Top Knot Ventures

Topknot Ventures is the advisory and investment platform of a seasoned consumer industry veteran with over 20 years of experience spanning investment banking, private equity, and venture capital. The principal brings a rare combination of institutional finance expertise and hands-on operational insight to early-stage consumer brands, functioning as an advisor, investor, and board member to founders navigating the critical growth stages of building a consumer business. The firm works directly with a selective portfolio of early-stage consumer companies, providing strategic guidance on brand development, fundraising, scaling operations, and go-to-market strategy. The founder's career began in investment banking at Citigroup's global consumer and retail team, based in London, UK, where he worked with some of the world's largest consumer and retail companies on mergers and acquisitions, debt financings, and equity raises across the Europe, Middle East, and Africa regions. Upon returning to Canada in 2010, he transitioned into private equity, joining ONCAP — Onex Corporation's midcap private equity platform — where he continued his focus on the consumer sector. He subsequently co-led fundraising for Onex Partners IV, a $5.2 billion flagship buyout fund. In 2014, the founder co-founded Campfire Capital, a $32 million venture capital fund backed by more than 30 current and former lululemon executives and anchor institutional investor BDC Capital, Canada's largest and most active venture capital investor. Through Campfire Capital, the firm made notable early investments in prominent direct-to-consumer brands, including leading the $5 million Series A round for FIGS in 2016 and participating meaningfully in both the Series A and Series B financings for Cotopaxi between 2016 and 2017. Following Campfire Capital, the principal continued active early-stage consumer investing on behalf of large family offices and consumer-focused funds before launching Topknot Ventures in 2022 to work directly with a concentrated group of consumer businesses. The firm's sweet spot lies in consumer and direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands at the early stage, where strategic capital and experienced guidance can have the greatest impact. Topknot Ventures is particularly well-suited for founders seeking not just capital, but also a deeply networked partner with boardroom-level experience across global consumer markets. The principal also publishes a regular newsletter on Substack, offering candid perspectives on the realities of building and investing in consumer brands.