On the TechTO stage ×2
RenoRun and ScaleUp Ventures
Watch on YouTube ↗Silicon Valley Bank & ScaleUp Ventures
Watch on YouTube ↗First seen on the TechTO stage in 2020. Every talk is searchable — ask the archive about Matt ↗
In their words
I think people conflate what VCs actually do. I am in charge of approving a budget and making sure management sticks to that budget. The strategy that goes into that budget is driven by management.
That's what VCs should be doing. They shouldn't be telling management what to do. Otherwise I should be the CEO.
Not every decision he makes I'll agree with. But that doesn't mean I'm right and he's wrong. It's a learning as we go forward.
More from TechTO ×2
Around the web ×2
Quick answers
What does Matt Roberts do now?
He is managing director of VC coverage at RBCx in Toronto, leading the bank's national relationships with venture funds. He moved into banking after CMD Capital, the AI-focused fund he co-founded, halted fundraising in early 2025.
What does he think a VC's job is?
Narrower than most people assume. He told TechTO a board investor approves the budget and holds management to it, while the strategy behind that budget belongs to management — everything else a VC does is advice and influence, not instruction.
What was his path into venture?
Straight out of university into Wesley Clover, Terry Matthews's Ottawa fund, then his own startup, then BDC where he ran the early seed practice and led Series A deals. He joined ScaleUp Ventures as a founding partner around 2017 and stayed seven years.