Venture for Canada Welcomes Joshua Goodfield, Lauren Ledwell, and Laura Silvester to Its Board of Directors

Rebecca Scott Updated: June 23, 2025

Venture for Canada (VFC) is thrilled to announce the appointment of Joshua Goodfield, Executive Director of VC Platform, Lauren Ledwell, Principal at Sandpiper Ventures, and Laura Silvester, Co-Founder, Chief Operating Officer and Head of Product at Anthill. Their expertise and forward-thinking leadership will play a key role in advancing the board’s mission to fuel economic growth and support the next generation of Canadian entrepreneurs.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Joshua, Laura, and Lauren to Venture for Canada’s Board of Directors,” said Parm Gill, Chair of the Board. “Each brings a deep commitment to innovation, ecosystem building, and empowering the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders. Their diverse expertise—in venture capital, technology, and inclusive economic development—will be invaluable in advancing our mission to strengthen Canada’s entrepreneurship ecosystem. Representing regions from coast to coast, they offer fresh perspectives that will help ensure our programming is meaningful, impactful, and accessible to communities across the country.”

“Joshua, Laura, and Lauren are exceptional leaders with a track record of scaling impact, building community, and driving change,” added Scott Stirrett, Founder & CEO of Venture for Canada. “Their insight and leadership will be instrumental as we continue to grow our programs, deepen our national presence, and empower more young Canadians to thrive in entrepreneurial careers.”

The current roster of the Venture for Canada Board of Directors is now:

Joshua Goodfield

Joshua Goodfield is the founding Executive Director of VC Platform, a mission-driven global membership organization of thousands of venture capital operators. He is responsible for the organization’s core membership product, fundraising and sponsorship portfolio, flagship Summits and year-round programming, as well as its impact strategy. Joshua works to build programming that unites and accelerates the operating role in venture capital, helping to establish strong relationships and best practices.

Previously, Joshua was responsible for growth, international expansion, and fundraising during his tenure at C100, the preeminent global community of Canadians in technology. At C100, he expanded the organization’s footprint beyond its San Francisco Bay Area roots to create member hubs of Canadian technology founders, operators, and investors in New York, Los Angeles, and beyond. Before working in technology and venture capital, Joshua held sustainability-focused roles at the Canadian Urban Transit Research & Innovation Consortium, the Environmental & Development Division at the United Nations ESCAP in Bangkok, and the Queen’s Institute for Energy and Environmental Policy.

Joshua holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in environmental sciences. He lives in Toronto with his partner and their mini-Bernedoodle named Lois.

Lauren Ledwell

Lauren Ledwell is an Atlantic Canada-based leader with a proven track record in business transformation, venture capital, and innovation strategy. Lauren currently serves as Principal at Sandpiper Ventures, where she leads Seed and Series A investments focused on inclusive, high-growth technology companies across Canada.

Lauren has a breadth of cross-sector experience — spanning early-stage startups to global multinationals. Lauren recently was CEO of software company DiscoveryGarden, leading a turnaround and restructure during Covid. Her previous roles include a global leadership role in driving digital customer experience at Manulife, corporate strategy and digital innovation at RBC, and commercial operations at Maple Leaf Foods. Her breadth spans product innovation, P&L management, and new market expansion.

An advocate for Canada’s innovation economy, Lauren co-founded the Atlantic chapter of Women’s Equity Lab and is a mentor with Creative Destruction Lab, FORA, and Junior Achievement. She also serves as Chair of the Board for the PEI IT Alliance, recently unveiling The Foundry, a new tech hub in PEI.

Lauren holds an MBA from the Rotman School of Management, with executive education from Ivey and BI Norwegian Business School. She is a graduate of the Innovation Governance Program and brings practical governance experience as both a CEO and non-profit board director.

Laura Silvester

Laura Silvester is a Canadian technology entrepreneur and advisor, community-builder, educator, and life-long learner. Laura is Co-founder, Chief Operating Officer & Head of Product at Anthill, an AI-native workforce management platform built to train, engage, and retain frontline workers. Laura has held product management and operational leadership roles at Hootsuite, Lululemon Athletica, and McKinsey & Company. Laura was recently named on The Peak’s Emerging Leaders List in Tech.

Building learning communities is a joy for Laura. She is Co-founder of Sauder: In Real Life, a life strategy program for students at the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia (UBC). She is a Board Director for alumni UBC, the alumni association at UBC. Laura was also the Co-founder and Director for the Associate Product Management (APM) Vancouver Chapter and has served as a Board Director for the non-profit organization JDC West. All of these organizations champion and deliver community-based learning to prepare us for the future of work.

Laura’s purpose is to elevate the world by solving big problems together with other life-long learners. Laura’s biggest learnings to date come from parenting two energetic children alongside her husband in Vancouver, Canada

About Venture for Canada

Venture for Canada is a national charity that fosters entrepreneurial skills and mindsets in young Canadians. Our vision is a Canada where young people can equitably realize their entrepreneurial potential to build the most prosperous place in the world. We recruit, train, and support young people to work for innovative Canadian small businesses and startups. Through our programs, participants develop the network, knowledge, and entrepreneurial skills to have more impactful careers.

Venture for Canada Media Contact

Jennie Wedd

Senior Manager, Marketing & Partnerships

jennie@ventureforcanada.ca