Areas of Expertise:

Design Strategy & User Experience (UX)

Innovation & Experimentation

Product Strategy

Design Thinking

‍

Adunni Rufai is a design strategist, innovation coach, and UX leader with over a decade of experience spanning financial audit, product strategy, and user experience design. She specializes in helping startups, enterprises, and global organizations build customer-centric solutions, drive innovation, and scale sustainably.As an Experience Design Manager at TD Bank, Adunni led teams in crafting user-focused digital experiences that enhanced engagement and business impact. She is passionate about agile methodologies and iterative learning, having coached startups, corporate teams, and international development agencies on adopting design-led strategies for growth and transformation.

‍

Previously, as Head of Experimentation at the UNDP Accelerator Lab in Nigeria, she worked at the intersection of innovation, policy, and grassroots entrepreneurship, leading rapid testing initiatives that informed scalable development programs. She has also held roles as a Full-Stack Designer, Product Manager, and Consultant, guiding cross-functional teams in human-centered design, business strategy, and growth experimentation.With expertise in design thinking, business model innovation, and scalable experimentation, Adunni is committed to equipping founders with the tools to build and scale impactful ventures.

Area of Expertise

GTM Strategist

GTM strategist specializing in revenue optimization for traditional SMBs. Alex builds Digital Twins powered by first-party conversation intelligence—transforming scattered customer insights into predictive revenue engines. Proven methodology: 156% CAGR, 75% retention, 90%+ forecast accuracy. Bilingual, Montreal-based.

Area of Expertise:

Strategic Growth
Go-to-Market Strategy
Fundraising
Operational Finance and M&A

Alex is a seasoned tech executive, entrepreneur, investor and lawyer. Through the years, he developed a unique blend of experience in strategy, product, marketing, sales, fundraising, operational finance and M&A to maximize the success and valuation of tech companies.

‍

He advises startups, management consulting and private equity firms on various topics. His recent experience includes the following:
COO of one of the 10 fastest-growing companies in the country with more than $100M in revenue;

• Head of North America and member of global exec team for a French tech company that raised close to $100M;
• Partner in the fastest-growing law firm in Canada;
• Built and sold Edilex, a B2B SaaS tech company;
• Senior advisor to the fastest growing tech company in Canada.

‍

Alex also invests in growing tech-driven companies across many industries. He has an MBA from UCLA Anderson in Los Angeles and a law degree from Université de Sherbrooke in Québec.

Area of Expertise:

Sales (process, deal lifecycle, competitive research)
Business Development (demand gen, lead nurturing, cadence)
Monetization and Strategy
Product

‍

Ali Kiassat is a founder, business development executive and management consultant. He is keen on helping DMZ founders identify the persona of their customers, make their first sale, develop & scale a sales playbook, find product market fit and identify focused strategies.

‍

Previously, Ali was a founding member of a PropTech startup, a consultant in the blockchain space, and a people leader at a top Silicon Valley SaaS company. Before that, he helped scale a Toronto-based startup to 170+ employees from 40. With a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and 10 years of sales and leadership experience in the tech world, Ali is passionate about giving back to the startup ecosystem.

‍

Product Development and Innovation

AI/ML

Go-to-Market Strategy

Startup Growth and Exit Strategy

Alnur Ismail is a seasoned entrepreneur and senior executive with over 20 years of hands-on experience in product development, driving remarkable business success. In 2016, Alnur co-founded Fourwalls, a leading real estate technology SaaS platform for residential real estate agents and brokerages across Canada. He shapped the company’s value proposition, product offerings, and go-to-market strategy which was instrumental to its success. Alnur possesses a unique ability to strike the perfect balance between technology investment and fulfilling the needs of the business.

‍

Under his leadership of the product and engineering teams, Fourwalls achieved an impressive 65% profit margin and pioneered significant IP developments that propelled them to the forefront of the industry. In 2021, Fourwalls underwent a strategic acquisition, and Alnur remained onboard as the Chief Technology Officer, orchestrating transformative changes within the engineering and product teams to ensure continued excellence. Prior to his tenure at Fourwalls, Alnur made significant contributions while working in engineering, product development, and as a technical evangelist at Microsoft, where he garnered numerous accolades for his outstanding contributions. Alnur is an alumnus of the University of Waterloo, holding an Honours Bachelor of Computer Science degree.

