In the early 1980s, Rod Bryden travelled extensively to make presentations for potential investors in his Ottawa-based information technology firm, SHL Systemhouse Ltd. He wound up spending less time explaining the intricacies of his business than he did explaining where Ottawa was and why anyone would run a business from there.
Fifteen years later, he found himself on a similar speaking circuit to drum up interest in his most recent venture, World Heart Corporation. This time, however, Ottawa needed no introduction. In fact, investors around the world have come to regard Ottawa as a prime destination, one that last year garnered a quarter of all the venture capital support in Canada. While Bryden would not want to take the credit for this result, there is no doubt that his achievements have been a major contributing factor.
We also have his perseverance to thank for restoring the city's identity as a hockey town. Although others were responsible for bringing the Senators back to Ottawa after almost 60 years, it was Bryden who became their owner and who was instrumental in building for them a new home that became a focal point for the city's west end.
His most recent undertaking, World Heart Corporation, co-founded in 1996 with the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, is looking at a relatively simple device that could restore health to patients with failing hearts.