Didier Leconte

Didier Leconte is one of the most established life sciences investors in Canada. He is Vice-President, Investments – Life Sciences & Technology at Investissement Québec, the Québec government's economic-development and financing arm, which he joined in August 2021 to build out its direct life sciences investment team. In that role he leads a mandate to invest roughly CAD $200 million in equity over three years and to strengthen Québec's position as a hub for drug development, spanning financing from seed and company creation through growth and globalization.

Before Investissement Québec, Leconte spent years at the Fonds de solidarité FTQ, the large labor-sponsored fund, where he was Vice-President, Investments – Life Sciences and Funds-of-Funds. There he managed a team that deployed on the order of $1.6 billion into the sector over time (roughly $100 million per year in biotech), through both direct equity investments in companies and commitments to specialized venture funds. He framed the work explicitly as impact investing — "helping to improve people's health" while generating returns for shareholders. Earlier in his career he worked in university technology transfer and managed a university-affiliated seed investment fund.

Leconte holds an MBA in Technology Management & Innovation from Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), a governance certification from Université Laval, and an engineering degree in Materials Sciences from the École d'ingénieurs Sup Galilée (Institut Galilée, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord). He is a fixture in the Québec ecosystem, having served on the boards of BioQuébec, BioTalent Canada, and Montréal InVivo.

He is also a prominent board director in Canadian biotech: in October 2020 he was elected Chair of the Board of adMare BioInnovations, Canada's national life sciences venture-building organization. He has held director roles with Congruence Therapeutics, DalCor Pharmaceuticals, Morphocell Technologies, and the Institut de recherche clinique de Montréal (IRCM), and serves on the Board of Advisors of executive-search firm Pender & Howe.

• Two-pronged capital strategy: direct equity investments in companies at all stages, paired with commitments to specialized VC funds that are located in Québec or generate economic benefit for the province.
• Ecosystem-building over quick exits: as a public/institutional investor he emphasizes long-term value creation and continuous reinvestment rather than short-term returns — *"We want to help build world-class companies."*
• Three pillars he looks for: talent (from academic institutions), research infrastructure (CROs/CDMOs), and capital — with *"collaboration is key"* as a recurring theme among investors, scientists, and entrepreneurs.
• Impact lens: *"For us, it fits into the category of impact investing because we're helping to improve people's health."*
• Sectors: biotechnology and drug development first, plus medical devices and broader life sciences and technology.
• Québec nexus required: deals and fund commitments are expected to create economic benefit for Québec, though he actively co-invests with private and foreign partners internationally.