Areas of Expertise:

Design Strategy & User Experience (UX)

Innovation & Experimentation

Product Strategy

Design Thinking

‍

Adunni Rufai is a design strategist, innovation coach, and UX leader with over a decade of experience spanning financial audit, product strategy, and user experience design. She specializes in helping startups, enterprises, and global organizations build customer-centric solutions, drive innovation, and scale sustainably.As an Experience Design Manager at TD Bank, Adunni led teams in crafting user-focused digital experiences that enhanced engagement and business impact. She is passionate about agile methodologies and iterative learning, having coached startups, corporate teams, and international development agencies on adopting design-led strategies for growth and transformation.

‍

Previously, as Head of Experimentation at the UNDP Accelerator Lab in Nigeria, she worked at the intersection of innovation, policy, and grassroots entrepreneurship, leading rapid testing initiatives that informed scalable development programs. She has also held roles as a Full-Stack Designer, Product Manager, and Consultant, guiding cross-functional teams in human-centered design, business strategy, and growth experimentation.With expertise in design thinking, business model innovation, and scalable experimentation, Adunni is committed to equipping founders with the tools to build and scale impactful ventures.

Areas of Expertise:

Design Strategy & User Experience (UX)

Innovation & Experimentation

Product Strategy

Design Thinking

‍

Adunni Rufai is a design strategist, innovation coach, and UX leader with over a decade of experience spanning financial audit, product strategy, and user experience design. She specializes in helping startups, enterprises, and global organizations build customer-centric solutions, drive innovation, and scale sustainably.As an Experience Design Manager at TD Bank, Adunni led teams in crafting user-focused digital experiences that enhanced engagement and business impact. She is passionate about agile methodologies and iterative learning, having coached startups, corporate teams, and international development agencies on adopting design-led strategies for growth and transformation.

‍

Previously, as Head of Experimentation at the UNDP Accelerator Lab in Nigeria, she worked at the intersection of innovation, policy, and grassroots entrepreneurship, leading rapid testing initiatives that informed scalable development programs. She has also held roles as a Full-Stack Designer, Product Manager, and Consultant, guiding cross-functional teams in human-centered design, business strategy, and growth experimentation.With expertise in design thinking, business model innovation, and scalable experimentation, Adunni is committed to equipping founders with the tools to build and scale impactful ventures.

Area of Expertise

GTM Strategist

GTM strategist specializing in revenue optimization for traditional SMBs. Alex builds Digital Twins powered by first-party conversation intelligence—transforming scattered customer insights into predictive revenue engines. Proven methodology: 156% CAGR, 75% retention, 90%+ forecast accuracy. Bilingual, Montreal-based.

Area of Expertise

GTM Strategist

GTM strategist specializing in revenue optimization for traditional SMBs. Alex builds Digital Twins powered by first-party conversation intelligence—transforming scattered customer insights into predictive revenue engines. Proven methodology: 156% CAGR, 75% retention, 90%+ forecast accuracy. Bilingual, Montreal-based.

UX and Product Design Strategy
UX Design Education

‍

Berjesty is a creative strategist, with 15+ years running in-house and agency design teams, working her way through the ranks to become the leader in UX design, and now UX Leader with experience in Canada’s most valuable companies like Shopify and Cineplex.

‍

Berjesty started her own company UX Faculty to empower more people with UX design skills – transforming careers through immersive courses in UX design where she helps to build schools in the Middle East with the proceeds because the future deserves world-class UX designers and tech leaders.

UX and Product Design Strategy
UX Design Education

‍

Berjesty is a creative strategist, with 15+ years running in-house and agency design teams, working her way through the ranks to become the leader in UX design, and now UX Leader with experience in Canada’s most valuable companies like Shopify and Cineplex.

‍

Berjesty started her own company UX Faculty to empower more people with UX design skills – transforming careers through immersive courses in UX design where she helps to build schools in the Middle East with the proceeds because the future deserves world-class UX designers and tech leaders.

