Nicholas Brathwaite is a Founding Managing Partner of Celesta Capital, a global deep tech venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley. Nic has decades of experience in technology development, business building, and investment. Prior to Celesta, Nic co-founded Riverwood Capital, a private equity firm focused on investments in high growth technology and related companies. Nic has spent over 25 years as a technology operating executive, most recently as the Chairman and CEO of Aptina Imaging, a semiconductor industry leader in
developing CMOS image sensors for mobile phones, automotive applications, medical devices, and industrial applications.
‍

Nic served as the Chief Technology Officer at Flextronics for more than a decade, where he oversaw the launch and growth of several of Flextronics’ largest business units, including an innovative push into product development. He started his career at Intel before leaving to become a founding member of nChip where he was responsible for the development of industry-leading advanced multi-chip module assembly processes. Currently Nic serves as a Board Director at several public and privately held companies, including Northwestern Mutual, Power Integrations, Atonarp, ParkourSC, and others. Nic earned a M.Sc. Degree in Polymer Science from the University of Waterloo, Canada and a B.Sc. (Honors) Degree in Applied Chemistry from McMaster University, Canada.

‍

He was granted honorary doctorates by McMaster University and The University of the West Indies and was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award by the University of Waterloo.

‍

Dr. Shanté Williams is currently the CEO of Black Pearl Global Investments, a healthcare venture capital firm. She is a distinguished Venture Capitalist, business owner, Inventor, Intellectual Property Strategist, Author, and Private Investor. In her career years, she has used her wealth of scientific knowledge as well as her passion for innovation to solve multiple complex problems across the industries of health, finance, and real estate.

Dr. Williams continues to break barriers with Black Pearl’s fund focused on reducing health disparities across the globe. Black Pearl is an advocate for those that continue to experience inferior outcomes and reduced access. Black Pearl’s tag line “Be Well. Do Well.” captures the firm’s mission to invest in transformative companies around the world. Dr. Williams and her partners are seeking to change healthcare worldwide.

Jonathan Schaeffer is the former University of Alberta’s Dean of Science and a professor in the Department of Computing Science. He is a Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI). In 2001, Schaeffer and three fellow professors birthed the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii), and its four founders still guide it today. U of A has been one of the most productive research groups in the world, second only to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, and ahead of places like Stanford and MIT. Dr. Schaeffer is world-renowned for his work in applying artificial intelligence and parallel computing techniques to computer game playing. He was the author of the checkers-playing program Chinook, which has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the first computer program to win a human world championship in any game. In 2007, it was announced that he and his colleagues had solved the game of checkers, making it the largest game to be solved to date. Dr. Schaeffer received his B.Sc. from the University of Toronto and holds both an M.Math. degree and a Ph.D. from the University of Waterloo.

METADREAMER (also known as Hammad Jutt) is a DAO (decentralized autonomous organization) engineer piecing together the web3 puzzle. He primarily focuses on development, design & strategy @ MetaFactory, Coordinape, and MetaCartel Ventures.

Arden provides startup capital to Alberta-based companies through Accelerate Funds II and III, which Yaletown manages with the A100. An accomplished investment professional with more than 15 years of private and public sector experience, he works with portfolio company teams to support their performance and is highly active in the Alberta technology startup community.Throughout his career, Arden has focused on discovering and managing value. As an investment analyst with AIMCo, he took part in the active oversight of environmental, social, and governance issues that impacted AIMCo’s then $70B portfolio of assets, as well as underwriting more than $1 billion in real estate transactions. He also worked in commercial leasing and sales with Barclay Street and Torode Realty.Before joining the Accelerate Fund team, Arden oversaw entrepreneurship development as manager of the University of Alberta’s Venture Mentoring Service. He holds an MBA in finance from the University of Alberta and is a graduate of Royal Roads University’s Certified Executive Coaching program.

