Emmanuelle (Manue) is passionate about new technologies and the ability of startups to improve society. She mentors and sits on the advisory boards of different early-stage startups. Manue is also a community leader. She built the Canadian chapter and has been the Ambassador for Canada of Women in AI (WAI), a non-profit do-tank whose mission is to increase female representation and participation in AI. She spent the last 2+ years at Next AI Montreal as the Director of Ventures, mainly in charge of co-building the program from scratch, startups recruitment, portfolio management, and founders growth. Before that, she founded a travel accessories brand that she ran for 8 years and a non-profit to help promote blood platelets donation towards students. Manue holds an MBA from ESSEC Business School (Paris) and started her career in auditing in France, followed by 3 years in investment banking in Australia. As Managing Director of Front Row Ventures, she will practice her demonstrated passion for mentoring, community building, and venture investments. Manue’s vision for FRV is to make it THE foundational platform to build the next generation of Canadian tech talent. When she’s not pitching to investors or mentoring Canada’s next generation of entrepreneurs and investors, Manue loves to spend some time with her friends & family, travel, cook, and build DIY furniture.

Gabriel is the Director of Operations at Front Row Ventures. He joined FRV in 2020 as part of the investment team. The following year was the Director of Investments for the Quebec chapter and was hired full time by FRV after finishing his degree in software engineering at Polytechnique, Montréal.

Gabriel is passionate about technology, innovation and helping student entrepreneurs get the support and funding they need to grow their businesses from conception into thriving companies.

Prior to FRV, while still in CEGEP, Gabriel started his own marketing agency where he created websites and managed social media sites for SMEs. More recently, Gabriel has invested his time as the President of Poly Entrepreneuriat, a student committee at Polytechnique, where he has had the opportunity to build a passionate team committed to providing student entrepreneurs with invaluable resources and experiences.

In his spare time, you can find Gabriel enjoying nature in all its forms. He loves skiing, hiking and camping.

Raphaël is Co-Founder of Front Row Ventures, Canada’s first student-led venture capital fund. He’s a product geek that is first and foremost passionate about creating outstanding technologies that enhance people’s lives, especially consumer-centric ones.

Coming from a jack-of-all-trades-entrepreneurial background combined with a software engineering undergrad, he has always been an entrepreneur. As a teenager, he went from owning a car garage to a window-cleaning business to a tech startup. Motivated and inspired by entrepreneurship, he has been involved in organizing numerous events including Startup Weekends, and countless hackathons and educational events.

Prior to FRV, he spent two years working as a Product Manager and developing Volume7, a digital product agency that partners with forward-thinking startups and companies. He’s now also working on the early-stage team at Real Ventures, Canada’s most active seed venture capital fund. The firm invests throughout the life-cycle of early-stage companies and provides stage-appropriate capital and support for the founders it backs.

When he’s not working on building startups or the tech ecosystem, Raph can be found skiing, snowboarding or coding his newest product idea.

With a bachelor in accounting, Éléonore contemplated a career in corporate finance. Her summer studying tech entrepreneurship at Stanford made her choose a totally different path: venture capital.

She joined Pléiade Capital, a VC student club, and started a Master’s in Financial Accounting. Her combined efforts paid off, Brightspark Ventures poaching her from EY less than a year later.

Helping out rising entrepreneurs, our VC brain is also dedicated to women in tech with Technovation Montreal.

Studying International Studies, Nicolas always seeks to empower communities here and abroad.

Responsible of business development at La Gare last year, he discovered Montreal’s dynamic startup community and its undeniable impact on the metropolis.

Front Row Ventures’ poet and community builder now dreams of helping Sub-Saharan African communities build their own ecosystems as a viable solution to current failing models of development.

Adam loves sports and learning about the latest revolutionary technology. He enjoys learning about new companies that are working towards changing the way we live our everyday lives. Adam is motivated and determined to succeed in anything he takes part in, whether it be in sports or working towards his professional goals.

Studying Business and Law at the University of Ottawa, his curiosity has led him to be involved in several groups and associations, which has allowed him to acquire a sense of problem-solving and teamwork.

Being around entrepreneurs his whole life, he strongly believes in FRV’s mission to empower student-entrepreneurs across Canada to help make their visions become a reality. Wanting to help shape the future has led him to entrepreneurship.

Cam is entering his third year as a director of the impact teams and will be finishing his fifth year of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at McMaster University. He is passionate about supporting early-stage university start-ups and has a specific curiosity in medical technology and drug delivery systems.

Julia studies Mathematics/Financial Analysis and Risk Management at the University of Waterloo. She has completed internships in a variety of different industries and roles including consulting and private investment risk.

Her passion and interest in the startup ecosystem started from her involvement in pro-bono consulting work with various startup companies, as part of a student consulting group. Julia is interested in learning more about the ag tech/food tech space and is passionate about supporting startups to build a stronger tech ecosystem in Canada.

In her free time, Julia enjoys meeting new people, cooking new foods and going to the gym. She is excited to continue being part of the Front Row Ventures team to support Canadian student founders.

