Self-described ‘cowboy’ departs from technology accelerator

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Marshall Ring, who has led the Manitoba Technology Accelerator for the 20 years of its existence, has stepped down.

Ring has led the charge in the formation of a technology startup ecosystem that has likely succeeded beyond what many might have thought possible.

Ring, 50, said there was a mutual acknowledgment between him and the board of directors that it was the right time for new leadership.

“The business has grown up,” he said. “There is now more structure and process. There was a realization from the board’s perspective and my perspective that I was not the right fit anymore.”

A self-described “cowboy,” Ring said he hopes to get involved in building or growing companies.

“I have seen this happen to startups and scale-ups before,” he said. “The founder grows the business, the business gets big then its maintenance and procedures and policies,” he said. “That’s not my skill set. I’m more entrepreneurial.”

Under Ring’s guidance the MTA helped launch scores of companies.

Revenues of the companies it has assisted totals about $850 million. The companies that have cycled through MTA include such home runs as SkipTheDishes and the rising star Callia Flowers, a flower bouquet design and home delivery company that its founder, Catherine Metrycki, has now grown across the country.

Under Ring’s leadership, MTA had organized its own angel investor group, called the Manitoba Knights, and is now on such solid financial footing that it’s able to make early stage investments in some of the companies it is incubating.

In addition to the business accelerator services, in the past few years MTA has become part of the Start-up Visa program that assists international entrepreneurs in achieving permanent residency in Canada. It has been acknowledged as the “gold standard” in the national SUV program.

MTA, a longtime tenant of the Exchange District, was the successful bidder two and a half years ago to lease the 4,000-square-foot former restaurant space on the Esplanade Riel Bridge.

At the time Ring declared it would become the headquarters for MTA’s efforts to build many more $100 million companies and making Winnipeg the startup capital of Canada.

Whether or not Winnipeg has achieved that status, Ring has played a major role in establishing the importance of fostering support for technology companies such that it is now standard operating procedure for governments in the city and the province.

John Clarkson, chairman of MTA’s board of directors, said, “It was a mutual decision for Marshall to step down. The whole organization supports it, the board is fully behind it and we wish Marshall all the best. He is well known for his innovation skill sets.”

Ring said he’s not sure what he’ll do next but is investigating a number of opportunities.

The board has named Geoff Besko as interim CEO. Besko is well known in the tech community in Winnipeg having started and run companies and consulted with many others.

“I see many more successes in the future like we’ve had in the past,” Clarkson said. “We look forward to what will happen over the next phase of our growth.”

The addition of the Start-up Visa business has injected regularly occurring revenue, such that the MTA is fully funded and self-sufficient. It no longer relies on government funding.

“The Start-up Visa program is a good example of how we have managed to transition to fulfil our mandate of making Winnipeg the startup capital of Canada,” said Clarkson.

“We want to develop and grow those companies, we don’t want to see them leave. We believe we have the right people around the organization and a solid board fully supporting this as well.”

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca