Randall Howard

Randall Howard is a Canadian technology entrepreneur, angel investor and ecosystem builder. He is associated with Verdexus, described as a global strategic advisory and investment boutique that applies senior operating experience to mobile, web and infrastructure software startups through a hands-on “Venture 2.0” model.

Before Verdexus, Howard co-founded and led MKS Inc., a Waterloo-based application lifecycle management software company. PTC announced in April 2011 that it would acquire MKS for approximately C$292.5 million, and completed the acquisition on May 31, 2011. Archangel’s biography says MKS was taken public and later acquired.

Howard has also been active in Canadian startup infrastructure. Archangel identifies him as a co-founder of Communitech and a major driver of Golden Triangle Angel Network (GTAN). His own writing says the post-2009 seed funding gap drew him into GTAN and angel syndication in Waterloo-Guelph-Wellington-Stratford. In 2014, NACO and BDC named him Canadian Angel of the Year for his contribution to Canada’s angel investing ecosystem.

He currently serves as a General Partner with Adrenaline Fund, part of Archangel Network of Funds. Archangel says Adrenaline passively co-invests with experienced angel investors and is designed to deliver a diversified portfolio of 40 to 50 companies over five years. Howard holds an honours degree in computer science and mathematics from the University of Waterloo.

• Verdexus focuses on “outstanding founder teams” that can benefit from active involvement to build high-growth global leaders, especially in enterprise software businesses headquartered in the Waterloo-Toronto innovation corridor.
• Verdexus generally invests at pre-seed or first seed round and may follow on through seed rounds up to Series A.
• The Verdexus playbook is framed as: invest with proprietary research and diligence; grow companies using networks, management-building support, virtual CMO help, finance and operations assistance; and monetize by building VC networks with strong exit records.
• Adrenaline Fund focuses on seed-stage startups with strong research- and data-driven IP in technology, sustainability, health tech and Industry 4.0.
• Adrenaline’s model is rules-based and ecosystem-driven: it co-invests with experienced angel investors when triggering criteria are met, emphasizing qualified lead investors who mentor and provide strategic oversight.
• Howard’s stated angel-investing view emphasizes syndication: he wrote that a top-tier angel syndication could turn roughly C$500,000 of angel money into C$1.5 million or more with co-investment and other leverage.
• He argues that angel investing should be more institutional and scale-oriented, with investors helping founders build management skills, finance growth and create larger Canadian technology companies.