s $22.3 million first fund, its investments in 15 companies, and how those lessons are shaping its second fund. She explains why diaspora connections can become a competitive advantage in finding customers, recruiting talent, and expanding between Canada, Africa, and the Caribbean. The discussion also explores choosing investors whose incentives fit the business, recognizing a founder’s ability to attract exceptional people, and the governance and operational demands of building an institutional venture firm. Through the BKR Catalyst Institute, Lise is also helping develop the next generation of investors and emerging fund managers.
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