Pitch Perfect 2023

Dr. Christine Allen | Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto  

Dr. Christine Allen is a full Professor at the University of Toronto and global leader in drug formulation and development with more than 170 publications. She has received numerous career awards and is a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, Controlled Release Society, and the Canadian Society for Pharmaceutical Sciences. She has held senior leadership roles including President of CRS (2022-2023), President of CSPS (2020 – 2022), Vice-President Ecosystem Development at adMare Bioinnovations (2022 – 2023), Associate Vice-President and Vice Provost Strategic Initiatives at UofT (2019 – 2022) and Interim Dean, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy (2018 – 2019). She is the co-founder and CEO of a start-up that is transforming pharmaceutical drug development through integration of AI, automation and advanced computing. Christine is dedicated to promoting and actioning equity, diversity, and inclusion in research and innovation. 

Efosa Obano | Founder and Manager, Black Founders Network 

Efosa started and manages the Black Founders Network, which supports Black entrepreneurs with capital, community and capacity building. He also started and leads the African Impact Initiative, which invests in early African innovators. He has experience with using technology to create social impact, invest with impact, and build early stage ventures. He has been recognized by the UN and the Ontario Minister’s Award of Excellence for this work. 
 
Prior to this, he led a team that guided startups on their digital transformation journeys with Dell Technologies Canada. He also led community outreach for Dell Canada’s Social Impact Team & Black Networking Alliance. He received Dell’s Corporate Social Responsibility Award for this work. 

Liam Kaufman | VP, Clinical Sciences, Cambridge Cognition

Liam Kaufman was the CEO and cofounder of WinterLight Labs, which develops digital biomarkers to quantify cognitive impairment and mental health using speech and machine learning. Winterlight Labs was acquired by Cambridge Cognition in January 2023. 

Liz Munro | Chief Operating Officer, Ironstone Product Development 

Liz is a high energy medical device professional with more than a decade of demonstrated success in innovative technology companies. Liz is the Chief Operating Officer at Ironstone Product Development, Canada’s only full-service medical device consulting group, offering turnkey product development, regulatory and clinical strategy, and quality management system services to life science and health businesses. Ironstone was acquired by Avania, a MedTech focused Clinical Research Organization, in September 2023. Liz also serves as a MedTech Growth Coach at Communitech, an innovation hub dedicated to helping founders start, grow and succeed, and is a trusted advisor to various early-stage medical device companies. Previously, Liz co-founded Perimeter Medical Imaging AI, a medical imaging company which went public in 2020 (TSXV:PINK), and served as its President of Canadian Operations. She has led the development and FDA clearance of four products, has overseen clinical studies involving more than 400 patients, and has played a key role in raising nearly $40M in dilutive and non-dilutive capital. Liz holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Physics from McGill University, a Masters of Applied Science in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Toronto, and an MBA Essentials from the University of Toronto – Rotman School of Management.