Brendan Sibeth

Founder & Managing Partner

Dartmouth Advisory Partners

Brendan Sibeth is the Founder and Managing Partner of Dartmouth Advisory Partners, a Toronto-based firm that embeds institutional-grade AI and automation into investment processes for asset owners, asset managers, OCIOs, and family offices.

His practice is defined by a “build to independence” model engagements conclude with fully documented, client-owned systems rather than ongoing dependency.

He focuses on translating frontier AI into measurable efficiency for institutional investors, with an emphasis on regulatory rigor, data sovereignty, and human-in-the-loop safeguards.

Craig D’Cruze

Chief Operating Officer

Inverted Ventures

Craig D’Cruze is a multi-faceted entrepreneur with an outstanding track record analyzing and operating large businesses.

As the Executive Chef of the University of Calgary, Craig oversaw their conferences and multiple restaurant operations. Before the University of Calgary, Craig was the Executive Sous Chef for Marriott Hotels; Craig was flown around North America to lead positive changes in F&B operations in other Marriott properties underperforming in food cost, labour controls, food quality, staff engagement and retention. Craig successfully built, coached, counseled, and maintained teams of over 100 people.

Craig’s exceptional natural skills in mathematics, research, and pattern analysis make him perfect to lead Inverted Group as the Chief Operating Officer. In 2020, Craig joined Inverted Ventures to lead Inverted’s Due Diligence of both public and private market investments.

Craig’s outstanding performance and proven track record of success led to his establishment of Inverted Group’s Venture Capital Business, which he continues to lead with great success to this day.

Robert Montgomery

Chief Executive Officer

First Maximilian Associates Inc.

Robert Montgomery is an investor and entrepreneur focused on the digital media, entertainment, gaming and technology industries. For many years, Mr. Montgomery has been an executive and advisor for media, communications and technology companies and the investment community. He currently serves as the CEO of First Maximilian Associates Inc., his own family investment and advisory firm. He also serves as Chairman of GameCo Inc., an innovative company serving and gaming industry. Mr. Montgomery was previously owner and CEO of Achilles Media, an events and transaction facilitation company focused on the entertainment, technology and investment industries.

Mr. Montgomery’s prior positions include: Co-Founder and Partner in Achilles Partners, an investment and advisory firm; President, Americas at the Fantastic Corporation, a broadband software company; Co-Founder and Chairman of Media Content plc in London, a media rights company; Managing Director for Europe and Asia Pacific at communications research and consulting firm Kagan World Media; co-founder of Digital Media International; Managing Director at Euromoney plc, and Managing Director at IBC plc. Mr. Montgomery has served as a Director of several public and private companies and is an active investor in emerging companies. Mr. Montgomery is a graduate of the University of Manitoba, Canada. Active in the community, Mr. Montgomery is Past Chair of the Board of Governors of the OCAD University.

Thomas Jacob

Managing Director

K2 Group

Thomas Jacob leads K2 Group, a Canadian family investment platform with holdings across hospitality, food service, petroleum retail, and seniors living.

Through Contrabande Ventures, he backs early-stage founders in healthcare and energy, including Braxia Health and Sunly Energy.

Thomas is an alumnus of Harvard Business School’s OPM program, a QuantumShift Fellow, and a member of YPO.

Omid Mokhtari

Founder

Noxware

Omid Mokhtari, Ph.D., is the founder of Noxware, a MedTech/AgeTech startup that has developed a smart mattress cover to help prevent pressure ulcers in seniors. He completed his PhD in microelectronics packaging at King’s College London, UK, and conducted postdoctoral research at Osaka University in Japan and Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt in Germany, where he worked on microelectronics manufacturing, flexible electronics, smart wearables, and e-textile systems, enabling the development of scalable, non-intrusive healthcare solutions. Through Noxware, he is applying this multidisciplinary expertise to support the future of remote health monitoring and aging-in-place care.

Keith McNabb

CEO & COO

Quadlii

Keith McNabb is CEO and COO of Quadlii, overseeing operations, execution, and platform development. He works closely with the technical and product teams to translate Quadlii’s core architecture into real-world deployments across industries. Keith has extensive experience in building and scaling systems, with a focus on operational discipline, product delivery, and long-term infrastructure design. At Quadlii, he is responsible for ensuring the platform delivers consistent, production-grade outcomes across all use cases.

Eric Stickney

President & CRO

Quadlii

Eric Stickney is President and Chief Revenue Officer of Quadlii, where he leads growth, partnerships, and commercialization strategy. With over 20 years as an investor, operator, and advisor, Eric has worked across technology, sports, and capital markets, helping businesses scale revenue and secure strategic partnerships. He is also the Founder and Managing Partner of Edgera Consulting, advising startups and growth-stage companies on go-to-market execution and capital strategy. Eric brings a practical, operator-first lens to building scalable platforms and ecosystems.