Sajal is an FinTech enthusiast who is a third-year student pursuing his BBA (specializing in Finance, Economics, and Operations) at the Schulich School of Business – York University. Sajal is currently working as a Lead Developer at Kitty Savings, a FinTech startup improving business to bank to customer transfers. Alongside his role at Kitty, Sajal continues to lead PentaHacks, an organization focused on disrupting the recruitment process.

His passion for helping the community by building and supporting initiatives aimed at aiding those most vulnerable and inexperienced has brought him to FRV. Through FRV, Sajal looks forward to encouraging students of several institutions to explore the new age of entrepreneurship.

Tiffany is an Economics and Mathematics student at McGill University. She is passionate about enhancing the human experience through accelerating technological innovation, creating the right incentive structures and building communities. Prior to joining Front Row Ventures, Tiffany co-founded the Diversity in Math club at McGill, which aims to encourage people of all backgrounds to explore and develop their passion for math. She was also the President of the Society of Undergraduate Mathematics Students in her second year, representing the 1100-strong mathematics community. Tiffany has a strong technical background, having researched collective action problems at McGill’s Institute of Health and Social Policy, studied modern physics at Perimeter Institute, conducted alphavirus research at the Singapore Immunology Network, and microgrids research at the Singapore Institute of Technology. As part of FRV, Tiffany is excited to contribute towards an environment that rewards the students who dare to dream big. She aims to promote a culture of student innovation, and bring together a community of founders and investors that are passionate about making the world better through technology.

In her free time, she enjoys playing squash, and is currently trying to learn enough instruments to become a one-woman band!

AJ is an accounting student at Concordia University in Montréal. AJ has developed a passion for technology and helping young founders achieve their entrepreneurial goals.

Prior to Front Row Ventures, AJ was part of a management consulting association, at Concordia, offering its services to help NPOs and startups overcome managerial and operational obstacles. He’s also had the opportunity to intern at the Business Development Bank of Canada as a summer associate, and as a tax intern at CFLA. In the upcoming summer, AJ will be part of the Audit team at PwC. As an Investment Associate at Front Row Ventures, AJ looks to build a strong network of passionate founders and field professionals.

When outside of the office, AJ practices Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and takes his daily walks listening to his favorite go-to podcasts. He loves playing hockey, skiing, and spending quality time with his loved ones.  

Afton is part of the Investment Team at Front Row Ventures. She is a first-year student at McGill University in the Joint Honours in Economics and Finance program from the Faculty of Arts. She is eager to combine her business knowledge with her passion for entrepreneurship and innovation.

Before FRV, Afton was president of her high school’s finance club and gained initial exposure to the business world through hosting discussion panels and information sessions on various finance topics. Once coming to McGill, she joined the McGill Investment Club as a junior analyst in the consumers sector, where she got initial exposure in analyzing companies. In these roles, Afton developed her interest in seeing business grow and began her search to determine what makes a strong business. At FRV, she hopes to learn more about the process that founders go through to transform ideas into reality and how it is that FRV can help them.

Outside of work Afton enjoys running up Mont. Royal, playing rugby and hockey with her friends, watching documentaries, and spending quality time with family and pets.

Alexandre is a Finance student at Montreal’s Concordia University. He is passionate about working with passionate founders and understanding their groundbreaking technologies.

Prior to joining FRV, Alexandre worked at a Start-up backed by Real Ventures as a marketing analyst where he learned about the intricacies of working within a startup. He’s also worked as an alternative investment analyst for a Concordia alumni based in London. As an alternative investment analyst, Alex sourced private equity deals and cryptocurrency defi projects. He is also involved at Concordia, doing work as an equity analyst.

At FRV, he is eager to connect with student founders and help them grow their businesses from early-stage ventures to life-changing global companies.

Camila Gutiérrez is a fourth-year Materials Engineering student at McGill University. She is looking forward to combining her love of new technologies and community outreach to form connections with up-and coming startups, and help student entrepreneurs bring their ideas to their full potential.  

As an Engineering student, Camila is constantly learning about different technologies, and how they can benefit society. This interest of hers intersected with her love of the arts when she began working at Acrylic Robotics, an art-tech startup that allowed her creative side to flourish and to work with an exceptional team, all while being exposed to the thrills of an early startup. From there, she knew she wanted to stay in the entrepreneurial sphere for its exciting pace, exchange of novel ideas, and amazing people met along the way. As an individual who is also highly involved in her own student community, she hopes to not only enrich her love of new technologies while working at a VC, but also to establish valuable connections with both team members and student entrepreneurs.

In her free time, Camila enjoys many creative pursuits including graphic design, drawing, and making clothes. She also loves learning new languages and snowboarding.  

Charles is part of the Investment Team at Front Row Ventures. He is completing a Masters in Finance at HEC Montreal. Passionate about entrepreneurship and innovation, Charles is the co-founder of Lifeline Technologies a Montreal based startup which enhances client experience, drives footwall and increases customer spend. During his experience, he has been part of the Montreal startup ecosystem participating in both the EntrePrism and MT Lab incubators. Charles is excited to share his insights as a student-entrepreneur.  

