2025 Employer Advisory Council: Driving Innovation in Canada’s Startup Ecosystem

TORONTO, ONT./

February 3, 2025 – Venture for Canada (VFC) is proud to introduce the members of its 2025 Employer Advisory Council (EAC). Bringing together 25 changemakers from startups, small businesses, and diverse industries, the EAC enters its fourth year as a cornerstone of VFC’s mission to foster a more entrepreneurial Canada. Over their 12-month tenure, these industry leaders will serve in a consultative capacity, offering strategic insights to support the growth and evolution of VFC’s programs. 

This year, the EAC welcomes 15 new members alongside 10 returning leaders, representing nine provinces across Canada. With expertise spanning technology, STEM, human resources, health and wellness, education, and social impact, the council reflects the evolving needs of Canada’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. By uniting leaders from these dynamic sectors, the EAC is uniquely positioned to address emerging challenges and opportunities shaping the future of work and innovation.

As we welcome this year’s council, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to the 2024 outgoing EAC members, whose dedication and insights have played a pivotal role in shaping VFC’s strategic direction. Gina Patterson, Chief Programs Officer at Venture for Canada, adds, 

About Venture for Canada: 

Venture for Canada is a national charity dedicated to fostering entrepreneurial talent and accelerating the careers of young Canadians through immersive experiences at startups and small businesses. Over the past 10 years, VFC has been a driving force in Canada’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, supporting over 2,000 startups and small businesses, facilitating over 12,000 placements, and empowering over 7,000 young Canadians with meaningful career opportunities. 

To learn more, read our 2023 Impact Report. 

About VFC’s Employer Advisory Council Members: 

Committed to driving innovation, inclusivity, and customer-centric programming for Canada’s talent development and training landscape, our EAC brings together a diverse and accomplished group of entrepreneurial thinkers. 

British Columbia 

Nicola Claxton, Emoot – Vancouver

Nicola Claxton, commonly known as Nik, is a technology and social enterprise entrepreneur based in Vancouver, BC. She is a 2x founder with a focus on innovations that enhance daily life. Her current startup, Emoot, aims to transform social, environmental, and financial wellbeing through a unique commerce platform.

Jaime Rabbior, Mobsquad – Vancouver

Jaime Rabbior is the Head of Marketing at MobSquad, an innovative Canadian company that helps solve the substantial and growing technology talent shortage. With over nine years of marketing and business development experience, she leads MobSquad’s marketing and demand generation efforts. She joined MobSquad from EY, where she spent over eight years as a marketing and business development manager. In her most recent role as an Assistant Director, she led the national go-to-market strategy and execution for EY’s rapidly growing ESG and Sustainability practice. Previous to that, she led all re-branding, communication and sales enablement activities for the firm’s private company practice. Jaime holds a BCom from McGill University with a dual specialization in Marketing and Finance.

Rachel Wong, Rocketbrew, Vancouver 

Rachel is the Co-founder and CTO of Rocketbrew, a venture-backed startup based in Vancouver, leading the charge in AI-driven sales innovation. Rocketbrew specializes in embedding AI sales agents into the fastest-growing companies, empowering teams to deliver hyper-personalized outreach at scale. By harnessing data from thousands of sources, Rocketbrew’s AI model connects key insights—from lead profiles to online behaviour—to craft tailored messages that resonate with every prospect. 

Winnie Hsu, Vision2Reality, Vancouver 

Winnie Hsu immigrated to Canada 30 years ago as a struggling student from China. She built NexGen Accounting Inc., a thriving, cloud-based business with a 15-member team serving over 250 small businesses across Greater Vancouver. During the pandemic, Winnie completed her MBA with distinction at the Jack Welch Management Institute, earning a scholar award at 59. In 2021, she co-founded Vision2Reality Foundation (V2RF), an online community supporting over 1,500 visionaries, fostering inclusion and growth. NexGen Accounting proudly champions V2RF as its social impact project, empowering newcomers with mentorship and resources to turn dreams into reality.

