The incumbents will be selected by the VC arm of our network after going through a rigorous selection process.
Selected startups would be seed funded and become part of our accelerator batch with access to various business support services at a no charge.
Focus would be on manifestation of the business idea into a real tactile product or service.
3 niche high potential cohorts per year
Geetu Pathak is a seasoned business executive with experience in turn around management, business building, and strategy consulting. She is currently the CEO of Milo-FAIS – a company providing infrastructure and services to the food and agricultural sector. Based in southwestern Ontario, Milo-FAIS is an asset -based company conducting operations pertaining to IQF, ammonia plants for refrigeration and water and waste water treatment, material handling services to global agricultural and food processing companies. In her role as the CEO, Ms. Pathak is responsible for all strategic, financial and organizational aspects of the company. In the past five years, she has restructured the operations and developed the services model of the business leading to increased operational and labor efficiencies and profitability. She is also the Vice Chair of Ekagrata Inc., a family investment firm, where she oversees management and operations of several other portfolio companies in the firm. As an entrepreneur and businesswoman, she is highly experienced in dealing with complicated issues surrounding client contract negotiations, government relations and union bargaining.
Prior to this stint, she was the involved in multiple entrepreneurial ventures including in several sectors including fitness and footwear, custom furnishings and innovative baby products. Through these ventures, she was focused on addressing all strategic, financial and operations aspects of the business to grow the company.
Outside of professional interests, Geetu donates time to several charitable causes and pursuits. She serves on the Board of several public and community institutions. She is a member of the board of Directors at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). She is also a member of the Board of Directors of Ryerson University where she is part of the Finance committee. She recently completed her term as member of the board of directors at TVO (Ontario government’s Educational agency) where she chaired the Audit Committee of the Board.
Geetu has an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahemadabad and a B.Tech degree in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), where she was adjudged the Best All-round Graduating Student of her class.
Aditya Jha is a globetrotter, his business portfolio consists of several startups and company turnarounds with interests in Canada, India, Thailand, and Nepal. He is a philanthropist and community worker at heart and an entrepreneur with passion, through his entrepreneurial feats of actualizing dream with high risk-taking as well as his acts of generous giving to those outside his community; he has demonstrated a rare sensitivity towards the societal needs of Canada.
He is an entrepreneur in pursuit of excellence. Aditya is Chairman & CEO of Karma Candy Inc, one of the largest Canadian contract manufacturer of branded and premium private label chocolate and candy products. Prior to this, he co-founded a software company, Isopia Inc., after having a successful career at Bell Canada as General Manager, eBusiness and Product Marketing. In July 2001, despite the downturn in the technology industry, Isopia was a major acquisition by Sun Microsystems Inc., USA. Subsequently, he co-founded another software product company, Osellus Inc., Canada, and Osellus Asia Pacific Company Limited, Thailand. He also has business interests in hotel, real estate, and fast-food industry.
He started his professional career after investing 4½ years as Research Scholar at School of Computer & Systems Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India and has M.Sc. in Mathematical Statistics & Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Science.
He founded his private charitable foundation (POA Educational Foundation) in 2001 and has created endowments at four institutions (Ryerson University, York University, Trent University, and George Brown College), and these endowments grant in total thirteen bursary awards ($42,000 annually) in perpetuity to students. He was the Chairperson for UNICEF Canada India HIV/AIDS campaign ($3 Million) and one of the Cabinet Members for Ryerson University Business School’s capital campaign ($72 Million). He sponsors and is running a unique initiative in the area of Venture Philanthropy working with the office of the Grand Chief of Nishnawbe Aski Nation as well as Ryerson University and Trent University to nurture entrepreneurship within aboriginal communities of Canada.
Accolades and awards reflect his pursuit of excellence. He is the appointee of Government of Canada to the Board of Directors of First Nations Financial Management Board, of Government of Ontario to Ontario Investment & Trade Advisory Council (OITAC) and Advisory Council Member of Dean, School of Social Services, Ryerson University. He is 2012 inductee to The Order of Canada, Canada’s highest civilian award.
He has conferred Honorary Doctorate at Ryerson University’s Ted Rogers School of Management in 2009. He is the Canadian Immigrant magazine’s (Toronto Star) Top 25 Canadian Immigrants 2010 for his achievement and contributions that have positively changed the face of Canada since arrival and is inductee to the Top 30 Most Influential Indo Canadians of India Abroad magazine Power List 2009. He was awarded the 2008 Desi News Grant’s Community Achievers Awards. The Indo Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) awarded its 2004 “Technology Achievement Award” for his achievements in the field of Technology. He was awarded CEO award in 1998 from BCE Inc. for his innovative work at Bell Canada; President’s Award at Bell Nexxia in 1999 and was selected as President’s Club member at Bell Canada in 1997.
