Leadership Team

Andrew Waitman

Chief Executive Officer

Andrew Waitman has been puzzling over the nature of business success since he started his first paper route in 1975. His curiosity has led him through a journey of experience in database design, telephony trouble shooting, investment banking, venture capital, Board stewardship and angel investing. Throughout his career, his enthusiasm for entrepreneurs and championing of new ideas has endeared him to many successful startups. Today, his energy is embraced by the Pythian team who aspire to find the meaningful patterns that Andrew claims are everywhere and will lead us all to wisdom.

“Only three things happen naturally in organizations: friction, confusion and malperformance. Everything else requires leadership.”

- Peter Drucker

Prior to joining Pythian, for 12 years Andrew was the Managing Partner at Celtic House Venture Partners, a leading Canadian venture capital firm where he recruited the team, led the strategy, raised the funds and provided the most consistent investment track record: a Canadian best with more than a dozen successful M&A transactions, four IPOs and not one single bankruptcy in twenty five start-up investments during his Board of Directors oversight.

A sought-after thought leader and public speaker, Andrew has presented to such organizations as the Canadian Venture Capital Association and the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation. He has guest-lectured for MBA programs at Cornell University, Queen’s University, the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, and the University of Ottawa. He has also taught entire courses on venture capital at the Queen’s School of Business.

In addition to being a Professional Engineer and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Andrew’s other passions include writing about business insights, reading non-fiction books on any topic, playing racquet sports (tennis, squash, ping pong) and drinking wine – preferably French… red… and from Bordeaux.