Peggy Van de Plassche

Last week, we celebrated FrontFundr’s 10th anniversary —a milestone not just for the company, but for the Canadian innovation economy. In the past decade, nearly $300M has been invested via FrontFundr by almost 20,000 investors . That’s not just capital—it’s community. And it’s a reimagining of how early-stage companies can raise money and stay in control. I joined FrontFundr early—as an investor,...

What if tech outsourcing could actually be… a strategic advantage? On this week’s podcast, I sat down with Sean Languedoc , founder & CEO of Outforce AI , to talk about why outsourcing is so often broken—and how to fix it. 📉 60% of outsourcing projects fail.  📈 Outforce AI’s hit rate? 98%. Sean’s secret? Start with the team, not the agency. Match for culture, experience, communication style—...

🌍 Staying Global in a Deglobalizing World Reflections from the Burgundy Forum Last week, I attended Burgundy’s annual forum in Toronto—a quiet but powerful gathering of serious long-term investors. The theme this year? Staying global in a deglobalizing world. Timely. Necessary. Two keynotes stood out—one from Anne Mette de Place Filippini, the other from Kenneth Broekaert. Their message? Convicti...

What a roof leak taught me about fiduciary duty, asymmetric relationships, and why micro-communities matter more than ever Would you trust your roofer like you trust your lawyer? During two days of torrential rain in Toronto, water started dripping from our bedroom ceiling. What followed was a comedy of errors—no ladder, no diagnosis, and no accountability. But what struck me most wasn’t the leak....

🏒What the Maple Leafs’ Playoff Defeat Can Tell Us About the Corporate World I don’t follow sports. But living in Toronto, even I couldn’t escape the Maple Leafs playoff drama. The part that stuck with me wasn’t the final score (1–6, ouch), but the conversations around it—especially the double standard we apply to failure. A mid-tier hockey player underperforms in a big game? Might not make the cu...

I wrote a book. Then I didn’t publish it. Now I’m sharing it anyway. In the summer of 2022, I started writing Paris, Mushrooms and Me —a raw, funny, and deeply personal story about my first experiences with microdosing and the emotional dominoes it set in motion. Think Bridget Jones meets Eat, Pray, Love —with psilocybin chocolate. Then life happened. I shelved the manuscript, wrote and published...

💥 Most M&A Deals Fail. So Why Are We Ignoring the Gold Mine Inside Our Own Businesses? 70–90% of M&A deals fail to create value. And yet, executives, boards, and advisors still chase acquisitions like it’s the only path to growth. But what if the smarter move is right under your nose? Last week, I shared a keynote with financial services professionals on how to bring a private equity mind...

💥 "Raising capital is like a favor from the mafia—once you shake hands, you’re in the game." That’s one of the many sharp insights from my recent conversation with Brice Scheschuk. Brice has seen it all: founder, operator, investor, LP in 50+ funds, direct investor in 130+ startups. And now? He’s sounding the alarm—and offering a playbook. 🔑 His message is simple but radical: most star...

PE isn’t broken. But the rules have changed—and most firms haven’t. I’ve spent 25 years in value creation:  → In a PE-backed manufacturing company  → As part of a SWAT team transforming a global tech firm  → Inside banks and insurers where value creation often gets lost in translation I’ve seen what works (and what absolutely doesn’t). The debt-load-and-cut playbook is dead. Multiple expansion is...

💪 Tariffs aren’t the only way to push back. Sometimes, Canada needs to put its elbows up—with policy. In the face of rising tariffs, trade weaponization, and U.S.-centric tech monopolies, what if there was a smarter way to fight back? 📘 Inspired by a great Financial Times article, I dug into one of the most underused levers on the table: repealing anti-circumvention laws —a technical, deeply str...

Art doesn’t just decorate our walls. It reshapes the way we see the world—and ourselves. 🎨 I recently read three extraordinary books that cracked open my understanding of creativity, value, and human connection:  ✅ Poor Artists by Gabrielle de la Puente and Zarina Muhammad ✅ Get the Picture by Bianca Bosker ✅ The Art Thief by Michael Finkel Each offers a different lens:  🔍 The economic realit...

Good news in healthcare doesn’t always make the headlines — but it’s happening all around us. 🌿 In the last decade alone, we’ve seen seismic shifts:  ✅ Psychedelics are redefining mental health care.  ✅ Early cancer detection technologies are saving lives.  ✅ Women’s health research is finally getting the representation it deserves.  ✅ Aging science is moving from lifespan to healthspan. ✅ G...

