2025 SUMMIT AGENDA

DAY 2 – APRIL 30, 2025*

8:00 AM – Registration & Networking

8:45 AM – 9:45 PM | Parliament Room

8:45 AM: Welcome Remarks & Land Acknowledgement

9:00 AM: Canadian Shield: Cross-provincial Co-investment Strike Force Mobilizing Canadian Innovation 

Marcus Daniels, Founding Partner & CEO, Highline Beta
Keith Ippel, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Spring Activator
Émilie Boutros, , Managing Partner, TandemLaunch Inc.
Moderator: Randall Howard, General Partner, Adrenaline Fund

9:45 AM – Networking Break

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM | Parliament Room

10:00 AM: Backing Builders: Ambition, Innovation and the Future of Canada’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

Mike Serbinis, Co-Founder & CEO, League
Moderator: Takara Small, Journalist

10:30 AM: Catalysts for Growth: Big Ideas, Bold Investments, and Building Canada’s Future

Daniel Debow, Build Canada
Moderator: Claudio Rojas, CEO, NACO

10:00 AM – 11:15 AM | Naco Academy Room

10:00 AM: Bridging the Gap Between Angel Investors and VCs

Serge Beauchemin, Managing Partner, Anges Québec
Manon Boisclair, GP, Linearis
Moderator: Prashant Matta, GP, Panache Ventures

10:45 AM: Venture Studio vs. Venture Capital: Funding, Exiting, and Building Canada’s Innovation Ecosystem

Ray Sharma, Founder, Extreme Venture Partners
Daniel Wigdor, Professor, University of Toronto
Moderator: Neil Seeman, Publisher, Sutherland House Experts & Professor/ Senior Fellow, Massey College, IHPME, University of Toronto

11:15 AM – Networking Break

11:30 AM – 12:45 PM | Parliament Room

11:30 AM: Strategic Incentives for Mobilizing Risk Capital in Canada

Daniel Eberhard, CEO, Founder, KOHO
Senia Rapisarda, Managing Director, HarbourVest
Moderator: Takara Small, Journalist

12:15 PM: Capital That Builds: Aligning Angel Investment with Real-World Economic Impact

Colin Mason, Emeritus Professor & Honorary Senior Research Fellow, University of Glasgow
Pat Gouhin, CEO, Angel Capital Association
Moderator: Sandi Gilbert, CEO, InterGen

11:30 PM – 12:30 PM | Naco Academy Room

11:30 AM: Mighty Middle

Brice Scheschuk, Managing Partner, Globalive Capital

12:45 PM - Networking Lunch

1:30 PM – 2:45 PM | Parliament Room

1:30 PM: The Value of Liquidity – How Different Stage Creates Different Opportunities

Andrew McLeod, CEO & Co-Founder, Certn
Jack Fraser, Partner, BDC

2:00 PM: De-Risking Early Stage Innovation: The Role of Incubators, Accelerators, and Gap Funds

John Wilson, President & CEO, Innovate Calgary
Joel Semeniuk, Chief Strategy Officer, Communitech
Joelle Foster, President & CEO, North Forge
Moderator: Carollynn Schafer, Investor in Residence, Accelerate Okanagan/ GP OKGN WMAN

1:15 PM – 2:15 PM | Naco Academy Room

1:15 PM: Purpose-Driven Innovation: Scaling Companies that Solve Big Problems

Shelley King, CEO & Founder, Natural Products Canada
Mingyang Sun, President & COO, ApiSave
Bobbie Racette, Founder & CEO, Virtual Gurus
Moderator: Rob Kenedi, Founder & Host, Decelerator

1:45 PM: Cross-border collaboration and Innovation Ecosystems: Building a Resilient Economy

Sarah Antor, Founder & General Partner, Helena Capital
Robin Wood Sailer, Co-Founder & Partner, Le Labs
Moderator: Sonya Shorey, President and CEO, Invest Ottawa

2:45 PM - Networking Break

3:15 PM – 4:00 PM | Parliament Room

3:15 PM: Investing in Legacy: Scaling Iconic Canadian Brands in a Changing Economy

Christiane Germain, Co-founder & Co-President, Germain Hotels
Marie Pier Germain, VP Sales & Marketing, Germain Hotels
Geneviève Bouthillier, Executive Vice-President, BDC Capital
Moderator: Camila Gonzalez, Journalist

3:45 PM: Special Remarks and Close of Event

*Session times, themes and speakers will frequently change leading up to event day. Be sure to check back regularly for updates to event schedule

DAY 1 – APRIL 29, 2025*

8:00 AM – Registration & Networking

9:00 AM – 10:30 AM | Morning Sessions – Canada Room

9:00 AM: Welcome and Land Acknowledgement

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, Mayor of Ottawa

9:15 AM: Opening Keynote

9:30 AM: Building the Future: Trust and Timing in Action

Stephany Lapierre, Founder & CEO, Tealbook
Solon Angel, CEO, Remitian
Moderator: Camila Gonzalez, Journalist