Yasmin Tang, SidebySide Children’s Village, Vancouver 

Yasmin was an immigrant and understood what it meant to be adaptable and to restart. After over 20 years of living in Canada, she pursued education in BCIT Business and VCC Fashion programs. To follow her passion, she has shifted her career from retail sales manager at Mark’s, visual merchandiser at Harry Rosen, to manager of second-hand store of SideBySide Children’s Village BC, because she loves to work for charity and cares for the environment. Never stop to change is her gene. In 2023, she initiated and managed to open another SideBySide second-hand boutique store with new concept of visual display. She is also the PAC member of VCC fashion program. Sharing her experience and providing space for young students to learn and grow has been rooted in her heart. Joining Venture for Canada Advisory team in 2025 has provided her another platform to voice for the youth and provide them a better opportunity for their career path.

Alberta 

D’Andre Wilson-Ihejirika, BrainSTEM Alliance – Fort McMurray

D’Andre Wilson-Ihejirika is the founder of BrainSTEM Alliance, which is a network of STEM Ambassadors that works in collaboration with non-profit, charity, and educational institutions to create customized curricula for workshops, programs and conferences that promote education of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), innovation and entrepreneurship to children, youth and young adults. D’Andre is a licensed professional engineer (P.Eng) and project management professional (PMP) and worked in several roles in the oil and gas industry before pivoting into the education space. D’Andre is also pursuing her PhD in engineering education focused on better understanding the alignment of student experience to career pathways for underrepresented groups, is the Executive Director of Work-Integrated Learning and TalentEDyyc at Calgary Economic Development, and sits as the co-chair of the EDI group for the Canadian Engineering Education Association.

James Muhato, Woveo, Calgary 

Based in Calgary, Alberta, James Muhato is the Co-Founder of Woveo, a community wallet designed for rotating savings and credit building. He is also a member of the CLA Risk Roundtable.

James has a strong passion for collaboration and community building, using technology and shared purpose to address today’s complex and systemic challenges. His success pillars are collaboration toward common goals, technology as a tool to connect and grow communities, and shared accountability and community ownership.

Nedal Marei, Litus Inc., Calgary 

Currently leading as the Technology Lead at Litus Inc. in Calgary, Nedal oversees his team’s efforts in advancing nanotechnology for Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE), partnering with top industry leaders on various projects. His background as a Chemical Engineer is grounded in substantial doctoral research at the University of Calgary, focusing on Metal-Organic-Frameworks (MOFs) and nanoparticle synthesis, particularly for carbon capture and environmental sustainability.

While no longer the Entrepreneurship Coordinator, he remains an active participant in the entrepreneurial community, leveraging his technical knowledge and business insights gained from multiple MBA courses in entrepreneurship. His career is characterized by a combination of rigorous academic research and practical industry experience, underscored by a commitment to innovation and sustainable development.

Patricia Antonopoulos, PulseMedica, Edmonton 

Patricia Antonopoulos is the HR Manager at PulseMedica, where she has played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s people strategy since 2021. With over 10 years of HR experience, she excels in recruitment, training, change management, and fostering employee morale. Under her leadership, PulseMedica has proudly earned Great Place to Work Canada certifications for three consecutive years. Her unique career path began as an Ophthalmic Technician, which brings a special connection to her current role supporting an innovative ophthalmic med-tech startup. Thriving in the fast-paced startup environment, she’s adept at wearing multiple hats, promoting teamwork, and navigating change with resilience. Driven by a passion for helping organizations and employees succeed, Patricia is committed to building strong teams and a positive workplace culture.

Tesfa Haile, Genesis Data Solutions, Edmonton 

Based in Edmonton, Alberta, Tesfa Haile is an experienced R&D Manager with over 15 years in applied research and product development. He has a proven track record in driving innovation, developing sustainable solutions, and leading cross-functional teams to deliver high-impact results in industries such as oil & gas, wastewater, and bioproducts.

