A change of plans
From graduating with first-class honours in chemistry to launching a venture capital firm targeting a $100-million fund for women鈥檚 and children鈥檚 health technology, Annie Th茅riault鈥檚 career shift led her to the mission-driven work she always wanted.
After earning her Bachelor of Science, Th茅riault took the conventional route of following it with a master鈥檚 degree. She was halfway through her first year at Waterloo when a conversation over coffee with her supervisor gave rise to a revelation. As Th茅riault listened to her supervisor enthusiastically recount details of a conference at which they had recently presented, she realized she had never felt this level of excitement for chemistry. Although she was doing well in her courses, she made the decision to leave her program and try something different.
Th茅riault鈥檚 interest in chemistry was primarily based on her affinity for numbers and math, which is why she chose business and finance as her next field of study. Looking back at her time as an undergraduate student, Th茅riault recognizes the valuable skills she gained that made switching programs feasible and that have come in handy in her current career.
鈥淩esearch at Mount Allison has helped me with problem-solving and making quick decisions. I was trained to find patterns in data, identify what sticks out, and make proofs,鈥� she says.
Th茅riault completed a PhD in Finance and entered the world of business in the most technical field, as a currency and derivatives trader and investor in hedge funds. She then joined the venture capital world following a significant shift in this sector during and after the credit crisis of 2008. Over time, Th茅riault found her niche in science-driven innovations, beginning with Cleantech Investments.
More recently, Th茅riault ran an innovation platform focused on mobilizing millions of dollars for high-impact healthcare companies in emerging markets called the Every Woman Every Child Innovation Marketplace. She was also a founding member of a female-led Toronto-based business accelerator called The Big Push. Th茅riault says she created a firm that truly reflects her passions with Cross Border Impact Ventures (CBIV) 鈥� which only invests to generate high returns for its investors, while also creating measurable impact with evidence-based innovations.
Th茅riault and her team have been working for three years to launch the CBIV Women鈥檚 and Children鈥檚 Health Technology Fund, which will invest in companies creating innovations that have the potential to transform health care in North America, Europe, emerging markets, and underserved populations.
鈥淲e launched CBIV based on the idea that borders should not dictate who gets access to the best health technologies,鈥� says Th茅riault.
When talking with students and sharing how she went from studying chemistry to working in venture capital, Th茅riault often tells them that their first degree is what shapes how they think, it trains their brain, and those transferable skills will help them find a career that brings them joy.