Smart Wealth™ with Thane Stenner: Insights from Pioneers & Leaders

Praveen has been a principal of Varshney Capital Corp., a Vancouver based family office, since 1991. He's also a Founding Director of Pyfera Growth Capital & a Founding Director of Humanitas Smart Planet Fund, both with a social impact focus. Mr. Varshney obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of British Columbia in 1987 and is a FCPA, FCA. He has been a Director or Officer of many publicly traded companies over the years including one of Canada's largest fintech companies, Mogo Inc. (NASDAQ: MOGO & TSX: MOGO) (Co-Founder). He is also a Co-Founder of NEXE Innovations (TSX.V : NEXE) and of Little Kitchen Academy, and former CFO of Carmanah Technologies which became Canada's largest solar company, and of The Plastic Bank. He was also Co-Founder of a predecessor of Mountain Province Diamonds (TSX : MPVD) who's Gahcho Kue project in September 2016 became the world's largest new diamond mine since 2003 & De Beers' (MPVD's partner) second-largest producer behind its Jwaneng mine in Botswana. Praveen is a member of the Vancouver Chapter of EO since 1996, Toniic, TiE Vancouver (Founding Director) & Silicon Valley Blockchain Society - Vancouver Chapter (Founding Director). He's also served on a number of non-profit boards such as the Varshney Family Foundation, Dalai Lama Center for Peace + Education, the Vancouver Foundation & a Founding Member of Instruments Beyond Borders. He's also an SVP Vancouver Partner, a Director of Foundations for Social Change, and on the Advisory Boards of Room to Read Vancouver and The Thomas Edison Innovation Foundation in New Jersey. He also Co-Founded with his daughter, Jaiya, Down to the Last Straw, a global movement to reduce plastic waste with a major focus on single-use plastic straws. Praveen is also a recipient of Business in Vancouver's 40 Under 40 Awards, the 2020 Greater Vancouver Board of Trade Wendy McDonald Diversity Awards Outstanding Mentor and the 2021 inaugural, 2022 & 2023 Business in Vancouver Top 500 Most Influential Business Leaders in BC (Banking & Finance – Private Equity, Venture Capital & Hedge Funds category).

David Rosenberg is the founder and president of Rosenberg Research, an economic and financial market consulting firm he established in January 2020. Dave provides advice to 2,600 clients, both retail and institutional, across 40 countries. Prior to creating his own company, David was chief economist and strategist at Gluskin Sheff + Associates from 2009 to 2019. Prior to that, from 2000 to 2009, he was at Merrill Lynch, where for the first two years he was chief Canadian economist and strategist based out of Toronto; for the last seven he was Chief North American economist at Merrill Lynch in New York, where he was consistently ranked in top three of Wall Street economists polled by the annual Institutional Investors survey. David is a frequent contributor to most major financial newspapers and publications in North America and makes regular TV appearances in the financial media. He received both a BA and MA in economics from the University of Toronto.

“Ensuring the Legacy of Family Business Through Relational Governance” For more than twenty years, Francesco “Franco” Lombardo has been a family business advisor and facilitator to some of the world's most diverse and wealthiest families. He set up Veritage, his global advisory firm that exclusively focuses on building relational governance.   Franco uses his Safe Space™ model to empower families to show up authentically and to express their feelings surrounding money and relationships. Passionate about nurturing the next generation of family-owned businesses, Franco is the cocreator, and one of the leading facilitators of the Scone Project and Maasai Project, Ensuring the Legacy of Family Business an interactive next-generation leadership development program for business families. As founder and host of INFLUENCE - a gathering of the globe's highest net-worth families representing their family businesses, Franco facilitates a custom-curated program designed to deepen familial relationships.   The author of five books, Franco also hosts the podcast “Safe Space with Francesco Lombardo” - a show for Family Business Leaders and Next Gens. Franco has delivered presentations for the Milken Institute, Campden Wealth and family Business Conferences, Institutional Investor, Tiger21, various YPO/WPO global chapters. He has also been featured in the award-winning Spear's Magazine and was described as ‘The Truth Agent' by CEO Magazine. More recently Franco was inducted into the Family Business United Family Business Hall of Fame, which "recognizes the exceptional contribution of individuals and their work in advancing the field of family business."  