Saskatchewan

Talitha McCloskey, Growclass, Regina

Talitha (she/her) is a relationship builder, advocate, and community enthusiast who channels her passion for connection into meaningful impact. As Co-Founder of RaiseHER Community and Project Lead for the Digital Marketing Skills Canada Program at Growclass, she empowers others to dream big and succeed. A proud board and committee member with organizations like the YWCA and SYPE, Talitha also juggles roles as a freelance writer, Masters student, partner to Mitch, and devoted mama to her sons. Rooted in a deep love for community and advocacy, Talitha is dedicated to creating spaces where everyone can thrive. She believes in the power of standing up and showing up for others, building a network of women united in mutual support and strength. 

Ontario

Jeff Waldman, ScaleHR – Toronto

Jeff Waldman is the Founder at ScaleHR, a growing company that is building the skills and careers of business leaders and HR professionals, in the tech sector. ScaleHR has launched many products including training programs, online learning communities, coaching and mentorship programs, and more. With more than 23+ experience in leadership, HR, HR tech and entrepreneurship, Jeff has worked with organizations in many countries around the world. He is a relentless community builder and has founded and participated in several industry initiatives including SocialHRCamp, HR Leaders Collective, Rethinking Disabilities, DisruptHR Toronto, DisruptHR Vancouver, and more. Jeff is an avid blogger and speaker and has facilitated hundreds of talks on topics in HR, Talent, and HR Technology. He is a business advisor to HR tech startups. Originally from Vancouver, Jeff lives in the north part of Toronto with his amazing wife and three awesome young boys with whom he spends his personal time. He coaches his kids’ sports teams and is an avid hockey player and snowboarder. 

Jessica Flynn, The YOU POWER PROJECT – Collingwood

Jessica Flynn is a multi-passionate entrepreneur and award-winning educator. She has been called to help young individuals discover their potential and cultivate self-belief in their unique abilities. With a background spanning theater arts, education, business, design, and even construction, Jessica understands the importance of diverse interests and skills in realizing success. Recognizing the limitations of traditional education, she founded The YOU Power Project to inspire, empower, and equip today’s students to succeed in an ever- evolving world. The YOU Power Project takes a holistic approach to future-readiness, building confidence, resiliency, and transferrable skills so youth can find success anywhere. “Believing in the transformative power of strategy, activation, and fun, our programs guide students in identifying challenges and implementing actionable plans to overcome them”. As a social enterprise, they are committed to equipping students with the necessary skills and confidence to thrive in an ever-changing world. Moreover, by addressing SDGs 4 & 8, which promote quality education, decent work, and reduced inequality, Jess and her team prepare students to become active contributors to society, shaping them into future leaders who are mindful of sustainable development and social responsibility.

Laura Gabor, Startup Investor + Operations Freelancer – Toronto

Laura is a seasoned operations specialist with a passion for community building, supporting small business, and philanthropy. After spending 7 years in operations at a wealth management firm, she most recently spent 2 years as the Director of Operations at BetaKit. Currently, she is the executive director of Twelve Donations, a vice-chair on the #Tech4SickKids committee, and is consulting within the tech community in a number of different roles. Laura is also an angel investor, mentor, and connector. 

Nadia Ladak, Marlow, Toronto 

Nadia Ladak is the co-founder and CEO of Marlow, a fast-growing FemTech and women’s health startup revolutionizing period care with the first lubricated tampon for smoother and more comfortable insertion. Nadia has raised $2 million in funding to fuel the brand’s growth, plus $700,000 in non-dilutive grants and pitch competitions from the Entrepreneurship World Cup, Visa She’s Next Program, Pepsi Co Stacy’s Rise Program, and more.

Her personal mission is to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders. She is a member of the G20 Young Entrepreneur Alliance where she works with government leaders to advocate for policy related to youth entrepreneurship and leads the entrepreneurship alumni community at her alma mater, the Ivey Business School. She is a public speaker with the Canadian Youth Speakers Bureau, where she has delivered over 100 keynote presentations globally across different universities, high schools, and business conferences.

