Leaders Fund has launched with a fund of USD100 million to invest in promising enterprise SaaS companies. Leaders Fund is led by an experienced team of operators who have founded or scaled multiple enterprise software companies, including Rypple, Workbrain, Ariba and Applied Predictive Technologies, achieving successful public and private exits.
The fund’s evergreen, flexible structure is designed to enable the team to partner creatively with other investors while ensuring deep alignment with portfolio companies on deal structure, growth strategy and long-term goals. Based in Toronto and Atlanta, Leaders Fund will make investments in high growth enterprise SaaS companies in those specific markets and across Canada and the US.
Leaders Fund is led by David Stein, founder and co-CEO of Rypple (acquired by Salesforce.com) and co-founder of Workbrain (acquired by Infor); Steve DeBacco, who most recently served as CRO of Applied Predictive Technologies (acquired by Mastercard) and was COO of Workbrain; and Gideon Hayden, a rising star at OMERS Ventures who worked with their high growth SaaS portfolio companies, including Hootsuite, 360 Incentives and Klipfolio. Howard Gwin, renowned enterprise software operator, venture investor and board director, serves as a venture partner.
“I’ve been where many of today’s enterprise SaaS leaders want to go,” says David Stein, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Leaders Fund. “By bringing all that experience – both the good and the bad – to Leaders Fund, my team and I can lend our expertise to this next wave. We’re excited to help these entrepreneurs grow faster and more efficiently, to positively impact their trajectory, by providing them with the capital, insights and connections they need at key inflection points.”
