Dennis Bennie has had over 38 years’ experience in startups, rapid growth and turn around opportunities. He has built companies from scratch to over a billion dollars in market capitalization with IPOs on both the TSX and NASDAQ.
Bennie currently operates the XDL Capital Group, investing in early stage technology opportunities.
In 1996, he founded the first XDL Venture Fund, focusing on early stage technology opportunities. The XDL funds raised a total of $185 million venture capital and are fully invested.
From 1988 to 1996, Bennie was Chairman and CEO of Delrina Corporation, which forged the new software strategies and was best known for producing “WinFax”. Listed on both the Toronto Stock Exchange and NASDAQ, Delrina was sold to Symantec Corporation in 1995 for share consideration valued at $760 million.
Bennie qualified as a chartered accountant in 1975. He entered the world of technology in 1979, when he co-founded Mission Electronics, a high-end home entertainment equipment producer. In 1982, he sold his interest in Mission and co-founded Aviva Software, a PC software developer. The company expanded to include software distribution and in 1986 merged with Ingram Micro Inc. to become Canada’s largest software distributor.
Bennie has served on several private and public company boards and regularly serves on various charitable boards. He is a co-founder of the Creative Destruction Lab.