At FRV, Charles plans to help students along their entrepreneur journey by helping them grow their ideas into actual sustainable businesses.

Fun fact about Charles is that he used to be a division 1 NCAA tennis player and now passionately competes in a retiree’s league on Sundays. 

Emilie Attiogbe is a doctoral student in biology and her research focuses on human skin reconstruction at the Experimental Organogenesis Laboratory of Laval University – LOEX. The ultimate goal of her research project is to use reconstructed skin in the laboratory to test pharmaceutical products and clinical treatments while reproducing the immune system of native skin. A curious person by nature, Emilie is always looking for new challenges. She loves to share science with the community and is involved in a variety of science outreach activities. She is also involved in a network in the province of Quebec that brings together biologist students. 

“I want to share my passion for science with the general public, and I think that the representation of women in science from different ethnic backgrounds is very important to generate interest among young girls.”

Outside of school, she enjoys exploring different types of gastronomy and Latin dance.  

As a current master’s student in McGill University’s Department of Bioresource Engineering, Felicity analyzes the urban metabolism of cities to provide actionable support towards sustainable development. Her current project focuses on life cycle assessment of construction materials and the potential of mass-timber building in Montreal.

Prior to studying at McGill, Felicity was the first scientific hire at two early-stage startups: first developing novel polymers for implantable medical devices and next, pairing analytical chemistry with data science to measure nutrients in fresh produce. Before returning to graduate studies, she was the Lab Operations Manager at a newly constructed 84,000 ft2 (7,800 m2) biotech accelerator in beautiful Boston, Massachusetts, US.

Felicity holds a B.S. in Chemistry and B.S. in Physics from Simmons University.

Jason is an Investment Team Associate at FRV and a second-year Honours Finance and Economic student from McGill University. He is excited to create impact for the FRV team, learn more about Venture Capital Investing, and support student founders in the Canadian VC ecosystem.

Having grown up in China, lived in the US, and then immigrated to Canada, Jason has developed multicultural and multinational perspectives in his working ethics and human character. He always looks beyond his studies and adapts to different ideas. Before FRV, He became excited about VC and Blockchain through an internship at a Shenzhen-based VC for Web3 Investments. Working at TESLA, Jason also developed some knowledge in the EV space and Automotives in general. Combining well-rounded coursework and varied working experience, Jason maintains both theoretical and practical curiosities.

On-Campus, Jason is involved with a diverse set of organizations. From managing impactful consulting projects at TAMID Group, reaching out to organizations for JHKCBA, to organizing fitness events at Fit for a cause, he has put himself in a spectrum of learning opportunities.

Outside of school and work, you can find Jason listening to electronic music and setting up a DJ gig with his friends. Jason also enjoys Basketball, Playing Guitar, Road Trips, and eating lots of Dim Sum.

Jules is an investment associate at Front Row Ventures, Canada’s first student-led venture capital fund. While currently studying Industrial Engineering at Polytechnique Montreal, Jules aims to broaden his knowledge in finance and business with his involvement as a teaching assistant at HEC Montreal in the department of entrepreneurship and innovation. During his studies, Jules was also involved in the “Comité de Consultation en Gestion à Polytechnique” where he had the unique opportunity to work as a consultant for one of Montreal’s leading e-commerce companies.  

Now as a member of the Investment Team at Front Row Ventures, Jules is excited to develop valuable relationships with promising student founders and help them thrive in the Canadian Startup ecosystem.

In his free time, Jules enjoys playing competitive tennis and basketball with his friends. You can also find him playing spikeball in the various parks of Montreal. 

Passionate by biology, Julie has an engineering degree in bio-industry, research and application major. Currently a PhD student in Pre Véronique Giroux’s lab, she is working on the cancer stem cells role in treatment resistance of esophageal cancer patients.  

Naturally curious, Julie is always looking for new challenges. She likes to share science to the community and is involved in diverse associative activities. For example, she is vice-director of BistroBrain and also president of her student association. When Julie is not busy with her PhD and involvement, she likes doing sport, listening to music or playing with her cat.

June Hee is an investment associate at Front Row Ventures and he is currently pursuing an Economics degree, with a Minor in Environment, at McGill University. With his studies, June wishes to broaden and deepen his knowledge on the synergies between these two fields. 

Prior to joining FRV, he was an Intern at Inovia Capital, working alongside the Marketing/Communications and the HR departments, where he was exposed to the vast possibilities and challenges of the VC world. More precisely, he had the opportunity to learn, with hands-on experience, about the Canadian Tech/VC ecosystem and to work within a consequential organization.

Now at Front Row Ventures, he wishes to learn more about how VC can have a broader impact on society. By truly immersing himself within the deeply intricate VC ecosystem, June hopes to be surrounded by passionate founders and fellow investors. In his free time, you’ll find June on his bike, playing tennis or watching anime.

Luke holds a BSc from the University of Toronto. He previously conducted clinical research on respirology and thoracic surgery at leading medical research centres in Canada, specifically on lung cancer, lung transplantation and tuberculosis. Luke co-authored a number of articles published in international medical journals, including a systematic review of AI in accurately diagnosing tuberculosis from CXRs.  

