Founder

Anthony Lacavera is the Founder
and Chairman of Globalive.

Anthony founded Globalive in 1998 with a $25,000 small business loan from the Royal Bank of Canada after graduating from the University of Toronto Computer Engineering school in 1997. Since 1998, Globalive has founded 12 companies in the telecommunications industry, providing services to businesses and consumers as well as supplying software into the industry. Globalive has had 8 exits, 3 failures, and 1 startup, Pragmatic Conferencing, that is still co-owned.  Anthony has led Globalive to raise over USD$1.5 billion in capital for Globalive businesses over the past 23 years.

In 2008 Anthony founded the wireless carrier WIND Mobile, where he served as Chairman and CEO from 2008 – 2015. WIND Mobile became Canada’s fourth largest wireless network and included over 1,500 cell sites and 300 stores nationally with over 1200 employees. WIND Mobile was acquired by Shaw Communications for USD$1.3 billion in March, 2016.

Anthony has led Globalive to raise almost CAD$2 billion in private capital to bring more competition to the telecommunications industry. Globalive Capital has invested in over 150 companies in the technology, media, and telecom industries over the past 20 years and has 109 companies currently in its venture portfolio.

anthonylacavera@globalive.com

VISIT ANTHONYLACAVERA.COM

 

Globalive has received numerous best in business awards, including first ranking on Profit magazine’s 2004 list of Canada’s 100 fastest growing companies, Canada’s 30 Best Workplaces and Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies Award for 12 consecutive years.

Anthony was named Canada’s CEO of the Year in 2010 by The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business Magazine, made Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 list in 2006 and was publicized as one of the 50 Most Influential Torontonians by Toronto Life magazine in 2013. In 2014 Anthony was named one of the Top 50 Executives in Canada by Power & Influence magazine.

Through accelerator programs such as NEXT Canada, the University of Toronto Engineering School Hatchery, Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) and the DMZ at Ryerson University, Anthony supports young entrepreneurs with financing and mentorship, is active on numerous boards and advisory groups and speaks regularly to students about entrepreneurship. Anthony has served on a variety of charitable boards focused on university fundraising and entrepreneur advisory boards, as well as several public company boards.

In 2007, Anthony founded the Shamba foundation, a unique charity that assists other charities with fundraising and organizational efforts.

Anthony is a founding supporter of the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Gallery Italia. He was honoured as Commendatore in the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity for his contribution to the Italian community abroad.

In support of theatre in New York and London, Anthony has produced and co-produced several successful theatrical productions, including the Laurence Olivier award winning 2010 production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Anthony co-hosts the TV show Beyond Innovation that airs on Bloomberg TV globally and covers the latest technologies and most promising emerging founders from around the world. He is also the author of How We Can Win: and what happens to us and our country if we don’t published by Penguin Random House Canada in October, 2017.

Anthony is from Welland, Ontario and a graduate of the University of Toronto Engineering School with a Computer Engineering degree. The University of Toronto Engineering School welcomed Anthony to the Engineering School Hall of Distinction in 2013 and he was named an Honorary Fellow of St. Michael’s College in 2012.

A brave, bold book that nails it: if we want jobs for our kids, we have to stop thinking of ambition as unCanadian and competition as not nice. How We Can Win is a roadmap to the future.

Arlene Dickinson, Author and CEO of Venture Communications

An entrepreneurial David who has fought many Goliaths, Anthony Lacavera understands what it takes to compete and win, and in this awesome book he shows us how we can shift our economy into innovation-led SUPERGROWTH mode.

Michael Serbinis, Founder and CEO of League

A critically important book for anyone who cares about the future of the Canadian economy. The incredibly raw story of how Anthony Lacavera started WIND—trying to shake-up the Canadian telecom industry—should be mandatory reading for all Canadian entrepreneurs, and for anyone else who is trying to weather this country’s business and cultural ecosystem. Not only is How We Can Win a courageous telling of the hard truths we need to hear, it is a real page turner.

Michele Romanow, a Dragon on CBC’s Dragons’ Den and Co-Founder of Clearbanc

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