PowerUp Pitch Competition

Albert Chen

Partner

Two Small Fish

Albert is currently a Partner at Two Small Fish. Albert’s expertise spans the full spectrum—from technical innovation to product development to operational leadership in entrepreneurial startups. His impressive academic background further underscores his exceptional capabilities. Albert earned his Ph.D. in BioMEMS, Acoustics, and Medical Engineering from the University of Waterloo. He also completed his undergraduate studies in Systems Design Engineering at Waterloo and participated in an international exchange program in Electrical Engineering at National Taiwan University. Albert’s professional career is equally remarkable. Most notably, he served as the CTO of robotics and edge AI company Forcen. His diverse experience also includes roles at Metergy (smart energy), Excelitas (photonics), and North (smart glass, acquired by Google).

Ozan Isinak

President

Keiretsu Forum Canada

Ozan is an active early-stage investor and serial entrepreneur, boasting over 25 years of international experience across the realms of angel investment, venture capital, and private equity.

Ozan has helped over 3,500+ early-stage companies and investment vehicles worldwide develop financing structures and expansion strategies throughout his career. Moreover, he has engaged with incubators and accelerators across the MENA, EU, and Asia regions to build their business models to engage with their local early-stage ecosystems.

He is the President of Keiretsu Forum Canada, the world’s largest angel investment network operating on four continents. The global network specializes in syndication of deals and invests over $110 million into 300 early-stage companies each year.

David Kwok

Director of Entrepreneurship & Innovation

YSpace and Office of the VP, Research & Innovation, York University

David, a visionary in innovation ecosystem development and a leader in fostering growth. Since 2013, he has been a driving force in the innovation landscape. Currently serving as the Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at York University’s YSpace, David has raised over $17 million in funding since 2017, expanding YSpace’s impact nationwide.

As a former founder himself, he brings invaluable experience to the team, supporting businesses in developing and scaling. David co-founded YSpace in 2018, York’s first physical incubator and Ontario’s pioneering Food & Beverage Accelerator. He oversees ELLA, a national women accelerator program, and the Black Entrepreneurship Alliance created in partnership with the Black Creek Community Health Centre. Under his leadership, the Food & Beverage Accelerator and ELLA has evolved into a national program, championing greater support and services for underrepresented founders.

Jeff Lam

Portfolio Manager & Senior Wealth Advisor

CIBC Wood Gundy

Jeff is a Portfolio Manager and Senior Wealth Advisor at CIBC Wood Gundy.  Jeff leads the Lam Advisory Group.

Since joining CIBC in 2009, he focuses on building a long term advisory relationship with his clients as they move through different life stages. He combines his exceptional wealth management knowledge with his broad network of partners in capital market and banking, to deliver a top-tiered client experience. His clients consistently recommend his services to family and friends.

Jeff obtained the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and Chartered Investment Manager (CIM®) designations, and received his Bachelor of Commerce degree from Toronto Metropolitan University in Toronto, Canada.  Committed to better serving business families, Jeff completed the Family Enterprise Advisor (FEA) program, adding fluency in the art and science of family enterprise advising.

Jeff is honored to be a recipient of the 20 Year Ontario Volunteer Services Award from the Government of Canada - Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, which recognizes individual volunteers for continuous years of commitment and dedicated service to an organization.

Nima Kadem Mohtaram 

Head of MedTech Initiatives

ventureLAB

Nima Khadem Mohtaram is a seasoned MedTech leader, entrepreneur and academic who currently serves as Head of MedTech Initiatives at ventureLAB. With over 15 years of experience in life sciences, medical devices and materials innovation, he has played a key role in advancing commercialization strategies, ecosystem building, and collaborative partnerships. He has also held faculty positions (including at the University of Waterloo), served as President of the Canadian Biomaterials Society, and held advisory or board roles at regional commerce and health organizations. At ventureLAB, his focus is on supporting hardware-based medical tech startups — accelerating product development, commercialization, regulatory readiness and scaling by leveraging infrastructure such as the MedTech Dry Lab and a strong network of ecosystem partners.   

Jane Rooney

Regional TMC & Corporate Account Manager, Americas

Cathay Pacific 

Jane is Cathay Pacific’s Regional TMC & Corporate Account Mgr, for the Americas.

In her role, Jane is responsible for managing the TMC portfolio for the Americas as well manages a diverse corporate portfolio consisting of Global, National and SME Accounts. In addition, Jane manages the Canada relationships with the HKG Family and sits on the Board of Directors for the Hong Kong Canada Business Association as well as the Woman’s International Network.

Based in Toronto, Canada Jane has been in the Travel industry for over 30+ years, Jane has held positions across all segments with Account Management, Project Management, Training and Sales and Service.