ºÚÁÏÍø±¬³Ô¹Ï

Date: April 1, 2026

Time: 5:30 – 7:30 pm ET

Location: ºÚÁÏÍø±¬³Ô¹Ï Engine Centre (FDA5)

About our panelists

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Zoonie Nguyen

Executive Producer and Co-Director @How She Dares

Zoonie Nguyen is a Vietnamese-Canadian entrepreneur, speaker, and coach whose journey from war refugee to ºÚÁÏÍø±¬³Ô¹Ï-trained engineer has shaped her commitment to courageous, purpose-driven leadership. A former project manager at CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation), she combines her engineering background with a passion for helping women professionals and entrepreneurs build authentic confidence, communicate with impact, and grow values-driven ventures.
She is also the executive producer and co-director of How She Dares, a documentary-to-movement platform that amplifies the journeys of women entrepreneurs in Canada and Vietnam through film and community-building initiatives, and as Quebec Ambassador for WEDO Canada (Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Organization), she champions women’s leadership and innovation, inspiring the next generation of founders to lead boldly.

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Elsa Tannous

Founder and Executive Director @DigiWomen

Elsa Tannous is the Founder and Executive Director of DigiWomen, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the inclusion of women and girls in technology. With over 10 years of experience in human resources and tech recruitment, she builds bridges between talent, organizations, and education. Through her initiatives — events, educational programs, and media content — she actively works to democratize access to careers in tech. As a speaker and host, she promotes a vision of a more inclusive, innovative, and human-centered tech ecosystem. Her work sits at the intersection of leadership, diversity, and organizational transformation.

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Roseline Théroux 

CMO & Co-Founder @Fulcra

Roseline Theroux is the CMO and co-founder of Fulcra, a MedTech startup developing medical devices to support the rehabilitation of chronic lower back pain. Driven by a desire to help others through technological innovation, she earned her degree in mechanical engineering from ºÚÁÏÍø±¬³Ô¹Ï, with a focus on biomechanics and entrepreneurship. As CMO, Roseline leads Fulcra’s market strategies and consumer understanding, ensuring their technology aligns with the needs of both healthcare professionals and end users.

About our panelists

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Georgia Powell

Co-Founder & CEO @ NURA Medical 

Georgia Powell is the CEO and co-founder of NURA Medical. She holds a Master of Science in Experimental Surgery with a concentration in Surgical Innovation from ºÚÁÏÍø±¬³Ô¹Ï. During her master's, Georgia’s research focused on pediatric musculoskeletal disorders with additional research efforts directed towards the provision of fluid therapy on postoperative recovery after major spine surgery. Prior to her master's, Georgia completed her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology (Honours), with research experience in neuroscience on the effect of feedback on motor learning through electroencephalograms. Her innovative vision for technology-driven solutions and patient-centered care inspired her to co-found NURA Medical.

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Madison Santos

CSO & Co-Founder @ TissueTinker 

Madison Santos is the CSO and co-founder of TissueTinker, an early-stage biotech venture developing 3D bio printed in vitro tumor and organ models to pre-screen cancer therapeutic drug candidates to improve the to-market rate of new cancer therapeutics. Madison is a Biomedical Engineering Master's student in the ºÚÁÏÍø±¬³Ô¹Ï Biomedical Technology & Cell Therapy (BTCTRL) Laboratory, and current PGSS Innovation Commissioner, supporting the ºÚÁÏÍø±¬³Ô¹Ï graduate innovation ecosystem.

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Kimia Shafighi

CEO & Co-Founder @ Biocene 

Kimia Shafighi is the CEO and co-founder of Biocene, a clean tech startup dedicated to developing sustainable solutions for water ecosystems impacted by harmful algae overgrowth. Biocene's innovative technology, Algo, harnesses eco-friendly mechanical systems to clean water bodies while transforming algae biomass into valuable products such as biofuels, bioplastics, and biocoke. With a bachelor’s in bioengineering and a master’s in neuroscience and machine learning from ºÚÁÏÍø±¬³Ô¹Ï and Mila, Kimia has led Biocene from its inception to its current pilot projects with Parks Canada. She is passionate about sustainability, innovation, and empowering women in entrepreneurship.

