We have a new $10,000 grant competition opportunity for B.C. & Yukon entrepreneurs—learn more about the Launch Challenge!

Our Team

Meet the faces behind Spring who collectively bring a world of knowledge, experience, and passion to the entrepreneurship and impact communities.

Keith Ippel

Keith Ippel

CEO & Co-founder

With over 25 years experience as a leader in technology and impact businesses, Keith has accelerated companies and ecosystems and raised over $30m in angel investment and venture capital. A global keynote speaker, teacher, and advisor, Keith leads Spring and focuses on our strategic growth and global ecosystem advisory work. Keith has been riding his bike to work for over 10 years now- rain or shine!

Caroline von Hirschberg

Chief Operating Officer

Caroline brings fresh experience starting and scaling social ventures in the UK and Kenya. Along the journey of iterative product development to international product launches of renewable energy solutions, Caroline has learned the value of human centred design, the rollercoaster of managing international operations, the value of partnerships and how to raise funds from multiple sources! She’s now excited to share these insights with social entrepreneurs looking to grow their impact.

Luan Tolosa

Director, Strategy & Operations

Luan considers herself an expert generalist; passionate about using her technical knowledge, entrepreneurial experience, and corporate background to empower people through entrepreneurship. At Spring, Luan’s focus includes our global ecosystem advisory work, international program management, and strategic and operational leadership of projects and programs. Luan is also the Co-Founder of SEWT and holds her MBA and Certificate in Social Impact from Queen’s University.

Leah Penrose - People Operations Manager at Spring

Leah Penrose

People Operations Manager

Leah (she/her) is the first People Operations Manager at Spring! She brings with her experience of having created the People Department at one of Canada’s Top 25 Fastest Growing Companies and a passion for life-long learning, authentic leadership, and thriving employee experiences for true belonging. Leah holds the International Coaching Federation ACC level for her certified organizational and team coaching, Human Resource Management Certification, Change Management Certification, and is a CPHR Candidate.

Geraldine Barrera - Business Development Manager at Spring

Gerri Barrera

Business Development Manager

With a love for art and nature, Gerri launched her first business as a wedding florist in Southern California. After six years of leading small service and retail businesses, she pursued an MBA in search of a community that valued practices that are both impact-driven and scalable. At Spring, she combines a mix of strategic planning and entrepreneurial hustle to reach and support all stakeholders in the impact ecosystem.

Tina Ippel

Operations Manager

After a 10-year hiatus to homeschool her daughter, Tina is now the Spring team's Operations Manager. Her prior experience includes working as a Financial Analyst for a consumer food company and a pottery shop entrepreneur serving West Coast potters. Tina loves order and actually thinks that math is elegant and fun. We promised not to hold that last part against her!

Mari Matthews

Mari Mathews

Impact Investment Director

Mari began her career working internationally for 10+ years in the ski & tourism industry. In Oslo, Norway she co-founded Outtt raising over 4 million NOK and driving the company to over seventy thousand monthly active users and 40+ paying customers. Now back in her hometown of Vancouver, Mari devotes her time to helping entrepreneurs navigate raising capital for early stage growth.

Hilary Kilgour, Investment Director at Spring Activator

Hilary Kilgour

Impact Investment Director

Hilary is an Advisor, Investor, and Board Director who builds products, scales ventures, and develops the capacity of entrepreneurial ecosystems. Her experience spans Fortune’s 100 Fastest-Growing Companies and leading brands in diverse sectors. She has advised the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and was selected by Clean50 and Corporate Knights for scaling impact for global organizations. With an MBA in Sustainable Systems from Pinchot University, she completed her BAH from Queen’s University as an All-Canadian athlete.

Graham Day, Investment Director at Spring Activator

Graham Day

Impact Investment Director

Graham has extensive experience working with social enterprises in executive roles. Most recently, he worked as CFO with Sistema.bio—an award-winning company delivering renewable energy solutions to smallholder farmers in developing countries—where he raised over $15m in financing to fund the company's expansion across four continents. At Spring, he is thrilled to expand and enrich the impact investing ecosystem in Canada and help propel amazing businesses to new heights.

