Haig Farris

Haig Farris is the Founding Chairman and Board Member of D-Wave Systems (now D-Wave Quantum), the Vancouver-based quantum computing company. A pioneer of the Canadian technology venture capital industry, he co-founded Ventures West Management in 1972 and has served as President of Fractal Capital Corporation since 1990, providing early-stage financing to high-tech startups.

He wrote the first cheque to fund D-Wave in May 1999, backing UBC physics student Geordie Rose. He holds a BA from UBC, an LLB from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and an honorary doctorate from UBC (1997). He was appointed Officer of the Order of Canada in 2016 for his contributions to advancing Canada's high-technology sector.