Community Spotlight: Shaping the Future of Early-Stage Innovation: Justin Dunnion

Early Career

Justin Dunnion’s path did not follow the route his mechanical engineering degree might have suggested. Instead, he felt drawn to the human and strategic side of problem solving. That curiosity brought him into management consulting at EY, where he spent more than three years working in technology strategy, implementation, operations, business strategy and mergers and acquisitions. 

These experiences helped him strengthen his communication skills and allowed him to collaborate across many different industries. His engineering background also shaped the way he works. It taught him “how to approach vague, high-level problems with a structured mindset,” a skill that became a steady anchor throughout his career.

Transition into Venture Capital

In 2022, Justin moved into venture capital when he joined Verstra Ventures, the VC arm of Constellation Software. There, he evaluated early-stage business-to-business software companies and completed six investments. His time at Verstra helped him understand why strong products retain customers, how teams build resilience and what sets enduring companies apart.

Justin was drawn to venture capital because it sits close to the heart of innovation. “Technology is constantly changing,” he says, and early-stage investing allowed him to work directly with founders who are building the future rather than helping larger companies catch up to it.

Work at GreenSky

In June 2024, Justin joined GreenSky as a Senior Associate on Fund VI. GreenSky invests in Canadian business-to-business companies at the Seed and Series A stages, with a focus on technology that is meaningful, differentiated and capable of lasting impact. His role now includes sourcing companies, leading diligence, supporting portfolio founders and contributing to internal operations.

His view of early-stage investing is straightforward. “At the early stage, we are betting on the team to execute,” Justin says. By this he means that young companies rarely have much data or traction to evaluate yet. Investors look primarily at the founders themselves — their clarity, their focus and their ability to follow through when the path is still being shaped.

A Changing Early-Stage Landscape

Over the past year, Justin has seen the early-stage environment shift significantly. Many companies are raising slightly more at the Seed stage and reaching profitability earlier. Some no longer need later rounds of funding at all.

Artificial intelligence has influenced this shift in a major way. “Companies are able to do more with less,” Justin explains. Teams can build faster, automate more work and create strong early products with fewer resources. This evolution is reshaping how investors think about timelines, growth and sustainability.

Community and Connection

Justin is proud of GreenSky’s active presence in the Canadian innovation community. The team works from the DMZ, an incubator in Toronto that supports early-stage technology companies. GreenSky regularly collaborates with organizations such as OneEleven, TiEToronto, TiEOttawa, Movement51, Innovation Factory, Innovation Cluster and Platform Calgary. These connections keep the firm closely aligned with the real needs and challenges of early-stage founders.

He appreciates how open and interconnected the community is, and how often founders, operators and investors show up for each other. It reflects a culture of generosity and shared success that he values deeply.

Future-Facing Curiosity

Justin is especially energized by the rise of vertical artificial intelligence tools. These solutions are built for specific industries where older systems still dominate. He sees meaningful potential for companies that make adoption simple and build strong insights from the data they gather over time.

He is also asking big questions about what comes next. He is considering how artificial intelligence is reshaping industries, whether generic software platforms will be replaced by more focused solutions and what meaningful advantages AI companies can hold as competition increases. He is also looking closely at what makes a tool genuinely sticky, meaning a product that becomes essential to a team’s workflow and difficult to give up, and whether switching costs will matter as the market evolves. These questions shape his curiosity and guide how he thinks about early-stage companies.

Advice for Emerging Leaders

Looking back, Justin wishes he had understood earlier how open and accessible the Canadian startup ecosystem truly is. Engineering did not encourage networking, yet every major opportunity he has had came from relationships and conversations.

His advice is simple. Join the community early. Attend events. Ask questions. Build connections. “People are more likely than not to help out.” Small interactions often become the foundation of long-term opportunities.

What Grounds Him Now

What keeps Justin steady today is not a slogan or a single lesson, but a way of moving through his work. He returns often to structure because it helps him see the path forward when situations are messy or uncertain. And he returns to people because every turning point in his own career came from a conversation, a shared moment or someone taking a chance on him.

The questions he is exploring around artificial intelligence also keep him thoughtful and engaged. He is watching how AI might change established industries, how teams will adapt and what will make certain products continue to matter as the landscape evolves.

Justin’s path reflects someone who values steadiness, curiosity and the work of building something real. He is proud to be part of an ecosystem where founders and investors learn alongside each other, and he is energized by the companies emerging across Canada. His story is still unfolding, and he is committed to staying close to the ideas and people who are shaping the next chapter.