Stuart Mooney

Co-Founder & COO

Financial Modeling Prep (FMP)

Stuart Mooney is Co-Founder and COO of Financial Modeling Prep (FMP), one of the fastest-scaling financial market data platforms globally. FMP delivers institutional-grade financial data through a modern, API-first infrastructure trusted by institutional investors, fintech platforms, and corporate finance teams worldwide. The platform covers real-time quotes, 30+ years of historical market data, full financial statements, macroeconomic indicators, and financial market data at a fraction of the cost of legacy providers. Before FMP, Stuart led high-performing teams as a management consultant and engineer across financial services and energy, designing scalable processes with measurable customer impact. Stuart is focused on FMP’s next stage of growth, expanding enterprise partnerships, deepening exchange data coverage, and scaling a platform built for the way financial data is consumed today.

Dr. Armin Götzke

IP & Regulatory Affairs (CDO)

Silvacx GmBH

Dr. Armin Götzke is a trained biologist with additional training in IP (certified patent engineer) and regulatory affairs. Since 2007, he has been driving innovation and venture creation in the life sciences sector, with a focus on project management, intellectual property, and regulatory affairs. During 16 years at the Life Science Incubator Bonn, Armin evaluated hundreds of early-stage concepts, led due diligence processes, and managed incubation projects to key development milestones. Since 2023, his primary focus has been on the EXIST-funded project Silvacx at Heidelberg University. In a cross-functional leadership role, Armin is responsible for project management, IP strategy, and regulatory affairs, shaping the core development of this innovative platform technology.

Armin Kübelbeck

Chief Scientific Officer (CSO)

Silvacx GmBH

Armin is a chemical engineer with deep expertise in nanomaterials and next-generation vaccine platforms. At Merck, he led the Silvacx platform from concept to compelling preclinical validation, demonstrating clear advantages over liposomal approaches. He successfully secured an exclusive license to the relevant patent family, establishing a strong IP position for future company formation. After obtaining investment in 2017, he built and led a high-performing, cross-functional team and advanced the platform toward clinical translation. He combines scientific rigor with entrepreneurial execution and a focus on platform scalability. He is also highly committed, having left a secure and well-paid industry role to pursue the platform’s long-term value. This commitment reflects a founder mindset that aligns well with biotech venture creation.

Tharin Tan

Co-Founder and Commercial Lead

Pasini Yachts

Tharin Tan is Co-Founder and Commercial Lead of Pasini Yachts, a marine technology company building the next generation of marine through automotive-scale manufacturing and software-defined product principles. With early traction across both B2B and B2C, Pasini is positioning itself as a bridge between traditional yachting heritage and a global marine platform. In Toronto, Tharin is focused on raising awareness of Canada as a strategic manufacturing base and North American beachhead for the business.

Max Jamshidian

Co-founder & CEO

Green Bowl Foods

Max Jamshidian, PhD is a serial entrepreneur and food industry innovator with over two decades of experience turning scientific insight into commercially successful ventures. With a PhD in Food Science and a track record that spans R&D leadership, academia, and company building across Iran, France, and Canada, Max brings rare depth to every enterprise he launches.

His journey began early. From the moment he completed his Master’s degree, Max was already shaping the next generation of food scientists as a university lecturer — a parallel path of teaching and industry that would define his early career. During this same period, he served as R&D Manager at major food manufacturers in Iran, developing over 20 new products from concept to shelf and leading full-scale industrialization processes. That instinct for building — not just researching — has defined everything since.

After earning his PhD in France, Max joined the University of Tehran, the most prestigious university in Iran, as an Assistant Professor from 2013 to 2015. There he led cutting-edge research while continuing to bridge the gap between academia and industry. He then brought that expertise to Canada, completing a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Institut Armand-Frappier (INRS) in Laval, Quebec from 2015 to 2016 — one of the country’s leading research institutions in food and health sciences.
In 2016, Max made the decisive leap into entrepreneurship and founded SAINA+, a food consulting firm that has since helped numerous enterprises across Canada improve productivity, innovate their product lines, and bring new concepts to market. Under his leadership, SAINA+ has secured over $12 million in grants for food companies, enabling them to scale operations, boost productivity, and expand into international markets.

His most defining entrepreneurial chapter, however, is still being written. In 2023, Max founded Green Bowl Foods, the first producer of upcycled ready-to-eat meals in North America — a category-defining company that transforms surplus and by-product ingredients into premium, sustainable meals. Green Bowl sits at the convergence of two of the most powerful forces reshaping the food industry: the demand for convenience and the urgent push toward sustainability.

