BDC’s Thrive Venture Fund for Women, Accelerate Okanagan, and e@UBCO are thrilled to host the next edition of the Okanagan’s 4F event series. Join us on International Women’s Day at Sandhill Wines in downtown Kelowna for a celebration of gender equity and the advancement of women in technology!
This event features a panel discussion hosted by Krista Mallory of the COEDC. Krista will interview three female entrepreneurs who are at various stages of the entrepreneurial journey. Each panelist provides a diverse perspective and valuable insights from their unique experience building a business. Attendees are encouraged to stay after the panel for additional networking and peer connection.
Come celebrate the achievements of women in technology and be inspired by the entrepreneurial journeys of our panelists.
Meet Our Moderator
Krista Mallory is the manager of the Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission, a service of the Regional District of Central Okanagan based in Kelowna BC. A believer in the power of working together, Krista supports Canada’s fastest growing metro area by developing and nurturing relationships and connecting newcomers, businesses and entrepreneurs to community resources and networks. In addition to acting as a connector, Krista leads a team of six highly skilled professionals and a 45-member Advisory Council in advancing workforce development, business retention and expansion and investment and talent attraction initiatives.
Meet Our Panelists
Vanessa Lo is a fourth-year nursing student at UBCO. She is also a research ambassador, and research assistant for The Health Informatics and Equity lab, and The Create in Immersive Technologies Graduate Training Program. She co-founded VanTech Medical, a research and development startup aimed at developing cost-effective and innovative medical devices and platforms. VanTech Medical is currently part of e@UBCO’s Mentor2Market program and the team is working on their first medical device aimed at solving the issue of difficult intravenous access.
Amanda Holyk is the Founder and CEO of iMaster Health, a MedTech startup focused on digitizing rehabilitative care for chronic health conditions. She is a certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist and has a Bachelor’s of Human Kinetics from the University of British Columbia Okanagan. Amanda’s experience working in academia and healthcare allowed her to recognize a global gap in rehabilitative care, and build a business focused on implementing technology-based solutions to reduce a major strain on the healthcare systems and improve patient’s quality of life.
Tasha Da Silva, Founder & CEO of Infuse I.T. Inc, is a visible Canadian minority, born of Ugandan Asian Refugee parents, who immigrated to Canada during the Ugandan expulsion of Asians in 1972. Tasha moved to the Okanagan from the BC coast in 2012 and established Infuse I.T. Upon identifying a need within the wine industry to better handle wine club programs, the company Incorporated in 2016, joined the Accelerate Okanagan VAP program and committed to building its first proprietary software; VinStream Member Management. In 2022, Tasha decided to refocus her energy and felt she could bring a unique perspective to the City of West Kelowna’s council table. Tasha is currently serving her first term with West Kelowna’s City Council.
Ticket includes a glass of wine and light appetizers. Please bring ID and drink responsibly.
If the cost of this event is a barrier to you in any way, please contact our Community Manager, Leslie, at leslie@accelerateokanagan.com
