past ICUBED SUMMIT speakers
“It is through unique special events like this that high school students can explore and learn about entrepreneurship and the many unique career paths open to them. Entrepreneurship needs to be encouraged at an early age. We can’t all be employees.”
icubed summit past SPEAKERS
2022 iCUBED SUMMIT SPEAKERS
Gladys Michell is from the Sai Kuz First Nation (North Central British Columbia Canada), and learned to sew at eight years from her maternal grandmother, Dr. Mary John and Hereditary Chief (Stoney Creek Woman). While building a successful Forest Products Business with her husband, Robert, Gladys continued to practise her artistic side by painting, quilting, and crafting. After retiring from the award winning forestry business in 2019, Gladys was able to devote more time toward her new business Creative Purses by Gladys Michell. Her new brand was launched and soon gained national attention and interest. Facebook fans eagerly waited for her creations to be announced that includes bags, wallets, key chains, and wristlets. Later, she added scarves, hats and footwear. The pieces incorporates Indigenous designs for the modern practical woman. In 2020, Gladys along with her close friend, Bev Ketlo launched a sister brand, “Two Crazy Ladies” with colorful, bold and fun earrings that appealed to the grassroots crowds. Gladys’ creative pieces has widespread popularity among the local Indigenous population and throughout the northern region of British Columbia, Canada and internationally into Western Europe. Gladys’ goals and values are looking after her family, food sovereignty by harvesting traditional Indigenous foods, golfing and traveling. Gladys and Robert have a son, Dylan, a step-son and numerous grandchildren.
Jameel Sayani, CPA, CA, CAFM, is the Regional Managing Partner for MNP's Northern B.C. Region. Based in Prince George, he leads the firm's growth in Northern B.C. His focus is to mentor and empower our team members, while ensuring we have the required resources in place to meet diverse needs of our clients. Jameel also leads the Indigenous Services practice for MNP's Vancouver Island and Northern B.C. regions. Working closely with First Nations and Indigenous organizations, he takes pride in building strong relationships with his clients to help them develop strategic direction and realize their vision for their communities. Jameel is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and Chartered Accountant (CA), designated in 2010 after receiving a bachelor’s in applied science degree at York University and a Diploma in Accounting at the University of British Columbia.
Sage Lacerte is Carrier from the Lake Babine Nation and has served as the Founder and CEO of the Sage Initiative since 2019. The Sage Initiative is the first Indigenous womxn`s impact investment collective that will generate a circular economy by facilitating the flow of capital from Indigenous womxn investors to Indigenous social enterprises. Between 2018-2020, Sage has served as the National Youth Ambassador of the Moose Hide Campaign Development Society – a grassroots movement of Indigenous and non-Indigenous men and boys that works to end violence against women and children in Canada, with a particular focus on post-secondary initiatives. She holds a degree from University of Victoria in Gender Studies and has been informed by Indigenous knowledge from all her relations across Turtle Island and beyond. She is also a doula with the Nesting Doula Collective.
Arthur Chen is the CEO and co-founder at Verdi, an agriculture technology company developing technology to climate-proof agriculture. Prior to founding Verdi, Arthur conducted research in collaboration with Google X, and developed software at Samsung and Canada’s national nuclear physics laboratory. Arthur holds a BASc in Engineering Physics from the University of British Columbia, where he attended on the Schulich Leader Scholarship, and a certificate in New Ventures Leadership from MIT.
Sumreen Rattan is the Co-founder & Chief Operating Officer, Moment Energy. She leads supply chain and marketing at Moment. She is responsible for the company’s supply relationships with the world’s largest auto manufacturers, and leads marketing efforts to establish Moment as their trusted partner for repurposing end of life EV batteries. Prior to Moment, Sumreen gained extensive experience in robotics and quality assurance at companies such as Apple, Archiact, and PNI Digital Media. Recently, Sumreen was announced as one of Canada’s Top 30 under 30 Sustainability Leaders and Canada’s 2022 Clean-50 Emerging Leader. She recently began a 12-month program at MaRS Discovery District that provides impact-driven startups with advisory support and network opportunities as part of the Women in CleanTech Accelerator. Sumreen graduated from SFU with a degree in Mechatronics Systems Engineering.
Taylor Lindsay-Noel is a 28-year-old entrepreneur from Toronto, Ontario Canada. 12 years ago she was a Canadian national gymnast but in 2008 under the coercion of her coach she had a devastating accident that instantly paralyzed her from the neck down for life. Since then Taylor has persevered through adversity and has received a BA in Radio and Television Arts from Ryerson University. She is currently balancing being a motivational speaker, disability advocate, council member of the Premier’s Council on Equality of Opportunity and owner of Cup of Té Luxury Loose Leaf Teas which was just featured on Oprah’s Favorite Things List 2020! She recently was also announced as the Young Entrepreneur of the Year by the Black Business and Professional Association Harry Jerome Awards, Canada’s most prestigious award celebrating black excellence.
