We believe in your vision and are obsessed with your brand!

Our founder Charles is a serial entrepreneur who started Lyra Growth Partners in 2015. He is actively involved in the investment process, working with our investee companies, and supporting our founders.

Prior to Lyra, Charles was founder and President of Vega, which he started from scratch from his basement in 2004. Financed by his life savings, a second mortgage on his house and credit cards, Charles led Vega to become a leading brand of clean, plant–based nutritional products in North America.

Honouring a triple bottom line approach to business and recognizing people are the greatest source of sustainable competitive advantage, Vega and Charles have received many accolades, including: Fastest Growing Companies, Best Workplace, Best Managed Companies and Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2015, Charles led the sale of Vega to White Wave Foods (NYSE: WWAV) for US$550 million.

In 2016, Charles helped establish the Charles Chang Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Simon Fraser University, an interdisciplinary home and academic hub where people and ideas converge to foster entrepreneurial thinking and action.

Charles is also co-founder of PowerPlay Young Entrepreneurs, a non-profit organization that helps elementary school students develop an entrepreneurial mindset. Using real-world, hands-on learning experiences, PowerPlay helps build confidence and resiliency and develop practical life skills.

Charles lives with his family in West Vancouver, BC and is an active member of Young Presidents Organization (YPO), an avid golfer, fly fisherman, mountain biker, skier and Whistlerite wannabe.

As CFO at Lyra, Milan supports the investment team and sits on the Board of a number of investee companies. He has over 20 years of entrepreneurial and corporate finance experience. Prior to joining Lyra, he started his own firm where he advised food & beverage and tech companies, sometimes acting as a fractional CFO to rapidly growing companies. Prior to that, he worked at Deloitte Corporate Finance for eight years where he led numerous mid-market M&A and growth capital transactions and where he was a National Senior Sector Specialist for Food & Beverage.

Milan is a CFA Charterholder and completed a BBA at the Schulich School of Business.

Milan likes to run around after his two kids and extends it into a proper run. His Zoom background may include Raptors fandom.

Brady is responsible for deal sourcing, due diligence, industry research, and supporting Lyra’s investee companies. Brady joined Lyra from British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI). He most recently worked as a Direct Private Equity Associate, evaluating investment opportunities in the Technology and Consumer sectors.

Brady holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia.

Outside of the office, Brady enjoys skiing, golfing, and continuing to look for his big break at karaoke night.

Maggie is responsible for all things related to accounting and tax at Lyra and with Lyra’s investee companies.

Maggie joins Lyra with over 15 years of accounting and tax experience in her previous role as a Senior Manager at a big four accounting firm where she focused on tax planning, compliance and corporate matters with many private clients.

Maggie is a CPA, CA. She attended the University of Regina where she completed her Bachelor of Commerce with Honours.

Maggie enjoys spending time with her two young kids. She also enjoys yoga and hiking when she is not juggling other priorities (although secretly she is a closet reality TV show fanatic!).

Brendan is the formulator and co-founder of Vega, bestselling author of the Thrive book series, and Editor in Chief of Alive magazine. He’s also a former professional Ironman triathlete and a two-time Canadian 50km Ultra Marathon Champion.

Brendan is regarded as one of the world’s leading authorities on plant-based performance nutrition, and therefore works with several NHL, NFL, MLB, UFC, and Olympic athletes. Brendan now invests in and works with socially responsible food & tech companies whose mandate is to fix our food system and reduce the environmental strain of food production.

Meet our esteemed Office Manager Mougeh; with over 10 years of expertise in office administration and management.

She is responsible for overseeing all office-related tasks and is a valuable asset to the team. Her exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail make her adept at efficiently managing daily operations. Mougeh’s strong communication and teamwork abilities, along with her positive attitude and professionalism, contribute to a welcoming work environment.

Mougeh holds a Paralegal Diploma from VCC and in addition to her professional skills, she has worked in various industries including real estate, legal, film & entertainment, and finance over the past 15 years.

During her free time, she enjoys outdoor activities like hiking, camping, and paddle boarding, as well as spending quality time with her family and fur babies.