I am a social innovator and mentor based in Vancouver, Canada.  I am a founder of two environmental technology start-ups, a professional consultant (previously with Deloitte, now running my own firm, Venture Stem), a university instructor and adjunct professor in entrepreneurship (SFU and UBC) and have been a mentor for a variety of startup accelerators including RADIUS (Vancouver, Canada), the Oxygen Accelerator (London, UK) and the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (Accra, Ghana).

My work focuses on social innovation – using business and policy solutions to improve the wellbeing of people locally and globally.  My most recent projects have focused on housing affordability in Canada, for example with low-cost, high-quality construction techniques (see IndigenousHousing.ca), reducing overfishing in Southeast Asia (see FutureofFish.org), and developing strategies to adapt to technological unemployment in Canada and the US (Singularity University).  I help to simplify and communicate complex issues to their fundamental components, so innovating in complex spaces doesn’t feel overwhelming.

For my full professional profile, please visit me on LinkedIn.

Ventures

Carbon Analytics, my foray into entrepreneurship, allows companies of all sizes to assess and improve their environmental impact. As Chief Product Officer, I built the highly visual software platform from the ground up and crunched several data sources to do the heavy lifting on environmental impact measurement, so non-experts can easily jump in without prior experience.

Presenting Carbon Analytics to 2000 technology-inspired students and professionals at the Hello Tomorrow Competition in Paris

At Terra Recovery, a landfill-mining exploration company supported by the European Space Agency, as an advocate Board Member, I have spearheaded the raising of over £100k in grant funding, and have raised awareness through media outlets including the Financial Times.

Presentation of Terra Recovery at St. James Palace for commonwealth entrepreneurs.

Roots

I am Canadian.  I am passionate about my community, and I love the outdoors.  I have a vast appreciation for the multi-cultural heritage of my country, its progressive spirit, and stunning natural beauty.Few things make me more energized than breathing rich forest air.  I am also a robotics engineer by schooling.  While the images of deep green old growth forests and the cold metallic precision of machines seem at ends with each other, I see boundless opportunities in their interplay, and opportunities for greater good.

One of favourite outdoor spots on earth: Garibaldi Lake, near Squamish, BC, Canada.

I have a strong interest in new technologies – from virtual reality, to space tech, to the Internet of Things – and have personal perspectives that I share on this blog about how to innovative in broken systems.

About the blog

This blog has evolved from an initial focus on sustainability, to include my views on other domains where I see huge potential for change.  It’s intended to act as a showcase for my own personal musings, for innovative ideas, and hopefully for stirring up some thought-provoking discussions on new technologies and their implications.