George Khalife’s Post

If you’re in Chicago, you already know the great work Gale & Joey do for the startup and investor ecosystem. They hosted their second (Re)Do Summit which I was proud to be a partner of, celebrating the many women who have started their business or are aspiring entrepreneurs. There were too many takeaways to share, so instead here are a few reminders for myself and those hopefully reading this post: 1) When you hear of opportunities, don’t just go back to the same old names. Ask around a broader, more diverse group of people who might be a strong fit. Fresh perspectives bring innovation. 2) Want to invest in more women founders? Show up. Attend events like this, build meaningful relationships, spend time learning about their businesses, and see how you can help. 3) Sitting on the sidelines in a small, closed group doesn’t help lift all boats. It only makes sure your boat gets bigger while others sink. Actions > excuses. Commit to continuous engagement and support. 4) Men, be allies. Advocate for women in rooms where they are absent. Make sure their voices are heard and valued. Remember, a diverse and inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem benefits everyone. By supporting women entrepreneurs, we create a thriving environment for all. Kudos to VITALIZE Venture Capital and Chicago:Blend for putting together this awesome roster of speakers and event. So many inspiring women, some old and new friends: Gale Wilkinson, Julia Stamberger, Desiree Vargas Wrigley, Ellie Bahrmasel, Amanda Lannert, Aimee Schuster, Luisa Castellanos, Erica Bethe Levin, Shelley Gupta, Janet Xu, Hilary Rushe, and so many more! That’s all I got. See you next week ✌🏼

I had the pleasure of meeting Andrew Sykes during the EMBA program at Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management. Andrew, commonly spotted wearing a purple suit, built one of South Africa’s largest healthcare consulting companies over 30 years. He is a seasoned salesperson, entrepreneur, speaker, and behavior change expert. Also an aspiring poet. A bunch of my friends in the cohort raved about his course at Kellogg called Entrepreneurial Selling, which I was sad to miss. To make up for not taking it, I had Andrew on the Let's Grab Coffee Podcast. We discussed how to be a magnetic person, building trust, the power of asking thoughtful questions, storytelling, getting past common fears like public speaking, and much more. The full conversation can be found on: YouTube: https://shorturl.at/y8myM All Audio Platforms: https://shorturl.at/vBptl #podcast #kellogg #sales #entrepreneur

No country is perfect. For all the challenges Canada has faced and continues to face, it remains a country I am forever grateful for. Here are just a few reasons why: 🍁 Canada offers accessible and high-quality education, providing countless opportunities for personal and professional growth. 🍁 The healthcare system ensures that all citizens, regardless of their status, net worth, or occupation, have access to essential medical services. 🍁 Canada is known for its warm welcome to people from all walks of life, creating a diverse pool of cultures and backgrounds. 🍁 Canada's positive relationships with nations around the world reflect our commitment to peace, cooperation, and mutual respect. As immigrants, my family and I chose Canada because it was a more peaceful land, a place where we could find stability and peace of mind. I still remember our first day in Canada – the kindness of strangers, the sense of safety, and the feeling of endless possibilities. For this, we are forever thankful. 🇨🇦 Happy Canada Day! 🇨🇦

Chicago 🫱🏽🫲🏼 Toronto 🇺🇸🇨🇦 This morning, we welcomed a U.S. delegation of founders, investors and business leaders at TMX Group HQ to open the markets. We featured a panel showcasing the strong cross-border connectivity between the sister cities with the dream team: - Varvara Alva; based in Chicago, CFO/COO of Avidbots Corp., a Waterloo growth stage robotics company - Hylton Irons: investor at Listen Ventures, recently helped take one their portfolio companies The Fresh Factory public on the TSXV - Victoria Leon: VP at Hyde Park Venture Partners which recently closed a $98M fund 4 to invest in the Midwest and Toronto - 🚀 Sultan Mehrabi: based in Toronto and is a Venture Partner at Chicago-based MK Capital Nothing beats open collaboration. The mutual gain we get from connecting our two ecosystems more closely together helps all stakeholders within them. It’s something I am super passionate about continuing to do. Special shout-out to World Business Chicago, Chicago Sister Cities International and the team at TMX for helping organize this.