Areas of Expertise:

Social Media Marketing

Marketing Strategy

Content Creation

Brigitte is a passionate marketing professional with over eight years of experience helping brands and entrepreneurs grow with clarity and purpose. She began her career in CPG retail marketing before founding Alveare Social, a boutique Toronto-based social media marketing agency that supports a diverse portfolio of B2B, B2C, and solopreneur clients. With a strong focus on growth strategy, content marketing, and analytics, Brigitte combines hands-on execution with big-picture strategy to deliver measurable impact. Her approach blends storytelling with data-driven insights, ensuring campaigns are not only creative but sustainable for long-term growth.

‍

Areas of Expertise:

Social Media Marketing

Marketing Strategy

Content Creation

Brigitte is a passionate marketing professional with over eight years of experience helping brands and entrepreneurs grow with clarity and purpose. She began her career in CPG retail marketing before founding Alveare Social, a boutique Toronto-based social media marketing agency that supports a diverse portfolio of B2B, B2C, and solopreneur clients. With a strong focus on growth strategy, content marketing, and analytics, Brigitte combines hands-on execution with big-picture strategy to deliver measurable impact. Her approach blends storytelling with data-driven insights, ensuring campaigns are not only creative but sustainable for long-term growth.

‍

Area of Expertise:

Multi-Channel Digital Marketing Strategy

Brand Positioning & Storytelling

Mindset & Personal Growth Coaching

‍

Cassandra is a seasoned digital marketing expert with over a decade of experience building multi-channel strategies for startups, solopreneurs, and global brands, including Meta. She has led 100+ early-stage businesses through incubation and supported 1,500+ founders in launching and scaling their ventures. As Founder of The VIZION, a social enterprise accelerator, Cassie specializes in growth strategy, sales channels, and marketing execution. She combines hands-on tactical support with a strong focus on founder mindset, helping entrepreneurs develop brand clarity, drive customer acquisition, and scale with purpose.

Area of Expertise:

Multi-Channel Digital Marketing Strategy

Brand Positioning & Storytelling

Mindset & Personal Growth Coaching

‍

Cassandra is a seasoned digital marketing expert with over a decade of experience building multi-channel strategies for startups, solopreneurs, and global brands, including Meta. She has led 100+ early-stage businesses through incubation and supported 1,500+ founders in launching and scaling their ventures. As Founder of The VIZION, a social enterprise accelerator, Cassie specializes in growth strategy, sales channels, and marketing execution. She combines hands-on tactical support with a strong focus on founder mindset, helping entrepreneurs develop brand clarity, drive customer acquisition, and scale with purpose.

Technology Innovation
Intellectual Property Strategy
Business Operations

‍

Dr. Adrian Bulzacki is a visionary entrepreneur, professor, investor, and mentor—specializing in technology innovation, business strategy, and spatial computing. As the founder of ARB Labs Inc., he steered the company to its position as a global leader in casino table security and gesture recognition technology, achieving significant growth in valuation. Dr. Bulzacki holds a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from TMU, with expertise spanning a broad range of software and hardware. He has secured over a dozen international patents in critical areas such as machine learning, gesture recognition, and casino technology, demonstrating exceptional skill in intellectual property strategy. As a Professor of Business, Dr. Bulzacki imparts key industry insights to MBA students through capstone courses; some of whom have achieved significant accolades, such as winning the National MBA Games in Canada. His dedication to supporting youth has led to many mentorship roles at DMZ, including the Black Innovation Programs and DMZ Bootcamps.

‍

As a discerning investor, Dr. Bulzacki channels strategic funding into early-stage companies, showcasing a remarkable ability to recognize and cultivate potential across the technology landscape. He frequently advises other investors and funds on vetting business and innovation opportunities. Dr. Bulzacki has recently focused on launching projects in Quantum Technology—identifying and supporting outstanding teams of experts committed to making significant advancements in the sector. As a founding member of DMZ, and Fellow in Commercialization from the Federal Economic Development Committee, Dr. Bulzacki has over two decades of experience in technology consulting. His professional journey—encompassing roles such as President, CEO, COO, and Director—illustrates his strong leadership abilities and high-impact approach to engineering and manufacturing technologies.

