# Benjamin Bergen

> Benjamin Bergen is CEO of the Canadian Venture Capital & Private Equity Association, taking office on January 5, 2026 after nearly a decade leading the Council of Canadian Innovators. CCI’s first employee, he helped expand its membership from 16 companies to more than 175. His public work focuses on Canadian company ownership, access to talent and growth capital, government procurement, and the commercialization of intellectual property.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer at Canadian Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (CVCA)
- **Organizations:** Canadian Venture Capital & Private Equity Association, Council of Canadian Innovators, Canadian SHIELD Institute, Canada’s National AI Task Force, Digital Journal editorial advisory committee
- **From:** Winnipeg, Canada
- **Education:** B.A.; studied economics and political science, University of Toronto
- **Known for:** Helped build CCI from 16 member companies to more than 175 during his tenure., Led CCI’s early skilled-talent advocacy, which contributed to the policy groundwork for the Global Talent Stream., Named in Managing IP’s 50 most influential people in IP for 2025.

## Career timeline

- **2010** — Ran in Toronto’s municipal election while studying at the University of Toronto.
- **Before 2016** — Worked for Chrystia Freeland and previously advised Glen Murray on political and policy work.
- **2016** — Became CCI’s first employee and executive director; led an early national skilled-talent advocacy campaign.
- **2017** — Published an essay on Canada’s scale-up challenge for CIGI.
- **2022** — Became president of CCI in February.
- **2025** — Joined Digital Journal’s editorial advisory committee and participated in Canada’s AI-strategy task force.
- **2026** — Became CVCA CEO on January 5 and transitioned to CCI’s board.

## Achievements

- Helped build CCI from 16 member companies to more than 175 during his tenure.
- Led CCI’s early skilled-talent advocacy, which contributed to the policy groundwork for the Global Talent Stream.
- Named in Managing IP’s 50 most influential people in IP for 2025.
- Founding board member of the Canadian SHIELD Institute.

## Latest updates

- **2026-01** — Started as CEO of CVCA on January 5.
- **2026-03** — CVCA advocated directing a $750 million federal startup funding program toward funds able to lead large growth-stage financing rounds.
- **2026-05** — Reported completing a cross-country listening tour ahead of Invest Canada, May 26-28.
- **2026-09** — CVCA convened the Canadian Global Growth Forum in Toronto on September 14; Bergen advocated a Canada-plus approach to investment relationships.

## Links

- Website: https://www.cvca.ca/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-bergen-880134134/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/Ben_Bergen

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/benjamin-bergen
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-09