Luke currently studies law at the University of Montreal. He previously conducted due diligence and contributed to the closing of M&A and financing transactions at national and international law firms across Canada. Luke advised on comparative legal regulatory frameworks to US House and Senate committees as an intern at the Law Library of Congress.

Luke is a bona fide globetrotter having lived in 7 cities across 3 continents. He enjoys nature hikes and team sports. Luke is also an avid cinephile.

Marie-Agnès is a Ph.D Candidate in molecular biology at the Université de Montréal’s Faculty of Medicine. Her research focuses on the mechanisms involved in reprogramming somatic cells to produce induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). On the other hand, she generates liver human organoids derived from iPSCs to model Alagille syndrome in vitro to understand the pathophysiology of this disease.

She is passionate about entrepreneurship, learning about new technologies and bringing innovative ideas to the next level. By joining FRV, Marie-Agnès was looking for a way to support new startups with great potential. Alongside with her research, she is enrolled in the Life Sciences Entrepreneurship Development Program (LSEDP) which provide strategies to develop and grow cutting-edge tech companies.

In her free time, Marie-Agnès loves painting, dancing, and cooking elaborate meals.

Martin is a Computer Science student at the Université de Montréal. He is passionate about emerging technologies that improve quality of life as well as various applications of artificial intelligence.

Martin grew up in the Silicon Valley and was surrounded by entrepreneurs who were constantly creating new companies. This background gave him the entrepreneurial spark. In secondary school, he created a business geared towards teaching tennis to people in his community. He grew his business throughout secondary school, hired many other tennis instructors and taught tennis to hundreds of people. Since going to college, he has been looking for his next opportunity to make a difference in his environment.

With FRV, Martin hopes to guide students in transforming their amazing ideas into large-scale and successful companies. In his free time, Martin can be found in a climbing gym or in various cafes developing his next video game project.

Salam Bouhabel is a master engineering student in the surgical innovation program at École de technologie supérieure University. She is convinced that technology will answer our most urgent problems in healthcare.

Before joining FRV, she co-founded Vope Medical, a medical technology startup aiming to improve visualization in minimally invasive surgery. She’s also a health professional and passionate about bridging the minority gap in the venture capitalist ecosystem.
At FRV she is eager to connect the most ambitious and driven student entrepreneurs with the best resources available to them while continuing to grow the entrepreneurial community within universities.

In my free time, you can find Salam trying new recipes, painting, or building her next tech project.

Thomas is part of the Investment Team at Front Row Venture (FRV). By working in a research laboratory, he faced the importance of start-ups in his field. Then he joined FRV to find out the new tech-companies which will participate in building a better world. 

Before FRV, Thomas has always been interested in investment. In fact, he used to invest into start-ups and real estate on his own through crowdfunding platform, in France. But what really got him into the entrepreneurship and start-ups ecosystem was a program provided by FRQS and called QcSE (Quebec scientific entrepreneurship program). Thomas also works as a PhD student in biology and aims to understand a muscular disease called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in order to find an effective treatment. Thus, with his knowledge concerning the research field and his passion for investment, he decided to merge both of them in order to ease the rise of new viable biotech companies and joined FRV.

At the UdeM Thomas assists professors for teaching Physiology to master students. At the CHU Sainte-Justine, Thomas is part of the student committee and is plainly implicated in the research center life.

Besides university and work, Thomas is a huge fan of sport, as a watcher but also as a practitioner, including ice skating, biking and Breakdance. He also really enjoys hanging out with his friends and discovering Canada.

ON Investment Team

2022-

University of Ottawa

Ali is an entrepreneurial-minded student who is passionate about shaping tomorrow through supporting disruptive ventures. He is currently finishing his Business Administration degree at Western University. Ali has demonstrated his love for strategy and entrepreneurship through experiences working as a consultant at KPMG and starting his ventures in the past. He is most curious about innovation in the Foodtech, Fintech, and Prop-tech sectors.

Through FRV, Ali hopes to support fellow student entrepreneurs while learning more about the various aspects that go into a good startup.
Outside of entrepreneurship and school, Ali greatly enjoys playing soccer and basketball. He is also a music fanatic and spends most of his free time as a music producer, creating beats for local artists.

Deveena is pursuing the Business Administration & Computer Science Double Degree at Wilfrid Laurier University. She has completed two co-op work terms with StandUp Ventures, a seed-stage institutional venture fund that invests in B2B SaaS companies led or co-led by women. Working at StandUp has ignited her passion for getting capital to underrepresented founders, and she’s so excited to continue doing that at Front Row.

Outside of work, you can find her with a good book, trying out new recipes, or playing with her two adorable dogs.

Fariha is an MBA student at the University of Toronto – Rotman School of Management. She has over five years of experience in corporate and open innovation. She has had the privilege of running innovation projects for a wide range of clients, including Unilever, Rolls-Royce, Rabobank, Cargill and the Asian Development Bank. She also had the opportunity to source and coach hundreds of startups across the Asia Pacific region. She is currently working as a Senior Business Development Representative at Volley, a Toronto-based early-stage startup.

