Niagara Business & Innovation Fund

Connecting Innovation & Ideas to Canadian Opportunity, with Strategic Capital Investment and Start-Up Visa Programs

Who Are We?

We are seasoned business owners, entrepreneurs, corporate executives, public policy and communications experts with global experience. The core team is complemented by a group of experienced operating advisors from every corner of the economic spectrum. The deep store of knowledge and expertise includes corporate and commercial law, accounting, finance, operations management, marketing, strategy, public relations, and government relations.

With hundreds of capital sources and strategic relationships, we work hard to provide our clients with the best possible outcome, whether their goal is to build a business from scratch, improve the performance of an existing one, or to acquire a new business. Our capacity to fulfill our clients’ operational, financing and strategic requirements is a direct result of understanding the critical differences in, and unique needs of, the angel, venture, and mid-market spaces.

What We Do

We provide essential services to support your company’s success in Canada, ranging from strategic guidance to regulatory compliance. Count on us to help you navigate the Canadian market efficiently and effectively.

About Us

Learn more about us, and the people who make Niagara Fund Possible!

Fred Davies, President & CEO

Fred has led the NBIF in its investment and community development strategy since 1999 and initiated bold new directions for the fund in Niagara and beyond. The fund has collaborated and invested in innovative ideas from the ground up for over 35 years.

Fred has also had a diverse career in the public and private sector, from being an advisor to Parliamentarians in the House of Commons, to coordinating economic development initiatives in the Niagara Region. His private interests span a number of sectors in commercial development and property management, and a long history in the food and beverage sector in Niagara.

In the entrepreneurial space, Fred has volunteered as Executive-in-Residence at the Niagara Falls Innovation Hub mentoring early-stage companies to help bring them to commercialization. In the community, Fred has served several boards and agencies over decades generally in the health care sector. Fred is the former Chair and board member of the Niagara Angel Network is also the founding Chair of Blue Ocean Angels Canada, a growing group of angel investors adding their capital and expertise to the innovation sector in the Niagara Region.

Fred is a former Trustee on two boards of education, Regional Councillor for the Regional Municipality of Niagara and served as Vice Chair of the Planning and Economic Development Committee. In 2025, Fred was elected Member of Parliament for the riding of Niagara South.

He studied Political Science at Brock University (B.A.) and the University of Cumbria in the UK (MBA).

Daniel Veniez, Executive Vice President

Dan has served as an Operating Advisor at Pegasus Capital Advisors a private equity fund in New York; President and Chief Executive Officer of LDW Hotel and Resort Development LLC, a real estate development company based in New York and Toronto; Executive Vice President, Finance and Chief Operating Officer of Mimik Technology Inc, a Vancouver-based software company; Senior Vice President (Corporate Affairs and Human Resources) at Repap Enterprises Inc. headquartered in Montreal; President and Chief Executive Officer of NWBC Timber and Pulp Ltd. and President and CEO of Skeena Cellulose Inc., both based in in Vancouver; Senior Director at Groupe Secor, a strategy consulting firm in Montreal; and Partner at The Centre for Executive Development in Boston.

Dan’s experience includes public service in the Government of Canada in Ottawa as a senior ministerial advisor in the Department of Industry, Science and Technology; Employment and Immigration; Indian Affairs and Northern Development, and as chairman of Ridley Terminals Inc., a federal Crown Corporation with operations located in Prince Rupert, British Columbia. Over the years, he has served on the advisory board and director of over a dozen early-stage and start-up ventures, as well as on numerous private and publicly traded boards. Dan studied at McGill University (B.A.) and Queens University (MBA).

Dan Bordenave, Senior Advisor

Dan is a graduate from Brock University with his bachelor of kinesiology (honors) and a Masters of Science in Applied Health Science with a focus on Motor Learning. While studying his masters Dan was working as a kinesiologist in a long term care setting and found a pain point in the current method of ambulation training. This is what sparked Dan to create his own medical company (Bisep) and build his flagship device The ARMM (ambulation, retraining, mobility, mechanism). Dan has won multiple awards for his invention and recently named the top emerging senior innovation company in Ontario by the Age-Well Organization. The ARMM device is currently being used in Hospitals and Long-Term Care Home across Canada and is transforming the lives of patients and caregivers.

In addition to being an entrepreneur Dan is the CEO of the Niagara Falls Innovation Hub a community-based innovation centre and incubator in Niagara Falls in where companies seek help and guidance to help bring their ideas to fruition. The hub has been a staple in Niagara Falls and has helped hundreds of companies over the years and has created hundreds of jobs for the local community. The NFIH is on its next phase of growth partnering with large education partners in the community with the goal of making the Hub and Niagara Falls the gateway to commercializing innovation in North America.

Afshin Doust, Advisor & Mentor

Afshin is a strategic thought leader with a diverse background in consulting, technology, finance, and operations. An angel investor, founder, and advisor to multiple companies, he holds an MBA in strategy and finance and is currently pursuing a PhD in innovation and entrepreneurship.

Afshin has written and spoken about technology, corporate governance, stakeholder management, venture, and innovation. With a passion for maximizing potentials, he consults with businesses, is a coach to founders and executives, and volunteers as a business mentor for budding entrepreneurs.

As a faculty member at Kwantlen Polytechnic University and University Canada West, Afshin educates MBA and Master level students on various subjects, such as ethics, digital transformation, organizational development, technical business management and negotiations, fostering a collaborative and reflective learning environment. His expertise, experience, and commitment to innovation continue to make a significant impact in the companies he engages with.