Spark Centre

Co-Head of Global Investment Banking and Canadian & U.S. Corporate Banking. Joined Scotiabank in 2003 and previously worked as an aerospace engineer at Pratt & Whitney Canada.

Angel investor and executive who is Co-Chair of Angel One Network and founder of York Angel Investors; advises founders on investor readiness, fundraising and due diligence.

Professional with 18 years in strategy, operations, technology and product development focused on transportation and sustainability.

Client Success Program Lead; noted as currently on maternity leave.

Has over 30 years selling services and building sales processes, advising entrepreneurs on sales, talent, strategy, capital assessment and M&A.

Business development professional with more than 25 years of experience connecting founders, partners and communities to opportunities.

Chantal Queen is a Program Manager at Spark Centre with over 10 years of experience in customer success, client engagement, and program operations. She has spent the past 6 years working with technology-driven organizations, focusing on building relationships, developing scalable programs, and improving customer experiences. Her background includes supporting entrepreneurs and developing operational processes across various organizational contexts.

Entrepreneur and instructor specializing in the Lean Startup approach, marketing and pitching; former BMO learning leader and fintech company co-founder.

Listed as a team member; biography not yet available on the page.

Brings 30 years of sales, management and consulting experience, having helped over 20 startups and scaleups with funding, mentoring and data/knowledge management solutions.

Founder and CEO of AMG Venture Partners and founder growth coach with 14+ years across venture capital, angel investing and investment banking.

Gurmeet Tanwar is a Program Manager at Spark Centre, a nonprofit organization, where he designs and delivers government-funded accelerator programs that connect early-stage technology ventures with mentorship, networks, and commercialization support. His work includes recruiting advisors, facilitating founder-expert partnerships, coordinating workshops, and tracking program outcomes through CRM systems and reporting dashboards. Prior to his current role, he worked in biotech and pharmaceutical sectors conducting market and competitive research on science-based innovations.

Operations coordinator handling invoicing and administration; noted as currently on maternity leave.

Energy sector executive with over 30 years of utility industry experience, formerly President and CEO of Oshawa Power and Utilities Corporation.

Finance and operations leader who builds cross-functional teams and delivers plans with stakeholder buy-in.

Entrepreneur who builds and invests in technology startups through Audax Ventures, providing coaching, investment and software development resources.

Consultant and former C-suite executive who founded Frontline Strategies and co-founded a custom manufacturing firm, now mentoring startups and scaleups.

Karan Pandya is a Program Manager at Spark Centre with over nine years of experience in venture capital across the full investment lifecycle, specializing in early-stage technology startups. In his current role leading the S-CAP program, he applies VC-style due diligence frameworks to startup screening, evaluation, and investment readiness, assessing market opportunity, scalability, and team strength. His experience spans deal sourcing, financial modeling, valuation analysis, founder advisory on fundraising mechanics, and investor relationship management across Canadian accelerators, regional innovation centers, and venture networks.

Marketing and storytelling advisor who spent 14+ years at Dell in B2B/enterprise sales and GTM strategy, mentoring startups on branding and pitching.

Seasoned executive with over four decades of experience, primarily in healthcare, with operational, negotiating and business development expertise.

LinkedIn profile writer and corporate trainer, principal of digital agency PUNCH!media which she founded in 2009.

Executive Director with a track record of advancing innovation and economic development initiatives across Canada, known for building innovation ecosystems and forging partnerships.

Leads creative design for Spark Centre's brand and manages Creative Spark, with roughly 20 years of design experience across editorial and packaging.

Melody Purification is a Program Coordinator at Spark Centre focused on client success and business advisory programming. She holds formal education in Human Resource Management, Data Analytics in Business Decision-Making, and English Literature & Communication, and brings experience across retail, healthcare scheduling, HR, and digital marketing roles. Her work centers on recruitment, scheduling, client management, and operational workflow optimization.

CPA, CA and CEO of Finance Without Borders with 15 years advising business owners on bookkeeping, accounting, finance and tax.

Entrepreneur-in-Residence and startup advisor with 15+ years in entrepreneurship education and scaling ventures, particularly in regulated industries.

Listed as a team member; biography not yet available on the page.

Multidisciplinary finance and engineering professional and prior angel investor with experience in semiconductors, hardware/software systems and consumer electronics.

Founder and Creative Director of branding agency Moon Rabbit Strategy with 15+ years shaping B2B and B2C brands.

Social selling and CRM thought leader with over 20 years in tech as a founder, executive and educator; co-founded Archer Enterprise Systems and mentors startups at Ontario RICs.

Corporate lawyer and technology founder of NotaryPro.ca who acts as fractional General Counsel to fintech and SaaS companies.

Former broadcaster and entrepreneur who helps technically-minded founders sharpen sales and presentation skills across medtech, software and manufacturing.

Horticulture, food and farming professional and educator who leads City of Greens and founded the Horticulture Food and Farming Company, focused on regenerative farming.

Tara Yusuf is a Program Coordinator at Spark Centre, a business incubator where she supports early-stage startups through commercialization and scaling. She holds educational credentials in economics, data analytics, and project management, with experience in customer success management, stakeholder communication, and data-driven process optimization. Her work focuses on sustainable energy and environmental impact initiatives.

CEO of NeuronicWorks with over 30 years of experience in analog and digital systems analysis, design and testing.