Erik Ashdown is the Head of Ecosystem at Covalent - Is a serial entrepreneur with one exit. Built a token crowdfunding platform during the 2017/2018 crypto boom. Exited to run partnerships at Bidali a company that specializes in integrations with wallets and exchanges to allow people to spend their crypto via payments and on gift cards. Before this Erik worked in both products at larger companies such as IGG & Best Buy as well as in partnerships with financial & tax products dealing exclusively with C-Suite tech entrepreneurs. He currently works for Covalent which is a crypto currency data company.
David Zou is the founder of Beacon256, a specialized digital asset investment fund. He is a builder, advisor, and consultant in the digital asset industry. With a specialization in building communities through NFTs and Tokenomics, he's spoken internationally at conferences in places like Dubai, Malta, and Miami.
Joseph Lavoie is the President of Copperside Foods operating in Northern British Columbia. He has spent the last two decades nurturing his entrepreneurial skills by developing and growing multiple businesses across industries. At age 18 he was awarded Canada’s Top 20 Under 20 for developing Haida Gwaii’s recycling industry through his first business started at 12 years old. In his twenties he helped grow an ISP, consolidating the Telecom industry on Haida Gwaii, resulting in a 4.9 million dollar Connecting Canada federal infrastructure project and eventual exit to Telus. Joseph has built a living around his passion for entrepreneurship, business strategy, and operational execution. Today he owns and operates businesses in retail & wholesale food industries, transportation industries, and liquor/cannabis industries throughout British Columbia. He lives in Terrace, British Columbia with his wife Danielle and two children Edison and Tasman
2021 iCUBED SUMMIT SPEAKERS
Josh Nilson is the CEO and co-founder of East Side Games (ESG), making the best narrative idle games in the business, and creating the technology for developers to tell amazing stories. In 2017, ESG launched Trailer Park Boys: Greasy Money. TPB was a top 100 game in over 100 countries with great player reviews and excellent fan engagement. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: The Gang Goes Mobile launched in 2019 and is still growing and delighting its amazing fanbase. Founded in 2011, East Side Games (ESG) is a proudly independent and profitable game studio strongly believes in community-driven design, having the best culture around and making games built by fans, for fans. ESG made the Deloitte Technology top 500, for the fastest growing startups in North America and the Deloitte Technology top 50 in Canada in 2017, 2018. They were also recently recognized in the Globe & Mail Report on Business - Canada's Top Growing Companies 2019, and were a finalist in the Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards 2020 for Best Developer. ESG was also just announced as a finalist in the first ever BC Business “Business of Good Awards” in the Indigenous Prosperity category.
Madison Guy is the founder and Chief Operating Officer of GrantMe. Informed by her own experiences as a student athlete, in 2017 Madison Guy founded GrantMe, an online service to help college students access additional funding. The success of the startup venture and her increased workload as the chief executive officer prompted Guy to pause her soccer career. GrantMe is a platform that personalizes a student’s education journey using data science. Their platform supports students in building out university applications, scholarship applications, and allows the student to improve their writing. They aim to use data science as a tool to help students predict their likelihood of success on any application that they write. Madison was recognized as one of Forbes 30 under 30 to watch for 2021. GrantMe has connected students with a total of $3 million in scholarships to date. GrantMe's work is only applicable to colleges in Canada now, but Guy is hoping to expand to the U.S. in the next 18 months.
Shobha completed an undergraduate degree from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 2003, and a Masters degree in Indigenous Governance from the Faculty of Human and Social Development at the University of Victoria in 2007. With over 10 years of experience in not-for-profit organizations, international development and indigenous self-determination, Shobha has dedicated her professional career to community development both nationally and globally. She has worked comprehensively in India, Kenya and Canada. Her passion for human rights has led her to not only engage in indigenous dialogues responding to globalization and governance in North America, but to plan and implement international programs around capacity building, youth leadership, cross-cultural understanding, resource distribution/infrastructural development, and the social and economic empowerment of women.
In 2015, Shobha founded, Our Satya, an international organization that engages the global community to adopt its philosophy of our world our responsibility. Our Satya urges one to be accountable for challenges and issues within their local and global communities. Our Satya is presently working in rural India, where the organization is responding to the health and well-being of infants and disenfranchised women through Empowerment, Education and Health & Wellness. Presently residing in Prince George, Shobha is the Executive Director of Central Interior Native Health Society (CINHS), an integrated health center committed to serving as a leader in delivering equity-oriented health care. While serving its clients through an Indigenous worldview of primary health care, CINHS serves the most complex clients in the northern interior through a culture, trauma and violence informed lens.
