OMERS Ventures, the venture investment arm of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, has appointed Laura Lenz as its new Managing Director and Head of Ventures, placing a veteran investor at the helm of one of Canada's most active technology investment platforms. Lenz joined the fund in 2019 and previously led its Canadian investment activity, backing companies including Float, Hopper, and Solink. Her appointment follows the departure of Saar Pikar in July and signals a continued strategic emphasis on Canadian founders.
Leadership Experience and Mandate
Lenz brings more than two decades of venture capital, growth investing, and company building experience to the role. Michael Block, Head of Private Capital at OMERS, said she offers the experience, judgment, and deep understanding of founders required to lead the platform forward. Lenz stated that venture is ultimately a people business and that the best outcomes come from trust, judgment, conviction, and partnership.
A Period of Executive Transition
The promotion follows three leadership changes at OMERS Ventures in as many years. Saar Pikar took over from Michael Yang as managing partner and head of ventures and growth last year, and Yang had previously replaced Damien Steel after his departure to Deep Sky. Lenz now becomes the latest leader tasked with stabilizing and advancing the fund's Canadian investment strategy.
Canadian Focus and Platform Scale
Under Lenz, OMERS Ventures will maintain a Canada-first approach, targeting ambitious founders and category-defining companies while leveraging the OMERS global network, scale, and flexible capital. Since its founding in 2011, the platform has backed 46 Canadian companies, including Shopify, Xanadu, D2L, Float, Hopper, Jobber, League, OneVest, Solink, Wave Accounting, Wattpad, Waabi, Cohere, and Dominion Dynamics. This record gives the team a broad foundation for identifying emerging leaders in artificial intelligence and other high-growth sectors.
Institutional Commitment and AI Opportunities
OMERS Ventures sees particular opportunity in areas where artificial intelligence is creating or reshaping markets, including defense technologies, physical AI, and vertical AI platforms built for specific industry workflows. Next week, the platform will host its annual AI Assembly Summit to discuss how AI is reshaping venture capital, infrastructure, defense, robotics, and the broader investment landscape. As part of OMERS, the venture arm can connect founders with institutional expertise, global relationships, and sector knowledge across markets and geographies.
Ambition and the Canadian Ecosystem
Lenz has pushed back on the argument that Canadian founders lack ambition, saying the real question is whether the surrounding ecosystem can match them with patient capital, early customers, global networks, open markets, and institutions willing to use their scale. She said the ambition has been present in Canada and that what is changing is the willingness to build around it. At OMERS Ventures, the role is to back exceptional founders early, bring meaningful capital, and use the OMERS network where it can help.
Alignment with Broader Pension Strategy
The venture strategy aligns with the broader OMERS commitment to invest C$10 billion more in Canada over approximately the next five years across asset classes. That platform advantage supports the goal of helping companies scale while creating long-term value for OMERS members. The renewed focus also arrives amid Prime Minister Mark Carney's push to stimulate domestic investment and calls for pension funds to participate more actively in Canada.
Lenz's appointment represents both a leadership reset and a clear statement of confidence in Canadian technology. By pairing patient capital with a global network and sector expertise, OMERS Ventures aims to support founders who can compete internationally. The next phase will test whether that mandate can translate into durable, globally significant technology companies and lasting value for the Canadian ecosystem.