This experience gave her valuable insight into startup ecosystems and fueled her passion for startups. Fariha aims to use her passion, her experiences and her role at Front Row Ventures to connect startups to resources, grow startup communities and connect tech ecosystems in and outside Canada.

Fariha graduated from the Singapore Management University in 2014 with a Bachelor of Sciences in Economics and a second major in Political Science. In her personal time, Fariha loves reading, walking, cooking and exploring new eateries. She is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer and also enjoys learning other forms of dance.

Henry is a 3rd year mechanical engineering student at the University of Waterloo. He had the chance to explore a variety of opportunities through his internships, from building SaaS products at a startup to designing parts on the Cybertruck.

His passion for entrepreneurship began during the pandemic in Taiwan, where he proposed and led the pivot of a hardware startup shortly after joining. The experience motivated him to take a gap year in the Bay Area to further explore the realm of startups and venture capital. Currently, he is working at a nanotechnology startup in Waterloo.

Depending on which city Henry is in, you can find him rock climbing, surfing, snowboarding, or playing rugby and football on the weekends. He also cannot live without a skateboard and a guitar.

Kyle is an Investment Associate with the Ontario Investment Team at Front Row Ventures. As a graduate of McMaster University’s Biomedical Discovery & Commercialization Program, he enjoys bridging the gap between the life sciences and entrepreneurship. His passion for health entrepreneurship is routed in his previous work as a consultant for various early-stage ventures within the therapeutic and medical device sectors. In these positions, he has advised companies on their strategic business development, intellectual property strategies, market forecasting and financial modelling, and helped secured seed capital.

Kyle is a currently a PhD Student at McMaster University specializing in Chemical & Biological Engineering. His research explores the use of bacteriophages (bacterial viruses) to treat infections in the gut associated with chronic inflammatory conditions like Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Kyle spearheads a multidisciplinary team of engineers, scientists, and clinicians as they evaluate the therapeutic potential of bacteriophages within the gut environment. At McMaster, Kyle is active member of multiple student organization on campus. In the past, he has served as the Operations Manager for the McMaster NEUDOSE mission, and currently advises the McMaster Synthetic Biology Research team in their research activities.

Outside school and work, Kyle is an avid functional fitness enthusiast, enjoys reading about global issues, and spending time with friends and family.

Noah Wong is a second-year student at the University of Western Ontario currently pursuing a dual degree in Health Sciences and Business Administration. He is beginning to work in the start-up space with a specific focus on operations, growth marketing, and business development as an Operations Associate Intern, at Hipcamp, the world’s largest marketplace for outdoor stays. In addition, Noah works as a Consultant at JUV Consulting where he advises Fortune 500 companies on developing marketing strategies to effectively engage with Generation Z.

In the future, Noah hopes to work in management consulting and help businesses solve organizational and strategic challenges.

In his free time, Noah can be found exploring the mountains of British Columbia on foot and with skis, spending hours on public transit trying to find new restaurants and coffee shops, and rewatching his favourite shows on Netflix like Modern Family and How I Met Your Mother.

Rebecca is a final year Chemistry PhD student at the University of Toronto. Her previous research roles at Cardiff and Oxford University have prepared her for a medicinal chemistry focused thesis where she investigates novel therapeutics for untreated rare diseases and cancers. She is a co-founder for a start-up that applies a unique platform to develop pre-clinical candidates for untreated rare diseases. Rebecca hopes to continue contributing to the Canadian life sciences ecosystem through venture capital and creation.

Outside of the lab, Rebecca enjoys skiing and sailing, as well as involving herself with intramurals at UofT. She loves independent coffee shops and exploring new places.

Rebecca looks forward to joining FRV’s investment team to support inspirational student founders.

Sabreen is a second year master’s student at the University of Toronto studying Financial Economics. In her previous co-op terms at MD Financial Management (Scotiabank subsidiary) and Public Sector Pension (PSP) Sabreen has explored multiple facets including finance, economics and strategy. Sabreen is particularly passionate about innovation and aims to use her passion, her experiences and her role at Front Row Ventures to connect startups to resources and grow startup communities.

Outside of her professional experience she loves to play an excessive amount of ultimate frisbee and work on sustainable dressmaking. You can find her in Toronto throwing a frisbee or exploring new eateries. She will also never say no to a good cup of tea and is always happy to chat.

Sabreen is ecstatic to join the Investment Team at Front Row Ventures to invest in Canada’s extraordinary student founders.

Steven is a second-year Commerce student at Queen’s University specializing in Finance and pursuing a Computer Science dual degree. He has worked with a private equity firm and an advisory group called Apex Advisory and has an upcoming position on the Assurance team at PwC.

Fueled by Steven’s increasing interest in the blockchain space and his exposure to startups and angel networks through Apex, he strives to learn more about other people’s startup ideas and build a network of entrepreneurs.

Beyond his professional life, Steven actively searches for emerging restaurants within the GTA to best suit meals with friends, coworkers, or even first-time meetups. Although it adds to his gains, it’s offset with activities such as rock climbing and hiking. Other than his hobbies, Steven looks forward to studying at the National University of Singapore in his 2023 Winter.

