On Quiet Power, Capital, And What Investment Really Means
Over more than three decades working at the intersection of capital, community, and opportunity, Nanon de Gaspé Beaubien-Mattrick has built a body of work that is as varied as it is deliberate: angel fund founder, real estate developer, board director, philanthropist, and advocate for a version of longevity that goes far beyond years lived.
Born in Montreal and educated at Harvard College and Harvard Business School, Nanon began her professional life in marketing and sales at Playtex International before joining Telemedia Corporation, where she spent a decade as Senior Vice President helping grow the company into Canada’s largest consumer magazine publisher — with titles ranging from Elle and TV Guide, Vancouver Magazine to Canadian Living — and contributing to its emergence as one of the country’s largest radio operators. It was an education in scale, in audience, and in what it means to build something people genuinely reach for.
That foundation shaped everything that followed. In 1991, she and her husband Don co-founded MdGB Capital, supporting early-stage technology companies across Silicon Valley and British Columbia.
Sixteen years ago, she founded Beehive Holdings, an angel fund focused on seed to Series A companies built by diverse teams, with particular attention to businesses addressing the products and services most used by women.
She also co-founded Maison Homes Victoria, a boutique real estate development focused on developing multi-family residences in British Columbia.
Eleanor Roosevelt once said “Do one thing every day that scares you.” Michelangelo warned that “the greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.”
Nanon has built her life around both ideas — and she brings that same insistence to the women around her, quietly ensuring they have the access, encouragement, and resources to operate at the level their work demands.
Her own mother, still living vibrantly at 90 and leading AquaAction — her foundation dedicated to restoring freshwater health across Canada — is perhaps the clearest expression of what Nanon believes: that a life of purpose does not have an expiry date.
“You cannot go at it alone,” she reflects. “You build on each other’s strengths. You encourage, you support, and you show up — because that is how real progress is made, and that is how you can help the people around you.”
The women she admires span every sector — and she is the first to say that the strength of her community is something she does not take for granted. “We are very blessed in this part of the world when we look at the strength of the women in our community,” she says. “I am so grateful to have the opportunity to interact, learn, and grow with them.”
In Victoria, Police Chief Fiona Wilson is reshaping public safety with both rigour and humanity. In Vancouver, Egyptian-born sculptor Marie Khouri builds connection through monumental public art that stops people mid-stride — and she holds a particular place in Nanon’s story. “It does not always take someone who invests in you financially,” Nanon says. “With Marie, it was about recognizing her talent, believing in what she was capable of, and encouraging her to see in herself what she could not yet see on her own. That, to me, is one of the most powerful things one person can do for another.”
At Photonic, Dr. Stephanie Simmons — Founder and Chief Quantum Officer — is among the world’s foremost experts in quantum computing, a company where Nanon served on the board for nine years and still lends her advocacy.
In medicine, Dr. Tara Sedlak stands among the only certified female cardiologists in Canada, her work aligned with Nanon’s commitment to women’s healthspan — the quality and vitality of years lived, not merely their number.
And in government, Her Honour Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia is redefining the role of Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia through three clear pillars: meaningful inclusion, economic opportunity, and innovation in health and technology.
What unites these women, in Nanon’s view, has nothing to do with title or sector. “Regardless of gender, the individuals who truly move the needle share the same qualities,” she says. “They are gritty, determined, and focused. They remain curious, and they never stop learning. It is that combination — that refusal to become complacent that separates those who endure and make a lasting difference from those who do not.”
These are not passive endorsements. Nanon moves through her networks with purpose, opening doors, lending credibility, and directing resources toward the women and ideas she believes will shape what comes next.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver asked, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” For Nanon de Gaspé Beaubien-Mattrick, the answer has never been singular. It has always been collective.