He was an Adjunct Faculty at the National University of Singapore (1989-94). He is the National Convenor of Canada India Foundation which focuses on public policy advocacy in Canada India corridor and has recently concluded an MOU for $10 Million endowments for setting up Canada India Public Policy Centre at the University of Waterloo. He is actively involved with the new Canadian groups of Indian, Nepalese, Sri Lankan, and Pakistani origin in Canada. He is a Charter Member of the prestigious Indus Entrepreneur Group and has served on the Board of the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Prashant Pathak is CEO of Ekagrata Inc. a business building oriented principal investment company and a Principal of In Colour Capital Inc. As an active owner he spends considerable time in Board and oversight roles at private and public companies. Outside of Canada and US he has significant international experience in, and exposure to issues in Asia, South America and Eastern Europe. He serves on Board of several public and community institutions. He has been an appointee of Government of Canada on the Board of BDC for nearly a decade (Business Development Bank of Canada, a $25 Billion institution). During that time he served as Chairman of the Venture Capital and Investments Committee, BDC Capital is Canada’s largest VC program. He also served extensively on the Credit & Risk Committees. While a member of Pension Committee he proposed and expedited the initiative to adopt LDI to better address pension investment planning.
Previously, Mr. Pathak has been a Partner of McKinsey & Company Inc. At McKinsey he was a leader of the North American Telecom Practice, the Financial Services Practices and a leader in the Strategy & Corporate Finance Practice. He has advised several global corporations on a range of general management, strategy, M&A and operations issues across North America, Asia, Europe and South America. At McKinsey he led several initiatives for the Firm focused on industry innovation, like Decapitalization – “Creating capital efficient business models, “Unlocking the Value of a Board” – Governance as a competitive advantage, IP-Transformation – “Creating the Telco of the Future”, and Lean Six sigma – “Creating the Lean Telco”. He has also been part of the startup team and the Managing Partner of ReichmannHauer Capital Partners a successful Canadian investment firm.
Prior to McKinsey, Mr. Pathak spent several years in the industry in management and field operations roles at Schlumberger and Halliburton. At Schlumberger Geco-Prakla, he started in the field and rapidly progressed to eventually supervise the seismic navigation operations for Asia Pacific. Before Schlumberger he worked with Halliburton’s JV in India (HLSI) in upstream exploration business and also led the special projects team. Mr. Pathak has extensive international experience and built strong trusted relationships with several corporations, conglomerates and family holding companies from his work in Europe, Middle East Asia, and South East Asia. In addition to operations, he has experience in leading product and technology platform development.
Outside of professional interests, Mr. Pathak actively contributes to several community and not-profit institutions and causes. He, was an Executive-in-Residence with the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF), created by an Act of Parliament in 1984, APF is an independent, not-for-profit think-tank on Canada’s relations with Asia. Mr. Pathak is an executive sponsor of Project Beyshick a program focused on career orientation and entrepreneurship development in First Nations Youth in partnership with the Nishnawbe Aski Nation. He is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and a Member of Chatham House – The Royal Institute of International Affairs – where he has spoken on matters related to food security and long term investing. He is a Governor on Board of University of Guelph, a global leader in agricultural, plant and natural sciences. He was recognized as Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 for exceptional achievement across five dimensions – vision and leadership; innovation and achievement; impact; growth and development strategy; community involvement and contribution – and the capacity to encourage and foster growth. He is an inductee to the “30 most influential Indo-Canadians Power List” of Rediff’s India Abroad (2009), adjudged South Asian Professional of the Year 2010 by MidWeek Magazine, and amongst 100 Most Influential Global Indians by Diaspora World in 2014. Previously he served on the Board of the North York General Hospital in Toronto. He is an alumnus of the core team of Vartana, a new type of bank in Canada – a bank that is not only a charity, but is also owned by and dedicated to serving others engaged in charitable activities. He was a Charter Member of TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs). Founded in 1992, in Silicon Valley TiE, is a global, non-profit network dedicated to the advancement of entrepreneurship.
Recently during the Financial Crisis, as a member of the Credit Risk and Investment Committee of the BDC Mr. Pathak contributed to the Canadian government’s Economic Action Plan through the launch of the CSCF (Canadian Secured Credit Facility) and BCAP (Business Credit Availability Program) ~$17 Billion programs that were meant to provide increased credit support in Canada. Mr. Pathak migrated to Canada in 1998. He now lives in Toronto.
Mr. Pathak has a MBA from INSEAD with Distinction and a B.Tech degree in Electrical Engineering from The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), where he was adjudged the Best All-round Graduating Student of his class. He also has a Diploma in Fuzzy Logic from IIT.