HK

Hilary Kilgour

Managing Partner at Audaxa Ventures

Vancouver, British Columbia

Overview 

Hilary Kilgour is a Managing Partner at Audaxa Ventures, with a background in market transformation and impact investing. She has notable experience as an Entrepreneur in Residence at MaRS Discovery District and has served in various advisory and leadership roles at organizations like ventureLAB and The University of British Columbia. Kilgour's career highlights include founding ventureLAB and serving as an Investment Director at Spring Activator, focusing on advancing equity and investing in climate and health initiatives.

Work Experience 

  • Co-Founder & Managing Partner

    2021 - Current

    Audaxa Ventures invests early stage capital in the most promising tech innovations at the intersection of climate and health that are being led by diverse Women and Non-Binary Founders.

  • Advisor

    2024

  • Entrepreneur in Residence, Capital Advisor

    2024

    As an Entrepreneur in Residence and Capital Advisor, I provide strategic guidance and support to ventures preparing for Seed and Series A raises. My role involves offering expert advisory on fundraising strategy, investment material support, team formation, and board governance.

  • Founder Services & Investment Readiness Advisor

    2022

    In my role at ventureLAB, I have had the opportunity to work with innovative startups, guiding them through the fundraising process and supporting their growth. I developed a 6-month investment readiness series for early-stage hardware companies, which launched successfully in January 2024. Additionally, I provide personalized guidance to founders through ventureLAB's Capital Investment Program, ensuring they had the resources and expertise needed to succeed in fundraising.

  • Director

    2021

    On the Hill Advisory exists to increase capacity for innovators, scale their impact, and enhance the strength of Canada’s communities to respond to change. Providing greater access, and education to leaders who are building solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. A benefit corporation that provides services for leaders and ventures that embed impact into their growing organizations. Includes: -Connecting Companies with customers and funding. To date, we've supported more than 300 Ventures raising in accessing more than $51.2 million in capital across Canada, United States, and Australia. -Partnering with Large Organizations embedding Innovation and navigating change. -Leading Ecosystem Development with leaders in economic development.

  • Member

    2023

    Global Women in VC is the world's largest community for women in venture capital to connect, collaborate, and create opportunities for each other. Our global community now includes 6,000+ women investors across 3,500+ venture funds spanning 200+ cities and 75+ countries.

  • E@UBC Climate Venture Studio, Advisory Council

    2022 - 2024

    In my role as a member of the E@UBC Climate Venture Studio Advisory Council at The University of British Columbia, I worked closely with cross-sector partners to identify market opportunities for climate solutions, supported entrepreneurs in building impactful ventures, and facilitated the commercialization of innovative projects.

  • Instructor

    2021 - 2023

    In my role as an Instructor at Simon Fraser University, I had the opportunity to co-lead a course on developing accelerators and labs for community economic development. By analyzing various organizations in Western Canada and studying SFU CED's successful LEAP! accelerator program, I was able to provide valuable insights into fostering entrepreneurship in rural communities and First Nations territories.

  • Chief Operating Officer

    2021 - 2022

    Member of executive team at Tandem Innovation Group Inc. as COO, recruited and trained managing director to drive growth and innovation. Spearheaded strategic initiatives to support entrepreneurs in scaling their startups, contributing to successful exits and growth.

  • Fractional Executive

    2020 - 2022

    Fractional Executive at Tandem Innovation Group, spearheaded strategic planning for startups, ensuring alignment with bold visions and facilitating rapid growth. By providing fractional C-Suite solutions and back-office support, I enabled clients to navigate complex business opportunities and achieve their goals.

  • Investment Director

    2021 - 2021

    Developed strategy and designed a scalable online investor accelerator during contract, working directly with 50+ founders, supporting and training more than 60 new investors. Led Spring's first National Impact Investor Challenge, a comprehensive program connecting impact investors with purpose-driven founders. Facilitated $780,000 in direct investments and $10M in co-investments, working with 70+ entrepreneurs on investment readiness.

  • Director

    2019 - 2020

    An early-stage venture capital fund that focuses on corporate innovation and co-creation to unlock the hidden potential across some of the largest industries around the world. Selected by Fast Company as #37 among the 100 best workplaces in the world for innovators in 2020. Led Future Capital (formerly Female Funders), an investor accelerator that empowered world class corporate and innovation leaders that identify as women to shape the future of funding. Defined new product, customer experience, and sustainable funding model for online investor accelerator. Developed product-market fit, customer persona, product roadmap, user experience, and MVP based on data analysis and agile methodologies. Future Capital was acquired in 2023.

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