Meet the Advisors – Jim Mutter, PT In-house Legal
Meet the Advisors – Jim Mutter,
PT In-house Legal
The success of AmiPRO relies on the diverse experience provided by our growing team of experts. We’re excited to share their insights with you and how their experience contributes to the growth and innovation at AmiPRO – setting new standards in Fintech and Digital Asset investing.
Jim Mutter leads MeetAmi Innovations Inc.’s corporate law, governance and strategy guidance relating to regulatory and compliance. His career has been focused primarily on technology growth companies. As well as being a lawyer, Jim also co-founded a venture backed Software Company in 2000 and was part of the senior team that raised over $35M. He has also been a CEO twice including leading the turnaround of a Fintech company involved in the digital payments space. He is also active in advising companies in areas of corporate finance (raising capital) and mergers and acquisitions (buying and selling companies). He has also been an advisor and board member on a number of private company and public company boards.
Jim is recognized as one of Canada’s top business lawyers by his peers in Martindale-Hubbell and by Best Lawyers Canada. He previously led the BC Premier’s Technology Council which was co-chaired by the Premier at the time and the goal was to advise the Province on technology issues.
What has attracted you to work with technology companies like MeetAmi Innovations Inc. ?
I love working with incredibly smart and talented people. This is particularly true in the technology sector and it is what keeps me coming back for more.
MeetAmi has surrounded itself with a dynamic team in order to bring the next generation of Fintech solutions to wealth management advisors. These are exciting times!
All of the advances in technology incrementally add to our changing world. I enjoy adding value through being a “trusted advisor” for tech companies wanting to launch great ideas. One area of focus is on helping them ensure they are efficiency and scalability so they can get to market quickly and hopefully at the front of the competition. Having been a co-founder I have renewed respect for the time, effort and commitment it takes to get your idea across the line.
How did you get involved with MeetAmi and their vision for AmiPRO?
I’ve known Sarah Morton, MeetAmi’s Chief Strategy Officer, for many years. She has always been a technology influencer within my network and someone who knows how to make things successful. When I heard she was launching a Fintech solution, I eagerly joined the team.
Where is Fintech headed in Canada and/or British Columbia?
The pandemic has had a tremendous impact on Canada’s financial industry. Digital transformation has been fast tracked and everything financial has moved online. The combination of the fast pace of this transformation, and the growing base of talented people accessible within Canada but particularly in British Columbia makes Fintech a very solid sector for growth moving forward.
In fact, British Columbia has always taken the lead in Canada when it comes to adopting new ways to use technology. In 2003, the Premier’s Technology Council was pursuing ways for the Province to adopt technology to bridge the digital divide for remote communities who had a difficulty accessing healthcare. Back then, we solved the problem by establishing a billing code and video conferencing within these remote communities that made medical services readily accessible online for the first time. This process took almost two years to implement in BC.
Fast forward to the current pandemic. The online medical consultation model for delivering medical services was adopted throughout Canada within two weeks last March! Every province has now adopted the use of a similar billing code that was created back in 2003. It took the pandemic to disrupt medicine and technology adoption in Canada – and it will never return back to the former in-office only model.
Why do you support advisors learning more about Digital Asset investing now?
Digital Asset investing is still in its infancy. But, that doesn’t mean it should be dismissed. Advisors are quick to say that cryptocurrencies are funded by the black market or are Ponzi schemes. I have heard a lot of this talk. It is unfortunate because there is a far reaching bigger picture that needs to be considered in coming years.
Back in 1994, Mosaic Communications (which we all know as Netscape) had a great idea. They turned a numbers-based system for accessing content on the internet to a word-based system that allowed people to browse for content with key words. Within four months of the launch of Netscape, the web browser took three-quarters of the browser market and forever changed how we access content online.
Adoption of transformative technology happens quickly. That is why I see the need for advisors to start learning about Digital Assets, cryptocurrencies and the underlying Blockchain technology that support this new asset class - now. Similar to Netscape, AmiPRO is being created to provide simplicity to Digital Asset investing. It is transforming how advisors can take this new asset class from learning to liquidity.
I love the MeetAmi’s team approach to making Digital Asset investing easy. They provide insight to advisors that make them say, “I see how it applies to my world.” That’s really powerful and worth embracing.