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Amber French

Founder of Catalyst Ventures

Waterloo, Ontario

Overview 

Amber French, a seasoned entrepreneur and community builder based in Waterloo, Ontario, currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer at Supply+Protect Inc. She has co-founded multiple successful ventures like Catalyst Ventures and The Boathouse, showcasing her expertise in building businesses and fostering community growth. French's career highlights include her role as a Member of the Board of Directors at Grand River Hospital Foundation and serving as a Director of Capital Services at Communitech.

Work Experience 

  • Co-Founder

    2019 - Current

    Investing in technology and community-building opportunities in Waterloo, one of Canada's top technology epicentres.

  • Member Board of Directors

    2024

  • Co-Founder

    2021

    At over 125,000sqft and home to 160+ companies, Catalyst Commons is the largest privately held co-working space in Canada. Space for companies who need 1-130 workstations and want to be part of a vibrant and active community. We're located at Catalyst 137 in the heart of Waterloo Region. https://www.catalyst-commons.com

  • Co-Founder

    2023

    Real food. Real music. Real community. Heritage restaurant and music venue on the lake in Downtown Kitchener. www.boathousedtk.com

  • Co-Founder

    2020

    A consortium of superangels and venture capitalists from the Toronto-Waterloo Innovation Corridor whose goal is to make angel investing more accessible. Archangel aims to help Canadian startups scale into the United States and global markets and reinvest back into the angel ecosystem. www.archangelnetwork.ca

  • Board Member

    2023

  • Member

    2022

The International Women’s Forum advances leadership across careers, cultures and continents by connecting the world’s most preeminent women.

  • Member

    2021

  • Director of Capital Services

    2020 - 2022

  • Chief Executive Officer

    2020 - 2021

    Supply+Protect was a not-for-profit and was considered Canada’s largest marketplace for Canadian-made PPE at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. With over 40 Canadian manufacturers on the platform, S+P was a one-stop-shop focussed on helping Canadian businesses re-open safely and easily. financialpost.com/executive/executive-women/good-things-happened-when-the-wealthy-barber-bumped-into-the-problem-solver

Articles About Amber

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