For the past 8 years, Brandon has gained sales experience with residential and commercial properties and consistently faced the same problem: knowing the right value of a property is hard, time-consuming and requires hard-to-find data. The difficulty of valuing a property comes at great cost – high commission fees are charged (which for example, are typically $10,000 for a $200,000 apartment). And, if the value estimate is wrong, buyers and sellers can be at a loss of tens of thousands of dollars. Currently, the problem of valuing properties is done the same way it has been done for decades – by having someone like Brandon (a real estate agent) conduct manual valuations called Comparable Market Analyses. These are time-consuming, with high variance in accuracy depending on the experience of the real estate agent. Valuing property is often impossible for buyers and sellers as a license is required to have access to sales data (general public can only view how much a property is listed for, not sold). Brandon and his team have set out to improve this process by using modern technology – algorithms and machine learning allow our software to analyze thousands of properties to calculate a property values that are accurate, rapid and easy. With their software, buyers and sellers can value their own properties in minutes by using an online form, and real estate agents can be empowered to provide valuations without consuming their time with manual research.

Passionate about virtual reality and all of it’s immersive, & mind blowing opportunities.

Farah Allen is an accomplished media innovation leader with over 20 years of experience in technology. Allen is currently the CEO & founder of The Labz: a drag and drop, a no-code digital design platform that creates, communication-rich, interactive websites and live event experiences. Farah has the honour of being the AJC Women of the Year for technology and is featured in publications such as Forbes and The Washington Post.

Gueshly is the Founder of ChreativeGaming. He's been in the gaming environment for over 10 years now as he's playedcompetitive gaming for a big part of his younger age.
He has also always been into arts and now he's combining both passions by making games and directing projects under ChreativeGaming. His creative mind really allows him to find out of the box ideas when it comes to making games as well as ways to solve problems.
In the recent years, he's opened his craft past gaming and is now well-versed in programming in general using the newer technologies. ie. Blockchain, AI, etc.
Gueshly thinks that learning really starts after you come out of school and made it a lifelong goal to keep perfecting his craft.

As Co-Founder of Clavis Studio, Abby is redefining the approach to interior design using immersive 3D technology that showcases the immeasurable possibilities of the metaverse in design and infrastructure planning. Her goal is to drive tech adoption in traditional or less predictable sectors and promote a tech-driven economy by creating jobs and expanding market access for Clavis-powered businesses. Her 15+ years of community work and business footprints trail across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and North America.

Brandon is a visionary technology leader, former Staff Engineer at Google AI, former Senior Engineer at Apple and founder of music technology company FORMLESS. FORMLESS has developed a Web3 protocol called SHARE designed to revolutionize content distribution using blockchain technology. In the music industry, Brandon has worked with industry legends such as Timbaland and Song Writers Hall of Fame inductee Dallas Austin. Brandon's story as both a signed artist and innovator at the highest levels of big tech has led to his unique insight into the future that’s emerging at the intersections of technology, culture, and creativity.

James is responsible for managing the vision and growth of Levven Electronics, developing and executing long-term corporate strategies, and building relationships with partners, stakeholders and investors. Levven has a vision of making intelligent buildings available to everyone. Focused on delivering technology and products to advantage new construction, Levven’s promise is mobile device access and control of building infrastructure that lowers building costs, speeds construction and conserves building materials. He is a life-long entrepreneur with a commitment to innovation, excellence and enhancing people’s lives. Prior to founding Levven, James and his partners founded Blue Falls Manufacturing, makers of Arctic Spas and expanded it’s footprint to over 30 countries. James is an active member and contributor to several entrepreneur organizations including Entrepreneurs’ Organization, the A100, Edmonton Regional Innovation Network, and Rainforest Alberta. When he isn’t focus

