OMERS Ventures Announces Hiring of Jim Orlando as Managing Director

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Oct. 1, 2013) - OMERS Ventures, the venture capital investment arm of the OMERS pension plan, announces Jim Orlando is joining its team as Managing Director. In this role, Mr. Orlando is responsible for leading investment activities in the North American market focusing on high-growth companies in the technology, media, and telecommunications sectors.

"Jim has a very strong track record of sourcing and executing on deals in the venture capital and private equity sectors. He will be of huge value to our team, both in finding great companies in which to invest, and also working with strong founders, CEOs and management teams to develop and grow their businesses," said John Ruffolo, CEO of OMERS Ventures.

Mr. Orlando has more than 14 years of experience in the venture capital and private equity sectors. Prior to joining OMERS Ventures, he was a Managing Director at OMERS Private Equity, which directly owns and actively manages a diversified, multi-billion dollar portfolio of investments in North America and Europe. Jim was involved with direct investments in the software, mobile telephony and retail sectors.

Prior to that Mr. Orlando held key roles with Bell Canada Capital and Battery Ventures in Silicon Valley, and also has ten years of operational experience in the telecom industry. He holds Bachelor of Computer Engineering and Management, and Master of Electrical Engineering degrees from McMaster University.

Joining Mr. Orlando as Managing Director is Kevin Kimsa, who previously held the position of Venture Partner at OMERS Ventures. Mr. Kimsa brings his considerable success and experience in operational management positions at growth companies to his new role.

About OMERS Ventures

OMERS Ventures (Twitter:@OMERSVentures) is the venture capital investment arm of OMERS, one of Canada's largest pension funds with nearly $61 billion in net assets. It is an initiative of OMERS Strategic Investments (OSI), an investment entity with a mandate to build long-term strategic relationships with like-minded partners. As both an institutional angel investor and a later-stage investor, OMERS Ventures is looking for successful companies with significant growth potential and market opportunities. We are seeking like-minded partners with a shared vision of building a vibrant and successful knowledge economy. For more information please visit http://www.omersventures.com/.