Toronto Business Development Centre (TBDC)

AJ Sivam is Director of Brand & Public Affairs at BHive. With over 10 years of experience in brand strategy and marketing, Sivam has worked with political figures across government levels and co-founded the digital marketing firm Wooden Panda. His work spans creative strategy development, messaging, design, and animation across sectors including real estate and community events.

Anisha Sara is a Bachelor of Arts and Business in Psychology student at the University of Waterloo, expected to graduate in April 2029. She currently works as a Program Coordinator at the Toronto Business Development Centre, where she manages program organization and stakeholder engagement. Her background includes administrative roles at Tribunals Ontario, and she holds certifications in TCPS 2: CORE-2022 and Smart Serve Ontario.

Cia Prior serves as Director of Global Partnerships at Toronto Business Development Centre, where she develops marketing strategies connecting Canadian and Ontario innovation stakeholders with global networks. In this role, she works with founders, investors, governments, and innovation organizations to support technology companies in accessing capital, markets, and strategic partnerships. Prior combines data analysis with narrative development in her approach to economic development strategy.

Dan Flatt is Senior Director of Marketing at Toronto Business Development Centre and a two-time founder with 15 years of experience in B2B SaaS and franchise brand scaling. He previously held marketing positions at Bell and AMD, and currently advises at Lumin8. His background includes a transition from law practice to marketing and strategy focused on AI-driven growth and go-to-market approaches.

Dharti Chatterjee is Chief Marketing Officer at Toronto Business Development Centre and CEO of Radiate. Over 18 years, she has built brand, go-to-market, and communications systems across multinational organizations including Shell, Baker Hughes, DuPont, and Aviva, as well as agencies including JWT, DDB, and BPG, operating across five geographies. Her work encompasses full-stack marketing and GTM leadership, positioning, demand generation, and reputation strategy for companies and leaders entering new markets.

Hammad Hassan is Chief Marketing Officer at Appitizer.net with background in recruitment and staffing. He holds expertise in human resources, management, and customer service, supported by a Master's degree in Business Administration and Management.

Ira Sharma is a Content Marketing Associate at the Toronto Business Development Centre, where he develops content strategy across social channels, produces video series, and writes long-form case studies and white papers. His work focuses on connecting founders, communities, and brands through narrative-driven content, including docuseries, vlogs, and research-based publications. He holds a background in psychology and has experience in community engagement and cross-functional collaboration.

Jaghan S is Director of Partnerships at the Toronto Business Development Centre, where he manages cohort programs that bring international scaleups into Canada and facilitate connections with corporate innovation, ESG, venture, and investor partners. His role involves identifying and curating scaleups for Canadian enterprises and investment funds while connecting founders with domestic customers and capital sources.

James Rich is a Digital Marketing & Compliance Manager at the Toronto Business Development Centre, where he oversees website management, content optimization, and CMS administration across multiple organizational sites. He holds a Digital Marketing Institute certification and brings over five years of digital marketing experience, including previous roles at DHL managing website optimization and analytics across international markets, and freelance work launching digital presence for Specific Chiropractic in the UK. His technical skillset includes Adobe Experience Manager, WordPress, Elementor, Adobe Analytics, and CRM integration via Zoho.

Mustafa Ansari is Director of Marketing at the Toronto Business Development Centre, where he develops marketing strategies connecting employers with skilled talent while supporting workforce development across Canada. He holds a Master of Management Innovation & Entrepreneurship from Queen's University's Smith School of Business and has worked in marketing and business development roles at organizations including LatAm Startups and HalalMeals. Ansari is founder and CEO of The Expats Pakistan, a nonprofit focused on education and financial support in rural Pakistan, and founded Kingston's first community-based Rotaract Club.

Nik-Keisha Moodie is Program Lead at the Toronto Business Development Centre and founder and CEO of NMCD Inc., a strategic consulting firm serving entrepreneurs and organizations in areas including business strategy, operational design, financial readiness, and systems implementation. She also serves as Executive Director of the Building A Dream Foundation and has developed the DreamBuilder Suite™. Her work focuses on business development, capacity building, organizational strategy, and entrepreneurship ecosystem development through consulting, workshop facilitation, and community partnerships.

Nikhil Sharma holds a qualification in International Business Management from Fanshawe College and serves as Regional Business Head for India and APAC at Toronto Business Development Centre. With over 14 years of experience, he has worked across government relations, funding, organizational development, and business development for technology startups, including managing international operations for NASSCOM Global VC Connect across Japan, South Korea, Europe, and Singapore. His background encompasses training program design, stakeholder management, and data analysis for business strategy.

Olga Senko is a Venture Fellow at Venture Cooperative and leads strategic partnerships and business development at the Toronto Business Development Centre, where she works on the Horizon Program to help Central and Eastern European startups enter the North American market. With over five years of experience in business development and investor relations, she has developed onboarding processes for venture capital investors, angel investors, and corporate executives, and has organized product demonstrations and outreach campaigns across multiple investor and startup segments.

Rahul George is Director of Programming at the Toronto Business Development Centre and Head of Startup Pipeline & Investments at York Angel Investors. With experience as a founder developing products for early-stage entrepreneurs across multiple industries, he focuses on supporting startup ecosystems through mentorship and investment activities.

Shaunik Sachdev is Director of Growth at Toronto Business Development Centre, where he works with early-stage founders to evaluate deals and develop go-to-market strategies. His background includes scaling growth initiatives across global startups in sectors including co-working and digital health, with expertise in product-market fit, fundraising readiness, and acquisition strategy.

Shishir Kanodia is a Senior Venture Manager at Toronto Business Development Centre with over seven years of experience in venture capital, entrepreneurship, and small-to-medium enterprise operations. He has led sourcing and due diligence activities for B2B and vertical SaaS companies while advising founders on go-to-market strategy and growth initiatives. His expertise includes research, due diligence, founder communication, and cross-functional collaboration.

Johanna Brown is the Founder and Principal at Rivet, where she advises startups and scale-ups on go-to-market strategy and commercialization. Her focus areas include demand generation, early-stage growth, sales enablement, enterprise sales, and business development. She works with companies across target market definition, value proposition development, pipeline conversion, and strategic partnerships.

Venture Partner for Pacific Asia with over 35 years in technology ventures, capital raises, M&A and international business development. President & CEO of the Canada Korea Business Council with a strong network across Korea and other Asian markets.