Area of Expertise:

Marketplace Strategy
Lean Startup Methodology
Operations

‍

Alex Kolodkin founded Set Scouter with the goal of simplifying production, starting with film location scouting. Set Scouter’s continuously expanding marketplace connects commercial and video producers with film-friendly spaces. Clients range from Google, Amazon, Walmart, Samsung, WW, Disney, McDonalds, Universal Music, to thousands of other brands and agencies. Venture-backed, 500 Startups alumnus. Before founding Set Scouter, Alex was a corporate video producer, television-series broadcaster, and video editor. He holds a MA in Media Production (RTA) from Toronto Metropolitan University and a certificate from UCLA.

Product Management and Platform Strategy

Healthcare Innovation and Digital Health

Business Model Development and Customer Strategy

Balaji is the Co-Founder and CEO at MedStack, and is openly passionate about tackling tough problems like improving healthcare and the role of ecosystems in industry transformation. He is an expert in product management and building software platform ecosystem businesses across a wide range of industries. He is also a well-respected startup educator, advisor and mentor, having created from scratch and taught an Intro to Product Management curriculum at a well-known international tech school, and named Founder Institute’s Most Supportive Mentor for Canada. Balaji has been building digital products for over 20 years, including having launched BlackBerry’s iconic BBM to the world, and having led platform strategy at D2L, Nymi and EventMobi.

Restaurant Tech and Digital Innovation

Customer Engagement and Loyalty Solutions

E-Commerce Strategy Startup Growth and Product Commercialization

Brian Deck has been a successful tech entrepreneur since 1995. His companies have developed industry-leading platforms and digital solutions primarily in the areas of customer engagement, loyalty and e-commerce. As a result, Brian’s clients have generated billions of dollars in sales through his companies’ programs.

‍

Brian grew up in a restaurant family; his father owned Fran’s Restaurants, a restaurant that was started in 1940 by his grandfather Francis Deck. With an intimate knowledge of the restaurant space, customer journey and digital commerce, Brian founded Smooth Commerce and established it as a leader in restaurant tech innovation. Smooth Commerce processes millions of dollars in monthly sales for premier brands across North America.

‍

Restaurant Tech and E-Learning Innovation
Sales Strategy and Go-to-Market Execution
Bootstrapping and Business Growth
Founder Coaching and Relationship Building

‍

Chirs Snoyer is a passionate entrepreneur who thrives on building meaningful relationships and supporting others in unlocking their full potential. With expertise spanning restaurant tech, sales, and e-learning, he brings valuable insights into bootstrapping, business growth, and innovative learning solutions. As a mentor, Snoyer is dedicated to guiding founders through the challenges of scaling their businesses, leveraging technology, and optimizing their go-to-market strategies

Jamie Mandell practises in the areas of securities and corporate finance and corporate commercial law.

‍

She has represented both issuers and investment dealers with a variety of matters, including public offerings and private placements of equity and debt securities, going public transactions, as well as mergers and acquisitions.

‍

She assists a range of companies that includes startups, mid-size companies and large publicly traded companies.

Sydney Kert's practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance transactions in a broad range of industries, including technology, cannabis, cleantech, financial services, healthcare and telecommunications.

‍

Sydney represents a wide variety of public and private companies as well as investment dealers in connection with various securities, corporate and commercial matters. Sydney has extensive experience advising on complex domestic and cross-border transactions, including business combination transactions, go-public transactions, M&A transactions, take-over bids and corporate reorganizations. As part of her corporate finance practice, Sydney assists start-up clients as well as established companies in connection with private placements, public offerings and secondary offerings.

‍

Sydney is also a trusted advisor to many clients on matters related their day-to-day securities compliance, continuous disclosure and corporate governance matters.

‍

Recruitment

Whether a key executive hire or hiring 190+ people during your rounds of funding, your recruitment needs can besolved with BackStretch.

Recruiting

Expansion helps growing companies exceed by putting the right people in the right roles.

Legal Support

Goodmans is one of Canada’s premier transaction law firms, providing strategic business advice in addition to legal advice to tech founders and the innovation ecosystem.

Human Resources

‍

Humi is the leading all-in-one HR solution for Canadian businesses by supporting them in three key areas – employee benefits, business insurance, and payroll.

Accouting