With my partner in crime Delilah Panio filming something special on all things going public. Stay tuned! 👀 TMX Group

Proud to help sponsor a P33 Chicago reception this evening focused on investing in women’s sports. The panel featured Laura Ricketts, chairwoman and investor in Chicago Red Stars as well as Aly Wagner who holds two FIFA Women’s World Cup bronze medals, two Olympic gold medals and is now the co-founder of Bay FC. Tomorrow, the Red Stars will play at Wrigley Field in front of (hopefully) a record breaking crowd of over 30,000 people. This is the first time in 80 years this happens and a testiment to the growing presence of the women’s soccer league. Great to see more visibility and exposure as well as investment dollars going to help fund infrastructure around it. Not so fun fact - since 1970, $35 billion has gone to support more than 120 stadiums for the main men’s sports leagues, while $0 has gone to women. That needs to change. Thank you to my brother Claude Cimeus for moderating this impactful panel and organizing the event.

Mike de Vere, CEO of Zest AI, joined me on the Let's Grab Coffee Podcast to uncover the story behind their groundbreaking approach to credit underwriting. This innovative fintech company is making the power of machine learning safe and effective for lenders, resulting in better decisions, better loans, increased revenue, reduced risk, and automated compliance. Mike's journey in the fintech world is marked by his leadership at Zest AI, a company founded in 2009 with the mission of making fair and transparent credit available to everyone. Under his guidance, Zest AI has grown into one of the fastest-growing fintech software companies, revolutionizing the credit industry with cutting-edge technology and has raised a total of $157.7 million over multiple funding rounds. His story is a masterclass in leadership and innovation in the rapidly evolving world of fintech. #fintech #machinelearning #creditunderwriting #innovation #leadership

Had the privilege of joining this panel talking about investment trends surrounding #healthcare in both private and public markets. Brace yourself, there's a good dose of optimism in some of the highlights I shared... 1) Yes, markets are challenging, but the life sciences sector has come a long way, so let's celebrate that. To put it into perspective, in 2008, there were 8 new life sciences listings and $372M in equity capital raised across 58 financings. Between 2019-2023 alone, we saw 95 new listings and $12.78 billion in equity capital raised across 588 financings! 2) In the past 2 years, capital shifted away from "riskier assets" towards traditional, predictable, cash-flowing companies. That said, financings are coming back, and some are even oversubscribed in the innovation sector. Bankers are eager to build relationships with companies, and optimism is high for the next 2-3 years. 3) How should pre-IPO companies think about positioning themselves for a growth path?   - Pre-clinical/pre-commercial companies: Show differentiated data and evidence against benchmarks.   - Commercial companies: Demonstrate a large market fit and a path to profitability. 4) Canadian markets know how to support early-stage, emerging companies. Out of the 103 pure life sciences companies (including biotech, pharma, healthcare equipment/services/suppliers), 81 have market caps below $100M. This allows companies to eventually graduate to the TSX when they're ready and look to dual-list on a U.S. exchange if they choose to (e.g., Midwest-based Quipt Home Medical, TSX: QIPT). 🔍 Fun Fact about Market Relevance: A life sciences company with a market value of $500M CAD would be roughly the 7th largest publicly-listed company in Canada compared to the 430th in the U.S. For more, check out this article we put together: https://shorturl.at/c5YK6 TMX Group - MedCity News #LifeSciences #HealthcareInnovation #TSX #IPO #MedCityInvest

This will be a fun panel next week at the MedCity News #INVEST2024 conference discussing investment trends in healthcare. Excited to join fellow panelists Shawn Ellis, Fatima Husain, Nancy Sullivan, and Jack Stockert to share various perspectives on private and public markets as well as the opportunities and challenges in the sector moving forward. If you're in Chicago on 5/21, would love to connect! Find more details about the event here: https://shorturl.at/d7yPN