Teri Kirk is the founder and CEO of The Funding Portal, a national website that aggregates all Canadian government grants, tax incentives and private financing programs available to business in a searchable database. The Portal also provides an online concierge service to guide businesses through funding processes.

Prior to launching The Funding Portal, Ms. Kirk built and commercialized three previous e-business venture corporations, creating jobs and contracts for dozens of Canadians. She has been named one of Ottawa’s top female entrepreneurs by the Ottawa Citizen and one of Ottawa’s 100 most influential people by The Hill Times.

Ms. Kirk holds a Juris Doctor from Osgoode Hall Law School and a Masters in Public Administration from Queen’s University. A former Vice President of Business Development within Bell Canada, Ms. Kirk has more than 25 years’ experience as a lawyer, executive and entrepreneur.

Ms. Kirk has been a Trustee, Ontario Science Centre, on advisory councils at Queen’s University, Sunnybrook Hospital and the Ottawa Heart Institute, Vice President of the Canadian Club, and President of the Canadian Tulip Festival.

website: www.thefundingportal.com

Kanika Gupta is the Founder and Chief Catalyst at SoJo, a social enterprise technology start-up incubated in Ryerson’s Digital Media Zone. SoJo builds e-Learning tools that provides support, information, and guidance to individuals to take their ideas for social change into action. SoJo was inspired from over a decade of experience building and growing social ventures in addition to extensive first-hand research on youth-led social innovation and entrepreneurship.

SoJo is endorsed by the Canadian Commission for UNESCO as a leading educational platform and has been recognized by Forbes as an audacious startup and "a rock-star social change agent of the future creating change in the present."

Highly engaged in civic issues and community development, Kanika has worked with the United Nations Development Programme in Knowledge Management, Canadian International Development Agency in Human Rights policy, Canadian House of Commons, grassroots NGOs in West Africa and India. Prior to SoJo, Kanika founded Nukoko, a Canadian nonprofit which sends over 600 girls to school in west Africa annually. Kanika has served on diplomatic missions as the Canadian representative on official State Visits to several African countries, accompanying Governor General Michaelle Jean and actively engages in high-level discussions on topics that intersect technology, social change, youth entrepreneurship and education.

Kanika holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance and a Master of Public Administration.

website: www.theSoJo.net

Assaf Weisz is a co-founder and partner with Venture Deli and its Purpose Capital division. Venture Deli is an impact investment firm that capitalizes growing social ventures, and Purpose Capital provides strategy to angel and institutional investors. Prior to Venture Deli, he co-founded the Young Social Entrepreneurs of Canada (YSEC), where he grew the organization to become one of the nation’s largest networks of social entrepreneurs. Assaf serves on the Laidlaw Foundation’s PRI committee, and is a board member of Operation Groundswell – a social enterprise dedicated to backpacking with a purpose. He is an Ariane de Rothschild Foundation fellow, has guest lectured at Schulich School of Business, and speaks and writes regularly.

website: www.venutredeli.com

Chris Assaad is a singer/songwriter and inspirational artist from Toronto who left a promising career in law several years ago to pursue his dream of a career music. Since then, Chris has been actively using his voice to enCOURAGE others to follow their dreams, express their creativity and live life to the fullest. Chris is a big believer in the transformative power of music and in the importance of community. As such, he has been active in supporting philanthropic causes, performing at benefit concerts including World Literacy Canada's Satya Series, Fight for Haiti, Cause We Can, Canada Rocks 4 Japan and Congo Classrooms for a Brighter Future.

Chris independently released his first full-length album, Glory Fire (2009), which he recently followed up with his sophomore release Into The Light (2012). He has enjoyed international success, touring in support of his records in Canada, the U.S. and Australia. Chris is also a regularly featured contributor to The Daily Love (www.thedailylove.com) and Positively Positive (www.positivelypositive.com), both amazing platforms for Chris to share his message of Peace, Love & Inspiration.

website: www.chrisassaad.com/

Jennifer Corriero is co-founder and Executive Director of TakingITGlobal, a non-profit organization with the aim of fostering cross-cultural dialogue, strengthening the capacity of youth as leaders and increasing awareness and involvement in global issues through the use of technology. TakingITGlobal has forged partnerships with companies and foundations including Microsoft, Google, Adobe, Cisco, Staples, Knight Foundation, Active Philanthropy, and Pearson Foundation along with a dozen UN and government agencies. In 2005, Jennifer was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and in 2007, as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network. She has presented and supported civil society engagement at events in over 30 countries and has served as a judge and advisor to an extensive range of awards and programs. Jennifer holds a Masters in Environmental Studies and in 2011, Jennifer was appointed as Adjunct Professor by the Faculty of Health at York University.

website: canada.tigweb.org/

James Temple is the Director of Corporate Responsibility for PwC and has a dual role leading the PwC Canada Foundation.

