Barry Gekiere Memorial Fund

Honouring Barry
From the team at MaRS IAF:
"On Friday May 22, our beloved Barry Gekiere, Managing Director of the IAF, passed away from complications related to his cancer treatment. Barry had appeared to be recovering well from treatment, which makes this news sudden and even more difficult.
Barry is a legend in the venture capital space in Canada, and his achievements are profound. But what was exceptional is Barry, the human being. He was wise and provided thoughtful insights and no-nonsense advice. Barry had decades of experience in venture capital, private equity and operations. He was able to take all his learning and experiences and help those around him learn, be better and to make an impact. To know Barry was to love Barry. As a team, we will miss Barry’s deep business leadership & common sense, intellectual honesty, his integrity and his friendship."

Read more in the beautiful tribute compiled by MaRS, or this Betakit article sharing the news

What We’re Doing & How You Can Help
We’re honouring Barry's legacy and extending his impact. The Barry Gekiere Memorial Fund is a charitable fund that will support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada, the largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding research, finding cures and ensuring access to treatments for blood cancer patients (90% of proceeds) and The Upside Foundation’s work encouraging giving from the Canadian tech community (10% of proceeds). If you are someone who was touched by Barry Gekiere, we invite you to join this initiative, band together with other leaders and honour Barry's legacy.

1) Make a future-based donation to the Memorial Fund
Companies or individuals can donate future company upside, in the form of stock options, warrants, or a pledge of personal proceeds through The Upside Foundation. Visit How it Works or email our Executive Director Jennifer Couldrey at jennifer@upsidefoundation.ca to learn more, or Pledge here.

2) Make a donation today
Make a donation today using the Donate link below. You will be sent a charitable tax donation receipt within 10 business days.

3) Simply share this page
Share this page with friends and family who may have been touched by Barry via email or social media. The more people we reach the bigger the impact.

Thank You
We’re honoured to work with Barry's family and loved ones to honour his legacy. We hope you’ll join us in giving back in the name of someone that gave so much.