On April 7th, the Safe x Connected Accelerator Demo Day, in partnership with TechTO and various industry leaders, explored the redefined potential that our cities hold through new ways of connecting people, things and technology. We’ll also take a deeper look at some of the opportunities and challenges that we could be facing along the way and how technology is making a difference.
Speaker(s):
- Nicole LeBlanc is a partner with 2150, an urbantech & sustainability focused VC fund tackling major unsolved problems across the ‘Urban Stack’, from the way our cities are designed, constructed and powered, to the way people live, work and are cared for. Prior to this Nicole was the Director of Investments and Partnerships for Alphabet’s Sidewalk Labs that works with developers and cities to build more sustainable, innovative, and equitable places. Before joining Sidewalk managed a portfolio of 150+ seed stage startups with Director roles at BDC Capital and NBIF. Nicole began her career as a CPA, including roles as a controller at Ganong Bros, an East Coast family-run confectionery manufacturer that invented the chocolate bar. She stays active in the community through board roles at Innovacorp, Propel and Brilliant Labs, as well as actively mentoring with Creative Destruction Lab and Next Canada.
- Paul Fletcher joined Aviva Canada in 2001, having previously worked at Aviva in the UK. Paul serves as Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, leading Distribution Operations, Marketing, Sustainability, Communications and Government Relations. Prior to this role, Paul held many senior leadership positions including in Regional Training, Strategy and Business Transformation, Broker Distribution, and Commercial Lines. Paul has an Honors Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics from Warwick University, as well as a postgraduate diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing. He also holds an MBA from Cranfield University, and the designation of Chartered Insurer as a Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute.
- Valerie Swatkow is Chief Development Officer at Highline Beta, a hybrid corporate venture studio and VC firm that works with global enterprises including RBC, Intuit and AB InBev, and invests in startups that pilot with corporations to drive growth innovation. Before joining Highline Beta Valerie launched a $5M corporate venture fund with the mission to invest in and accelerate early-stage technology companies in the martech/adtech space, brought NewCo to Toronto, a festival celebrating emerging purpose driven businesses and was also a co-founder of Elevate, Canada’s innovation festival. Valerie started her career in advertising in Toronto, but grew her skills outside of Canada working with global corporate clients like McDonald’s and Procter & Gamble. She is an active mentor for Next Canada.
