Ilse Treurnicht

Managing Partner, TwinRiver Capital

Ilse Treurnicht’s career spans scientific research and commercialization, building health and cleantech firms, venture and impact investing, as well as public policy.

She is managing partner of TwinRiver Capital (an impact investment firm), a general partner at North South Ventures (a seed stage med fund), chair of the Public Policy Forum and a director of the Equality Fund and Zentek.

Ilse was CEO of MaRS Discovery District in Toronto from 2005-2017 as it developed from a nascent organization into a leading urban innovation hub. She joined MaRS from her role as CEO of Primaxis Technology Ventures, a seed stage venture capital firm (1999-2005).

She was chair of the Canadian Task Force on Social Finance (2010), served on the Government of Canada’s Science, Technology and Innovation Council (2014-2016), Canada’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth (2016-2019), and the Advisory Committee on Open Banking (2018-2021). She has been a board member and advisor to technology firms, non-profits and international organizations.

Ilse holds a doctorate in chemistry from Oxford University, which she attended as a Rhodes Scholar.