Scott Terrio, BA, QIC, CPCA, has been a regular author at Macleans and Canadian Business magazines and a listed columnist for Moneysense, focusing on consumer debt issues. He is a frequent media commentator, appearing on BNN Bloomberg TV, CBC and various radio broadcasts. He has contributed to such publications as The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, The National Post and The Walrus, among others. In his decade in the insolvency industry and now as Head of Consumer Insolvencyat Hoyes Michalos Hoyes, Scott has met with and filed well over 8,000 clients,primarily consumers. He brings his previous background in sales, marketing andbusiness development to making clients feel as comfortable as possible inguidance through various options and tactics, and in trusting advice and solutionsunder difficult circumstances. His professional experience includes the following: • Ontario Ministry of Ag, Food & Rural Affairs, 1993-1996• John Deere Canada, 1996-2010• Cooper & Co. Ltd. Licensed Insolvency Trustee, 2010-2018• Hoyes, Michalos & Associates, 2018-Present

Richard James Deacon is an award winning Private Office Real Estate Advisor with the world's #1 luxury real estate firm Engel & Völkers. Richard is the Co-founder of TIGER 21 Canada, an exclusive and highly private investor education organization for ultra-high net worth families. TIGER 21 has over 1100 members across the globe with collective assets in excess of $135B. TIGER's mission is to help members improve their investment acumen, tackle common issues of wealth preservation, manage family-related challenges, understand estate planning options, philanthropic endeavors and legacy impact. And of course manage their extensive real estate portfolios. Richard also had a 20 year career in media and advertising, working with the billionaire Thomson family and The Globe and Mail. Richard was inducted into Engel & Volkers Private office in 2021 in only his fourth year as a Realtor, given that EV PO requires 3 years of consecutive performance to become a PO Advisor, Richard is likely the only Advisor to have ever made PO in the first 4 years of their career. Richard has an international background with 28 years of global luxury sales and marketing experience and today specializes in helping his clients with buying and selling some of the most iconic properties across Canada's #1 wine region, the Okanagan Valley. The Association of Interior Realtors Board area covers the snow caps of the Rocky Mtns to the east, the rolling hills of ranch country to the west and the arid desert of the south that borders Washington State. Richard is a passionate and connected philanthropist and his list of volunteer involvements include his role as; Past-President of the National Advertising Benevolent Society, being inducted into the Canadian Advertising Hall of Honor in Toronto, as a Past Director of the acclaimed Children's Charity Arts Umbrella, as a national judge for the Courage to Come Back Awards, a Mentor of the Year awardee in the Vancouver Board of Trade Leaders of Tomorrow program, as past Chair of a capital campaign for the Union Gospel Mission's Women and Children's Ministry, Past- President of the Nicola Valley Food Bank and Campaign Cabinet member for the University of British Columbia's Business Families Centre.

Dr. Tom Deans is the author of three books on the subject of familywealth transfers. His first book, Every Family's Business: 12Common Sense Questions to Protect Your Wealth, remains thebest-selling family business book of all-time and was selected by TheNew York Times as one of the top-ten books business owners shouldread. The book has sold more than 1.5 million copies worldwide. His second book, Willing Wisdom: Seven Questions SuccessfulFamilies Ask, reached #2 on the Globe and Mail's best-sellers List.The book has received critical acclaim for its controversialexplanation of why 15 million Canadians do not have a legal will.Willing Wisdom continues to stir debate on the merits of disclosing awill with intended beneficiaries. In May 2024, Dr. Deans released The Happy Inheritor: HowSuccessful Families Prepare Heirs and Transfer Wealth, the thirdand final book in his Family Wealth Trilogy. The book examines how many successful families transfer wealthwith the help of their advisor through the use of facilitated familymeetings to bring predictability and transparency to their estate plans.For families who struggle with this process, the book offers insightsinto why. This ground-breaking book reinforces the importance offamily philanthropy in preparing the next generation for the $300million that is inherited every day by Canadians. Having delivered more than 2000 speeches in 28 countries, he isregarded as the preeminent thought-leader on the subject of inter-generational wealth transfers. With his family selling businesses for more than $100 million, prepareto unlearn everything you thought you knew about transitioning familywealth. Deans is a graduate Mount Allison University, McMaster Universityand earned a Ph.D. from the University of Warwick in England. His books and speeches aren't just about money and clever taxplans. They're about giving people the confidence, inspiration andthe tools to begin important family conversations about the last taboo– money. To learn more about Dr. Deans and his books, visithttps://www.thomaswilliamdeans.com/.

Judi Cunningham is the founder of Trella Advisory Group, a consulting firm that works with family enterprises and families of wealth. She holds a Master's in Family Systems Counseling and over 25 years of experience working with complex enterprising families. Judi is known for her innovative educational initiatives. She pioneered the Family Enterprise Advisor Program, establishing global standards for professional advisors.  Judi serves as the Chair of the Board for the Purposeful Planning Institute which helps advisors serve families of wealth. 