Considered one of Canada’s leading voices on corporate citizenship, James has presented at the World Volunteer Forum, International Corporate Citizenship Conference, and was this year’s North American winner of the 2012 International CSR Practitioner Challenge through the Centre for Sustainability and Excellence.

James has featured in articles for Forbes.com, Canadian Business Magazine, and within recently presented at TEDxCalgary. He was also named one of the inaugural Notable.ca Young Professionals of the Year.

James shares his expertise on a variety of community boards and committees. He is currently the Co-Chair of the Association of Corporate Grantmakers and is a member of the Board of Advisors for the Institute at Havergal College in Toronto.

He holds a degree in Geographic Analysis from Ryerson University, a Certificate in Advertising and Media from the Canadian Marketing Association and is a Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner.

website: www.pwc.com/ca/cr

Scott Bowman is an entrepreneur and expert in politics, economic development, and the legislative process. He got his start in government working as an assistant to a Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) in Ontario and later worked as a Senior Policy Advisor to Ontario’s Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. After leaving Government, he started his own consulting practise, which focused on the health and fitness industry. Scott then joined the Canadian Youth Business Foundation in the summer of 2010 as Director, Government Relations and focused on bringing the idea of fostering a culture of entrepreneurship to all levels of government. He has recently attained the role of Senior Director, Ontario, where he continues his commitment to the young entrepreneurs of the province. He is dedicated to fostering positive partnerships with other like-minded organizations and to building upon the strong entrepreneurial culture of Ontario.

website: www.cybf.ca

Sunil Sharma is Managing Director and "Chief Connector" for Extreme Startups, a world-class venture-backed tech accelerator based in the heart of downtown Toronto. Backed by 5 of Canada's premier VC funds (OMERS Ventures, Relay Ventures, BDC Venture Capital, Rho Ventures and Extreme Venture Partners), Extreme Startups looks to fund, connect and help grow Canada's next generation of technology companies. With a rigorous program of mentorship, corporate partnership and hands-on coaching, Extreme Startups has become a sough-after program for early-stage companies in the internet, social media, mobile, software, gaming, e-commerce domains and other sectoral domains.

Prior to joining Extreme Startups Sunil was the International Director of Canada's Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (CVCA) where he has been active in helping connect the Canadian venture capital and private equity industry with international funding partners and institutional investors. While working with the CVCA (Sunil still maintains an active role with the organization), Sunil was on assignment from Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade where he served as a member of Canada's Foreign Service. Most recently Sunil was appointed Head of Consulate at Canada's Consulate in San Diego, California.

website: www.extremestartups.com

GoodFoot Delivery was created under the mission to help others with developmental/high functioning disabilities. It was designed to fill the need in the social good space and give others the opportunity to thrive in a business.

Gauthier has always been entrepreneurial, enjoying freelancing in the tech space with troubleshooting computers & designing/developing websites with Wordpress and SLQ databases.

Gauthier’s sister observed Jon’s passion and stepped in with the idea of the GoodFoot business as she wanted Jon to have stable employment.

Together, Jon and his sister became a courier service and within 6-8 months, they began to see the impact of their business. GoodFoot got a lot of media attention and the idea of giving people the opportunities for employment spread.

Today, GoodFoot is known as a great example of a social business that gives others with developmental disabilities purpose and opportunity to contribute to society through a meaningful and valuable service.

As of October 2012, GoodFoot employs over 6 couriers and 2 office staff, along with the founders/ executive body. GoodFoot recently launched a lunch program to feed the couriers everyday for free.

