A passionate entrepreneur, Serge has been actively involved in the developmentof the Quebec entrepreneurial ecosystem for over 20 years.

Achievements

At the age of 22, with a friend and $40 in capital, Serge founded 3-SOFT, a firm specialized in reselling software. Under his leadership, the company grew rapidly and completed several mergers and acquisitions. In 2001, the company raised over $5M in private financing. Finally, in 2005, the company was successfully sold to its Canadian competitor for strategic reasons. Subsequently, Serge acquired acompany in the field of management consulting services, started another in the field of psychometric instruments and became a private investor. He now wishes to get involved with promising start-upswith the intention of contributing to their growth and success.

Investment Experience

In the years following the sale of 3-SOFT, Serge invested in more than 15 private companies, some of which were very successful: Strom Spa, BonLook, Avanti-Toast and Dévolutions. Together, these companies currently employ several thousand people. From 2016 to 2021, Serge was a member of the Venture Capital and Investment Funds Committee at Investissement Québec. He participated in the authorization of several major investment projects in some of the most prominent companies in thecountry. Serge is actively involved at the strategic level with the companies in which he is involved.Drawing on his past experiences, he often brings a fresh perspective to the methods and processes implemented. He understands and analyzes projects from both the entrepreneur's and investor's perspectives and is able to bridge these sometimes distant visions. Finally, his leadership and mobilization skills enable him to rally the various stake holders behind a common objective, always with the aim of creating long-term value.

Fun Fact

As a teenager, Serge was nicknamed "Kid Kodak" by his friends because of his serious interest inphotography. Several decades later, Serge is still passionate about photography. He says he takesmore than six or seven thousand pictures a year with his iPhone alone! And when he goes on a trip, hetakes more like a thousand pictures a week, but this time with professional quality equipment. A trueenthusiast!

Stéphane Caron has more than 25 years of experience in the operations and venture capital financing from large financial groups of tech companies.

Achievements

Throughout his career, Stéphane has held various positions in venture capital and as VP Finance at various tech companies.

In these roles, he was involved in key investments at companies such as 20-20 Technologies, ACCEO Solutions, Hopper, and many others. As VP Finance, he closed the venture capital fundraising for Behaviour Interactive in the early 2000s. More recently, as CFO, he was actively involved in the sale of wrnch, a company specialized in "Human-Centric Computer Vision", to the American company Hinge Health.

Investment Experience

Stéphane Caron joined AQC Capital in August 2021 and is actively involved in the portfolio management and in the research and evaluation of potential new investment projects. In the past, he was a partner at BDR Capital, a private venture capital fund with a portfolio of over 15 high-tech companies, as well as at Investissement Québec and Groupe Lune Rouge.

Over the years, he has served on several boards of directors as a member or observer for technology companies and industry associations.

Stéphane holds a Bachelor's degree in accounting and is a member of the Quebec Order of CPAs.

Fun Fact

When he is not assisting his colleagues as IT support, you will find him during the winter on a mountain where he is always ready to give a hand to those who find themselves head over heels with their skis.

Engineer by training in the United States, Kalthoum has over 25 years of experience in venture and growth capital.

Achievements

In 1990, she started her career as Senior Investment Officer of SPPI, the first Tunisian venture capital company, manager of the European Investment Bank's venture capital lines. For 18 years, she has played a key role in the development of equity and quasi-equity financing and structuring alongside leading international financial institutions in the Middle East and Africa. Kalthoum then moved to Tunisie Telecom where her experience in business development enabled her to master the challenges of investment and portfolio management in the ICT sector.

Following the Arab Spring revolution, economic and social instability took hold in the region and particularly in Tunisia, which led Kalthoum to immigrate to Canada in late 2014. She then joined the team at AQC Capital.

Investment Experience

A fund management specialist and pioneer in the North African venture capital eco system, Kalthoum is an expert in evaluating investment opportunities and negotiating financial transactions. She has multi-sector experience in equity and quasi-equity financing of start-ups, and the necessary monitoring associated with it. She has to her credit more than 50 investments and the establishment of more than 3 venture capital funds in the Middle East and Africa region.

Since joining AQC Capital, she has held the position of Investment Director before being promoted to Vice President of Investment in 2017. Kalthoum managed the portfolio of over 40 innovative Quebec-based companies, which she monitors on a daily basis for the AQC I fund. When the AQC II fund was raised, Kalthoum took on the role of partner.

Fun Fact

Kalthoum has a passion for singing, luckily for us and our auditory senses, she hasn't pursued it as a profession

Sébastien Demers has experience as Co-founder of technology companies and as Manager of major Quebec and Canadian corporations.