Ben Rabidoux is the founder of North Cove Advisors, a boutique research covering Canadian housing, macroeconomic, and household credit trends. North Cove Advisors is consistently ranked in the top 5 for Canadian economic research by Brendan Wood International, as voted upon by institutional investors.   Ben also leads the research teams at Edge Realty Analytics, which provides similar research and advisory services to real estate professionals.   He is a frequent commentator on all matters related to housing and household credit, having been featured in nearly every major Canadian media publication as well as a number of business publications internationally.

Lorne MacLean, K.C. (King's Counsel) is the founder of top-rated MacLean Law and one of Canada's most experienced and highly rated family lawyers dedicated to family law and divorce in British Columbia. MacLean has been chosen as a top 25 Canadian Lawyer and a BC Leading Business BIV BC 500 winner in the field of complex and high net worth divorce and family law. His firm was just selected by Canadian lawyer Magazine and Lexpert as a 2023 and 2024 Family law Firm of The Year Awardee of Excellence. MacLean has set the highest record for interim spousal and child support at over $100,000 a month, the highest record for permanent spousal and child support at over $116,000 a month, the highest fines record for B.C. , set the precedent for international Mareva injunctions, the highest special costs record at $1.5 million, and one of the largest retroactive child support awards in favour of a husband, dismissal of a wife's spousal support in a high net worth long marriage and he won the leading Canadian case on child custody and the maximum contact principle in Young v. Young in the Supreme Court of Canada. Lorne has successfully protected clients' rights since 1983 in the field of high net worth and complex family law disputes, dealing with issues such as spousal and child support, property division, child custody and parenting time and responsibilities disputes, guardianship and access, and marriage-like relationships. Lorne MacLean, K.C. lives life to the fullest, loves running and weightlifting, jazz music, strategy games, and travelling with his family. He especially loves to find the “hidden gems” in the cities he visits on his world travels. Along with keeping his mind sharp, Lorne is avid about keeping physically healthy with boot camps and cross-fit, half marathons and biking.  

Jennifer Risher is an author, speaker, philanthropist, and investor on a mission to move money out of the taboo category and help us have much-needed conversations. Her book, “We Need to Talk: A Memoir About Wealth,” explores the impact of wealth on identity and relationships. In sharing her story, Jennifer aims to validate the emotional complexities of money and help those with wealth move out of guilt, shame, or a desire to keep money hidden and into meaning, joy, and purpose. Jennifer was born in Seattle, Washington, grew up in Oregon, and graduated from Connecticut College. She joined Microsoft in 1991 where she worked as a recruiter and then as a product manager. As an extra-fortunate beneficiary of the dot-com boom, she believes abundance can drive change and fuel action — and that we need to be putting more philanthropic dollars to work now. In 2020, Jennifer and her husband, David, launched #HalfMyDAF to inspire more charitable giving. Over the last four years, they've contributed millions in matching funds, rallied donors and nonprofits, and created a community that has moved over $50 million to nonprofits. With the goal of creating more economic, gender and racial equity, Jennifer has also been investing with women-of-color fund managers. Jennifer and David live in San Francisco, where David is CEO of Lyft. Jennifer loves playing and watching tennis and spending time with her two twenty-something daughters. She is on the board of Women Moving Millions and is a member of Women Donors Network and Solidaire.

Andrew is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Neo Financial — a leading Canadian fintech company that's transforming how Canadians earn, save, and spend money. Founded in 2019, Neo has raised more than $299 million in funding, employs more than 700 people in Calgary and Winnipeg, and has been recognized as Canada's top tech startup by LinkedIn. In addition to serving more than a million customers, Neo powers financial solutions for leading brands including Tim Hortons, Hudson's Bay, and Cathay Pacific. Prior to Neo, Andrew co-founded SkipTheDishes, which was acquired for $200 million in 2016. Originally from Saskatchewan, Andrew now lives in Calgary.