About our panelists

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Maria Calderbank, CEO & Co-Founder @

• provides an innovative and better way of managing chronic lower back pain. Their unique orthotic device provides on-demand support to the wearer during movement, increasing spinal stability.
• ºÚÁÏÍø±¬³Ô¹Ï BEng, Mechanical Engineering

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Cynthia Hitti, Co-Founder & Team Lead @ CRCTS

• (Cricket Rearing, Collection, and Transformation System) is a novel semi-automated device designed to rear and harvest crickets to produce a nutritious powder for human consumption.
• Bioengineering Master's student at ºÚÁÏÍø±¬³Ô¹Ï
• ºÚÁÏÍø±¬³Ô¹Ï BEng, Bioengineering

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Dr. Yun Yao, Co-Founder & CEO @ Soralink

• offers a complete solution for industrial machine condition monitoring, failure prediction, predictive maintenance, as well as productivity tracking.
• ºÚÁÏÍø±¬³Ô¹Ï PhD, Electrical and Computer Engineering
• ºÚÁÏÍø±¬³Ô¹Ï MEng, Electrical Engineering
• ºÚÁÏÍø±¬³Ô¹Ï BEng, Electrical Engineering

About our panelists

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Amy Lorincz, Co-founder & CEO @ Vope Medical

• has developed an AI-driven software to address a significant unmet need for clear vision in minimally invasive surgery (MIS).
• ºÚÁÏÍø±¬³Ô¹Ï MSc, Experimental Surgery, 2022 graduate
• Concordia University, BEng, Industrial Engineering, 2019 graduate

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Chaity Tarafder, Co-Founder @ NameShouts

• is a SaaS startup that is simplifying the way people make first connections, one name at a time.
• ºÚÁÏÍø±¬³Ô¹Ï B.A., Economics

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Flora Uwadiegwu, Technical Program Manager @ Lyft & Co-Founder @ WeTechNG

• is a community of women that intersects through various areas of technology: a community that collaborates, innovates and supports. Join the next generation of Women in Tech today by being an ambassador or fellow at
• ºÚÁÏÍø±¬³Ô¹Ï MEng, Chemical Engineering, 2017 graduate

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Justine Massicott, Co-Founder & CTO @ Lighthouse

• is a powerful navigation platform allows users to query for items across and within worlds - significantly facilitating discovery and improving the industry’s cross-world search capabilities.
• HEC Montreal, Masters, Data Science, 2018 graduate
• Université de Montréal, Masters, Philosophy, 2017 graduate

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Nathalie Myara, Co-fondatrice Présidente Directrice Générale @ Eduplan Solutions

• is a company specializing in education, health and social services technologies, which provides various professionals, parents, and students; in particular, learners with disabilities or learning and/or adaptation difficulties intelligent platforms for the development and management of intervention plans, as well as other related platforms and services.
• Université de Montréal, MEd, Orthopédagogie, 2006 graduate
• Université de Montréal, PhD, Psychopédagogie, 2011 graduate

About our panelists

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Guanbingxue (Shirley) Huang

• Studying Mechanical Engineering
• Co-Founder of

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Nina-Marie Martinez

• Studying Mechanical Engineering
• Co-Founder of
• Vice President External of

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Zhi Xin (Joey) Koay

• Studying Software Engineering
• 2020 Schulich Leader
• Co-Founder of
• VP Products of

About our panelists

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Chloë Ryan

• Studying Mechanical Engineering
• Co-Founder of , Director of BRIDGE and Next36 Entrepreneur & Assistant Project Manager at WSP

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Celeste Nantel

• Studying Mechanical Engineering
• Co-Founder of , Next36 Entrepreneur

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Shlesha Van

• Studying Mechanical Engineering
• Co-Founder of

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Christina Katsari

• PhD Candidate in Materials Engineering
• Co-Founder of Alpha Iota Alloys

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About our panelists

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Naureen Anwar

• Studied Electrical Engineering at ºÚÁÏÍø±¬³Ô¹Ï from 2005-2010
• CEO of NameShouts, a free a web app which helps you pronounce a person's name correctly

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Boyana Stefanova

• Studied Mechanical Engineering at ºÚÁÏÍø±¬³Ô¹Ï from 2002-2007
• Community Builder at MAIN, Québec's first network of business accelerators and incubators

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Laura Al Khoury

• Studied Mechanical Engineering at ºÚÁÏÍø±¬³Ô¹Ï from 2013-2017
• Co Founder of Yuma, a weekly meal subscription for employees starting at $7/meal

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