Cycle Capital – a leading cleantech venture capital platform – once again welcomes Claude Champagne to the team as Technology Lead.
Claude Champagne, an experienced entrepreneur, will be advising the investment team and its portfolio companies on strategy and business development. He re-joins Cycle Capital following a brilliant career in technology development and commercialization, and corporate leadership of high-tech companies. After 12 years at Nortel Networks, he joined Positron Industries as VP Engineering and Strategic Planning. He then founded PFS (Positron Fiber Systems Corp), a leading producer of fiber optic equipment for the telecommunication market. The business grew rapidly under Claude’s leadership and vision, reaching $100M in global annual sales in merely five years and successfully completing a cross-border IPO (NASDAQ, TSX and MSE). Through later acquisitions, he was named VP Transport Systems for RELTEC Corp. and then led the Optical Networks North America subsidiary for Marconi PLC.
In addition to serving on numerous boards and committees, he mentored countless high-tech startup companies, including LxDATA, for which he became CEO. In his function Claude transformed the company from a telecom components commodity supplier into a successfully integrated solution provider of downhole sensors for the Oil & Gas industry. He also previously worked with Cycle Capital as entrepreneur in residence.
“We are very pleased to welcome Claude back to our team. His experience in scaling technologies and his deep comprehension of the challenges faced by companies in the commercialization phase make him an invaluable resource for our portfolio companies and our team.” – Andrée-Lise Méthot, Founder and Managing Partner at Cycle Capital
In recognition of his remarkable work, Claude was awarded Canada’s prestigious and inaugural National IWAY Award in 1996 for product development contributing to the country’s information highway. In 1999, he received the award for top 40 Canadians under 40 and was featured as a success story in the CVCA (Canadian Venture Capital Association) report. He graduated with Distinction in 1981 from McGill University with an Honors B. Electrical Engineering degree.