⦁    Kim is a Chartered Accountant, Registered Trust and Estate Practitioner and a tax specialist practicing in Calgary as the CEO / Director Canadian Tax Advisory with Moodys Private Client Law LLP / Moodys Private Client LLP and Moodys Tax (a division of Moodys Private Client Law LLP). ⦁    Kim also recently branched out through his professional corporation to put more energy into some of his “passion projects” involving public speaking, coaching, leadership studies, taxation policy and economics / public policy. ⦁    His main area of expertise is tax and estate planning for the owner- manager of private corporations, executives, professional athletes, and other high net worth individuals. Kim obtained his Bachelor of Management degree from The University of Lethbridge in 1992 and his CA designation from The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta in 1994. ⦁    The antithesis of the status quo, Kim is driven to innovate new and better ways to do things for the clients he serves and other professionals in tax. His relentless obsession with getting to know everything in the Tax Act makes him a highly sought-out resource for peers and clients. In March 2020, Kim published his first book, Making Life Less Taxing: Pay Attention To Your Taxes So You Can Pay Less Tax and Build a Strong, Smarter Canada – an Amazon bestseller in a number of categories. ⦁    Kim is a Past Chair and Past Deputy Chair of the Board, Past Treasurer, as well as Past Chair of the Technical Committee for the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners of Canada (“STEP”). In addition, Kim is a past Chair of the Board of Governors for the Canadian Tax Foundation. He is also a member and past Co-Chair of the CBA/CPA Canada Joint Committee on Taxation. Kim is a co-founder of the Tax Specialist Group – an association of tax specialist firms across Canada founded in 1999. ⦁    Kim is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012), the Business in Calgary 2012 Leader of Tomorrow Award, and in 2013 was conferred the Fellow of the Chartered Accountants of Alberta designation. He is also a recipient of the STEP Founders Award for Outstanding Achievement which was conferred in 2013. Kim participates on many non- profit / charitable boards to ensure that his experience can advance the causes of the organizations that are important to him. For example, in 2021, he was one of the co-founders of a new think-tank - The Aristotle Foundation - and was installed as its original Chair and he continues to serve in that position today. ⦁    Deciding years ago that sleep was highly overrated, Kim makes time to share his immense knowledge through writing, lecturing, teaching, and being an active, national leader in the tax profession. In 2016, he fulfilled his long-standing goal of receiving admission into law school but his busy schedule made him realize that completing law school might have to be in his next life. Kim's unique ability is being a loyal, transparent, and honest intellectual rebel who always does the right thing. His passion to lead, teach, never settle, and both seek and speak the truth aid in his contributions to the tax landscape. Kim desires to be an inspirational example for those around him to continuously grow. ⦁    Kim is married to Vivian and they have four sons – Alexander, Lucas, Jacob and Benjamin.

Tony serves as Canaccord's Chief Market Strategist, and member of the Firm's U.S. Operating Committee and has 30 years of experience ranging from the corporate boardroom to the individual investor. He is best known for the practical application of macroeconomic and tactical market indicators in assisting institutional investors in making intermediate-term investment and spending decisions. Tony is a frequent guest on the various financial news networks, such as CNBC and Bloomberg, where he is noted for reducing the complex jargon of statistics so beloved of Wall Street commentators to an understandable and practical level.   He is a graduate of Le Moyne College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science, and currently sits on the Le Moyne College Endowment Fund Investment Committee. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and two sons, enjoys flying, scuba diving, sky diving and all outdoor sports.

  Ben Rabidoux is the founder of North Cove Advisors, a boutique research covering Canadian housing, macroeconomic, and household credit trends. North Cove Advisors is consistently ranked in the top 5 for Canadian economic research by Brendan Wood International, as voted upon by institutional investors. Ben also leads the research teams at Edge Realty Analytics, which provides similar research and advisory services to real estate professionals. He is a frequent commentator on all matters related to housing and household credit, having been featured in nearly every major Canadian media publication as well as a number of business publications internationally.

Jason Sarai is the Founder and Creative Director of SARAI Bespoke, a boutique lifestyle brand that creates custom luxury garments for a global clientele. The company's sartorial vision combines old world craftsmanship with modern sensibility to produce clothing that stands the test of time. Founded in 2014, SARAI Bespoke is based in Vancouver, but serves clients across Canada, the United States, and Europe. SARAI Bespoke is also active in the lifestyle space, working with renowned restaurants, hotels, and spas, as well as brand partners such as Omega, Aston Martin, Porsche, Lamborghini, Rémy Martin, and Cartier to complement its clients' experience. Prior to founding SARAI Bespoke, Jason worked as a Wealth Management Advisor for high net worth families and corporations. It was his years in finance that inspired the creation of his clothing line: clients continually sought quality-made, bespoke garments, but couldn't find a lifestyle experience to match the pieces they desired. In addition to his design work, Jason supports numerous philanthropic endeavors: he is the co-founder of 1KARMA with Riaz Megji, veteran television host and executive coach, to support various organizations and charitable causes. He is also a member of the Future Leaders Committee at the St. Paul's Foundation, and participates each year in the Covenant House Executive Sleep Out, a cause that has raised more than $1 million to support disadvantaged and homeless youth in Vancouver. Jason's website is www.stylebysarai.com and his Instagram is @stylebysarai.

