Lance Laking

Commander
DISC Type : D

Managing Director and General Partner at Graphite Ventures

Greater Ottawa Metropolitan Area, Canada

Overview

Lance Laking is the Managing Director and General Partner at Graphite Ventures, where he leverages extensive experience in go-to-market strategy, corporate finance, and venture capital. He focuses on helping Canadian B2B founders make critical early-stage decisions. A Chartered Professional Accountant with a BA from the University of Waterloo, colleagues describe him as a proficient, diligent, and quick-learning leader.

Outside of his primary role, Lance is an active member of Canadas tech ecosystem, serving on the steering committee for the SAAS NORTH conference and as an advisor to StandUp Ventures, a fund for women-led companies. One of his recent personal interests includes skiing, as mentioned in a post about an event in Lake Louise.

He has a history of leadership, having previously served as CEO of BTI Systems, where he secured over $55M in growth capital.

Personality Overview

Strong-Willed

Impact-Driven

Very Quick

They prefer to be the ones controlling the conversation or defining the terms.  More than the product, they care about the impact of the product. They are not always relationship oriented.

Topics They Care About

B2B Tech Startups
His career is dedicated to helping Canadian B2B founders build capital-efficient companies, providing seed investments and strategic guidance through Graphite Ventures.
SaaS Industry
Serves on the steering committee for SAAS NORTH, Canada's largest SaaS conference, and frequently judges pitch competitions at the event.
Venture Capital
Focuses on seed-stage investments and has led over 30 deals in his career, shaping the growth trajectory for early-stage Canadian tech companies.

Media Appearances

Lance has no verified media appearances

Work History

1-2022
Managing Director and General Partner at Graphite Ventures
1-2020 - 12-2021
Managing Director at MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund
5-2019
Advisor and Limited Partner at StandUp Ventures
3-2016
Steering Committee Member at SAAS NORTH Conference
4-2012 - 9-2013
Director, Chairman at Granite Networks Inc.

Education

1986 - 1986
Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) from Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada
1981 - 1985
BA from University of Waterloo

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : N/A Location : Greater Ottawa Metropolitan Area, Canada Job Level : N/A Designation : Managing Director and General Partner at Graphite Ventures
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Insights For Selling To Lance

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Be respectful but crisp
  • Refer to testimonials from well-known industry leaders
  • When negotiating terms, help them build an impression that they are the ones calling the shots

DONT's

  • Do not spend too much time focusing on product tech or features
  • Don’t take too much time in sending them information if they ask for any
  • Don’t focus on process and rules, give the impression of being a ‘gets it done’ person

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Lance is

  • Confidence in impact is paramount to them, followed by a sense of achievement and ROI.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Lance

  • If they are not convinced, they will have no hesitation in telling you the same.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Lance move?

  • They can reach decisions fairly quickly if they are convinced.
  • Can Lance take some risk or not?

  • They don’t mind risks but can be quite binary about them.

You And Lance

Personality Compatibility


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