Work With Your Own Scaling Sherpa

Jade is the owner and CEO of Calver Immigration Consulting Inc. With over ten years of experience in Canadian immigration, she has worked for Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, and one of the country’s leading immigration law firms. She has handled hundreds of Canadian immigration cases, bringing people and businesses to Canada to achieve their goals.

Christine Crandell boasts 30 years of experience in business, strategy, and marketing. She frequently speaks on experience-led growth and has garnered multiple industry awards. She's penned over 300 articles on topics like strategy, customer experience, sales, and marketing.

Christine is dedicated to guiding the upcoming generation of SaaS and B2B founders toward market success. 

Marcelo founded Prima IP and is a leading intellectual property expert. He has extensive experience in drafting and prosecution of patent applications and industrial designs in the pharmaceutical, chemical, oil and gas, medical device and mechanical areas and has advised clients on the procurement, management, and assessment of intellectual property rights.

Kim is a CPA, business coach, and business owner in the region. She uses her experience to help small and mid-sized owner-managed businesses think big and take the next steps in their journey.

Kim helps entrepreneurs plan for a successful future by providing coaching and financial advice, with an emphasis on finance strategies, building long-term sustainable businesses, and cash flow planning.

Mehdi is a seasoned entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in product development, AI, and machine learning. He has a strong R&D background and is proficient in both bench-scale and pilot-scale systems.

Mehdi has co-founded several startups across various industries, and has successfully launched and scaled multiple products. He's eager to help fellow entrepreneurs utilize AI to drive business growth and innovation.

A problem-solver with a creative flair, Dan Kitchen merges art and tech in his work. He leads Invent Art Inc, a successful design/development business crafting both digital and physical products. 

Dan provides guidance on platform, hardware, integrations, coding, web design, and robotics, leveraging his rich experience to support startups in their journey.

Waun Broderick, co-founder and CTO of Gyroscopic Inc., brings a rich experience in tech and entrepreneurship. With over a decade in public service, a focus in AI and cybersecurity, and a proven track record in software engineering, Waun has helped raise over $3M in funding to develop innovative SaaS products. 

His expertise spans software development, team management, and effective stakeholder communication. 

Nima is the Co-founder and CEO of Trillium Meditec Inc., a company developing and commercializing innovative hydrogels to treat Osteoarthritis.

He initiates, identifies, and coordinates the analysis of complex client needs in project areas such as: new/existing business operating models, innovative approaches to solutions support, market research of emerging or available product functionality and operational readiness assessment.

Barry Payne, an Indigenous entrepreneur and member of the Hiawatha First Nation, built his venture, Adirondack Technologies Furniture Inc., from his basement to a nationally acclaimed organization. Along with his other successful tech businesses, he’s been invited to the prestigious U.S. National Minority Supplier Development Council’s program. 

Barry guides clients in government funding, networking, and Indigenous entrepreneurship.

Craig Elias is an award-winning entrepreneur, educator, sales expert, author, passionate startup advisor, and gifted pitch coach. His first startup went from initial launch to winning a $1,000,000 pitch prize to being funded by a Tier 1 VC in less than 24 months.

Craig helps Innovation Cluster clients with pitch coaching, sales strategies, startup advisory, early revenue generation, networking, and investment opportunities.

Bryan Watson is a cornerstone in Canada’s scale-up and investment landscape. With over 20 years of experience, Bryan has worn multiple hats—entrepreneur, advisor, and executive among them. He has guided angel and venture capital investors, governments, NGOs, and companies at all growth stages.

Whether you’re a startup in its scaling phase or a mature, global company, Bryan’s extensive expertise can guide you through the intricacies of investment and growth.

Henrique brings a wealth of hands-on startup experience to our tech clients. Currently steering his third startup, BudTrainer, he’s no stranger to the challenges of entrepreneurship.

He’s been the guiding force behind over 100 startups and businesses, helping them crack the code on market understanding, product positioning, and go-to-market strategies, driving them to generate millions in revenue.

Sischa Maharaj is a dynamic leader in recruiting, diversity, and team building. She has over 27 years of experience spanning financial services, entrepreneurship, human resources, and higher education.

Passionate about empowering new immigrants and investors in Canada, she brings a bold and innovative approach to financial literacy and employment. Her work in fostering economic development and employment opportunities across Canada is groundbreaking.

