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Rajeev (Raj) Dewan

Partner
About

Raj is a leading corporate lawyer with a ‎thriving capital markets and cross-border practice. A professional ‎with strong business acumen and extensive global experience, and exceptional relationship-building skills, ‎Raj is committed to delivering business solutions and results for clients.‎

He acts ‎on ‎behalf of emerging growth companies and ‎entrepreneurs in high growth sectors, including ‎eSports, ‎‎fintech, healthcare, mining, and ‎technology, and is often brought in at the outset of transactions ‎to assist in the initial structuring and strategy around transactions and capital deployment.‎

Raj is actively focused on structuring, negotiating and executing cross-border transactions and ‎‎international listings between North America, ‎Asia, the ‎Middle East, and North Africa. He regularly ‎advises ‎family offices, and ‎emerging growth ‎companies based in Asia and the Middle East, on joint ventures, ‎liquidity strategies and M&A in North America.‎

Raj is a recent appointee to the TSX Venture Exchange’s Listing Advisory Committee (Ontario), which ‎advises senior management at the TSX Venture Exchange on policy developments and trends in the ‎capital markets. Raj also recently served on the Ontario Securities Commission’s (OSC)’s Small and ‎Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Committee, which examined policies and practices affecting SMEs in the ‎interests of capital market efficiency and investor protection.‎

A charter member of the Toronto chapter of TiE Global, an international network of entrepreneurs.‎

 
Bar admissionsOntario, 1999

EXPERIENCE

  • Advised VIQ Solutions (TSX: VIQ) in connection with a $20MM bought deal financing by way of a short ‎form prospectus where Paradigm Capital Inc. was lead underwriter.‎
  • Advised VIQ Solutions (TSX: VQS) in connection with its graduation from the TSXV to the TSX and ‎listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market.‎
  • Advised Toronto based start-up Cluep Inc. in connection with its $53MM sale to Impact Group, Inc. a ‎leading sales and marketing company, focusing on grocery brokerage and CPG brands across the ‎United States, and a portfolio company of CI Capital Partners LLC., a New York based private equity ‎firm.‎
  • Advised Treasury Metals Inc. (TSX: TML) in connection with the acquisition of the Goldlund Gold Project ‎from First Mining (TSX: FF) and a concurrent $11.5MM financing where Haywood Securities Inc. was ‎acting as lead agent.‎
  • Advised Zhaojin Mining Industry Company Limited (HKG: 1818) in connection with the various M&A ‎mandates of Canadian public mining companies.‎
  • Advised Antera Ventures I Corp. (TSXV: ANT) in connection with the establishment and the initial listing ‎of a capital pool company, the subsequent qualifying transaction with Wishpond Technologies Corp and ‎concurrent subscription receipt financing of approximately $4MM lead by Beacon Securities Inc.‎
  • Advising foreGrowth Inc. in connection with the establishment of various investment vehicles for the ‎acquisition of real estate in North America.‎
  • Advised SpringLeaf Engineering PTE (Singapore) Ltd, a Singapore based engineering services ‎company (CSE: SLE) in connection with a cross-border listing on the Canadian Stock Exchange.‎
  • Advised IFS Global Software Inc. a Dubai based industrial software company in connection with this ‎RTO listing COBE and concurrent financing.‎
  • Advised GreenSky Capital Inc. in the establishment of the GreenSky Accelerator Fund I, LP an early ‎stage venture fund.‎
  • Advised Panaxia Inc. (an Israeli based pharmaceutical company) in connection with a pre-RTO financing ‎in Canada where Echelon Wealth Partners Inc. were acting as lead agent.‎
  • Advised VIQ Solutions Inc. (TSXV: VIQ) in connection with a $15MM acquisition finance facility with ‎Crown Capital Partners (TSX: CRWN).‎
  • Advised Difference Capital Financial Inc.(TSX: DCF)in connection with a private placement financing with ‎Bluedrop Performance Learning Inc. (TSX V: BPL)‎.
  • Advised Redline Communications Inc. (TSX: RDL) in connection with various joint ventures in the Middle ‎East.‎
  • Advised Cancana Resources Corp. (TSX V: CNY) (a TSXV 50 Company) in connection with a joint ‎venture and concurrent financing of approximately $6MM with Ferrometals BV (an affiliate of The ‎Sentient Group) for the acquisition of shares of Rio Madeira Comércio Importação e Exportação de ‎Minérios Ltda.‎
  • Advised Sentry Metrics Inc. (a Profit 100 Company) in connection with its acquisition by The Herajevac ‎Group.‎
  • Advised Black Marlin Energy Limited (a Dubai-based oil and gas company) in connection with a RTO ‎and concurrent private placement financing on the TSX Venture Exchange (this was one of the first ‎RTOs on the TSX Venture Exchange involving a Middle Eastern company).‎
  • Advised Bharti Airtel on its US$10.7-billion acquisition of Kuwait based Zain’s telecom businesses in 15 ‎African countries (the second largest acquisition ever by an Indian Company).‎
Languages
  • English
Education
  • Certificate in Islamic Finance, ‎University of Toronto, Rotman ‎School of Management, 1997‎
  • LLB, Osgoode Hall Law School, ‎‎1994‎
  • BA (with Distinction), University of ‎Toronto

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

  • Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory (Corporate Mid-Market), 2021-2022
  • Lexpert Special Edition on Canada’s Leading Health Sciences Lawyers, 2021
  • Lexpert Special Edition on Canada’s Leading Technology Lawyers, 2021

Publications and media

  • “Legal and Commercial Challenges in Private Equity in the Middle East”, Private Equity in Emerging ‎Markets: New Frontiers of International Finance, 2012‎

Seminars

  • Structuring and Listing a Capital Pool Company in Canada, Joint Panel Presentation with the TMX ‎Group, May 9, 2023, Hong Kong.‎
  • Canadian Opportunities for Singaporean Companies, Investing, Accessing Public Venture Capital, ‎Working and Living in Canada, September 28, 2022‎
  • Hong Kong-Canada Business Association Annual National Conference & Keynote Luncheon, ‎Accelerating Innovation and Digital Transformation in Asia, September 23, 2022‎
  • Canadian Opportunities for Hong Kong Companies: Accessing Public Venture Capital, Investing, ‎Working and Living in Canada, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, December 9, 2021, Hong ‎Kong
  • Accessing Canadian Public Venture Capital, Singapore, GEX Ventures Annual Conference, September ‎‎2019‎
  • Accessing Public Venture Capital on the Canadian Securities Exchange, October 2018‎

Memberships and Affiliations

  • Member of the Board of Directors, Canada Arab Business Council
  • TSXV Listing Advisory Committee
  • Member, Singapore Institute of Directors
  • Former Committee Member, Ontario Securities Commission’s Small and Medium Enterprises Committee ‎‎(SMEC)‎
  • Charter Member, Toronto Chapter of TiE Global‎
  • Director, SVX a leading non-profit impact investing platform
  • Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors, Holy Trinity School

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