Meet our team

Backed by decades of expertise and a portfolio of more than 40 companies, we empower founders to achieve lasting impact and deliver significant results.

Chris Erickson

Partner

  • Chris is the founding general partner of Pangaea Ventures and has helped entrepreneurs change the world for over 25 years. Chris is based in Phoenix and sits on the boards of several portfolio companies. Prior to starting Pangaea in 2000, Chris was a partner at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt, specializing in environmental and corporate law. Chris has been on the board of the Canadian Venture Capital Association and several non-profit organizations.

    Chris has a Juris Doctorate from the University of Toronto and a B.Comm. from the University of Calgary.

    Outside of work, you will find Chris running trails on the west coast and in Arizona

    “In the morning, I am energized by all the little things that can make our world more sustainable, in addition the big, impactful things we see at Pangaea.”

Andrew Haughian

Partner

  • Andrew joined Pangaea Ventures in 2006 and since then has developed deep expertise in helping companies navigate the early growth stage as they work to prove product-market fit, build out high-performance teams, cultivate a culture of excellence, and optimize growth financing. He currently works closely with Aspect Biosystems, CarbonCure Technologies, ESS Inc., Prime Roots, Hinalea and TruTag and previously worked with companies such as Tidal Vision as they passed through the early growth stage.

    Andrew holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Mechanical Engineering) from the University of Toronto and a Masters in Business Administration degree from the University of British Columbia.

    When not investing, Andrew is happiest racing his road bike in the mountains of Europe or in the local beer league racing scene. 

    “Unscrupulous ethics, rampant corruption, and partisan politics are barriers to solving many of the world’s problems and I would love to be able to make an impact stamping this behaviour out.”

Janelle Goulard

Partner

  • A passion for improving the delivery of healthcare through innovation is what drives Janelle. With over 12 years of healthcare experience, she has a background in private investments, scaling ventures and management consulting.

    As partner at Pangaea, with a focus on healthcare investment, Janelle brings her expertise in entrepreneurial endeavours (including launching a population health technology platform that became a joint venture with Microsoft and GE), and her extensive network in private capital, public and private healthcare sectors. Janelle spent most of her career at GE Healthcare collaborating with global teams across Europe and US. She is enthusiastic about working closely with Modulim, Aspect Biosystems, Correlia Biosystems, and Redlen.

    Janelle holds MBA from the University of British Columbia in Entrepreneurship and Innovation and a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University.

    When she’s not investing, you can find Janelle on a sailboat in the Caribbean or west coast of Canada. She is a certified skipper.

    The best piece of advice she’s ever been given is "Build relationships, they will take you further. Identify ways you can help other people; maybe not today, or tomorrow or this year or the next 5 years, but those relationships will come around to support you".

Purnesh Seegopaul

Advisor

  • Purnesh has been involved in developing and commercializing advanced materials across diverse industries over the past 25 years. He has held leadership positions in both large enterprises and startup companies. He is now applying his entrepreneurial passion and well-honed skills to help build startup companies leveraging advanced materials innovation to make the world better by addressing global challenges, such as, climate change, energy, food, water, and health. Purnesh also shares his knowledgebase by providing mentoring and advisory services with groups promoting entrepreneurship and advanced materials commercialization.

    Purnesh received his B.Sc. (chemistry/biology), with distinction, from the University of Guyana, and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia where he was a Commonwealth Scholar. He completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Delaware.

    When not investing, Purnesh is with his family, golfing with friends, gardening, and catching up on historical events.

    “The best part of my job is interacting with entrepreneurs to work on leading edge materials innovations to resolve big global challenges.”

Sarah Applebaum

Partner

  • Sarah brings more than a decade of venture capital and company building experience to the team. Sarah has cultivated expertise in building entrepreneurial teams, scaling early stage ventures, and venture financing. Sarah is an active mentor to early stage entrepreneurs and a startup community activator and advocate.

    Sarah led Pangaea’s investments into PolySpectra, Correlia Biosystems, and pH7. Sarah holds a BSc. From Dalhousie University and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business.