“It doesn’t change anything.” That’s the response I keep getting from global investors when I ask how they’re adjusting to the Trump administration’s return. But here’s the truth: everything is already changing. 📉 Buy America. 📉 Tariffs. 📉 Stock market volatility. 📉 Private market redemption spikes. Saying it doesn’t affect your investment strategy isn’t confidence—it’s denial. We’re not in th...

Are you too one encounter away from greatness?  That was the question echoing in my mind after hearing Tim Whiten speak at the AGO. I’ve admired Tim’s work since discovering him at Olga Korper Gallery —but hearing him reflect on his journey added a whole new layer. He spoke of Olga , the legendary gallerist, as a pivotal force in his life. "Without Olga, who would I be?" he asked. Would...

🚨 Disinformation isn’t new. But today, it’s faster, stickier, and more dangerous than ever. This week, I attended a thought-provoking event in French on conspiracy theories in the digital age , featuring Rudy Reichstadt , founder of Conspiracy Watch , and hosted by Gabrielle Sabourin of Radio-Canada. Students from the Université de l’Ontario Français also joined the conversation, adding a fresh d...

🤖 AI is moving fast—and not just in the startups it powers, but in the venture capital firms that fund them. Last week, I attended a fantastic panel hosted by Introduction Capital on The Role of AI in Startups and Venture Capital , moderated by Kathryn Wortsman and featuring insights from Eva Lau , Matt Cohen , and Peter Shi . Here’s what struck me:  We’re no longer in the era of “AI as a tool.”...

🔥 Is “Follow Your Bliss” Really the Best Career Advice? We’ve all heard it: Follow your bliss. It’s a seductive idea. Quit your job, pursue your passion full-time, build a life that doesn’t feel like work. You’ve seen the success stories—artists, creators, tech founders, athletes—who bet on themselves and won . But what about everyone else? 👉 What if your passion doesn’t pay the bills?  👉 What...

👩‍💼 Why I’m Not Running for Office (And Probably Never Will) People sometimes ask me why I don’t run for public office. It’s flattering. But here’s the truth: I have a hard time with the idea that if you buy into one belief, you’re expected to adopt ten more—no questions asked. Party lines, political jerseys, organizational echo chambers—it’s all the same pattern: pick a side, stick to the scrip...

💥 Burnout isn’t a failure of willpower—it’s a signal. After two decades in finance, tech, and venture capital, I’ve seen too many high performers quietly struggle with disconnection, overstimulation, and burnout. We’re praised for pushing through—but rarely encouraged to realign. That’s why I’m thrilled to be a featured speaker at The Roots Of Our Being , a free global summit running April 14–18....

🧠 Big Tech was built by government—and branded as rebellion. Last week, I had the pleasure of attending a fantastic event at the Munk School’s Innovation Policy Lab: “U.S. Politics and Big Tech Power: Past, Present, and Future.” The conversation (led by Margaret O’Mara and Tom Kemeny) unpacked the long, complicated marriage between Silicon Valley and Washington—a relationship built on mutual bene...

🔥 Parenting is Hard. Reacting Doesn’t Have to Be. Ever feel like no matter how much you try, you still snap at your kids? You’re not alone. Balancing parenting, career, and daily stress is exhausting, and before you know it—you’ve reacted in a way you regret. But what if there was a way to break the cycle? Join me and @Jenn Abbatiello for a FREE live workshop on April 1st @ 12:30 PM EST, where we...

Can Cooperation Outperform Competition? 🤝 We live in a world of increasing division—politically, socially, and economically. But what if there was another way? I recently attended a thought-provoking talk by Bernard Harcourt at the University of Toronto - Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy , exploring an alternative model of governance: cooperatism—a system where collaboration, not...

🦟 Who’s Sucking the Life Out of You? You work hard. You build relationships. You invest time and energy into people and projects. But have you ever stepped back and asked yourself: Who’s actually adding value to my life… and who’s just draining me dry? In my latest newsletter, I dive deep into the parasites and vampires lurking in our professional and personal lives—the people who waste our time,...

Every year, Canadian pension funds deploy billions into public equity, private equity, and debt markets. But instead of channeling these assets through Canadian money managers , a substantial portion goes to foreign firms . 👉 Meanwhile, Canadian fund managers are pitching their expertise abroad —because our own institutions aren’t always giving them a fair shot. Every dollar sent to a foreign mon...

My scale says I’m 12 years old . Science—and my 47-year-old body —might disagree. 😂 But what if aging wasn’t inevitable? What if we could slow it down—or even reverse it? That’s exactly what I explored with Marco Quarta, longevity scientist & co-founder of Rubedo Life Science . His team is tackling one of aging’s biggest culprits: senescent cells (aka “zombie cells”)—which refuse to die and a...