Suggestions
Sarim Zia
Associate Principal and Partner based in Toronto
Sarim Zia is an accomplished Investment Associate at BDC with a proven track record of working in the financial services industry. With knowledge and experience in areas such as portfolio management, financial analysis, and business development, Zia has proven to be a valuable asset to the team. Prior to his current role, Zia served as an Investment Analyst at Roynat Capital, where he assisted in originating and executing debt financing for small and medium businesses.
Zia holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Finance from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Schulich School of Business at York University. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, reading, and exploring new cultures through travel.
Highlights
Interesting report from Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) on the state of Manufacturing workforce in Ontario came out yesterday - https://lnkd.in/efBvRAsw
Highlights:
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Sector is seeing stable growth in the post-pandemic era - the Hamilton-Kitchener-Waterloo-Barrie and Windsor-Sarnia-London corridors are resilient regions for the sector.
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Lack of skilled talent, financial incentives and infrastructure, and pairing of new technologies with existing processes are the strongest perceived obstacles for further investment. Investment in advanced manufacturing is one way to bridge the gap of shortage of skilled trade workers.
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Investment in advanced manufacturing is key to shoring up labour productivity - attracting talent to industry is one element, enabling talent to be more productive with tools and technology is vital to continue growing manufacturing in Ontario.
Demographics:
- 27.7% of workers in sector are aged over 55; the sector needs fresh young blood and training is high on the list of recommendations.
- Only a third of the workforce is female - hopefully the sector can attract talent while aiming for gender parity for a more inclusive workforce.
Really insightful read from a16z on company traits that create magic in HealthTech (and MedTech):
- Focus on increasing customer LTV: sticky, upselling
- Operating leverage: declining marginal costs
- Lower customer acquistion costs: B2B2C distribution models, network effect
Scaling health and medical tech companies is difficult. Hardware technologies in particular contend with long development and regulatory (and reimbursement) cycles, high capex and fundraising requirements, and prolonged time to market. Operators and investors can guide strategic focus at an early stage so companies are focused on creating patient value and economic value sustainably.
https://lnkd.in/gbdWxgxC
#healthtech #medtech #governance #venturecapital #development