Tom is a senior-year student at the Schulich School of Business studying finance. He has experience working across different buy-side institutions within Canada, but currently is working with his cofounder to build micro-saas apps.

His passion for tech and entrepreneurship originated from reading Paul Graham’s essays during his free time at work, and has only grown stronger after participating in YCombinator 2022 Startup School in which he was able to learn more about how to “build something people want”, and connect with like minded founders across America.

In his free-time, he enjoys reading, playing badminton, and is an avid fan of NBA (Spurs), NFL (Bucs), and League of Legends (Cloud9).

He hopes FRV will serve as an opportunity to create shared value, between his own endeavor and with student founders across Canada.

Vincent is currently a second-year University of Western Ontario student studying economics. His passion for technology and innovation began through visiting a TechCrunch Disrupt conference in San Francisco when he was younger.

He has a background in operational roles at startups and has worked in venture capital at Headline out of their early-stage fund. He is also a founder of the Ivey Venture Capital Club, where he hopes to increase educational exposure to venture capital and growth equity investing for both incoming and current students across Canadian universities.

Vincent’s FRV’s involvement had been heavily inspired by a college roommate that had dropped out of school to help create a product that is now funded by some of the most prestigious venture funds in North America. He hopes to create the same opportunities for students who may not have the proper foundation to take the leap, in order for more of these stories to be replicated across Canadian dorm rooms. Outside of his professional work, you can find him playing basketball, skiing the west coast mountains, and supporting the Vancouver Canucks.

Vansh is an Investment Associate with the Ontario Investment Team at Front row ventures. Currently in his second year studying finance at Brock University, he enjoys building financial models and studying the markets.

Entrepreneurship runs in his blood, with his father teaching the ways of his business and dealing from an early age. During the pandemic, Vansh and his father, ran their business together for a year until he had to leave for university. Moving to Canada for his studies, he is extensively involved on and off his campus. Most notably, he trained students to participate in the national DECA competition and mentored high school students in their transition to university. Apart from academics, he also participates in case competitions, one including a stock pitch of a company in the mining industry.

Outside school, Vansh loves to watch motorsports, is an fitness enthusiast but also is a foodie. Being new to this country, he aims to discover Canada and North America.

Christina is a second-year student studying Management and Organisational Studies at Western University. Through her involvement in extra-curricular activities and internships, her interest in VC arose. As the point of contact for campus partnerships, Christina enjoys building the FRV network and sparking the interest of the new generation of student founders!

Startups | Acting | Film Making | Venture Capital | Private Equity | Comedy

Frédérique is currently majoring in accounting at Sherbrooke University and a member of the Portfolio Support team at Front Row Ventures.

Always passionate about innovation and business, Frédérique is very eager to learn more about how to support startups in their growth. She is dedicated to helping students tackle the challenges of founding a business.

Prior to FRV, Frédérique has always made it a goal of hers to get involved in business. Through her school classes and research she has developed a deep interest in technology and how it impacts society. She is now interested in the development of the Canadian tech ecosystem.

More recently Frédérique has invested in real estate to start building a capital base. As she would eventually like to be part of the process of helping passionate entrepreneurs an even bigger way.

In her spare time Frédérique is always looking for new challenges through her passion for skiing, horseback riding, mountain biking, climbing or hiking. You can usually find her out searching for new places to discover.

Meir is a portfolio support associate with Front Row Ventures, Canada’s first student-led venture capital fund. Having just graduated from the University of Montréal with a Bachelor’s of Civil Law, Meir is currently completing his Juris Doctor at the same school. Passionate about innovation, high growth and unlocking student potential, Meir joins the FRV team with goals to provide legal and financial information and structure to portfolio companies to help them maximise their growth.

Meir previously worked at a Montreal-based Series C stage company providing legal support on a diverse range of subjects including intellectual property, privacy and employment law, as well as developing preparations for a future round of financing. Meir has also worked at Garage Légal, a legal information clinic exclusively servicing startups and prospective entrepreneurs.

Outside of venture capital and startups, Meir is materially involved in a number of community groups and political parties. Meir’s passions include cooking, exploring Montreal and winemaking.

Oksana studies Materials Engineering with a specialization in Biomaterials at McMaster University. She is currently a Senior Technical Consultant for a boutique consulting firm in New York. In this role, she assists clients with optimizing and implementing technical solutions while contributing to the internal development of the business.

Her passion for innovation led her to complete an internship at Sunnybrook Hospital as a Medventions fellow, where she began working on a technology to improve processes in the interventional cardiology space. Oksana looks forward to assisting portfolio companies raise subsequent rounds through supporting business operations and preparing companies to pitch to investors.

In her spare time, Oksana enjoys learning different programming languages, solving puzzles, and staying active.

Christina is a second-year student studying Business at Western University. She is passionate about exploring the intersection between business, technology, and social impact. Her budding ambition for startups and entrepreneurship began in her first year as a Growth and Marketing Intern at Jemi– a YC-backed startup based in San Francisco aiming to provide the tools for creators and entrepreneurs to build their brands.