Jon still does web development & computer tech in his spare time with his fairly active social life. An idea, passion, vision and Jon’s entrepreneurial drive has now given Jon stable employment and joy.

website: www.goodfootdelivery.com

Com Mirza is a serial entrepreneur, author of The Ambition Test, and a technology Venture Capitalist. With offices in montreal, dubai, london, barbados, islamabad, mumbai, and washington. Along with his brothers he runs a portfolio of 20+ companies, with over 500 employees. He started selling lemonade at the age of 7, never held a job in his life, and has failed over 7 times before finally beginning to succeed in business and becoming financially free for the rest of his life. He spends his time traveling the world, publicly speaking, launching new ventures, and investing into others. In 2013 he is building a business school for young entrepreneurs from emerging markets and focusing on launching his biggest project yet, an education company that will change the way the world teaches and learns forever.

website: www.directly.me

Amber Mac is an entrepreneur, television host, professional speaker, and bestselling author. She co-hosts a TV show on CTV/BNN called AppCentral, which airs nationally in Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, and South Korea. She is also a regular contributor on CTV News Channel, The Marilyn Denis Show, eTalk, and has appeared on various other networks, such as ABC and CNN. Canadian Business Magazine called Amber "Canada's Top Social Media Expert on How to Build a Brand."

Amber’s company, Konnekt (Creative Digital Engagement), launched in 2007 and includes clients such as world-renowned speaker Tony Robbins, Rogers, Trader.ca, Discovery Channel, Microsoft, Canada Goose, American Dental Association, Genumark, among others. The company specializes in digital marketing, with a keen focus on social media strategy, online video production and distribution, website design and development, and storytelling for the digital audience.

She writes weekly for Fast Company, where she discusses social business, digital productivity, and how to work smarter; Amber has also hosted a number of online video shows for Fast Company, which her digital marketing company Konnekt produces.

Amber is also the author of social media business book, Power Friending (Globe & Mail national bestseller). As the Miami Herald said in their review of the book, “Amber Mac is a virtual Swiss Army Knife of networking: she displays an endless amount of enthusiasm and energy that nearly crackles off the page. More importantly, she demonstrates a deep and practical understanding of the necessity of extending one’s personal and professional presence online.” She has spoken on stage and keynoted more than 200 events worldwide as an exclusive speaker with The Lavin Agency. Here is a sample tweet from a recent event:
Nov 01, 4:39pm via Web
"A great storyteller carves images, feelings, and words on your heart and soul @ambermac rocked this at#BrandUFab." @raehanbobby

Amber started her digital career at Razorfish-San Francisco during the dot-com boom; during this time, she also worked as the director of online marketing at an e-procurement start-up. She began her television career at CBC Charlottetown and eventually spent two years as tech guru Leo Laporte’s co-host on G4TechTV, anchoring more than 500 episodes of a popular technology call-in show, Call for Help (among other programs). Amber also worked as Citytv’s first ever New Media Specialist, reporting on digital news and trends (and host of live TV show Webnation).

In the online space, she has spearheaded and co-hosted two successful podcasts, The Social Hour on the popular San Francisco TWiT.tv network and commandN.tv (a Konnekt production). Both shows have been featured in Wired Magazine and have won a number of podcast awards (and are still in production, reaching approximately 100,000 viewers and listeners a week)

website: www.ambermac.com

Allen Lau is the co-founder and CEO of Wattpad, the world's largest community of readers and writers.

With years of experience building successful mobile tech companies, Allen first started prototyping a mobile eReading app in 2002 on an old grey-scale Java phone that could only display 5 lines of text. He wanted to solve a problem he was facing - how to read while on the go. So for the past 10 years Allen has been exploring the power of mobile/social collaboration, online communities, and user-generated content.

Wattpad now serves over 9 million people a month and with over 5 million stories uploaded, Allen is leading a team that's revolutionizing the way people share and discover stories on the web and across every mobile device.

website: www.wattpad.com

"The new economy is all about collaboration."

Tonya Surman is co-founder of the Centre for Social Innovation—the celebrated Toronto workspace that houses nearly 350 disparate but like-minded non-profits and social enterprises. The shared ecosystem at CSI removes logistical barriers like overhead costs, but, more importantly, it creates a flourishing environment of cross-pollinating ideas and boundless innovation.