· Cindy helps individuals, family enterprises, business owners and family offices navigate the complexities and opportunities that come with wealth. As an integrated advisor, Cindy draws on over 35 years of legal, fiduciary, trust and governance experience in professional services firms, financial institutions, and family offices. She uses her skills to provide an objective perspective and facilitates understanding of how complex family, business and ownership structures can impact family dynamics and family wealth continuity. · Cindy's education and designations include B.Comm, FCPA*, LL.B., LL.M, TEP, ICD.D. and Family Enterprise Advisor*. To support her expertise in working with families she is an active member of several thought leadership organizations including the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and the Purposeful Planning Institute. As a lifelong learner, Cindy values the importance of ongoing education and supports families in their education journey including in her role as Chief Learning Officer for Tamarind Learning Canada. · Cindy strongly believes in giving back to professional and charitable causes. Throughout her career, Cindy has been actively involved as a national and international speaker, author and committee / board member for a variety of professional organizations including: TEC Canada, STEP, Family Firm Institute, Purposeful Planning Institute, CALU, Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta, the Canadian Bar Association and the Canadian Tax Foundation. She was a member / Chair of the STEP Worldwide Business Families Global Steering Committee from 2018 – 2022. · In 2018 Cindy was awarded “Trusted Advisor of the Year” in the prestigious global STEP Private Clients Awards and she was recently announced as finalist in the 2023 STEP Worldwide Family Business Advisory Practice of the Year category. · Cindy's charitable causes focus on individual and community mental health. She is a former board member for both the Canadian Mental Health Association – Calgary and Alberta. Cindy is also proud to be an alumni of Outward Bound Canada summiting Kilimanjaro in 2012 in support of OBC's Women of Courage program.

David Rosenberg is the founder and president of Rosenberg Research, an economic and financial market consulting firm he established in January 2020. Dave provides advice to 2,600 clients, both retail and institutional, across 40 countries. Prior to creating his own company, David was chief economist and strategist at Gluskin Sheff + Associates from 2009 to 2019. Prior to that, from 2000 to 2009, he was at Merrill Lynch, where for the first two years he was chief Canadian economist and strategist based out of Toronto; for the last seven he was Chief North American economist at Merrill Lynch in New York, where he was consistently ranked in top three of Wall Street economists polled by the annual Institutional Investors survey. David is a frequent contributor to most major financial newspapers and publications in North America and makes regular TV appearances in the financial media. He received both a BA and MA in economics from the University of Toronto.

Danielle is a Life Learner dedicated to bringing out the best in herself and others. Danielle is a Business Graduate from Concordia University. She completed wealth management courses at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management and The John Molson School of Business in Montreal. She is an Accredited Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation and The Coach Teaching Institute with designations in Emotional Intelligence, Resilience and Legacy Coaching. She also trained with the Co-Active Training Institute group in co-active coaching. She is a Family Enterprise Advisor Designate achieved through the Family Enterprise Xchange and completed a Certification in Applied Positive Psychology through the Flourishing Center. As a Family Advisor she is clarifying purpose, resolving conflict, and amplifying total wealth, where wealth is much more than financial capital – the focus here is on Human Capital. The basis of her family advisory role is: “Are you communicating in a way that the family is in Harmony?” As a professionally-trained Coach, Danielle's goal is to hold a safe space for her clients. She provides accountability, clarity and support on their journey of self-discovery and forward motion. The basis of her coaching is: “Are you living the Legacy you want to be remembered for?” Danielle also engages at speaking events sharing her story, knowledge and experience to help other Canadian families overcome the proverbial saying; “shirtsleeve to shirtsleeve in 3 generations”. Danielle is 3rd generation of a prominent Canadian Family Business. She worked in her family's business until she married, moved to Ontario and began a family of her own. She is mother to 3 wonderful young ladies. She is President of Danuto Holdings, an investment company. She is a Trustee for the Lakefield College School. Danielle co-facilitates parenting workshop within her community as well as a group of FEA's to share and learn. On the home front, Danielle organizes and leads family meetings, creates multigenerational games, coordinated the writing of a family values book which lead her to publish her own book. Her focus is on building a family legacy and fostering financial literacy in the younger generation. Danielle has a passion for travel, nature and staying active. She plays the piano and clarinet and volunteers her time supporting her community.

President, Beedie Built For Good, Born and raised in Burnaby, BC, Ryan Beedie is president of BEEDIE, one of Western Canada's largest industrial and residential development companies. More than the business' success, though, is Ryan's personal commitment to give back to the community, contributing personally nearly $125+ million to 350 organizations as varied as Simon Fraser University, Ronald McDonald House, the BC Children's Hospital, YWCA in Vancouver and The One Campaign, fighting poverty around the world and where he sits on its Global Leadership Council. In 2018, Ryan launched Beedie Luminaries with a personal commitment of $50 million, to provide post-secondary scholarships for promising but disadvantaged students mainly in British Columbia. Most recently, Beedie Luminaries launched its Spark Program (Single Parent Awards for Resilience and Knowledge), providing single parents facing financial adversity with support for full-time or part-time studies. Ryan Beedie's work has earned numerous awards and acknowledgments, one of the most recent being the Business Leader of the Year from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Order of British Columbia, recognizing Ryan's dedication to community support and philanthropy. Ryan and his wife Cindy Beedie reside in British Columbia.

