Keith Gillard is co-founder and CEO of UpperStage.Capital Inc., an impact-focused private equity firm boosting profitable companies to their next level of success. He is an entrepreneur and investment professional who has focused more than twenty years on impact investment. Mr. Gillard has provided leadership on the board of directors of dozens of companies, funds, and not-for-profit organizations. He is a proven fund-raiser, deal-maker, and business development matchmaker with an extensive international network, having close relationships with multinational organizations and leading investors across North America, Asia, and Europe.

Prior to founding UpperStage.Capital, Mr. Gillard served as President of BASF Venture Capital America. He was responsible for the establishment of the Silicon Valley office, as well as a dozen direct and fund investments. Mr. Gillard spent five years with Mitsubishi Corporation, responsible for venture investment and business development activities with a specific focus on cleantech. Mr. Gillard also served ten years as General Partner of Pangaea Ventures Ltd., an impact investor with a focus on the physical sciences. For most of the '90's, he was a serial entrepreneur in software and media, who began his career in investment banking, structuring mergers and acquisitions as well as manufacturing technology joint ventures into China.  

Mr. Gillard is co-founder and chair of Foresight Canada, which has grown to national scale over the last eleven years, becoming Canada’s largest cleantech accelerator with over 1,280 client companies to date. He is also a board committee member of the Canadian Venture Capital Association, a voting committee member of Canada’s Best Private Boards, and a mentor with the Scotiabank Women Initiative. He has served as chair of Vestaron Corporation, and director of Talius, Keela, Hazel Technologies, NewLeaf Symbiotics, Advanced BioNutrition, Sciona, SDCMaterials, and other companies. Mr. Gillard served on the advisory boards of ARCH Venture Partners, Chrysalix Venture Capital, and NGEN Partners. He served as advisor to the World Economic Forum on sustainability and collaborative innovation in chemicals and materials, speaking at Davos in 2020. He is the co-author of “Inside the Minds: Energy Venture Capital Best Practices.” Outside of work, he is a high-energy father of three, cyclist, and internationally-charting, twice-nominated Canadian Independent Music Award winner.