Building on his deep manufacturing expertise, Max launched ProCoPack in 2024, a co-packing company that has already helped multiple emerging food brands navigate the critical — and notoriously difficult — step of scaling production and launching commercially in the Canadian market.

Max is not a researcher who became an entrepreneur. He is a builder with the scientific credentials, the academic pedigree, and the operational experience to back every decision he makes.

Sascha Leckebusch

Co-founder and CEO

Framecast

Sascha Leckebusch is co-founder and CEO of Framecast, the AI engine for institutional commercial real estate diligence – starting with institutional-grade single-deal underwriting and natural-language scenario iteration, expanding to portfolio and fund-level analysis. Sascha’s vision is to build the financial fabric of the industry. Before Framecast, Sascha was on the principal side at Knightsbridge Development Corporation – working on Toronto landmarks including The Well and The One – with earlier asset management experience at Swisscan Properties. Sascha is a missionary founder, with a deep passion in building and carrying forward a family legacy of real estate innovation and entrepreneurship.

Richard Owen

CEO and President

Buckler

Richard Owen is the CEO and one of the founders of Buckler and brings more than 25 years of experience in Wealth management, technology and product innovation to the organization. He has held senior roles with several technology companies, wealth management firms and was an investment advisor for several years.
He is an MBA from York University and lives in Toronto.

Randy Osei

Founder & CEO

Athlete Technology Group (ATG) aka TrainingGroud.ai

Randy Osei is a former athlete turned brand architect and business manager who has spent the last decade solving the “transition problem” for high-performers and underserved communities. As the founder of Athlete Technology Group (ATG), Randy builds the digital infrastructure that bridges the socioeconomic gap through education, innovation, and personal branding.

Under his leadership, ATG has evolved into a powerhouse of future-readiness, most notably through its flagship platform, TrainingGround.ai. Named the 2023 Canadian EdTech Startup of the Year, the platform currently serves over 77,000 users across K-12 schools, universities, and global API partners. Randy’s work is rooted in a single, guiding principle: “How many people you bless is how many people you measure success.”

Beyond education, Randy is the driving force behind GROUND, a financial infrastructure platform designed to democratize wealth-building through a “save-to-learn” model. By integrating AI-driven coaching (Max) with institutional-grade yield strategies, he is redefining how the next generation manages “digital dollars.”

A sought-after voice on the intersection of AI, the Creator Economy, and Fintech, Randy has spoken to over 100,000+ attendees on global stages including Collision and ASU GSV. He doesn’t just talk about the future; he builds the tools to navigate it.

Thomas Kalafatis

Managing Partner

KalNes Capital Partners

Past Managing Partner, Independent Trading Group (ITG) Inc.;
Past Managing Director & Head, Global Equity Execution & Prime Services Group, CIBC World Markets Inc.,
Past Vice-President, Toronto Stock Exchange

Oded Levi

President

Epstein Enterprises Inc.

Oded Levi is the President of Epstein Enterprises Inc., a single family office based in Toronto.

A tenacious problem-solver and insightful leader, he has played executive management and CFO roles at a number of EEI’s operating subsidiaries.  He works closely with leaders of those enterprises into which EEI has invested, bringing his entrepreneurial, finance and tax-related problem-solving skills to bear when needed. EEI invests across the investment spectrum including venture, for which he has a soft spot.  Oded is a CPA, CA, and earned a BBA in Accounting and an MBA in Finance from the Schulich School of Business at York University. Oded spent the first part of his career working with one of the major accounting firms before working in corporate finance for several years before joining EEI.  He has served on the boards of private, public, and not for profit organizations.

Adam Seanor

President & CFO

Blacktyde Capital

Adam Seanor, CFA, is a seasoned finance and corporate strategy executive with deep expertise in mergers & acquisitions, business development, and investment banking. With a proven track record in sourcing and executing complex transactions across financial services, real estate, fintech, automotive and technology sectors, Adam has successfully led strategic initiatives that drive business growth and investor value. His ability to identify opportunities, negotiate high-value deals, and build long-term partnerships has been instrumental in structuring transactions exceeding $10 billion.

Adam holds an MBA in Finance and Financial Services Management from the Schulich School of Business at York University and a BA in Finance and Economics from the University of Western Ontario. As a CFA charterholder, he combines technical financial expertise with strategic vision, helping clients navigate complex investment landscapes. Outside of work, Adam is a volunteer rep baseball coach and an accomplished endurance athlete, having competed in Ironman triathlons and international swimming championships.