Steven Scott BCOM, CA, CPA, is the Chair and Chief Executive Officer of StorageVault Canada (TSXV: SVI) and of the Access Group of Companies.  Mr. Scott has over 20 years of experience in the ownership, acquisition, development and management of self storage, residential and Industrial real estate in Canada.  Mr. Scott is the Chair of Parkit (TSXV: PKT) and sits on the Boards of Park Lawn Corporation, (TSX: PLC), (Audit Chair), Timbercreek Financial Corporation (TSX: TF) and the Canadian Self Storage Association, (Treasurer).

Chief Executive Officer, Nexii Stephen is a serial entrepreneur who has founded companies in various industries—including in manufacturing, retail, real estate, investment banking, healthy restaurants (LYFE Kitchen) and CPG food brands (Luvo)—raising over a billion dollars in the process. He has been featured in business publications as an industry disrupter by Bloomberg, Fast Company, Fortune, NY Times, CNBC, and Huffington Post among others. Stephen is committed to creating a greener, healthier planet for future generations. His current mission is to revolutionize the global construction industry, using Nexii's building technology to create a brighter future for people and the planet.  

Jonathan Medved is the Founder and CEO of OurCrowd. Named by the Washington Post as “one of Israel's leading high tech venture capitalists” and by the New York Times among the “top 10 most influential Americans who have impacted Israel,” Jon is a serial entrepreneur and investor, and one of the pioneers of Israel's venture capital industry. Jon is a regular television guest on CNN, BBC, CNBC, Bloomberg TV and SkyNews, and is frequently quoted in major business publications. Start-up Nation, the best-selling book on Israel's high-tech economy, describes him as “one of Israel's legendary business ambassadors.” A California native, Jon moved to Israel in his 20s where he successfully built and exited several startups. These include MERET Optical Communications, a fiber optics pioneer sold to Amoco; multilingual leader Accent Software (Nasdaq: ACNTF); and mobile video platform Vringo (NYSE:VRNG). In 1994, Jon was a co-founder of Israel Seed Partners, one of Israel's first venture capital funds. Including the OurCrowd portfolio, Jon has backed over 400 tech startups as a venture capitalist and angel investor.Jon collects rare single malts and loud Hawaiian shirts and lives in Jerusalem with his wife Jane, his four children and twelve grandchildren.

Mike Woollatt is Managing Director and Head of Canada for Hamilton Lane. Prior to joining Hamilton Lane in 2019, Mike was a Director at OMERS pension plan in the venture capital and growth equity groups. Before that Mike was the CEO of the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association. He has also co-founded a management consulting firm and has held senior executive roles at a few major Canadian corporations.  Prior to entering the private sector, Mike worked for the Government of Canada, first as a research economist and then as a political and policy advisor to the Minister of Finance. Mike has also worked overseas as an economist on World Bank funded international development projects and taught economics at the university level. Mike is a frequent commentator on both broadcast and print media on the state of the Canadian private capital markets.   Mike holds a Masters in Economics from the University of British Columbia. 

Ben is a founding Partner and CEO of Mogan Daniels Slager LLP, believed to be Western Canada's leading M&A boutique in the private small to mid-market by deal volume. Ben has over 20 years' experience representing clients in M&A, private equity, angel and venture capital transactions, and a host of other complex business law matters. Best LawyersTM named Ben “Vancouver's Venture Lawyer of the Year” for 2022, and he has been named in Best LawyersTM in the M&A and Venture Capital categories for a number of years. • Ben is also an active angel investor, and is currently invested in over 20 early-stage companies in Canada and the US (with an industrial health, and medical tech/device emphasis). Ben serves on the Board (and as Chair) of a couple of these companies, and serves as an informal Board Advisor to several. Ben is also a Co-Chair of the Vancouver Community of Tiger 21 (North America's preeminent peer learning group for successful, active entrepreneurs who are stewarding personal wealth of $20MM and greater), now with 30 Members in Vancouver and over 1,200 Members world-wide. As Ben is proud of saying, over the years he has worked on (and invested in) some of British Columbia's largest – and some of its smallest – transactions.  Lastly, Ben is an author of an odd and some say charming little book about a headless chicken (On Amazon: Flight of the Headless Chicken: Can Living from the Heart Give Chickens Wings that Work?), and claims that his greatest accomplishment in life has been identifying and securing his wife and life partner, Maureen, in grade 7, and then convincing her to stick with him through all of life's winding roads (even after her many years of due diligence on him).