In 2023, Nadia appeared on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, season 18 of CBC’s Dragon’s Den, and was awarded the YWCA Young Woman of Distinction. Outside of her work at Marlow, Nadia is the co-chair of the Catalyst Council, the junior board at Holland Bloorview Children’s Hospital and and an entrepreneur in residence at Branksome Hall.

Sarah Crandlemire, Noibu – Ottawa

Sarah Crandlemire serves as the Director of People & Culture at Noibu, an award-winning ecommerce software company renowned for its vibrant workplace and rapid growth. Noibu’s dedication to its team’s well-being and professional development, as evidenced by being named one of Ottawa’s best workplaces and its impressive three-year revenue growth of 960 percent, reflects Sarah’s commitment to excellence in her role. At Noibu, Sarah oversees a culture that prioritizes innovation, transparency, and enjoyment in work, mirroring the company’s focus on providing seamless e-commerce experiences and ensuring that employees have the resources to succeed and feel valued.

Susy Martins, Advise2Rise, Toronto 

Susy Martins is an international business executive and executive coach, having worked and led teams in over 20 countries across North America, Europe, South America, and Asia. As an experienced Chief People Officer and Operations Executive, she has extensive expertise in rapidly scaling and rightsizing organizations, coaching leaders at all levels, and providing hands-on leadership across multiple functional areas, including People, Finance, Audit, Operations, and Strategy.

Susy has spearheaded multiple transformation and automation projects as well as global expansions of teams. She has also developed top-rated onboarding programs; HR operating models and strategies; and managed multi-million dollar budgets and 1,000s of employees for Tech Unicorns (Clearco & ApplyBoard), Global Industrial Businesses (General Electric, 3M), and Global Financial Services (Manulife/John Hancock & Allianz Partners). 

Quebec 

Nikita Boston-Fisher, The Good Health Cafe Podcast/The Good Health Candle Company – Carignan

Nikita is the founder of The Good Health Cafe podcast where she and her guests discuss health and healthcare in plain language. She runs a scented soy candle business called The Good Health Candle Company. She is also the Associate Director for the Centre for Business Ethics in the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University.

Olivia Champagne, Solidarity Economy Incubation for Zero Emissions – Montreal

Olivia is an entrepreneur, educator and activist that is passionate about building collective capacity to transform the economy. She is a lifelong learner and studied Environment and Economics at Uvic, as well as Community Economic Development and Business Administration at Concordia University. Olivia worked in project and financial management roles as well as served on nearly a dozen Board of Directors often specializing in sustainability and food systems. Before committing full time to the social solidarity economy movement, she worked in developing social enterprises across the linguistic minority communities of regional Quebec. Olivia is now the General Coordinator for SEIZE an organization that educates, incubates and organizes in support of the social solidarity economy.

Samantha Stilwell, CultureDynamiq – Montreal

Samantha is an Anthropologist first and Cultural Consultant second. She leverages her background in anthropology to shed new light on topics like “employee engagement”, “remote workplaces” and “team dynamics”. She feels the most alive when she’s helping teams leverage their cultural differences, explain why they work the way they do and provide people the language and resources they need to communicate their needs and collaborate effectively. She has worked with teams based in North America, Kenya, India, Turkey, Germany, Central America and more, and continues to enrich her skills and knowledge base with every new contract she takes on.

Nova Scotia

Chantal Brine, EnPoint, Halifax 

Originally from Bermuda, Chantal made Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada home #2 after graduating from Saint Mary’s University. In 2018, after reconnecting with her passion of helping others find careers that they love, Chantal started the journey to what would become EnPoint. Now she leads a team committed to helping organizations leverage mentorship as a tool to support their people’s career development. Working with post-secondary education institutions and nonprofits, Chantal is on a mission to help 1,000,000 people lead fulfilling careers. Outside of ‘work’ Chantal supports a number of groups with a similar passion for helping people be their best selves, including: Women in Communications and Technology Canada, the Halifax Partnership, Unity Charity, and Techsploration to name a few.

