Entrepreneurship Week

President Keshen's Regina Chamber of Commerce Executive Event

This was an exclusive in person opportunity for participants to connect with top CEOs from across Saskatchewan. The afternoon included a welcome from Dr. Keshen, the Regina Chamber of Commerce CEO, alongside a panelist discussion from industry leaders from all the Crown Corporations, and other major Saskatchewan organizations.

Panelists included:

• Rupen Pandya, Sask Power
• Celina Philpot, Conexus Credit Union
• Ranjith Narayanasamy, PTRC
• Robert Osicki, SGI
• Heather Ryan, Federated Co-op
• Mark Guillet, Sask Energy
• Charlene Gavel, SaskTel

Afterwards participants had the ability to network with the CEO's and industry leaders from across Saskatchewan.

Tuesday Talks Presented by GATE with Jessica McNaughton, Founder of the MemoryKPR App

Tuesday Talks is a hybrid event presented by GATE on the last Tuesday of every month! These sessions, moderated by Bruce Anderson, GATE’s Academic Lead, offer you the opportunity to engage with esteemed leaders from the Saskatchewan Innovation ecosystem.

Jessica and Bruce had a discussion about Leading Change from Corporate Innovation to Startup Entrepreneurship.

Did you know?

• Jessica McNaughton was a Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 award honouree in 2007 and her Levene Graduate School of Business EMBA capstone project was on advantages gained by intrapreneurship, a term used to describe employees acting as entrepreneurs inside an organization?

About Jessica McNaughton:

• Jessica McNaughton, CEO of memoryKPR technologies. Working with brands like Marriott, the Grey Cup, and attractions across North America, memoryKPR helps organizations leverage the power of their story to grow their business and they also have a freemium product for individuals to easily capture and protect their stories and memories.  Prior to founding memoryKPR, she was a C suite executive with over 25 years of progressive senior roles in some of Canada’s most respected companies, such as WestJet, RBC, and Viterra. She was responsible for building high-performance teams and managing transformational change. Jessica holds an EMBA from U of R’s Levene Graduate School of Business and her Institute of Corporate Directors Designation from the Rotman School of Business.

Orbital Exchange Podcast: Where Big Ideas and Collaboration Fuel the New Space Economy with AVRO Aerospace

GATE partnered with AVRO Aerospace, a pioneering company driving innovation in the emerging space industry.

Topic: Where Big Ideas and Collaboration Fuel the New Space Economy

• This special event brought together pioneering leaders across aerospace, space-based energy, and emerging technologies to inspire entrepreneurs, innovators, and anyone curious about what’s next. It was a unique opportunity to learn directly from experts shaping a sustainable future.

The discussion featured insights from:

• Dr. Ed Tate, CTO and co-founder of Virtus Solis
• Bryan Zetlen, Aerospace consultant with Virtus Solis
• Regan Hinchcliffe, VP of Public Engagement at AVRO Aerospace

Skillsets for Startups Panel and Lunch

This insightful panel discussion was hosted in partnership with GATE and the University of Regina Graduate Students Association (URGSA). The panel explored the essential skills needed to lead or collaborate within the startup world. This event featured local founders and employees from Saskatchewan startups. Each brought unique perspectives from diverse academic backgrounds. The panel offered a chance to learn directly from those thriving in Saskatchewan’s startup ecosystem, allowed participants to gain valuable insights, and connect with local entrepreneurial leaders! 

About the Guest Speakers:

• Kaitlyn Stricker, Co-Founder of Twello
• Dastu Omer, Marketing Specialist at Citrus Technology
• Greg Elkington, Operations Specialist for Offstreet
• Matthew Hamilton, Software Development Lead at memoryKPR

Kaitlyn Stricker, Co-Founder of Twello:

• With a degree in Business Administration from the University of Regina and a strong passion for entrepreneurship, Kaitlyn joined Twello as its first employee. Twello, a corporate wellness company, provides wellness sessions to organizations across North America and recently expanded with an on-demand wellness platform for employees. She initially took on a marketing role, which soon expanded to include operations. After two years, Kaitlyn was promoted to COO and later became a co-founder when the CEO went on maternity leave and moved to a new company. Now, she co-leads Twello alongside fellow co-founder Jenna, having the opportunity to collaborate with major organizations like Amazon, Netflix, SpaceX, and Wealthsimple.

Datus Omer, Marketing Specialist at Citrus Technology:

• Being a recent graduate from the University of Regina with a B.Sc. in Computer Science and a minor in Psychology, Datsu works at Citrus Technology, a platform designed to streamline operations for youth sports camps, covering everything from registration to scheduling and customer communication. Dastu also volunteers as a Social Media Executive for Muslim Aid of Saskatchewan, Designer at TEDxRegina, and Vice President and Communications Coordinator of DFIC Youth Club. Outside of work and volunteering, Dastu enjoys staying active through yoga and tennis.

Greg Elkington, Operations Specialist for Offstreet:

• Born and raised in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Greg attended the University of Regina from 2006 to 2012, earning a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with a minor in Physics. After completing three programming bootcamps, Greg entered the tech scene at the age of 37 by designing, developing, and launching his own personal training application, ultimately becoming a member of the Cultivator Start Cohort 9. Now, as an Operations Specialist for Offstreet in a dynamic startup environment, Greg oversees compliance, finance/receivables, systems administration, and development—an eclectic mix that speaks to the breadth of skills one can utilize at a startup.

Matthew Hamilton, Software Development Lead at memoryKPR:

• Matthew is a UofR alumni and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science in 2020. In his undergraduate program he did research work with Professor Howard Hamilton. He has since gone on to work for memoryKPR, progressing his role as a developer over 4 years here to Lead Web Developer.