As a Community Associate, Christina is excited to dive deeper into the Canadian Startup and Venture Capital Ecosystem and continue to amplify student founders’ potential.

Aside from academics and extracurriculars, Christina enjoys dancing, exploring new cafes, and listening to music.

Christian is a Business Development Associate at Front Row Ventures and is currently pursuing a degree in Economics, Computer Science & Social Entrepreneurship at McGill University. He is passionate about product building, entrepreneurship and accelerating technological innovation in areas such as edtech, fintech and the mental health startup industries.

In addition to Front Row Ventures, Christian is currently the Head of Business Development at Impact Consulting Montreal—a pro-bono consultancy firm that aims to bridge the gap between nonprofits and startups that need consulting services. He is also the President of McGill’s Malaysian and Singaporean Students Association and the Vice President of Events at Montreal’s first university run Product Management Association at McGill.

As part of FRV, Christian is excited to work with like-minded individuals and hopes to bring his unique perspective and experiences to make FRV the number one investment hub for young Canadian student entrepreneurs.

Apart from university and work, Christian is a blue belt Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitor with Team Carlson Gracie Montreal and has been training since 2019. He also enjoys reading, listening to his favorite podcasts, going to the gym and is currently learning front end development in his free time!s.

Enzo is a Business Development Associate in Quebec and a second-year student at HEC Montreal pursuing a degree in Finance and Economics. He is passionate about biotech, finance, politics, economics and the development of public and monetary policies.

He is originally from France near the Swiss alps. He loves hiking and discovering new cultures and landscapes.

Enzo’s entrepreneurship passion is fueled by a desire to help the development of the Quebec and Canadian ecosystem. He strongly believes technology is our best bet to solve the biggest issues we are facing today.

Hawa is part of the Business Development Team at Front Row Ventures. She is currently studying for her MBA at McGill University and leads the program Africa Initiative at Concordia University. She has a strong interest in using business to create innovative solutions for social and environmental issues.

Previously she has worked in the sectors of Portfolio management and International Development. For the last 3 years, she has been the executive director of CEED, an international non-profit organization focused on youth where she was recognized as one of the top 30 leaders under 30 leaders in sustainability in Canada by Corporate Knights. She also sits on the board of directors at the Junior Chamber of Commerce of Montréal, one of the largest youth chambers of commerce in the world.

In her spare time, Hawa enjoys arts particularly painting, music and dance.

Rylan is a Business Development Associate at Front Row Ventures and is currently enrolled in Industrial Engineering at Dalhousie University. Rylan is passionate about innovation, fintech, electronics, machinery, and Saas.

Apart from Front Row Ventures, Rylan is also a Financial Lead at Dalhousie Formula SAE, a student-run organization that designs, builds and competes with an electric open-wheeled race car. As the Financial Lead, he is responsible for developing relationships with new potential sponsors and promoting the team.

With FRV, Rylan is excited to get involved in the VC environment and learn from experienced FRV alumni. Rylan hopes to gain a better understanding of the startup ecosystem while interacting with Canada’s brightest student founders.

Aside from work and university, Rylan enjoys being active and playing many sports like soccer. He can also be found listening to music, playing piano, or exploring Halifax.

Vyomesh is a third-year student at the University of Waterloo studying Management Engineering. He has interned as a Product Designer, UX Researcher, and Product Manager at various sized companies, exploring how strategy and innovation works in different organizations. He is interested in the way technology can be used to improve the quality of life for people around the world, and wants to work at improving access to essential needs in different countries.

Outside of his professional experience, he loves to bike, run, and spend his time in the sun. He is a fan of all types of media (books, movies, songs, tv shows), and frequently searches for new food recipes to try out.

Vyomesh is excited to join the Business Development Team at Front Row Ventures to help improve access to knowledge about startup funding, and increase revenue streams for the team to accomplish greater things.

Zoe is a Business Development Associate at Front Row Ventures, and is currently studying Business Management at Western University. She’s passionate about startups, social impact, and all things theatre related, and is interested in product and consulting.

At Western University, Zoe is deeply involved in the business-tech community. She’s VP Operations of Western Founders Network, the largest business, tech, and entrepreneurship club on campus, and acts as a technology consulting analyst for The Aleph Consulting Group. On the socio-cultural side, she’s also actively involved in the Chinese Students Association.

At FRV, she strives to create an impact on the Canadian University start-up world, and grasp a stronger understanding of Venture Capital. Zoe hopes to help change the status quo of VC while learning from a team of passionate, hardworking, and talented peers.

When she’s not doing “businessey things”, Zoe can be found making spotify playlists, running, writing poetry, or cafe-hopping. She’s originally from Vancouver, and is an avid lover of musical theatre.

Emma is a Community Associate at Front Row Ventures and is part of the Business Development Team. She is currently studying Art History and Communications at McGill University in Montreal. Emma is passionate about anything art or creativity related, from conceptualizing an idea into a project, to designing logos and visual identities for organizations.

