Bluesky Equities - Venture capital firm
Bluesky Equities
Capital In Support Of Entrepreneurial Excellence
We are unconstrained in our approach, investing in public and private markets with a focus on alternative assets including venture capital, private equity, hedge funds, and real estate. We are one of the most active early-stage investors in Canada with a portfolio of 70+ non-controlling investments We utilize a passive approach with a focus on global B2B SaaS companies
We selectively invest in lower middle market private equity through either a fund structure or directly as a minority owner
We employ a number of global equity strategies in the pursuit of long-term capital growth We invest directly as well as alongside fund managers
We hold investments in a number of other strategies including commodities, digital assets, managed futures, credit, volatility, real estate, and other alternative strategies
Mr H Douglas Hunter, also known as Doug, serves as Chairman of Bluesky Equities Ltd , Trustee of the Hunter Family Foundation and President of RFM Capital Corporation Ltd Mr Hunter holds a bachelor degree from the University of Alberta and a graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology He is a registered P Eng In Alberta and has spent most of his career in the upstream end of the oil and gas industry After working as a consultant for a number of years, in 1974 Mr Hunter was instrumental in forming Bluesky Oil and Gas Ltd and Petromark Minerals Ltd Over the years He has been involved in the startup and/or acquisition of several other junior oil and gas companies Mr Hunter has over thirty years experience in the oil and gas industry serving as a director for a number of public companies including Bluesky Oil & Gas Ltd , Viking Energy Royalty Trust, Wellco Energy Services Trust, and Triumph Energy Ltd Currently, Mr Hunter is involved in a number of private companies with an emphasis on oil and gas, and real estate
Derrick is the President and CEO of Bluesky Equities and is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the company, guiding the firm’s investment strategy, and fostering Bluesky’s entrepreneurial culture He has been an active member of the local Angel investment community for many years and is a strong advocate for the start-up community In 2019 Derrick was named Canadian Angel Investor of the Year by the National Angel Capital Organization as well as Technology Investor of the year by Start Alberta Derrick chairs the Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurial Leadership at the University of Calgary and sits on the board of the Hunter Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Haskayne School of Business He is also a Fellow of Creative Destruction Lab (Rockies), as well as being on the Advisory Boards of UCEED, Platform Calgary and NACO West He was a member of the Innovation Capital Working Group which advised the Government of Alberta during 2020 In the not-for-profit sector, he is a member of the Management Advisory Council at the Haskayne School of Business and serves on the boards of Futurpreneur Canada and the Beakerhead Creative Society Derrick is a graduate of Queen’s University and the University of Calgary He is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) He was the 2018 recipient of the Management Alumni Excellence (MAX) award from the Haskayne School of Business
Keitha Dobson has consulted for the Hunter group since 1996 before becoming the controller and office manager of Bluesky Equities in 2016 Keitha is responsible for the management of accounting records and the production of financial reports In addition to her role at Bluesky, Keitha is also responsible for the accounting and record keeping of the Hunter Group Prior to her role at Bluesky, Keitha was the controller of Compton Petroleum Corporation, an oil and gas company
Colin Kay joined Bluesky Equities in 2015 and has been in his current role as Vice President, Private Investments since 2018 He is head of private equities and manages existing investments and new opportunities in both the public and private markets Additionally, he oversees Bluesky Oil & Gas’s producing assets Prior to and during his initial tenure at Bluesky, Colin was Senior Landman and head of business development for NVP Exploration and Trout River Energy He has over 10 years of experience as a Mineral Landman including 4 years at Crew Energy and has extensive knowledge in mergers and acquisitions, operations, and negotiations Colin is a graduate of the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary and has continued his passion for learning with additional post graduate education
Stephen Kallir joined Bluesky Equities in 2019 As Chief Investment Officer, he responsible for investment strategy, portfolio monitoring, risk management, and execution across all asset classes Prior to that, Stephen was responsible for research, trading, and monitoring Bluesky’s public market portfolio In addition to his core role at Bluesky, he also acts as the Portfolio Manager for the Hunter Family Foundation, a private charitable organization that is focused within Alberta Prior to Bluesky, Stephen was a Senior Analyst at Wood Mackenzie, a worldwide energy research firm His research coverage provided financial asset valuation and objective commercial analysis across multiple resource themes and companies in Canada Before that, he worked for a major Canadian oilsands producer as a subsurface engineer Stephen is a CFA Charterholder, a registered Professional Engineer in the province of Alberta, and holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering with distinction from the University of Alberta
Sara Mohajerani joined Bluesky Equities in 2017 focussing on financial and operational analysis while supporting the investment committee She is responsible for evaluating investment opportunities across the portfolio through screening and due diligence processes Sara works alongside the executive team to construct and manage a portfolio of tech-based startups which currently consists of over 80 companies Sara is also responsible for tracking the performance of the venture portfolio, analyzing company results, and providing status reports to Bluesky Sara is actively involved in promoting entrepreneurship and supporting the Alberta startup community She is a member in several angel group such as, Valhalla Private Capital, Startup TNT, Alberta Life Science, and Women at the Cap Table Prior to her role at Bluesky, Sara spent her early career working in the oil and gas industry Sara holds a Master of Science degree in Chemical Engineering and Master of Science degree in Engineering Management, from the University of Alberta
Jared Sandquist joined Bluesky Equities in 2019 as a full-time Investment Analyst after completing a summer internship Jared is responsible for generating, evaluating, and making recommendations on investment opportunities in a broad range of asset classes in both public and private markets through diligent research and analysis Jared has also supported the investment team by originating and enhancing Bluesky’s investment reporting systems and processes allowing for more informed allocation decisions Prior to his role at Bluesky, Jared interned for two summers at MNP as an accountant where he assisted in various assurance engagements Jared graduated from the University of Calgary in 2019 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Finance with distinction He also holds the Canadian Securities Course certification with honors and is a CFA level 3 candidate
Adam joined Bluesky Equities in 2022 as an Associate Adam is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the performance of the Hunter Family Foundation portfolio Adam is also largely involved in the strategic asset allocation, and investment decision making at Bluesky This involves evaluating and recommending investments in both public and private markets Prior to joining Bluesky, Adam worked for 3 years at Citi Private Bank in Vancouver as an Analyst and then an Investment Associate Adam graduated in 2019 from Queen’s University with a Bachelor of Commerce degree Adam holds a Canadian Securities Course certification and has completed levels 1 and 2 of the CFA program
Colin Kay VP Private Investments Colin KayVP Private Investments Stephen Kallir Chief Investment Officer Stephen KallirChief Investment Officer Sara Mohajerani PM Seed Stage Investments Sara MohajeraniPM Seed Stage Investments
University of Calgary The Hunter Hub was created in 2017 as an interdisciplinary nucleus to support entrepreurial student experiences, enable faculty to lead innovation, and expand a growing community of entrepreurial and innovative thinkers