    Outside of work, you can find Sarah on the local trails with her dog, Indie, out on her road bike, or spending time with friends and family.

    “What I love most about venture capital is the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from the next generation of technology leaders and visionaries. I am constantly learning and building and rebuilding what I think our future looks like. I am so fortunate I get to help create a cleaner, healthier, and safer world for generations to come.”

Sayuri Nonaka

Director of Asia

  • Prior to joining Pangaea, Sayuri cultivated expertise in the venture capital industry with a focus on investing in and scaling early-stage companies, particularly in the hard tech sector. At Pangaea Ventures, she is involved in investment activities, portfolio support, and creating frameworks to help Japanese startups expand overseas.

    Sayuri holds a Bachelor of Economics from Tokyo University.

    Outside of work, you can find Sayuri golfing, traveling, or spending time with family and friends

    “I am driven by my curiosity to connect with entrepreneurs and explore emerging technologies. My goal is to help bridge technology both in Japan and globally, thereby contributing to innovation worldwide.”

Larry Meixner

Senior Advisor

  • With over three decades of experience spanning research, corporate leadership, and venture investing, Larry brings extensive technical expertise and a unique cross-cultural perspective to Pangaea’s investment strategy.

    At Pangaea Ventures, Larry leverages his experience in building and leading a successful corporate venture capital organization that invested across the US, EU, and Asia. His focus on bridging Japanese and Western innovation ecosystems helps portfolio companies maximize their global impact. As CTO for Mitsubishi Chemical Group, his leadership in innovation earned him the prestigious Nikkei Crosstech “CTO of the Year” Special Award in 2023.

    Larry holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Caltech and a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Stanford University. He has achieved the highest level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT N1). Larry resides in Tokyo, Japan.

    Outside of work, Larry enjoys exploring Japan’s urban centers and hidden back roads, playing guitar, coding for fun, or working on his golf game.

    “My connection with Japan has profoundly shaped my approach to innovation. It’s taught me that breakthrough solutions emerge when we combine diverse perspectives and look beyond our inherent biases.”

David Weekes

Associate

  • Prior to joining Pangaea Ventures in 2022, David spent several years developing and implementing major research and technology translation initiatives at the University of British Columbia. His technical experience includes clean energy, quantum materials and devices, and chemistry, and he has published several technical and non-technical articles in these fields. David has mentored a number of early-stage ventures, and he continues to be an active member of the technology start-up community within British Columbia.

    David holds a Masters in Chemistry with Honours in French from Newcastle University in the United Kingdom, and a PhD in Chemistry from the University of British Columbia.

    Outside of work, David can typically be found exploring the coast mountains of British Columbia, either on skis, on foot, or on a bike.

    “I love meeting and learning about the founders of a new venture, just as much as I love learning about their technology. You can learn so much from the “who” of a company, rather than just the “what!”

Tracy Hedberg

Director, Finance & Admin

  • Tracy is a Chartered Accountant with a scientific background. She worked six years as Senior Securities Analyst, Corporate Finance, for the British Columbia Securities Commission. Tracy served as Controller for Lion One Metals Inc., a TSX-V listed company, before establishing her own practice and later joining Pangaea. Tracy has a BSc. with a double major in Biology and Environmental Science from the University of Victoria, as well as her CA designation.

Tara Nietzold

Associate

  • Prior to joining Pangaea Ventures, Tara worked as a scientist at a start-up in Rochester, NY and as a postdoc at Brown University in Providence, RI. Her technical expertise includes semiconductors, photovoltaics, thin films, and advanced materials characterization including synchrotron X-ray techniques, and she has published several peer-reviewed papers on these topics. Tara has conducted research in a number of countries around the world, including Colombia, Singapore, and Japan.

    Tara holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science from Arizona State University and a Bachelors of Science in Materials Science & Engineering from Rutgers University, New Brunswick. She also holds two minors in Italian and Economics.

    Outside of work, you can find Tara rock climbing, hiking, snowboarding or traveling and learning new languages.

    She believes in the saying that “people will never forget how you made them feel” and wants to use her work to positively impact the lives of others.