Achievements

Sébastien founded, operated and sold a technology firm (FokusGroup), as well as participating in Komunik's listing on the TSX. He has participated in the strong growth of SMEs in several sectors, both in technology and manufacturing, typically in finance and sales functions.

Investment Experience

As an entrepreneur, Sébastien has initiated and completed initiatives related to financial products over the past 20 years: debt, mezzanine debt, equity, listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange, and acquisitions of companies in Quebec, Canada and the United States. He has also worked for one of Canada's largest financial institutions (Desjardins).

Graduated with a BAA in marketing, he is also a member of the CPA order of Quebec and also completed an MBA at Queen's University in Ontario. He also holds a law degree from Université de Montréal.

Fun Fact

As a sports enthusiast, Sébastien participates in triathlons on a regular basis, as well as playing in a schoolyard ball field hockey league every week, where teams are formed that morning by separating the sticks in the middle of the field.

Robert has over 30 years of experience as a manager and investor in innovative companies. He has also participated in or led more than 30 M&A transactions and turnarounds.

Achievements

Robert began his career at Geoffrion Leclerc Securities Inc. where he successively acted asAssistant Director of Operations, Director of Sales, and Assistant Executive Vice President ofNational Sales. He was responsible for a large team of securities representatives and participated in a large number of public share issues for companies such as Cascade, Couche-Tard, JeanCoutu, etc.

Investment Experience

Robert has had a very rewarding career that has taken him to work for Scotia bank, Desjardins Venture Capital, BDR Capital and Fondaction where he was Director of Investments from 2013 to2020.

He has also participated in or led more than thirty transactions in M&A and corporate turnarounds.

Today, Robert acts as a corporate director and business advisor to private investors and innovative companies. Robert also joined AQC Capital in the summer of 2022 with the objective of assisting the partners in the management of the AQC I fund.

Audrey is currently a Principal at AQC Capital. She is involved in the investment process and the monitoring of portfolio companies.

Previously, she worked at Raymond Chabot and was involved in numerous financial advisory projects (valuation and transaction support) as a Manager in various industries for investment funds as well as industrial and technology groups.

She is interested in personal development and practices various sports such as yoga and fit boxing.

She holds a Master's degree in Finance from the University of Lyon in France.

Rafaello is currently an Investment Associate at AQC Capital, where he is involved in the investment process and the monitoring of portfolio companies.

With a decade of experience in financing, consulting and financial analysis, Rafaello most recently held the position of Senior Manager at BDC, where he helped fast-growing companies achieve their goals. In the past, he has also worked as a finance director in the private sector and as a financial management consultant.

Outside work, Rafaello is very active. He is passionate about golf, soccer, cooking and social activities. These interests inspire him to be creative, persevering and always ready to take on new challenges.

Karen is currently an Investment Analyst at AQC Capital where she conducts due diligence and deal sourcing as well as other supporting duties. She is also involved with Canadian Women in VC to empower women and allies to shape the Canadian VC ecosystem into a more inclusive one.

Prior to joining AQC Capital, she worked in Management Consulting at Deloitte for Canadian non-profits and leaders in various industry. Her experience was primarily on streamlining operations and developing business cases to help drive decisions on revenue diversification and cost saving strategies.

Karen loves to travel, discover new cultures and enjoys all forms of art. Her favorite activity is exploring art museums in the cities she visits.

She holds a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University where she focused her studies in Finance,Entrepreneurship and Computer Science.

James is currently an Investment Analyst at AQC Capital where he conducts due diligence and deal sourcing as well as other supporting duties.

Prior to joining the team, he worked in Investment Management for Addenda Capital, where he was exposed to a broad range of financial instruments and investment philosophies. His work focused primarily on assisting in the development of investment solutions for prospective clients, as well as maintaining relationships post-investments.

In his free time, he enjoys cooking as well as literature, especially classics and contemporary works.

He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Concordia University where he focused his studies in Finance and Capital Markets. He is also a candidate for the CFA level 2 exam.

Marianne handles all the administrative and accounting needs of AQC Capital.

Marianne began her career as an executive assistant at 3-SOFT. She managed the telemarketing team before leaving the company to become the administrative and operational pillar of various organizations such as Conixio, Créacor and Ngenio. Throughout her career, she has supported Serge Beauchemin in his various projects and is in charge of managing all of his business.

She enjoys cooking and spending time with family and friends. To please her, there is nothing like chocolate...

She holds a Management Diploma of small and medium enterprises from the Institut Universitaire deTechnologie du Limousin.