Mycelium Capital

David Friesen is the Founder and Managing Partner of Mycelium Capital.

In 2021, David stepped away from the business world due to a rapid decline in his health. What followed was a difficult and deeply formative season for David and his wife, Leslie. A prolonged period of chronic pain and multiple surgeries required him to pause entirely, creating space for reflection that ultimately reshaped how he views leadership, capital, faith, relationships, and work. David often describes this period as a pruning. Not something that ended his professional life, but something that removed what was no longer serving it, allowing for healthier growth and better fruit.

Mycelium Capital was founded in 2026 as a direct result of that season. David returned to business with greater clarity about what endures and what does not. His focus shifted from outcomes defined solely by success to helping leaders, investors, and organizations move from success to significance. Mycelium Capital exists to structure capital and strategy in ways that strengthen foundations, support long-term resilience, and ensure growth is intentional rather than forced.

David brings more than three decades of experience to this work. He spent over 20 years at Richardson Wealth, where he founded and led Friesen Capital Management. During that time, he built and led a large, high-performing team serving entrepreneurs and their families. His work extended beyond investment management into strategic planning, governance, and long-term decision-making across operating businesses, real assets, and multi-generational structures. A defining feature of his approach was the development of a highly collaborative external network of skilled professionals, assembled to address complex entrepreneurial challenges with depth and perspective.

Earlier in his career, David served as a Vice President and Investment Advisor with CIBC Wood Gundy for 11 years. Across his professional journey, he became known for his ability to bring clarity to complexity, to convene the right people around difficult decisions, and to help leaders slow down and think well before acting.

Through Mycelium Capital, David now works alongside founders, leadership teams, investors, and families to ensure that capital is structured, governed, and stewarded in alignment with long-term intent. His role spans capital structuring, strategic advisory, and ongoing partnership through growth phases, with particular attention to governance, culture, incentives, and readiness. He is especially drawn to organizations that view their work as more than a transaction and are committed to creating meaningful social, economic, and environmental impact.

David is deeply committed to mentorship and service. He is the co-founder of The Leadership Forum for young entrepreneurs in Calgary and previously served a long tenure on the board of HopeShares, supporting long-term community development initiatives in South Africa.

Through this next chapter, David continues his work as a steward and strategic partner, helping leaders build strong foundations so that what they create is not only successful, but significant, enduring, and meaningful.