2025 SUMMIT AGENDA
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
9:15 AM: Opening Keynote
9:30 AM: Industry Insights & Discussions
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
11:45 AM: Fireside
Joe Canavan, Principal, Canavan Capital
Moderator: Amanda Lang, Chief Financial Correspondent, CTV
11:15 AM – 12:15 PM | Moonshots Room
11:15 AM: Panel Discussion
Matthew Leibowitz, Managing GP, Plaza Ventures
Rob Antoniades, Co-Founder & GP, Information Venture Partners
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
12:15 PM – Networking Lunch
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM | Parliament Room
1:00 PM: How to Create Value: Canada's current situation and future opportunities
Mark Miller, COO, Constellation Software
Moderator: Shelley Kuipers, Co-Founder, CEO, The51
1:30 PM: The Power of Risk Capital in Driving Resilience
Sophie Forest, General Partner, Brightspark
Todd Finch, President & CEO, Canso Innovations Ltd
Audrey Ostiguy, Co-Founder & CEO, Brio
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: Panel Discussion
Daniel Tisch, CEO, Ontario Chamber of Commerce
Angela Mondou, President & CEO, TECHNATION
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: Panel Discussion
Robert Asselin, Senior Vice President, Policy, Business Council of Canada
Pascal Chan, Vice President, Strategic Policy & Supply Chains, Canadian Chamber of Commerce
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: Douglas Soltys, Editor in Chief, Betakit
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
Moderator: Jacki Jenuth, Partner, Lumira
4:00 PM: Intergenerational Wealth Transfer: 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: Who Builds the Future? Rethinking Canada's Innovation Advantage
Alexandra Greenhill, Founder, CEO, CMO, Careteam Technologies
Luis Benitez, VP Global Government Affairs, Lululemon
Moderator: Dane Bedward, Founder and CEO, NBot Inc
4:00 PM: Presentation
Derrick Hunter, President and CEO, Bluesky Equities Ltd.
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: Fortifying Canada's Startup Investment Ecosystem Against Cross-Border Headwinds
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
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
11:45 AM – 12:45 PM | Parliament Room
11:45 AM: Panel Discussion
Daniel Eberhard, CEO, Founder, KOHO
Senia Rapisarda, Managing Director, HarbourVest
Moderator: Takara Small, Journalist
12:15 PM: International Perspectives on Angel Investing
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
1:15 PM – 2:15 PM | Naco Academy Room
1:15 PM: Purpose-Driven Innovation: Scaling Companies that Solve Big Problems
Shelley King, CEO & Co-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: Daniel Burger, Founder & CEO, Frontier Collective
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, Le germain hotels
Marie Pier Germain, VP Sales & Marketing, Le 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
What to expect
Meaningful connection with 500 invitation-only investors, C-suite executives, policymakers, and high-growth founders.
Network-building alongside leaders from organizations like AWS, Certn, BDC, and North America’s most active angel investors, LPs, and venture funds.
Two-day immersive experience with interactive groundbreaker sessions:
Learn and share insights on best practices and cutting-edge developments in angel investing, family office engagement, and high-growth entrepreneurship.
Connect with moonshot founders building Canada’s fastest growing companies as they share stories, challenges and wins, while identifying growth opportunities ahead.
Participate in interactive roundtables on issues that will shape the future of Canada’s innovation economy.
Be inspired by highly accomplished peers that have invested, founded, and scaled some of the most impressive companies in North America.