World-changing and innovating finance maven Thealzel Lee of Vancouver, British Columbia, pursued her career because she has an affinity for the start-up ecosystem and helping entrepreneurs create companies as a woman of color in a majority-dominated field. Executing her business acumen while helping to invest in others, Ms. Lee is a general partner at Phoenix Fire Fund, Archangel Network of Funds; and the founder, director, and president of eFund angel investment fund. In 2019, she was named to British Columbia’s coveted Most Influential Women in Finance list.
In the overall startup ecosystem arena, Ms. Lee intervenes in the early stages by connecting angel investors with entrepreneurs who need their investment. The board director of the Montfort Capital Corp has expertise working with public and private boards, in operational alignment, business strategy, business modeling, strategic planning and development, market research, product management, corporate development, and strategic partnerships. Day-to-day in business, Ms. Lee responds to inquiries from local entrepreneurs and manages angel investors who provide equity or financing investments for entrepreneurs through angel investor groups like the VANTEC Angel Network and the Keiretsu Forum Northwest & Rockies Region-Vancouver.
Ms. Lee cites one of her most notable accomplishments as being a significant part of the growth of eFund during the past decade, having invested in more than 42 companies and achieving an internal rate of return exceeding 34%. Described as being founded with the goal of achieving higher returns and more exits from angel investments, the eFund applies collective team talents to source deals, perform due diligence, mentor post-investment, and ultimately increase its investment portfolio success. She is proud, too, of her contributions to Montfort Capital Inc., during its startup and witnessing the company’s ascension to securing close to $400 million in assets under the management team and administration. She credits her own success to networking with like-minded individuals who are involved in the local startup ecosystem, learning the best ways to lead others, and harnessing problem-solving skills when faced with finding solutions to crises. Another major factor is Ms. Lee’s solid educational foundation completed in Canada, where she earned a Master of Business Administration from the Ivey Business School at Western University in London, Ontario, and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta.
Throughout her career, Ms. Lee has always been passionate about philanthropy as the mother of children who are neurodiverse and noticed that many prominent people and entrepreneurs who are challenged by their respective neurodiversity emerged to lead professionally successful lives. Thus, she is deeply invested in the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada as its immediate past chair. Ms. Lee’s philanthropic commitment extended to Malawi and Zimbabwe in Africa, where she lived and worked as the head of refugee feeding operations for the World Food Programme. Additionally, she shared her business talents with a United Nations Development Programme-funded agency in Zimbabwe to help women entrepreneurs.
In the coming years, Ms. Lee expects to continue to help entrepreneurs on company boards in various advisory or mentoring capacities while sharing her professional and personal life values with young people who are just starting their career paths. The married mother of three sons has two stepchildren and two grandchildren. Along with enjoying her family and advancing her career, she spends invaluable time working to maintain her health by hiking, practicing yoga, and walking.
