Paul Cataford

Biography

As a Founder and the CEO of Zephyr Sleep Technologies, Paul leverages his entrepreneurial background, experience in emerging and disruptive technology and practical understanding of business to help propel Zephyr to success. Under Paul’s leadership, the talented and driven team at Zephyr continues to perform at the highest level in creating new and innovative products – all to help people live healthy and productive lives through better sleep. Paul’s strengths are in strategic planning and development and in creating and building strong and meaningful international corporate relationships demonstrated, most recently, with the new partnership with Dentsply Sirona. In addition to corporate development, Paul is also a key contributor to our business development activities. After graduating from Queen’s University with a Mechanical Engineering degree in 1987, Paul started his career in technology sales with an established IT company. He then went on to do an MBA (Schulich School of Business) specializing in finance and strategy graduating in 1990. From there he went into financial services and then onto a very successful career in venture capital working out of offices in Toronto, Ottawa and the Si Valley. Over the next few years, Paul led round A and B investments in over 25 companies – three of which grew into valuations in excess of $1 billion. Paul’s skills, talent and experience were in selecting investments, driving strategy to create shareholder value and in monetizing the value created through strategic sale, recapitalization or public listing. In 2004, Paul and his young family (at the time) moved to Calgary and the Canadian Rockies, where he took on the position as CEO of the University of Calgary’s technology commercialization and company creation incubator – University Technologies International (UTI). It was at UTI that Paul and Dr. John Remmers first met, and where many of John’s discoveries were being licensed to large international companies (Sabina Bruehlmann, Zephyr’s Director of Technology, was responsible for John’s IP portfolio). In 2010, Paul, John, Sabina and a few other founders spun Zephyr out of the U of C. While he misses the days of being a VC and watching others do all of the work, Paul is now proud to call himself a high technology company entrepreneur. In addition to Zephyr, Paul is also on the boards of Sierra Wireless Inc. (TSX and NASDAQ), Defence Construction Canada (A Canadian Crown Corp.) and Alberta VentureLink (an Alberta Venture Capital Investment Company). Paul also holds an ICD.D (Corp. Director) taught at the Rotman School of Business (Toronto). Paul continues to live in Calgary and Canmore with his now much older family and their English Springer called Lily. As a Founder and the CEO of Zephyr Sleep Technologies, Paul leverages his entrepreneurial background, experience in emerging and disruptive technology and practical understanding of business to help propel Zephyr to success. Under Paul’s leadership, the talented and driven team at Zephyr continues to perform at the highest level in creating new and innovative products – all to help people live healthy and productive lives through better sleep. Paul’s strengths are in strategic planning and development and in creating and building strong and meaningful international corporate relationships demonstrated, most recently, with the new partnership with Dentsply Sirona. In addition to corporate development, Paul is also a key contributor to our business development activities. After graduating from Queen’s University with a Mechanical Engineering degree in 1987, Paul started his career in technology sales with an established IT company. He then went on to do an MBA (Schulich School of Business) specializing in finance and strategy graduating in 1990. From there he went into financial services and then onto a very successful career in venture capital working out of offices in Toronto, Ottawa and the Si Valley. Over the next few years, Paul led round A and B investments in over 25 companies – three of which grew into valuations in excess of $1 billion. Paul’s skills, talent and experience were in selecting investments, driving strategy to create shareholder value and in monetizing the value created through strategic sale, recapitalization or public listing. In 2004, Paul and his young family (at the time) moved to Calgary and the Canadian Rockies, where he took on the position as CEO of the University of Calgary’s technology commercialization and company creation incubator – University Technologies International (UTI). It was at UTI that Paul and Dr. John Remmers first met, and where many of John’s discoveries were being licensed to large international companies (Sabina Bruehlmann, Zephyr’s Director of Technology, was responsible for John’s IP portfolio). In 2010, Paul, John, Sabina and a few other founders spun Zephyr out of the U of C. While he misses the days of being a VC and watching others do all of the work, Paul is now proud to call himself a high technology company entrepreneur. In addition to Zephyr, Paul is also on the boards of Sierra Wireless Inc. (TSX and NASDAQ), Defence Construction Canada (A Canadian Crown Corp.) and Alberta VentureLink (an Alberta Venture Capital Investment Company). Paul also holds an ICD.D (Corp. Director) taught at the Rotman School of Business (Toronto). Paul continues to live in Calgary and Canmore with his now much older family and their English Springer called Lily.

Research Interest

Financial services and then onto a very successful career in venture capital working out of offices in Toronto, Ottawa and the Si Valley.