Steve Woods

Steven Woods joined Inovia as Partner and CTO in August 2021. Steven has worked in software development, research and technical leadership for more than 30 years. As co-founder of three software and services companies based in the USA (Quack.com, Kinitos, NeoEdge Networks), he built strong, high-performing teams of product and technical experts based in both Silicon Valley and the Waterloo-Toronto tech corridor.  One of these companies – Quack.com – pioneered the world’s first interactive voice assistant and was acquired by Netscape/America Online in 2000.

Steven joined Google in 2008 in order to return home to Canada and build a world-class engineering and product capability with a uniquely Canadian culture of quality, commitment and innovation. Steven led the growth and leadership development of the Google Canada product and engineering teams from 20 to over 1,300 across a range of impactful products between 2008 and 2021.

In his role at Inovia, Steven brings his years of entrepreneurial and engineering experience, his passion for working with innovators and founders and his extensive network to our portfolio companies. He also plays an important role in evaluating deal flow from a product, technology and talent perspective. Steven has long been an independent investor, advisor and board member to startups, innovation networks and non-profits in the USA and Canada.

Since joining Inovia, Steven has led or co-led investments in a range of Canadian companies – including Cohere – a leading foundational large language model company,  in Signal1.AI – a transformative application of AI in improving healthcare outcomes, in Spellbook – the leading AI assistant solution for attorneys,  and in RouteThis – an innovative product that supports optimizing home networking experiences. 

Steven holds a PhD in Computer Science with a focus in Artificial Intelligence and a Masters of Mathematics from the University of Waterloo.  Additionally he holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Saskatchewan. Among numerous awards, Steven received the prestigious JW Graham Medal in Computing and Innovation from the University of Waterloo in 2010 and was recognized with a Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Saskatchewan in 2021.

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