James Schlosser

Venture capital seems like a far cry from wine making but it was a good move for James Schlosser to make. Several years ago, after earning his Master's in Viticulture from Brock University, Schlosser was a laboratory manager and viticulture technician on a Genome Canada and Genome Espana $6.2 million collaborative research project aimed at understanding genomic mechanisms controlling grape berry quality and ripening. He decided he wanted a change from basic research and applied for the WestLink Technology Commercialization Internship Program.

His first placement was with Perceptronix Medical, a Vancouver-based lab and cancer-diagnostics company specializing in early cancer detection tests. Schlosser conducted market research, co-ordinated physician focus groups and researched market sizes and regulations. While he was with Perceptronix, the UBC spin-off company had a major layoff, so Schlosser saw the company go from approximately 50 to 25 overnight. "It was my first experience with a mass layoff," he says. "People were literally packing up boxes within 20 minutes and leaving. It's not something you want to see or be a part of, but unfortunately it is an accepted risk of working with a start-up company."

Schlosser's next stop was with the BC Cancer Agency where he was mentored by Director Sarah Lee. There, he worked on grants, collaborative research agreements and whatever was handed his way. A highlight for Schlosser was learning about the social implications associated with shipping human samples across borders. "With technology transfer you always hear about the sensitivity of confidential information, and in this case, I had a hands-on example of what that meant," he says. "It was a good placement and I would have enjoyed working there after my internship. If you are going to do something with your life that would be meaningful, that is one place to do it."

His final placement was with Lion's Capital, a Vancouver-based fund management and investment banking firm where he still works today. Schlosser admits venture capital is the last place he thought he would end up. During his first week he faced a sharp learning curve when duties included anything from evaluating company pitches to jumping right into due diligence reports.

Today, Schlosser continues to wear a variety of hats, including helping the company's CFO evaluate companies within the fund's portfolio. He also negotiates the technology transfer of new research and writes business plans for start-up ventures. And although the environment may seem completely different from his wine-making days, Schlosser says the work isn't that far off. "I still do use the same skill set as when I conducted grape and wine research," he says. "The research topic is just different and the pace tends to be quicker now, it's just a different type of lifestyle.

"There's no way I would have been sitting in the desk I am now without the WestLink program, and I should know because I see the tons of resumes that come here.

Networking isn't a skill that comes naturally to me, but through the program, I was forced to talk to people and expand my network. There's nothing like WestLink in Canada."

Schlosser is well aware that his job is at the whim of the markets but he knows that with his well-armed experience from WestLink, he could see himself in business development or technology transfer if for some reason things don't work out in venture capital. "That's the beauty of the program. It opens up so many doors for you. The opportunities are endless."