Bold, inspiring, and visionary. It takes a true leader to inspire positive change in the world. These traits define the successful Christine E. Ntouba Dikonguè, who is determined to make a meaningful difference in her communities via the digital economy.” York University Christine is a multilingual impact investment professional, leader, entrepreneur, community builder, investor, and business consultant. She worked in various industries from Investment services, Tech, Remittance Market, and banking to media; which makes her an avid and informed global consultant & strategist. At 21, she was selected to join the Canadian Prime Minister's project to promote the leadership of young Francophone women across Canada. At 22, she was elected as the youngest member of the Board of the United Nations Association in Canada. Her impact has earned her multiple accolades; in 2018, she was named one of Canada's Top 100 Black Women to Watch, and in 2019 she was listed as one of the most influential people of African descent in the world at the United Nations General Assembly. In 2020, she was invited as a leader to meet with Barack Obama and brought her delegation of 100 young leaders. In 2021, she was named one of York University's Top 30 Changemakers Under 30.In 2020, she co-founded AfricaHacks, a digital incubator and business case platform empowering over10,000 African entrepreneurs in finding product fit, scale their startups &get funded. She began her career at one of Canada's largest investment management firms, executing award-winning market penetration plans and marketing strategies. Over the span of her career, she has raised over $7million dollars to build and implement capacity-building programs; built several ecosystems, and funded startups and entrepreneurs across Canada and Africa. Most recently, she initiated monoasisnumerique.ca, the first immersive platform to demystify emerging technologies and secure digital learning space for young Francophone girls in Ontario. This platform was funded by the Government of Canada. She strongly believes in open innovation via building thriving ecosystems. Ms. Dikonguè holds a master's degree in management, innovation, and entrepreneurship from the Smith School of Business at Queen's University. She focused her research thesis on the evolution of our civilization in the era of digitization.

Mark is an international finance and technology professional with experience across five countries and three continents, including four years in China. Mark currently serves as a General Partner at Weave Capital, a seed-stage venture capital firm investing in Western Canadian founders. In addition, Mark serves as the Alberta President for Valhalla Private Capital, Western Canada’s oldest and most established Angel Investment network with $71M+ invested into 250+ deals since 2008. In conjunction with these roles, Mark serves as a Director at Red Thread Ventures, a global angel syndicate, connecting the capital to high-growth ventures.Since June 2020, Mark has played a Principal role in investing over $5M across 20 early-stage businesses within the Valhalla and Red Thread ecosystems. He has also directly assisted early-stage companies in raising more than $10M in private capital.Mark has studied Mandarin for over ten years and speaks fluently.

Hanna recently completed her Bachelor of Commerce in Business Economics & Law from the University of Alberta, along with a Certificate in Leadership. Over the past five years, she has dedicated her time to leadership and volunteer roles in community groups on and off campus including the Alberta Not-for-Profit Association, JDC West, UAlberta Ambassadors and the Elizabeth Fry Society. Passionate about uplifting black youth, Hanna co-founded the University’s first Black Students’ Association in 2018 and served as President for two y years. She currently continues to serve her community as the Youth Council Coordinator for the Federation of Black Canadians, a national not-for-profit organization focused on advancing the social, political, economic and cultural interests of black Canadians. Hanna has successfully competed and placed in multiple national and international business case competitions where she discovered her passion for critical problem-solving and global engagement- she plans to begin full-time work as Strategy Analyst at Accenture Calgary in the Fall, and eventually go back to school to pursue further studies in the form of an MBA/JD.

Maithrreye Srinivasan is an Associate Machine Learning Scientist on the Advanced Tech team @ AMII . She brings in three years of experience in Cloud Infrastructure division from Microsoft. She completed her MSc at the University of Alberta. Her research interests include natural language processing and deep learning. Outside of work, Maithrreye enjoys reading books and creating digital illustrations.

Katrina Ingram is the Founder and CEO of Ethically Aligned AI, a company focused on helping organizations to drive better outcomes in the design, development and deployment of AI systems. A seasoned executive, Katrina has over two decades of experience running both not-for-profit and corporate organizations in the technology and media sectors.She is a member of IEEE, and volunteers with several AI ethics organizations including Women in AI and Ethics (WAIE), For Humanity and All Tech is Human. Katrina holds an undergrad in business administration from Simon Fraser University and a master of arts in communications and technology from the University of Alberta. She combines her love of audio and interest in AI as the host of the podcast, AI4Society Dialogues. Katrina was recently named to the top 100 Women in AI Ethics list for 2022 and has launched a new AI ethics micro-credential with Athabasca University.

