Our best performing assets are our people.
Scott MacDonald
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
"Mediocrity is a sin"
Scott is an entrepreneur at heart and a venture capitalist by training. An early pundit on the digital transformation and venture investments in the industrial sector, he wanted to create the world’s first investment firm focused exclusively on the Industrial IoT. In 2012, he co-founded McRock Capital and his dream was alive.
Scott embraced diversity & inclusion as a competitive advantage from the very inception of McRock and has long been a champion for underrepresented groups in private capital. In particular, he has strongly advocated for an increase in female representation on public and private company boards.
He currently serves on the boards of Triax Technologies (Chair), Landing AI, ThoughtTrace, SkySpecs, Worldsensing, Invixium, Serious Integrated and the Canadian Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (CVCA). Scott currently serves as a board observer on Poka and e2ip. He previously served as Chair of RuggedCom (acquired by Siemens), Chair of RtTech (acquired by AspenTech and Vinci Energies), director of Pure Technologies (acquired by Xylem), and director of PPIC (acquired by Pure).
Prior to co-founding McRock, Scott was a Partner with a Zurich-based venture capital firm and Managing Director in the venture capital subsidiary of Ontario Power Generation, a large North American utility. Scott represented Canada at the 1989 and 1991 World Gymnastics Championships and was a voting member of the Canadian Olympic Committee for the quadrennial leading up to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
Whitney Rockley
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
"Keep on keeping on" - Joe Dirt
Whitney co-founded McRock Capital in 2012 with the belief that better compute power, data collection and analytics would transform industrial businesses. Today, her vision is true with the world’s largest industries amidst a digital revolution.
Whitney has had a trail blazing twenty-year career in private capital. She was the first female Chair of the Canadian Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (CVCA) since it was founded in 1974 and created the first taskforce on diversity and inclusion, which evolved into a D&I committee that she chaired for many years. She deeply believes that diverse teams dramatically outperform and is a strong voice for these initiatives within the technology and private capital ecosystems. Whitney is an advisor to BKR Capital, a venture capital fund built with the objective of investing in promising black founders of technology companies answering unmet needs of minority communities.
She currently serves on the boards of Samdesk (Chair), Praemo (Chair), Invixium, Miovision, Clearpath and Plus One Robotics in addition to being on the management advisory committee at the Haskayne School of Business. She was the Chair of Decisive Farming (acquired by Telus) and served on the boards of mnubo (acquired by AspenTech), RtTech (acquired by AspenTech), PPIC (acquired by Pure Technologies, which in turn was acquired by Xylem), SpectraSensors (acquired by Endress + Hauser), the Venture Capital Association of Alberta (VCAA) and Ryerson’s Centre for Engineering, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She was one of the key investors behind RuggedCom (acquired by Siemens) and an early investor in Silicon Energy (acquired by Itron) and Capstone (NASDAQ: CPST).
Prior to co-founding McRock, Whitney was a Partner with a Zurich-based venture capital firm and Nomura New Energy Ventures in London, England. She has a deep global network through her work across London, Zurich, San Francisco, Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto.
Ha Nguyen
Partner
"The best way to predict the future is to invent it" - Alan Kay
Ha believes that it is a privilege to work with founders of all kinds. She is excited to have a front-row seat to the change unfolding in the industrial world and enjoys working with companies that have a resilient sense of mission and the creativity to navigate through unprecedented business challenges.
She developed a passion for technology and early stage investing through her work with IDG Ventures and MAJ Invest in Vietnam, where she immersed herself in helping companies grow, and engaged with entrepreneurs from the consumer to enterprise technology sectors. Through her international VC experience, Ha brings unique perspectives and deep global connections.
Ha currently serves as Observer on the boards of Samdesk, Landing AI, Plus One Robotics and Praemo, in addition to being a Director on the board of the Venture Capital Association of Alberta (VCAA). She was also a Board Observer at ThoughtTrace prior to the company’s successful acquisition by Thomson Reuters in 2022.
Ha received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Foreign Trade University in Vietnam and holds a Master of Science degree in Finance and Investment from Aston Business School in the UK.
Udit Bhatnagar
Vice President
"In order to attain the impossible, one must attempt the absurd" - Miguel de Cervantes
Udit firmly believes that venture capital and entrepreneurship are players on the same sports team - the team wins when players truly compliment each other and live by the same playbook. He is inspired by founders who upend the status quo and started his career in the technology sector, building products and advising blue chip companies on some of their most innovative technology initiatives.
After developing a passion for helping entrepreneurs and funding innovation while working as a fellow at IE Business School’s Center for Entrepreneurship, he went on to take up a role in early stage investments in India. As a technologist, he enjoys exchanging product ideas with founders, and is always on the lookout for the next innovation. Udit currently serves as an Observer on the boards of Triax Technologies, Landing AI, Worldsensing and Invixium.
While his roots are in India, Udit has lived in several countries including Spain, Japan, Denmark and now Canada. It was during his MBA at IE Business School in Spain that Udit spent an exchange semester at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School, fell in love with Canada and decided to make it his permanent home.
In addition to his MBA, Udit holds an undergraduate degree in industrial engineering from VTU in India.
Susan Malik
Head of Finance & Operations
"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." - Benjamin Franklin
Susan is driven by her lifelong desire to learn. She puts her knowledge to work every day, ensuring the latest financial and operational best practices are incorporated into McRock’s fabric. She’s equally passionate about working with others, sharing her wisdom and modelling those principles–teaching, leading and governing in an impactful and thoughtful way. Susan could be the poster child for giving back to one’s community.
These attributes have guided her through numerous professional achievements–growing many successful businesses and supporting entrepreneurs in their own journeys. Others could learn from her approach to financial management. She is an effective CFO because she believes in demystifying the world of finance and helping founders understand and implement strategies that build business value, revenue growth and brand recognition. And she’s a stellar team player. Susan thrives in dynamic environments where everyone wears multiple hats; she will roll up her sleeves and learn whatever is required to get the job done.
Her experience is vast and varied, crossing myriad industries, including information systems, private equity, SAAS, banking/finance, environmental/clean-tech, medical, retail, consulting, training and education. Just imagine the things she’s seen, experienced and accomplished over the years. And she brings that wealth of knowledge to her role at McRock every single day. Susan is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto. Her continuing education pursuits have also earned her numerous certifications in the areas of finance, technology and management.
Akira Tanabe
Investment Team
"Docendo discimus (by teaching, we learn)" - Lucius Seneca, Roman Philosopher
Akira has a license for teaching high school math in Japan but now finds himself in venture capital in Canada. The connection? He loves to guide passionate individuals and teams, no matter if they are students or entrepreneurs, towards a greater goal.
He developed a keen sense of engineering and field operations as an engineer with Chiyoda Corporation, a Japanese engineering mammoth, where many of his experiences were centred in the oil and gas sector. Some of these included leadership roles in the implementation of rotating-machinery, chemical process, control, and safety designs in energy sector installations across Thailand, Indonesia, and Qatar.
Akira was drawn to the investor secondment program at McRock because he wanted to play an active role in the ongoing digital revolution of industrial segments. He enjoys working with founders and businesses that leverage the use of deep technology to scale and brings technical insight through his substantial domain expertise in engineering, especially as it relates to the energy sector.
Akira earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Keio University in Japan and holds a Master of Science in Engineering degree from the Science and Technology School at Keio University.
Here’s What Our Founders
Have To Say About Us.
The McRock Touch
Expertise, energy, support and commitment. Real people passionate about helping entrepreneurs fulfill their dreams.