Episode 05

Nectarios Economakis

Name: Nectarios Economakis - Pale Blue Nexus Episode 05
Uploaded: 2026-05-30
Duration: 26 min 56 s
Description: Inside a New $40M Fund Built to Fix Canada's Brain Drain. Partner, Amiral Ventures. Co-founder, The PNR.

Inside a New $40M Fund Built to Fix Canada's Brain Drain

Episode 05

About the Guest

Nectarios Economakis.

Twenty years inside the Canadian tech ecosystem. First BD hire at Google Montreal, where he helped drive 50% year-over-year growth from 2011. Co-founded The PNR. Now Partner at Amiral Ventures, an early-stage and growth venture fund based in Montreal.

Key moments

0:21 Why He's Changing Canadian VCNectar explains Amiral Ventures launched to fill a gap: Canada lacks VC capital and funds willing to lead rounds and write term sheets. 2:34 The Brain Drain ProblemHe argues Canada's best talent leaves because the US has the big generational tech companies, not because founders are wrong to go. 6:06 French Wine vs. Canadian WineUsing a wine analogy, he says Silicon Valley has generations of maturity while Canada's tech ecosystem is only at 'generation 1.5 or 2.' 9:53 Canada's Innovation, Not CommercializationHe notes Canada birthed transformer AI and smartphone tech but has historically failed to commercialize its own breakthroughs. 16:33 No One Knows What Will WorkHe refuses to dismiss startup ideas, citing how top investors called Airbnb 'the dumbest idea' before it became a giant success. 21:06 The Founder Trait That Matters MostNectar says a founder's skin color, age, or gender is irrelevant—what matters is the quality of their ideas and their grit under pressure.