Juana has over 12 years of experience advising top brands on their digital marketing strategy across India, US & Canada. She currently is as an Account Executive working with Canadian counterparts of Global Auto companies helping them build their marketing strategy to build brand love and sell more cars while using Google’s entire suite of advertising products.

Sahr Saffa, Founder and Chairperson of C-Tribe and 3x tech entrepreneur & advisor, has extensive experience building and scaling companies. He has also had a fair share of failures; a prerequisite for working in the startup space. He is also a former partner and former Director of Marketing at a Bay Area startup, AutonomIQ, which specializes in AI-enabled, low-code software testing. AutonomIQ was recently acquired by Sauce Labs where he currently holds the role of Product Marketing Manager.His latest tech venture he’s consulted for, Ovenue, a blockchain-enabled marketplace that helps companies buy, sell, and trade their intellectual property, raised its pre-seed round and is helping companies realize the full potential of their financial statements.Most proudly he’s a stay-at-home son to two incredible parents and a sister; a stay-at-home boyfriend to an amazing girlfriend, all of whom he loves very much.

Nerissa is the Co-Founder & President of Black Business Association of BC. BBABC supports black business and entrepreneurship through providing leadership development, collaboration, networking, and mentorship opportunities. This support elevates the basic and advanced skills of entrepreneurs which will enable them to run successful businesses and increase positive community representation.As a Director of Chattelhouse Health and Beauty Inc, a Registered Massage Therapy clinic and global brand known for distinguished skin and hair care, Nerissa has garnered valuable experience from business start-up to expansion. She is excited to share this wealth of knowledge gained to mentor and support entrepreneurs and leave a legacy of professional excellence.Nerissa’s deep passion for a healthy work life balance led her to embark on world travel which she credits for enhancing her global perspective. This has allowed her to tackle challenges including systemic racism with effective and inclusive solutions. Currently serving as a member of the Vancouver Economic Development Advisory Board, and on the Board of Directors of the Barbados Cultural Association of BC. allows her to stay engaged with the community from a cultural standpoint, allowing her to merge perspectives and drive change that is wholesome.

Uzair Ahmed is a Solutions Consultant at Cottonwood Automation, a home-service business process automation and outsourcing firm mainly for plumbing and HVAC systems. After graduating with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alberta, he started his career in a hybrid sales and technical role at Baker Hughes. Now, he works with business clients to reduce their costs by up to 60% through automating workflows and building an offshore team.

Jennifer Pretti is an experienced UX designer and leader, with a career spanning over 20 years. She has worked with some of the world’s top technology companies, such as IBM, Nokia, Blackberry, and Google, to design new products, guide product strategy, and build user-centered design practices with organizational impact. She has a passionate for distilling highly ambiguous and complex problems into exceptional user experiences, from Nokia’s first music phone, to the world’s lightest and brightest 3DLP 4K projector, to North’s custom-built smart glasses. She is now at Verily, leading the Terra UX team, where she looks forward to helping biomedical researchers accelerate scientific discoveries. Keeping her equally busy are her two children and two cats, rock climbing, and spending time at the cottage, preferably with a good book and cup of chai in hand.

Omi is the Co-Founder and Chief Product and Technology Officer at Artist Crowdfund Exchange (ACE); a Web 3.0 and social network startup, looking to democratize funding and revenue in the sports and entertainment industry. He has worked in tech for close to 15 years and at some of the biggest companies like Google and Microsoft. ACE being the 3rd company he has founded, he knows a thing or two about what it’s like to take huge risks to try and make your dreams a reality.As an Angel Investor and startup coach, he stays very plugged into the start-up and fundraising world and loves to help founders whenever he can to navigate that world and not make some of the mistakes he did in his earlier years. In his spare time, he mentors founders and high school kids from underprivileged communities.His passion project right now is repurposing shipping containers for building computer schools in villages back home in Nigeria to teach coding to children aged 9 through 15.