Bioenterprise Canada

Oversees the design, delivery and evaluation of Bioenterprise Canada's funding programs supporting agricultural startups and SMEs, with prior experience in pharmaceutical and healthcare program coordination.

Supports growth and engagement of The Engine through membership coordination, onboarding and outreach, with a background in stakeholder engagement and event coordination and an MBA in Sustainable Business.

Founder & CEO with experience leading dairy technology startup SomaDetect, having raised over $20M in funding, and holding an MSc and PhD in Biology from Universite Laval.

Responsible for the development, management, strategic partnerships and membership growth of Canada's Food & Agri-Tech Engine, with a track record in marketing and project management at large global organizations.

Former Senior Director of Innovation and New Technologies at Maple Leaf Foods with over 40 years of food science and business experience; now consults, mentors and serves on the Bioenterprise board.

Serves as a first point of contact for innovators joining The Engine, supporting membership administration and customer service, with over 20 years supporting senior executives across industries.

Consultant with extensive food and beverage R&D experience gained as an Industrial Technology Advisor for the National Research Council and director of a Canadian food technology centre.

Senior executive with over 35 years managing international partnerships, technology licenses and acquisitions; former VP Technology at Bioenterprise Corporation and advisor to numerous technology companies.

Horticultural consultant specializing in precision indoor agriculture with degrees in horticulture, plant physiology and plant breeding, advising emerging indoor ag-tech startups.

Founder and CEO of Wittaya Aqua, an aquaculture data analytics company grown to an international team with offices in Canada and Singapore, raising millions in non-dilutive and VC funding.

Mentor, advisor and angel investor active in the agrifood ecosystem for over 10 years, focused on agritech, foodtech and cleantech, and founder of Crush Marketing Inc.

Mechanical engineer and entrepreneur running his third startup (BudTrainer), who has coached over 100 startups on market strategy, product marketing and B2B sales.

Coordinates programs advancing agri-food innovation at Bioenterprise Canada, drawing on a background in botany and agronomy and an MBA.

Financial executive with over 25 years in technology enterprises, a Chartered Accountant with CFO and finance leadership roles, currently helping raise investment capital for emerging businesses.

Spent 32 years in the federal public service, most recently as Deputy Minister of FedDev Ontario, with senior roles across numerous federal agencies and board experience with Communitech.

President of Sylter Science Inc. and Executive in Residence at Foresight Canada, with over 30 years applying analytical techniques across health, agriculture and advanced materials and senior roles at the Canadian Light Source.

Founder & CEO of Connection Silicon Valley and founder of the Canadian Women's Network; co-founder and general partner of Women's Equity Lab Silicon Valley, an angel investment fund focused on female investors in early-stage startups.

Technology Transfer Manager at the University of Manitoba with a PhD in Agriculture and Food Sciences, offering business advisory services to agriculture and food science startups.

Technologist with over 35 years of experience across software architecture and CTO roles, including VP of Global Risk Management Technology at Deutsche Bank and building an AI platform for Publicis.

Supports Bioenterprise Canada's program execution and funding delivery, assisting the Programs team in planning and coordination, with a Master of Science in Human Health and Nutritional Sciences.

Supports the Bioenterprise team and delivers special projects covering provincial funding programs, database administration, IT support and office management, having grown from an executive support role.

Supports execution of Bioenterprise's funding and acceleration programming, including planning, delivery and impact reporting, with a background in communications and event coordination.

Partner at law firm Bennett Jones practising intellectual property law with a focus on food and agribusiness clients, advising on IP strategy, patents, trademarks and copyright across Canada, the US and internationally.

Leads delivery and evolution of the Grow Ontario Accelerator Hub, overseeing program operations, applications and stakeholder relationships across the innovation ecosystem.

Researcher and consultant specializing in biomaterials, biowaste recovery and circular product development; founder of Regenerative Waste Labs and leader of the BC Agricultural Climate Action Network.

Food safety, regulatory and training specialist with over 20 years strengthening compliance systems across North and Latin America, expert in HACCP, GMPs and international standards.

Entrepreneur and commercialization advisor who has led development of Cleantech Commons, an 85-acre research and innovation park, with expertise launching and growing companies across life sciences and agtech.

Senior executive in corporate farming operations, formerly with Campbell Soup, Conagra and Rolland Farms; currently CEO of Agrisco Supplies and an Executive in Residence at Foresight Cleantech Accelerator.

Over 35 years in the CPG industry selling human and pet food products, having developed brands for companies including General Mills and Meow Mix, and Senior Business Development Manager at Oilseed Innovation Partners.

President of McLaughlin Consultants and advisor to bioeconomy organizations, with past roles including Deputy Minister of Agriculture in Saskatchewan and managing the FORAGEN venture capital fund.

Business executive, entrepreneur and investor with 30 years in innovative agri-business organizations including BASF, and experience across industry associations and company boards.

Agri-technology sector lead for Innovacorp, a Nova Scotia venture capital organization, who has helped companies raise over $75 million and build an agri-tech ecosystem in Atlantic Canada.

Builds connections across Canada's food and agri-tech ecosystem with industry, academia and private-sector partners, drawing on a background in stakeholder engagement, communications and operations.

Supports Bioenterprise Canada's initiatives through content creation, digital storytelling and visual communications across social media and newsletters.

Brings nearly 40 years in innovation and business development, including as managing partner of the Ecofuel Fund (a climate/agri-tech VC fund) and former President and CEO of CQVB and founder of biopharmaceutical company Gelkem.

Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Life Sciences at the University of Alberta and former Dean at UBC, with extensive food science leadership and editorial roles.

Over 25 years of executive and entrepreneurial experience in agtech, cleantech and food processing; currently CEO of agtech startup BeriTech and an angel investor in the agtech and cleantech sectors.

Executive Director of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture since 2022 and co-founder of the Agriculture Carbon Alliance, with extensive experience across the agri-food sector.

Professional with over 15 years in ag biotech, holding an MSc in Biotechnology and a PhD in Plant Biology, with expertise in biostimulant and bioproduct development and clean-tech innovations.

Over 30 years in agricultural biotech, including a decade as a senior scientist at Monsanto and academic roles at Arizona State and Wisconsin-Madison, now advising biotech startups.

Leads Bioenterprise Canada's integrated communication strategies, brand presence and media relations, and supports funding strategy through grant writing and communications counsel.

Investor in SMEs since the early 1990s, most recently a partner at Calgary-based agriculture and food fund Avrio Capital, with prior senior investment roles at family offices and in mezzanine/subordinated debt financing.