Established 2021.
Vessa Capital is an independent investment firm based in Vancouver.
Our investment approach
Vessa Capital holds a concentrated portfolio of technology and AI companies. Each investment is examined from three angles: the technology, the business built around it and the risks that could change its prospects. Research continues as companies release new products and their competitive and regulatory environments evolve.
A company’s claims are a starting point for research. We examine what its models can do and the data and computing resources they require. New research and product releases help put those capabilities in context: how they compare with alternatives, where limitations remain and whether the technical case still holds as the field develops.
The commercial review considers the company’s competitive position and how its technology translates into a usable product. Data and computing requirements matter here as well, because they affect the resources needed to deliver that product. We assess the business case alongside competing technologies and products, paying attention to developments that could weaken the company’s position.
We follow AI policy in Canada, the United States and the European Union, and consider how regulatory changes could affect a company’s operations and prospects. Risk models and scenario analysis let us examine several possible outcomes and the assumptions behind them. Those findings inform portfolio construction and help us assess what a setback in one investment could mean for the portfolio.
Founder & Principal
Olivia founded Vessa Capital in 2021. Her background is in empirical research and econometrics.
She earned her PhD in Criminology at Simon Fraser University in 2019 and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law from 2020 to 2022.
Her research background informs how she evaluates technology and AI companies, particularly the evidence behind their claims and the assumptions in an analysis. She uses econometrics, risk modelling and scenario analysis to assess investment risks and consider how different outcomes could affect the portfolio.