Doctor of Letters, honoris causa
Alison Lawton is a visionary entrepreneur, investor and social impact leader with a strong commitment to innovation. She founded Mindset Venture Group in 1997, and has built a track record of identifying and scaling successful businesses in technology, consumer packaged goods and real estate.
As one of three founding partners of ideaPARK—Canada’s first technology business incubator, which went public on the TSX in 2000—Alison played a key role in shaping the early tech landscape. Her investment portfolio continues to span high-growth sectors, with a focus on growing early-stage companies.
Beyond her success in business, Alison founded the Mindset Social Innovation Foundation in 2006 to tackle global health challenges and scale social enterprises. She has collaborated with leading organizations, including The Clinton Foundation, Dispensary of Hope and UNICEF Canada to drive meaningful change.
Alison is deeply invested in higher education and the power of storytelling. She produced the award-winning documentary Uganda Rising and established the international reporting program at the University of British Columbia, which gives graduate journalism students the opportunity to travel for firsthand field experience and investigate underreported global issues.
As a part of this program, together they produced the film Ghana: Digital Dumping Ground, which won an Emmy in 2010 for outstanding investigative journalism in a news magazine.
As an early investor in impact-driven financial models, Alison backed the Acumen Fund, one of the first social investment venture funds in the U.S. She also co-launched the MaRS Catalyst Fund with Richard Branson and Virgin Unite and served on the board of the Heart and Stroke Foundations Community Hypertension Prevention Initiative, Canada’s first health-related social impact bond.
Today, she works with the World Refugee Migration Council on the Anti-Corruption Task Force and has written a paper advocating for the allocation of seized Russian assets to fund reparations for the unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine.
Through her leadership in business, philanthropy and higher education, Alison continues to inspire the next generation of changemakers.