10:00 AM: Roundtable Discussions & Audience Q&A

10:30 AM: Networking Break

11:00 AM – 12:15 PM | Parliament Room

11:00 AM: Who Gets Funded and Why? Re-Imagining the Pipeline of Capital

Tabatha Bull, President & CEO, CCIB
Vicki Saunders, Founder, Coralus
Moderator: Camila Gonzalez, Journalist

11:45 AM: Fireside

Joe Canavan, Principal, Canavan Capital

11:00 AM – 12:15 PM | Moonshots Room

11:00 AM: Evolving Venture: How Three Leaders Are Reinventing Capital Strategies for Canadian Innovation

Matthew Leibowitz, Managing GP, Plaza Ventures
Rob Antoniades, Co-Founder & GP, Information Venture Partners
Allen Lau, Co-Founder and Operating Partner, Two Small Fish Ventures
Moderator: Heather Scoffield, SVP of Strategy, Business Council of Canada

11:45 AM: Moonshots Showcase

A showcase of innovative Canadian Startups

11:15 AM – 12:15 PM | Naco Academy Room

11:15 AM: Mining M&A Roll-Ups: Lessons in Consolidation, Opportunity and Risk

Ian Colterjohn, Principal Private Equity, Resource Capital Funds
Braam Jonker, CFO, Cotec Holdings Corp.
Moderator: Allan Goodman, Partner, Goodmans LLP

11:45 AM: Building Tomorrow: Tackling Canada’s Housing Crisis Through Innovation and Collaboration

Scott Kaplanis, Partner, Groundbreak Ventures
Alex Kelly, COO, CABN
Xavier Toby, Founder, Axe Buildings
Moderator: Sherif El Tawil, Senior Director of Programs & Global Operations, DMZ

12:30 PM – Networking Lunch

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM | Parliament Room

1:00 PM: Election’s Over, So What? Did It Ever Matter?

Mark Miller, COO, Constellation Software
Shelley Kuipers, Co-Founder, CEO, The51
Moderator: Amanda Lang, Chief Financial Correspondent, CTV

1:30 PM: The Future of the Alternative Asset Class: The Blurred Lines Between Angel Investing, Early-Stage Investing, and Entrepreneurship

Sophie Forest, General Partner, Brightspark
Todd Finch, General Partner, The Xchange Fund
Audrey Ostiguy, Co-Founder & CEO, Brio
Moderator: Douglas Soltys, Editor-in-Chief, BetaKit

1:00 PM – 2:30 PM | Moonshots Room

1:00 PM: Moonshots Showcase

A showcase of innovative Canadian Startups

1:15 PM – 2:45 PM | Naco Academy Room

1:15 PM: Fuelling Innovation Through Capital and Collaboration: Aligning Policy, Industry and Investment

Daniel Tisch, CEO, Ontario Chamber of Commerce
Angela Mondou, President & CEO, TECHNATION
Moderator: Nicole Feriancek, Editor-in-Chief, Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa Sun

1:45 PM: Accelerating Canada’s Venture Ecosystem and Policy for Global Growth

Neil Desai, Chair of the Board of Directors, Solace Power
Benjamin Bergen, President, Canadian Council of Innovators
Moderator: Michael Curran, Publisher, Ottawa Business Journal

2:15 PM: Accelerating National Prosperity Through Infrastructure, Innovation, and Industrial Strategy

Robert Asselin, Senior Vice President, Policy, Business Council of Canada
Pascal Chan, Vice President, Strategic Policy & Supply Chains, Canadian Chamber of Commerce
Moderator: Rob Kenedi, Founder and Host, Decelerator

2:45 PM - Networking Break

3:00 PM – 3:30 PM | Parliament Room

3:00 PM: Founder & Fund: A Shared Vision for Scalable Impact

Janet Bannister, Founder & Managing Partner, Staircase Ventures
Annie Cyr, Founder & CEO, Tengiva
Moderator: Alex MacBeath, Managing Partner, Island Capital Partners

3:15 PM – 4:30 PM | Moonshots Room

3:15 PM: Why Life Sciences Remains the Most Investable and Impactful Asset Class

Maura Campbell, President and CEO, OBIO
Cedric Bisson, Partner, Teralys Capital
Frank Baylis, Chairman and Co-Founder, Baylis Medical Technologies
Moderator: Jacki Jenuth, Partner, Lumira

4:00 PM: The Rise of Women Investors: Economic Power, Purpose, and Portfolio Strategy

Ilse Treurnicht, Managing Partner, TwinRiver Capital
Moderator: Sandi Gilbert, CEO, InterGen

3:15 PM – 4:45 PM | Naco Academy Room

3:15 PM: Rethinking Canada's Innovation Advantage

Luis Benitez, VP Global Government Affairs, Lululemon
Ted Graham, Author, Investor, Principal, GM Ventures
Daniel Burgar, Founder & CEO, Frontier Collective
Moderator: Dane Bedward, Founder and CEO, NBot Inc

4:00 PM: Lessons from the Trenches: Building an Angel Portfolio

Derrick Hunter, President and CEO, Bluesky Equities Ltd.

*Session times, themes and speakers will frequently change leading up to event day. Be sure to check back regularly for updates to event schedule