Momentum at MaRS

Krista has been the driving force behind the creation of Momentum, a MaRS program helping scaling Canadian companies reach $100 million in revenue by 2024. Krista has been a passionate innovator and builder of technology-based businesses for over 30 years. She has spent her career working in and advising over 200 organizations, including public companies, high-growth firms and startups. Krista is an engineer, entrepreneur, mentor and expert problem solver. She has a unique combination of strategic, technical, operational and marketing expertise. And she is known for her comprehensive knowledge of the existing and emerging enterprise tech stack (architectures, technologies) and commercialization practices. Her greatest joys come from working with and learning from diverse, talented and ambitious people, as well as being a mother to three amazing young adults.

A successful entrepreneur, Mike comes to MaRS as the former CEO of two enterprise software companies working in commercial real estate and retail payments, respectively. He was also a ranked Wall Street analyst, as well as managing director at RBC Capital Markets, where he covered Apple and other technology companies for a decade. Mike holds a master’s degree in engineering from MIT and an MBA from Harvard. He also has certifications from MIT in artificial intelligence and blockchain technology.  

Scott Bagby specializes in scaling high-growth tech companies with a core competency in international expansion. He is a co-founder of A Retail Space, an early-stage data company in the proptech space. Prior to that, Scott was the president international of Rdio, a music streaming service. There, he was responsible for establishing and running Rdio in all territories outside the U.S. Scott found his way to Rdio having previously worked at Skype where he helped build the commercial side of the business and led market development strategies in Asia, South America and Europe. Before joining Skype, Scott was with First Pacific Davies, a property consultant based in China, and Comoretel, a startup telecom company. Scott holds a degree in international relations and business administration from USC.

Richard brings over 20 years of experience as a pharmaceutical industry executive, having led the development of innovative drugs, biologics, medical devices and combination products in several therapeutic areas, including metabolic diseases, regenerative medicine, bone repair and orthopaedics, haematology and nicotine addiction. Throughout his career, he has been responsible for overseeing all aspects of the product development process, from basic research, preclinical safety and toxicology, and clinical research to chemistry, manufacturing and regulatory submissions in the United States, Canada and Europe. He has extensive experience in the management of intellectual property, having successfully defended against and challenged competitors’ claims. Highlights

• Chief Operating Officer at Nicogen Inc.
• Chief Scientific Officer at ApoPharma Inc, a division of Apotex Inc.
• Director, Drug Development at Allelix Biopharmaceuticals Inc. (later NPS Pharmaceuticals)
• Co-founder of the Advanced Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Engineering Consortium
• Served on the Scientific Advisory Committees of Cangene Corporation and Apotex Research
• PhD and Honors B.Sc. in Biochemistry from the University of Toronto

As executive in residence at MaRS, Daneal helps high-growth companies solve their unique talent attraction and retention challenges while encouraging them to invest in a people-centered strategy that emphasizes employee experience fundamentals. Her goal is to help companies mitigate future risks and build sustainable and vibrant cultures. Daneal’s fascination with tech began with her first leadership role in 1997, working for the Intel Corporation in China, and strengthened over 15 years of work with some of Toronto’s most innovative startups. She is a sought-out expert, entrepreneur, speaker and coach to founders and their executive teams, and winner of Canadian HR Reporter’s Top 25 HR Professional Award in 2017 and the HRD Reader’s Choice Award for Best Service Provider in 2018. In 2017 Daneal co-produced the inaugural #MoveTheDial event, an initiative dedicated to changing the face of tech leadership in Canada. #MoveTheDial was one of the largest gatherings of tech startup female leaders in Canada, including 100 founders and 40 venture capitalists. Daneal holds a master’s degree in international management and a certificate from the cross-cultural, advanced program in human resource management from the Rotman School of Business, and is a certified executive coach through the Coaches Training Institute.

Dennis is Chief Venture Advisor and VP, Venture Programming at MaRS. Dennis is an experienced startup entrepreneur and C-suite executive, having scaled companies from incubation to more than $50 million revenue. He has been at MaRS since 2017 as a co-founder of and Executive in Residence in our Momentum program, a launchpad for global powerhouse companies. Dennis came to MaRS following his sale of TransGaming Inc., a leading digital media company in the cloud-based game market which he helped start and take public. In addition, he is an accomplished financial transaction advisor, having been involved in over $500 million of financing and M&A transactions in the past 10 years. He is also past-CEO of Equation Angels, Canada's second largest Angel network, whose model he helped architect in 2017. Dennis is a Chartered Business Valuator and holds a BBA from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Petia leads program development for Momentum, a MaRS program that supports high-growth companies on their way to reaching $100 million in revenue. She started her career in foreign policy before pivoting into accelerating the growth of Canadian companies, helping them expand into international markets, connect with customers, and tap into funding.

Kristina joins us as an EIR with a specialization in the marketing function after spending 20+ years in the technology industry. Her most recent corporate experience includes senior leadership roles at Workbrain, DMTI Spatial and Ceridian. Her latest role was as the global Chief Marketing Officer at Ceridian which included a successful IPO on the NYSE and the TSX in 2018. In 2019 Kristina decided to leave her EVP and CMO position to found Cleary Leadership Inc. and now focuses on helping high performing individuals and fast-growth teams accelerate their performance through one-on-one executive coaching and consulting.

Michael has an outstanding track record of success leading companies to significant profitable growth results in large global public traded and mid-size private equity owned companies. Michael is a recognized leader in business growth strategy, sales excellence processes, product portfolio management, merger and acquisitions, change management and lean process execution. He supports two privately owned companies as an investor and member of the Board and is a personal coach for three CEO’s. Michael has a BS in political science and economics from Texas Lutheran University and completed certification studies at the Institute for Organizational Management at Notre Dame University.