Moshe Mikanovsky is a seasoned product management expert with over 30 years of experience in the enterprise and B2B software industry. His expertise includes developing SaaS products across diverse sectors and leading as a Product Director at Rootquotient Technologies.

His approach focuses on agile development, innovative product ops tools, and data-driven decision-making.

Amirashkan Saadati is a seasoned Financial and Business Analyst with over 12 years of experience in capital budgeting, business planning, and financial risk management. His expertise in compiling detailed Capital Budget and Business Plan and Feasibility Study Reports is unparalleled.

Amirashkan’s key skills include meticulous capital budgeting, forecasting, data analysis, financial modeling, market analysis, financial planning, and risk assessment.

Chris is a serial entrepreneur with a lifelong conflict of interests between tech and the outdoors. He has started and run three companies, raised millions in capital, and executed seven-figure deals with some of the largest engineering companies in the world. 

With a background in finance, innovation technology, civil engineering, and tech startups, Chris helps businesses develop new technologies, start businesses, design and launch products, and implement new ways of solving old problems.

Brandy Old is an experienced start-up coach, with a focus on helping founders learn how to de-risk and validate their business ideas.

She utilizes lean startup and business experimentation practices to help founders identify their early adopters, craft meaningful problem statements, develop minimal viable products, and keep their momentum going towards getting their first 10 customers.

Jan d’Ailly is a senior consultant at SalesEvolve, providing revenue generation focused consulting, sales training and outsourced sales services primarily with tech based B2B companies. 

He works with startup clients to develop, define and quantify their value proposition, identify ideal clients and markets, and apply sales best practices to build customer-focused businesses generating predictable revenue growth.

Moien is a biomedical professional and materials scientist turned investment expert specializing in deep tech and IP-driven startups addressing global challenges. He brings a strong foundation in nanotechnology, bioprinting, and medical devices.

Moien offers expertise in fundraising, operations, go-to-market, software development, branding, and marketing.

Jaime Wong is the Chief Executive Officer at Maddison Wong Investments, overseeing technology and real estate investments and advising software startups. He previously co-founded MDBilling.ca, the largest medical billing software and service provider in Canada.

Startup teams turn to Jaime for his expertise in product development & market fit, growing sales, go-to-market development and execution, and building the right teams and processes to scale organizations.  

Tonya brings 25 years of experience in project management and a proven track record of aligning company products, services, and expansion plans with government grant opportunities. She has secured grants for clients across various sectors, including telecommunications, food & beverage, manufacturing, cleantech, and water/wastewater.

Tonya helps businesses navigate the complex funding landscapes and achieve their growth objectives.

A seasoned executive with over 20 years of leadership experience, Barb is a proven expert in operational excellence, manufacturing & supply chain, and continuous improvement. 

Barb provides comprehensive training, fosters cultures of innovation, and leverages data-driven insights to optimize processes and deliver sustainable results. Her approach blends strategic vision with hands-on execution to drive meaningful impact, simplify complex processes, and deliver practical value to customers.

Jeannine Taylor has a lifetime of experience in marketing, media, and
communications, and over 25 years specializing in digital marketing and website development.

Jeannine works with clients on strategic communications and media management to achieve business goals. She offers advice on best practices in public relations, media relations, media communications and strategy, content creation, audience connection and engagement, and maintaining brand image.

Benjamin is a Principal at Smart & Bigggar. His practice provides patent drafting and prosecution, with an emphasis on the fields of AI/machine learning, blockchain/crypto/ NFTs, Metaverse and extended reality, telecommunication, signal processing, biomedical, computer, and electrical.

Benjamin assists AI companies in building patent strategies that clearly tell the stories of their inventions to stakeholders and the Patent Offices.

Dr. Amir Omidvar holds a PhD in microelectronics and is the CEO and co-founder of Pocket Clinic. A serial entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in medical device development, Amir has successfully launched multiple ventures, including a previous startup that led to a successful exit.

Amir assists Health Tech companies in crowdfunding, fundraising, product development, and partnership and collaboration with universities.

Tovit Neizer is a business storyteller and a communication strategist. Her consulting boutique, Yellow Bricks, helps companies and executives communicate their unique business story, both internally and externally.

She is a former journalist, a published author and an advisory board member, who brings over 15 years of experience in marketing and business development.