Purple Angel

What Purple Angel does

Purple Angel is an informal angel investment group founded in early 2001 by retired alumni of Bell Northern Research (BNR). The group adopted the purple of BNR's logo for its name and is composed of 11 core members — Irving Ebert, Cesar Cesaratto, Laurie Davis, Yves Tremblay, Rich Cowper, Rob Wood, Mahshad Koohgoli, Brian O'Higgins, Hamid Arabzadeh, Hicham Adra, and David McCarthy — virtually all of whom held senior engineering, VP, or C-level positions at BNR and/or Nortel Networks. Collectively they bring deep domain expertise in fiber optics, optical networking, voice switching, data communications, IP networking, security technology, and venture capital, augmented by prior entrepreneurial exits (e.g., CoreOptics acquired by Cisco, Nimcat Networks by Avaya, Third Brigade by Trend Micro) and institutional VC experience (BCE Capital, Summerhill Venture Partners).

The group's business model is that of a traditional organized angel syndicate: prospective investments are reviewed collectively by the full group, led by a smaller subgroup working in detail with each company, but investment decisions are made individually by members deploying their own capital. The investment focus is on companies with demonstrable technology or intellectual property capable of creating scalable customer value, typically post-proof-of-concept (after friends-and-family funding or government/university grants) and across stages from pre-revenue to cash-break-even needing expansion capital. Geographically, Purple Angel prefers Ottawa-Gatineau-region targets within a one-hour drive, occasionally considering out-of-territory deals led by a strong regional angel group.

To date, the group has invested in 29 companies across sectors including telecommunications, software, healthcare technology, energy, HR analytics, and data analytics, with 27 of the 29 based in the National Capital Region. Purple Angel charges no management fees and operates without institutional backing; there is no fund vehicle, AUM disclosure, or operating revenue in the input data. Founder Irving Ebert also co-founded the Ottawa Angel Alliance in 2005 to coordinate regional angel-investing activity.

Name

Purple Angel

Legal name

Purple Angel

Website

https://purple-angel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Purple Angel is an informal angel investment group formed in 2001 by 11 retired Bell Northern Research and Nortel Networks executives, deploying personal capital into early-stage technology companies — primarily in the Ottawa-Gatineau region — across telecom, software, healthcare, and data analytics.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Angel Investment

NAICS

Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Micro-VC & Angel Funds (FSANAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)

Keywords

• Angel investing
• Early-stage funding
• Technology ventures
• Startup mentorship
• Venture capital

Headquarters

HQ city

Nepean

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Others

Core offering

Purple Angel is an informal angel investment group that provides early-stage equity capital and hands-on strategic mentorship to technology startups, primarily in the Ottawa-Gatineau National Capital Region. The group reviews prospective investments collectively and invests on an individual-member basis, targeting companies with demonstrable technology or intellectual property that have achieved proof of concept through friends-and-family funding or government/university grants.

Product overview

Purple Angel is an angel investment group, not a product company. It provides investment capital and mentorship to early-stage technology companies in the National Capital Region (Ottawa-Gatineau area). The organization does not offer a unified product platform; rather, its portfolio consists of portfolio company investments across various technology sectors including telecommunications, software, healthcare technology, and data analytics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Angel Investment Capital Early-stage equity capital invested individually by Purple Angel members into technology companies in the National Capital Region that have achieved proof of concept through friends-and-family funding or government/university grants, accompanied by hands-on strategic mentorship from experienced former BNR and Nortel executives.

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Ottawa Angel AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded by Irving Ebert in 2005 as an initiative to connect and coordinate angel investment activity in the Ottawa region.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Equitek: Ottawa-based angel network focused on early-stage technology companies in the National Capital Region. Directly comparable in mandate, geography, and stage of investment as Purple Angel.
• Capital Angel Network: Ottawa-based angel investor group investing in early-stage technology companies in the National Capital Region. Highly comparable as a direct local peer angel network with a similar geographic and stage focus.
• Toronto Angels: Toronto-based organized angel investor group funding early-stage Canadian technology companies. Highly comparable as a direct Canadian angel network peer with similar structure and stage focus.

Regional players

• Angel One Network: Vancouver-based organized angel investor group. Comparable as a structured Canadian regional angel network investing in early-stage tech, though serving a different metropolitan ecosystem.
• Golden Triangle Angel Network: Hamilton, Ontario-based angel network investing in early-stage technology companies. Comparable as a Canadian regional angel group with similar stage focus and member-driven decision-making.
• Anges Québec: Quebec's largest angel investor network, similar in structure to Purple Angel as a member-driven angel organization, though operating in a different Canadian region and primarily French-language market.

Broad incumbents

• Celtic House Venture Partners: Ottawa-based venture capital firm with telecom and technology focus. Comparable as a larger institutional investor in the same Ottawa tech ecosystem, but operating as a traditional VC rather than informal angel group.
• BDC Capital: Canada's business development bank venture capital arm, actively investing in early-stage Canadian tech including in Ottawa. A natural co-investor and institutional counterpart to Purple Angel's activities.

Emerging players

• Extreme Venture Partners: Canadian early-stage venture fund focused on Canadian tech startups. Comparable as an early-stage tech investor in Canada, though operating as a fund rather than member-driven angel group.

Others

• National Angel Capital Organization (NACO): Canada's national umbrella organization for angel investing. Comparable as an ecosystem counterpart that supports and connects angel groups like Purple Angel across Canada.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments21 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Purple Angel