Tonya Surman was recently named a Global Ashoka Fellow, which is considered by many people to be a Nobel Prize for social entrepreneurs. For five years, through the bust and boom, she ran a dot com social enterprise. Currently, she co-chairs the Ontario Nonprofit Network, and is a founding trustee of the Awesome Foundation Toronto. Previously, Surman was the founding Partnership Director for the Canadian Partnership for Children's Health and Environment, whose work helped lead to substantial legislation that banned chemicals and BPAs in baby bottles. Tonya Surman is upending our notions of work, innovation, and community by shaping them into a new model of social entrepreneurism. Having worked with dozens of social start-ups, Surman speaks about the emerging economy, and how creative business models and collaborative strategies are engaging all types of stakeholders, and making the world a better place.

website: socialinnovation.ca

Jairek Robbins is a man on a mission focused on developing creative solutions for accelerating results. By evaluating you and your companies strategic objectives, Jairek is able to build a customized roadmap for you to achieve your goals with speed and precision.

“My goal is to assist people in the process of rapidly achieving their goals so they are able to live the life of their dreams. My hope is that they will eventually pay-it-forward and help those that they care about the most do the same” - Jairek Robbins

For your business
Every organization is different, Jairek tailors his lectures and workshops specifically for your business. From Fortune 500 organizations to mid-market firms, Jairek merges the latest techniques in motivation with strategic fore site to help your business achieve remarkable results in a competitive marketplace.

Man on a mission
At only 23 years old, Jairek was awarded the Congressional Award Gold Medal from the United States Congress. By 25, he became and international phenom by developing a revolutionary approach to accelerating results for businesses in different industries. Today, the 27-year old is unlocking secrets for maximizing employee performance and organizational success (and he’s just getting started).

Making it happen
Oliver Wendell Holmes once said “a mind that is stretched to a new idea never returns to its original dimensions.” As an innovator, Jairek is applying his own philosophy and living a life of adventure, philanthropy, and entrepreneurship. Whether it’s cage diving with great white sharks, hanging with silverbacks in Rwanda, white water rafting down the Nile, working as a volunteer in underdeveloped regions, or building a powerful enterprise that’s built for results, Jairek does more than talk about it, he stretches the boundaries of traditional thinking and makes it happen.

website: www.jairekrobbins.com

Christopher Charlesworth holds an MBA from the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, The University of Toronto, and an Honours Bachelor of Political Science from The University of Western Ontario. Previously Christopher worked as a management consultant in Indonesia, Canada, and the United States across several practice areas, including financial services, marketing, and strategy.

He is a co-founder of HiveWire Inc., a triple-bottom line organization focused on enabling environmental and social enterprises, by assisting with the efficient allocation of capital to companies and projects. HiveWire’s goal is to facilitate connections between investors and opportunities by developing integrated ecosystems that generate shared value.

For fun Christopher sits on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Sport Parachuting Association as Vice President and Ontario Director, and is a Canadian FS Record holder (102-Way).

website: www.hivewire.ca

Sean Stanleigh is the editor of Report on Small Business. His goal is to make ROSB the primary destination for readers in search of information and compelling stories about Canada's small-business community, which continues to grow in size and influence. Mr. Stanleigh has an extensive background in journalism, including a number of senior editing positions at The Globe and Mail and The Toronto Star.

website: tgam.ca/smallbusiness

Suzanne Shawbonquit is a business leader, entrepreneur, community builder, and educator. She is the founder and Executive Director of Youth Innovation.ca a recently incorporated not-for-profit in the Greater City of Sudbury. Prior to her role as Executive Director she worked in the Media and broadcast industry for Canada’s largest broadcaster, CTV, establishing successful media programs targeting youth engagement. She is also the President and CEO of Sage Management Solutions that focuses on change management, leadership development and corporate relations. Based out of Atikameksheng First Nation, her work in the region and province spans over 20 years working in both the private and public sector. She is a moderator for various film and music panels as well as a speaker on issues relating to business, education, entrepreneurship, creativity, and innovative learning environments for youth. She curated the first TEDx event in the Greater City of Sudbury in the spring of 2012, which was highly successful. Suzanne is also a recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and has also been nominated for a Premiers Award for Community Development.

website: youthinnovation.ca

Doug Cooper has spent 31 years in the technology industry. A 28 year veteran of Intel he established the company's marketing efforts in Canada. He has served on the Boards of ITAC and Communitech. Was the past chair of ITAC and currently serves on the board of CDMN. Today he coaches technology companies as a part-time Executive In Residence for Communitech. He has also founded a company that automates the process of getting feedback & testimonials for renovation companies while building a structured photo portfolio.

website: www.communitech.ca