Marisa Smith

Background

About Marisa Smith

I’m a recent graduate of UVic’s Peter B. Gustavson School of Business, where I specialized in entrepreneurship with a focus on venture strategy, business law, and economic analysis. Through my work with Vancouver Island Propel Impact fund, the Gustavson mentorship program, and building a venture to launch stage, I’ve been actively involved in the Victoria venture capital and angel investing space. These experiences deepened my interest in mobilizing capital to scale ventures that deliver both financial and social returns. I’ve also held corporate law co-op roles, contributed to antitrust research, and led investment pitches focused on market research, impact measurement, and financial modelling for early-stage organizations. As part of a university Formula SAE race car team, I led business and engineering subteams for a technically complex, high-performance engineering project—sharpening my ability to think strategically and collaborate across disciplines. Entrepreneurship to me is about solving meaningful problems through value creation. I’m particularly drawn to roles that combine global business strategy, sustainability, and long-term capital allocation—whether in international business, ESG-driven finance, or venture investing.