Emma is also involved in McGill’s Fine Arts Commission, where she occupies the role of Commissioner and Graphic Designer. This student organization creates opportunities for student artists to showcase and promote their art, and for student communities to engage with art and creativity. Emma is also a published Contributing Writer for Arts Help, a NPO striving to highlight artistic initiatives that work towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Within FRV, Emma strives to learn the ropes of the Canadian Startup Ecosystem, create valuable partnerships and meet curious, ambitious and passionate students.

Outside of school and work, you can catch Emma playing sports, doing music, painting or laying in any Montreal park while drinking her favourite coffee.

Alex is a third-year student at Queen’s University studying commerce and is from Vancouver. At Queen’s, Alex is involved in the Queen’s Private Capital Group and also the Queen’s Business Review.

He is currently supporting alumni relations with the FRV team.

In his free time, you can find Alex enjoying the outdoors, taking photos and watching Formula One.

Amay is a third-year student in the Honors Business Administration program at the Ivey Business School. He has worked in a variety of industries and completed internships in private equity, investment banking and at a tech startup.

Amay is passionate about entrepreneurship and venture capital due to its inherently disruptive nature and by working alongside student founders in the past, he has developed an interest in student entrepreneurship. Amay is eager to support the next generation of Canadian entrepreneurs through his role at Front Row Ventures.

In his free time, Amay can be found juggling, listening to podcasts or going on long road trips.

Second-year student at University of British Columbia, working on the Talent and Operations Team at FRV.

Hi! My name is Sophia Andru and I am a second-year engineering physics and biomedical engineering student at McMaster University. As an athlete with a passion for science and math, I have always been interested in the human body and how it works and hopes to translate that passion into being a part of medical innovation that will improve our quality of life. I am very excited to be a part of Front Row Ventures and help move impactful innovation and research from bench to market!

Anna is a Data Associate at Front Row Ventures and completing her undergraduate degree in Bioengineering at McGill with a concentration in computational biology. She is passionate about combining her passion for new technologies to make an impact in the Canadian VC ecosystem.

Through her role as a bioinformatician in an academic research space, Anna grew aware of the importance of bringing the hard work done by student to market. She believes in the role of VC in bridging the gap between academia and the startup space.

Beyond work, Anna loves to snowboard, hike, and explore the endless selection of food spots in Montreal.

Cole is a third year student at the University of Toronto studying Industrial Engineering. Cole has been passionate about technology his whole life, and loves to stay up to date with current tech trends. This passion is what lead Cole to the startup word, as he enjoys learning about fascinating new ideas provided by startups. In his free time, you will find Cole at the hockey rink, basketball court, or at home playing Rocket League.

Roy is a Data Associate at Front Row Ventures and a PhD Candidate at McGill University and the Quebec Institute for Learning Algorithms (MILA). He is passionate about advancing humanity through artificial intelligence and championing the FRV mindset across the Canadian startup ecosystem.

He is originally from South Africa and Cameroon, which fuels his passion for tackling social problems on the African continent through disruptive technologies and startups.

When not doing research or engaging in the startup ecosystem, he thoroughly enjoys working on voice-over projects and mixing it up on his DJ controller!

Sana Khan drives data-driven decision-making by converting data into a story easily comprehendible by stakeholders. At Queen’s University, Sana learns Management Analytics and uses premier tools to change data into insight.

She has worked with Bosch and their quantum sensors department and also with Amazon in their payments team. She is self-motivated, eager to learn individual, who is always up for the new challenges that life has to offer.

Ansh is a second-year student at Western University studying Management and Organizational Studies.

Prior to FRV, Ansh had developed an interest in venture capital through his studies and internship experiences. With experience working in consulting and private equity, he was able to witness and work alongside large and mature companies, stirring his passion to be more involved with early-stage Canadian talent.

In his free time, Ansh enjoys playing basketball, listening to old school albums, and spending time with friends.

Himasha is a Biological Sciences student at the University of Alberta. She is passionate about accelerating innovation in areas like clean energy and biotechnology. Prior to joining Front Row Ventures, Himasha worked as a Junior Economic Development Officer for WBEDT, where she helped launch the first-ever innovation hub in the region, StartUpYMM. She also served as Vice President Academic for University of Alberta’s Interdisciplinary Science Students Society.

Himasha’s interest in startups and entrepreneurship bloomed after joining the University of Alberta’s Engineering Incubator, ICE, as a cohort member. Following this, she gained exposure to the venture capital industry through taking part in national case competitions like VCIC.

As a part of Front Row Ventures, Himasha is excited to help expand the organization and bring the spirit of entrepreneurship to student founders on a national level. She hopes to develop optimistic, inclusive, and creative startup ecosystems across university campuses.

Maharshi is a fourth-year student studying business and statistics at Ivey Business School. He has a passion for all things VC, having co-founded his school’s first VC club, and wanting to see Canadian founders and VCs compete and succeed on a global stage.

Maharshi is a data-driven and analytical thinker, which he brings with him to the strategy team at FRV. His interests from an entrepreneurial sense lie in the FinTech space, particularly in helping to democratize complex financial systems – which he had the opportunity to do through working a summer at Mastercard.

Outside of work, Maharshi enjoys playing tennis, squash, chess, and going on hikes in the wilderness!