Christopher Bissonnette

Dr. Chris Bissonnette has been a neuroscientist, a day trader, and a co-founder of an adtech startup in Chicago that raised significant venture funding. He is currently the managing partner of Pallasite Ventures, a Vancouver-based early-stage venture fund with a growing portfolio of over 70 companies across Canada and the United States. Following 10 years as a research scientist focusing on stem cell treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, successfully launching a startup company, and then spending several years in corporate finance, Chris founded Pallasite Ventures as a vehicle to enable the positive impact of science at a scale beyond what is possible in a research lab.

Pallasite is currently investing predominantly in later seed-stage medtech companies, with portfolio companies tackling some of the most challenging current health issues today, from Parkinson’s disease to genetic engineering, tissue regeneration, and prenatal health, while also working on software to empower patents and drive access to medical services. Pallasite is also actively investing in fintech and business optimization SaaS companies. Chris devotes a significant amount of time to mentoring founders – both those in his portfolio and others he hasn’t funded yet – to deliver additional value and help support and build the startup tech ecosystem.

Chris is currently on the boards of Aspect Biosystems (Vancouver, stem cell technology), Ionomr (Vancouver, fuel cell/battery technology), RealtyButler (Vancouver, SaaS optimization tools), and ViralGains (Boston, algorithmic brand engagement). Outside of investing, Chris is also on the board of two foundations that support neuroscience research and medical infrastructure development in British Columbia and has been a speaker at various conferences. He holds a BA from Johns Hopkins University in cellular neuroscience and a PhD from Northwestern University in stem cell biology and has a US patent for his previous scientific research work.