Selection Committee and Program Partners

Apply now for your opportunity to participate in the NextSteps Program and Pitch Competition

Amy Pollard
Startup Program Manager
OVHcloud

Amy Pollard is the Startup Program Manager for OVHcloud’s Startup Program in Canada and Latin America. Prior to OVHcloud Amy was a venture capital investor at BDC Capital, one of Canada’s largest institutional venture capital funds. Throughout her investment career and volunteer work she has built strong connections with founders, investment funds, accelerators, and technology organizations across Canada. She is an advocate for diversity in technology and was on the founding team of BDC Capital’s Women in Technology Venture Fund. Outside of work, Amy can be found zipping around Montreal on her Vespa in search of the best ice cream and spending time in nature.

Bonnie Chau
Portfolio Manager
BCF Ventures

Bonnie Chau is a Portfolio Manager at BCF Ventures with diversified expertise in the areas of entrepreneurship, finance, accounting and investment. She currently leads the due diligence for B2B startups and provides support in the portfolio companies. Prior to becoming a VC at BCF Ventures, she has worked at one of the fastest growing fintech companies in Canada by providing her expertise in Finance/Accounting and she was later promoted to execute on interim management projects working directly with the CEO and CFO. She always looks for opportunities to give back to the startup community. Bonnie holds a Bachelor of Commerce with an Accounting major from the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University and she has also obtained her accounting designation CPA.

John Muffolini
National Leader, Technology, Media & Telecommunications
MNP

John Muffolini is the National Leader, Technology, Media & Telecommunications at MNP. He has more than 20 years of experience providing assurance and advisory services to national and international companies in diverse industries and markets.

Selected companies that John has served include but not limited to: Descartes Systems, IBM, Rogers, Smart Employee Benefits, Coinsquare, Wealthsimple, Indochino, EMERGE Commerce Inc., Hamilton Thorne, OpenText, Intellipharmaceutics, WaveAccounting, Clublink, Sangoma Technologies, Sky Solar, Canadian Solar, Shop.ca, Falls Management, Delavaco, Woodbridge Foam Corporation and The Weather Network.

Julien Lacheré
Partner and Patent Agent
BCF

Julien Lacheré is a Partner and Patent Agent at BCF. Julien counsels his clients at every development stage to devise and deploy comprehensive intellectual property (IP) strategies supporting companies’ business objectives and corporate strategies. Julien specializes in the building of patent portfolio, including drafting and prosecuting patent applications properly calibrated for the U.S., European and Chinese patent systems while optimizing the cost-benefits ratio.

With an engineering degree in software and telecommunications and a Master of Research in Data Science, Julien has renowned expertise in the patenting of software, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. His technology expertise includes aerospace, fintech, audio tech, communications and networking, operation of data centers and cloud services as well as core-AI and applied-AI technologies.

Massimo Iamello
Campus Engagement Specialist
Partner, Assurance
MNP

Massimo Iamello, CPA, CA, is a Partner in MNP’s Assurance and Accounting Services group and leader of the firm’s Technology, Media and Telecommunications team in Montréal.

Massimo works closely with growth enterprises in SaaS, fintech, tech enabled platforms, telecommunications, gaming, film production, entertainment, esports, health tech and the funds that are invested in them.

Massimo advises companies who adhere to financial reporting in accordance with Accounting Standards for Private Enterprises (ASPE), U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (U.S. GAAP) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). He has also dealt with international audits.

Sergio A. Escobar

CEO & Partner
BCF Ventures

Sergio has been supporting early-stage startups for 15 years across a variety of stages from inception to growth. He acts as Managing Director at BCF Ventures, a Montreal-based Corporate Venture Capital fund where he invests in B2B Enterprise Software startups at the Seed & Series A stages across US, Canada and Israel. He is also the Managing Director of Founder Institute Montreal, a pre-seed accelerator program, and he has been awarded several times as best Director worldwide. Prior to that, he was a multiple times entrepreneur with startups in Aerospace, eCommerce, Manufacturing, AgTech and Financial Technologies. Lastly, he considers himself as a citizen of the world by having lived in Canada, Bolivia, Paraguay and France. Polyglot speaking 4 languages.