Ben RabidouxNorth Cove Advisors Inc Ben Rabidoux is the founder of North Cove Advisors, a boutique research covering Canadian housing, macroeconomic, and household credit trends.  NCA is consistently ranked in the top-5 for Canadian economic research by Brendan Wood International, as voted upon by institutional investors.  Ben also leads the research teams at Edge Realty Analytics, which provides similar research and advisory services to real estate professionals.  He is a frequent commentator on all matters related to housing and household credit, having been featured in nearly every major Canadian media publication as well as a number of business publications internationally.  

Duncan is the CEO of Pareto Systems, an industryleading business development firm dedicated tothe elite professionals and companies within theknowledge-for-profit sector. Duncan and his team ofconsultants work with professionals in a wide rangeof fields including Financial Services, Insurance,Accounting, Legal, Mortgage, and Consulting tocreate predictable, sustainable, and duplicablebusinesses. Pareto Systems is well known for itsapproach which is based on best practices and forits focus on implementation. As a speaker in high demand, Duncan travelsextensively throughout North America andaround the world, conveying dynamic and factrichpresentations that have made him a popularspokesperson for the knowledge–for-profit industry.Duncan's expertise in demystifying businessdevelopment and marketing in the financial worldhas universal appeal; from the high-level advisorto the successful wholesaler, to corporate financialinstitutions. Duncan's primary goal is to helpProfessionals achieve liberation and order in theirbusinesses through step-by-step methodology andexecution. Duncan is also an industry best-selling author andhas written many books including: The AdvisorPlaybook and The Blue Square Method; themindset and best-practices of top fee-for-serviceprofessionals. Beyond the office, Duncan loves spending time withhis wife and two sons. They enjoy the four-seasonsplayground they call home in beautiful Kelowna,British Columbia, Canada. He enjoys staying activewith recreational activities such as golf, tennis, andskiing.

Dr. Sharilyn Hale helps those who give, give well, engage their families, and channel their wealth and influence for good.  As President of Watermark Philanthropic Counsel, Sharilyn works with leading philanthropists, generous families, and social purpose organizations across Canada and the Caribbean.  Drawing from the best global practices and knowledge in philanthropic strategy, governance, organizational development, and research, her client engagements result in confidence and clarity. Sharilyn is an advisor with 21/64 to support multi-generational family philanthropy, and a faculty member of the Ultra High Net Worth Institute.  A Chartered Director (C.Dir), Sharilyn is also a certified governance advisor and trainer with BoardSource, blending the best of corporate and family governance in her work with foundation and nonprofit boards.  Author and educator, Sharilyn's doctoral research on family philanthropy governance produced a model that helps families approach their giving in a meaningful way that works.  She recently completed a study exploring affluent philanthropy in the Caribbean, where she grew up and continues to work.

David Rosenberg is the Founder and President of Rosenberg Research & Associates Inc., an economic consulting firm he established in January 2020. He and his team have as their top priority providing investors with analysis and insights to help them make well-informed investment decisions. Prior to Rosenberg Research, David was Chief Economist & Strategist at Gluskin Sheff + Associates Inc. from 2009 to 2019. From 2002 to 2009, he was Chief North American Economist at Merrill Lynch in New York, during which he was consistently ranked in the Institutional Investor All-Star analyst rankings. Prior thereto, he was Chief Economist and Strategist for Merrill Lynch Canada, based out of Toronto, where he and his team placed first in the Brendan Wood survey of Canadian economists for ten years in a row. Mr. Rosenberg is a frequent contributor to most major financial newspapers and publications in North America and makes regular TV appearances in the financial media. He received both a Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Toronto.

Marcus New has an accomplished career in the private and public financial markets that spans over three decades and is a pioneer in the pre-IPO asset class. He is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of InvestX Capital, a trading platform that delivers access and liquidity to the growth equity asset class and empowers the sell-side to invest and trade in institutional quality private equity.  

Som Seif is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Purpose, which he formed following the sale of Claymore Investments to BlackRock Inc. in March 2012 and the Co-Founder of WealthSimple Technologies Inc. Prior to Claymore Investments, Som was an investment banker with RBC Capital Markets. He has a strong commitment to community and is currently a member of the AGO Foundation Board, Next Canada Board, Co-chair of the UofT Defy Gravity Campaign and a member of their Industrial Engineering Advisory Committee.