A serial entrepreneur with almost 20 years of experience, Paul is one of the Co-Founders and Managing Partners of Volition, an award-winning international advisory & events firm for startups and entrepreneurs. Since 2015, Paul and the Volition team have helped guide hundreds of entrepreneurs on their journey toward success and hosted over 80 pitch events and workshops across Canada, the U.S., and Europe. With a passion for knowledge-sharing and building connections, Paul provides expert guidance on pitch, presentation, business, growth and fundraising strategy. The father of three boys is also an Instructor at Langara College and Tamwood College, and provides countless hours of mentorship to young entrepreneurs through programs such as YELL, League of Innovators and New Ventures BC
April Bellia loves helping other entrepreneurs in their first years of startup - to support and guide them through the bumps and hurdles that come along. She recently exited her company, Granola Girl Enterprises and now consult with other business to help startups expand, or exit their companies. She works as an advisor of the brokerage company that sold her business and supports other business owners through the extensive and emotional process. Granola Girl was incorporated in 2011 in Vancouver, BC. The company services over 300 grocery stores in Western Canada and also sold online. In 2017, April launched the Granola Girl Foundation, a fundraising platform to provide scholarships for children and youth in the areas of girl empowerment and entrepreneurship. Also in 2011, April co-created heart-based networking events called Serendipity Tea Party with fellow entrepreneur Baljit Rayat. Six years later they expanded their events to include Good in the Hood, a celebration of local businesses and fundraiser, where conscious entrepreneurs are able to meet offline, start deeper and more meaningful conversations around business, life and everything in between.
Shawn is a dedicated esports innovator, with a focus on education, accessibility, and diversity in the esports industry. Working in the industry for over 5 years, Shawn has had the adventure of a lifetime, helping to usher in many firsts for Canada’s esports ecosystem, including the first high school esports scholarship and helping to write the first federally funded esports research and strategy document. Recently, Shawn successfully sold his company to long-time partners and friends, The Gaming Stadium, one of Canada’s first where he is now their Director of Scholastic Esports Development. He looks forward to furthering scholastic esports of all levels in Canada, and also focusing on increasing esports accessibility in rural and indigenous communities. The north will always be a home for Shawn, and he hopes to continue furthering tech and innovation in the north, while helping to eradicate the barriers that exist
for people of colour, members of the LGBTQIA2S+, women anyone else facing discrimination in gaming communities.
A pioneer in EdTech, Mike is the CEO of Live It, a company that creates livestreamed educational programs that connect kids with experts in the field from see to space. He has a Masters in Education and made history by successfully defending his thesis live from underwater. Mike is a creative problem solver, having founded and operated companies and a non-profit in media, marine, education and tech sectors. His work takes him to remote locations to share livestreamed programs to thousands of students from the Arctic, the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah, deep sea volcanoes and wildfires.
Lawrence is a member of the We Wai Kai Nation (Cape Mudge) and presently resides in Victoria with family. In 2012 Lawrence launched a mobile technologies start-up: OneFeather. OneFeather is already shifting the way First Nation communities engage, collaborate, and make important decisions governing their Nation futures using the modern and ubiquitous mobile smart phone, including for the first time in Canada mobile voting for elections and referendums. Over the past 20 plus years Lawrence has been working with First Nations, FN Agencies and all levels of Government primarily on Vancouver Island and British Columbia - supporting First Nation development of governance, elections and economic/business - always with a view to growing aboriginal communities, protecting aboriginal title and rights, and enhancing cultural and social values and priorities. Lawrence combines his understanding of government and business processes with the pragmatic, and a deeply rooted awareness and respect of Indian people and the social and cultural processes required to ensure successful NationBuilding.
In 2014, Javier co-founded CadMakers, an industry-leading construction and manufacturing technology company headquartered in Burnaby, British Columbia. CadMakers is a team of highly motivated innovators delivering Digital Construction Twin and Digital Fabrication Twin solutions (mix of products and services) to our global customers, providing innovative solutions to the construction industry's most complex, yet common problems.
In his previous career, Javier Glatt was a professional Canadian Football Player who played eight seasons in the Canadian Football League, including seven years with the BC Lions where they won a Grey Cup championship in 2006, and one year with the Edmonton Eskimos. Javier holds an MBA from SFU and undergraduate degree in Arts from UBC.