Kelsey Boyd, Adaptiiv Medical Technologies Inc., Halifax 

Residing in Halifax, NS, Kelsey has over 10 years of progressive experience in the HR industry, with the majority of her time working with local start-up, high-growth, R&D and technology organizations, leading and building out the HR function. Currently, she serves as the HR Manager with Adaptiiv Medical Technologies Inc., whose mission is to bring precision, efficiency, and comfort to patients through innovative digital solutions in radiation oncology. In her role, Kelsey supports and strategizes with Adaptiiv’s senior leaders, employees, and stakeholders on a variety of functional areas of HR to support organizational growth and implement initiatives to enhance the employee experience. Additionally, Kelsey serves as a Director on the Jordan Boyd Foundation, which aims to raise awareness of inherited heart disease in young people and young athletes.

Newfoundland and Labrador 

Ashley Noseworthy, Edgewise Environmental, St. John’s 

Ashley Noseworthy is the CEO and founder of Edgewise Environmental – a Newfoundland, women owned marine environmental consultancy focused on marine mammals, sea birds and anthropogenic noise mitigation solutions. She holds an MSc (International Marine Environmental Consulting) from Newcastle University, a Masters Certificate in Project Management from York University and a BSc (Biology) from Memorial University. Ashley has spent over a decade of her life at sea, working offshore on some of the largest energy projects in the world including West Africa, the Arctic, Eastern Canada and the Arabian Gulf. She was named one of the Top 100 Inspirational Female Founders of Ocean and Energy 2023 by The Ocean Opportunity Lab and contributes to a number of boards nationally and internationally including as a director of Oceans Advance, the IMarEST Atlantic Canada Branch, and an advisor for the Destination Canada Sustainability Task Force. Ashley is a fierce advocate of women in STEM and breaking down boundaries in non-traditional roles. 

Christina Murphy, SmartICE, St. John’s 

Christina hails from St. John’s, NL, where she earned a B.Sc., majoring in Psychology, a Bachelor of Social Work and a Masters in Business with a focus on Social Enterprise and Entrepreneurship. Christina has been a registered social worker for over 13 years and has extensive experience in program, training, and organizational policy development in Canada’s North.

Christina is responsible for implementing SmartICE’s community social impact strategy by overseeing the implementation, planning and documentation of community building and capacity bridging initiatives. Christina supports a range of organizational and programmatic learning and community efforts, with a focus on research, monitoring, evaluation, and learning work to inform SmartICE’s program strategies and social impact efforts. Christina loves hiking with her two dogs Kunik and Walter, and dancing up a storm. Her favorite ice cream flavor is lime sorbet and she will never say no to the Newfoundland delicacy fries, dressing, and gravy.

Kyle Bursey, eSonar Inc., St. John’s

Kyle is a graduate of the Bachelor of Commerce program at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN). Growing up in Mount Pearl, NL, Kyle’s passion for entrepreneurship has been influenced by many small businesses. There is a strong presence of small businesses in NL, and they account for a large portion of the economy in the province. Kyle is one of the many proud Newfoundlanders that show unwavering support to the province’s small businesses and entrepreneurs.

In his current role as Marketing and Business Development Specialist at eSonar Inc. in St. John’s, NL, Kyle has had the opportunity to work with many post-secondary engineering students during their internships. He manages the employee recruitment process for new interns, including job postings, selecting interviewees, conducting interviews, procurement of wage subsidy funding, and employee training and onboarding. Kyle implemented the adoption of 3D printing to eSonar’s in-house activities to increase productivity and has since trained numerous student interns on how to 3D print.

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Connect with Venture for Canada: 

Website: https://ventureforcanada.ca 

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Podcast: https://perspectives.ventureforcanada.ca/podcast 

Venture for Canada Media Contact: 

Jennie Wedd – Senior Manager, Marketing & Partnerships 

Email:  jennie@ventureforcanada.ca