John Bromley is the founder of Charitable Impact, an organization that helps individuals, groups and companies manage the money they’ve set aside for donations in order to maximize their impact. After starting his career in corporate finance, he joined forces with his father, charity law expert Blake Bromley, to create a boutique charity services firm. A two-time TEDx speaker, John has helped structure and negotiate more than $2 billion in donations on behalf of people, corporations, and existing foundations. Now, with Charitable Impact, his vision is to make giving more accessible and more effective for everyone.

Michael Lee-Chin is one of the best known, and most philanthropic, entrepreneurs in the country. The Jamaican-raised founder and chairman of Portland Holdings, a privately held investment company, is involved in numerous sectors, including financial services, insurance, consumer goods, media, tourism and agriculture. In 1983, 13 years after moving to Canada, he bought investment firm AIC Limited, which at the time had $1 million in assets under management. Over the next two decades, AIC became one of the largest domestic financial services firms in the country, growing to $15 billion in AUM. He sold the company in 2009 and has been involved in many other businesses since. He’s taken his motto of “doing well and doing good” to heart, most famously donating $30 million to the Royal Ontario Museum in 2003. Lee-Chin is a recipient of both the Order of Jamaica and the Order of Ontario. In 2016, he was appointed Chair of the Government of Jamaica’s Economic Growth Council.

Dr. Hasmukh Patel is the CEO and co-founder of AgeCare, a network of nursing home facilities situated across Western Canada. The son of Indian immigrants, Dr. Patel was born and raised in Kenya and studied family medicine in England, before moving to rural Alberta with his wife and two young children in 1987. In an effort to improve the quality of long-term care facilities and clinical care for seniors, Dr. Patel designed, built and operated the first 86-bed AgeCare home in 1998, raising the required capital through bank debt and private equity from friends and family. After expanding to 15 facilities in the following 20 years, with 2900 beds and 3100 staff, Axium Infrastructure Fund acquired a majority equity partnership in AgeCare in 2019.

John is the Founder and Managing Partner of Maverix Private Equity. John’s focus will is on guiding the strategy of the firm, Chair of the Investment Committee and is deeply involved with sourcing and leading opportunities particularly within the technology industry. John is also the Founder of OMERS Ventures. Through John’s leadership as Chief Executive Officer, OMERS Ventures had invested over $500 million of capital in over 40 disruptive technology companies across North America, including growth investments in Shopify, Xanadu, Wattpad, Wave, Hootsuite, Rover, Desire 2 Learn, Hopper, DuckDuckGo, TouchBistro and League. During his tenure at OMERS, John also formed OMERS Platform Investments as its Executive Managing Director. He has led investments in Purpose Financial, PointNorth Capital, District Ventures, OneEleven and ArcTern Ventures. John is also the Co-founder and Vice Chair of the Council of Canadian Innovators, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping high-growth Canadian technology firms scale up globally. Further, John sits on a number of boards of leading innovative organizations in both the profit and non-for-profit sector. John’s work has been recognized by numerous organizations. He has been selected as Canada’s MostPowerful Business Person by Canadian Business Magazine and as one of Toronto’s most influential persons by Toronto Life Magazine. John has been awarded with the Outstanding Progress and Achievement Award by the Schulich School of Business, an award for outstanding career achievements in their respective field. In 2018, John was honored with the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic which made him a 5th Class Knight. In 2020, John became a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountantsof Ontario (FCPA).

To view the images discussed in episode #2 please click here and here. Patricia Saputo is a certified wealth transition coach and the COO of Placements Italcan Inc. She helped pioneer the single family office, managing money on behalf of her family, which started Saputo Inc., one of the leading dairy and cheese producers in the world. In this role, she got more involved in the area of family governance and helping other families transition their wealth from one generation to the next. She also helped launch the Family Wealth Program at both Concordia University and at Queens University and is also the co-founder and executive chairperson of Crysalia, a company that helps enterprising families succeed across multiple generations.

Bruce Linton is one of Canada’s leading entrepreneurs. He got his first taste of business ownership in the dot com days, as president and co-founder of WebHancer, a company that helped people measure and analyze their website’s performance. It was eventually bought by Microsoft. He’s since gone on to found several other companies, most notably Canopy Growth Corporation, where he oversaw 31 acquisitions, 16 rounds of financing and $6 billion of capital raises. As founder, CEO and chairman of Canopy, which became the largest cannabis operation in the world under his watch, he was a central player in the cannabis industry’s development. He now serves on several boards, including cannabis company Gage Growth Corp., where he serves as founding executive chairman and Mind Medicine Inc., a psychedelic-inspired medicine biotech company. Linton also sits on the board of the Canadian Olympic Foundation and is an active member of The Ottawa Hospital Foundation’s campaign executive committee.

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