Skyler Zhang

CEO & Founder

Skylean Capital

Skyler Zhang is the Founder and CEO of Skylean Capital, a boutique family office venture capital firm based in Toronto. Established in 2022, Skylean Capital maintains a strategic focus on Fintech, Blockchain, and Artificial Intelligence, investing from the early stage through to Series D. The firm also considers select opportunities in other sectors. Skylean Capital is dedicated to supporting exceptional founders by investing in their story, ambition, and future.

Skyler holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, East Asian Studies, and Spanish from the University of Toronto. In 2024, she has completed the Foundations of Private Equity and Venture Capital program at Harvard Business School Executive Education in Boston.

Marcus Daniels

Founding Partner & CEO

Highline Beta

Marcus Daniels is a Founding Partner & CEO of Highline Beta where he leads visionary execution, strategic deals, corporate venture co-investment and startup funding. He has 21+ years as a serial tech entrepreneur & operating executive with a top decile pre-seed investing (34 startups) track record. 12+ years working with Fortune 1000 companies advising on corporate innovation models & building a pipeline of new corporate ventures beyond the core business. Formerly the Co-Founder & CEO of HIGHLINE.vc and Managing Director of Extreme Startups, Marcus continues to help evolve accelerator models to make corporate-startup collaboration work.

Saad Hassan

Principal and North American Head

Hassan Family Office

Saad Hassan is Principal and North American Head of Hassan Family Office, a Abu Dhabi–based single‑family office dedicated to private alternative investments. As a member of the firm’s Investment Committee, he collaborates with fellow principals and family members to shape strategic asset allocations across private equity, venture capital, real estate and private credit.

In his North American role, Saad leads deal sourcing and due diligence for co‑investment opportunities throughout the region, leveraging an extensive network of sovereign wealth funds, institutional allocators and top‑tier general partners. He applies a data‑driven investment framework combined with hands‑on value‑creation initiatives—focusing on operational improvement, risk management and ESG integration—to optimize long‑term risk‑adjusted returns.

A University of Waterloo alumnus with a Bachelor of Business Administration, Saad began his career in financial services and consulting, where he honed the analytical rigor that informs his investment philosophy today. He regularly serves as a judge at startup competitions and mentors emerging entrepreneurs on fundraising, business models and scaling high‑growth ventures.

Connect with Saad on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/saadhassan90.

Ismael El-Samahy

Partner, Director of Acquisitions

BNQ Group

Ismael El-Samahy combines entrepreneurial drive with deep technical expertise to build innovative ventures across industries. He leads acquisitions at BNQ Group, a single-family office focused on strategic real estate investments.

With a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Waterloo and two decades of experience in the electricity sector, he plays an active role in shaping Ontario’s energy future.

Ismael also co-founded Tut’s, a modern brand introducing Egyptian street food to Canadian foodies.

Connor Winters

Co-Founder and Managing Partner

Earl& Partners

Connor Winters is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Earl& Partners, an entrepreneurial investment firm that acquires and invests in businesses overlooked by traditional investors due to size or circumstance. At Earl&, Connor focuses on partnering with technology companies seeking an off-ramp from the traditional venture capital path, helping them transition toward sustainable and profitable growth. Prior to founding Earl&, Connor was a member of the investment team at Fulcrum, where he focused on capital raising and acquiring businesses in the AI, cybersecurity, and IT sectors. Connor holds a Commerce degree from the Smith School of Business and a Computer Science degree from Queen’s University.

Mary K. Hermant

Managing Director

Royce Holdings

Mary is the Managing Director at Royce Holdings (division of Single Family Office). With over 20 years in Tech and Finance, she’s been a Head of Finance at 2K Media AG and managed early-stage investments for over 20 startups, firms and government bodies. She’s launched tech products like Frsh Beacons, CoSync Auth, Ursa Live, House Codes, AppKey and social data marketing platforms Social Extract and Hello Media, and has worked globally in cities like London, Zurich, and Toronto. In Toronto, she was honoured with the Queen’s Jubilee award in 2022 and mentors for The King’s Trust.

Alexandra Kapelos-Peters

Founder, CEO, & Chief CANsultant

Cansulta

Alexandra Kapelos-Peters is a serial founder, award-winning entrepreneur, consultant, and business strategist with 20+ years leading ventures & agencies across consulting, marketing, technology, healthcare, and education. She’s launched and scaled more than 10 brands and holds dual Master business degrees (MBA and MSIE), plus PMP® and CSM® certifications.

A self-professed geek and people-person, she builds high-performing teams, streamlines operations, and energizes organizations with vision & infectious momentum.

As the Founder & CEO of Cansulta — a global expert consulting platform — Alexandra was recently recognized among WXN’s 2024 Top 100 Most Powerful Women. Known for blending innovation with bold execution, she specializes in helping businesses grow smarter and stronger — creating the people, processes, and excitement needed to scale with purpose.