Josephine Kwan, Program Manager

Josephine Kwan

Program Manager

Josephine believes we all have the power to write our own story which is why she is passionate about helping others discover their potential. As the founder of Flow 2 Freedom Apparel and with over a decade of commercial real estate and consulting experience, she will assist entrepreneurs at Spring to navigate through the process and growth of their own business journeys.

Tra My Pham

Program Manager

Tra My co-founded and scaled two startups in the retail sector. The first, Bisu Bisu, is a customizable accessories brand. The second, The Craft House, is an offline and online co-selling marketplace for e-commerce startups. At Spring, she finds a team with whom she can continue doing what she loves: supporting entrepreneurs along their journeys of product launches, pivots and growth.

Allison Gibson - Food Innovation Program Manager at Spring Activator

Allison Gibson

Program Manager

Allison is a social enterprise strategist and entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in the hospitality industry. As Director of Impact & Operations at Paintbox Catering & Bistro and Program Manager at Spring, she prioritizes creating opportunities for marginalized residents of under-serviced communities with a focus on those on an entrepreneurial journey or facing barriers to meaningful employment.

Veronica Mancassola

Veronica Mancassola

Program Manager

Linked to the world of innovation and entrepreneurship since she was a child, Veronica is a dynamic and open-minded polyglot and entrepreneur having lived and worked in Italy, Japan, and Chile. She has experience in fintech, venture capital, and in founding her own business focused on the circular economy. At Spring she leads programs that enable entrepreneurs along the challenging journey of starting a new business and boosting sales in a global market. What can't she live without? Her yoga mat, her yerba mate, and her smartphone.

Lucy Cullen

Lucy Cullen

Program Facilitator

Lucy has worked in the hospitality industry for 10+ years, and founded two social enterprises in the food space. Before joining Spring, Lucy worked with Forward Food under Humane Society International/Canada which reduces the environmental impact of foodservice menus. She has been named Canada's Top 25 Under 25 Environmentalists twice, and Corporate Knight's Top 30 Under 30 in Sustainability. She is excited to help food entrepreneurs solve complex problems. In her spare time, Lucy enjoys writing and playing music on the piano and saxophone.

Heena Narula | Spring Activator

Heena Narula

Engagement and Impact Coordinator

Heena is passionate about designing transformational learning experiences. At 25, she started and led her own community school directly impacting 400 families. Recently, she set up the International Operations vertical at a leading EdTech startup focusing on program design and delivery along with learner success. At Spring, Heena helps design impactful learning opportunities to deliver a smoother learning experience and build strong entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Kamila Suchomel

Brand Strategist

Kamila is a communications aficionado and an international relations researcher passionate about fusing knowledge from social scientific disciplines with design thinking to drive positive impact. By day she helps build enthusiasm for Spring and its programs, and her evenings consist of working to co-found a research lab for agile governance and modern policy design.

Marlubi Gomez

Program Associate

Marlubi has travelled the world wearing many hats such as actress, writer, marketer, journalist, and entrepreneur. Originally from Venezuela, Mar has developed a deep passion for human-centered design and how it can be used to transform the world through entrepreneurship. In Chile, she started her own modeling academy, helping young girls develop their confidence and self-esteem. At Spring, Mar is bringing her energy and experience to engage our community across our programming, showcase our stories, and create better online community experiences.

Nadia Al-Wahaibi - Spring Activator Marketing Manager

Nadia Al-Wahaibi

Growth Marketing Specialist

Nadia combines her passion for marketing analytics and user experience design to help connect Spring with impact-driven and impact-curious individuals. Her social scientific background in international economic development sparked her curiosity to learn more about the effect of digital economies in developing countries. Nadia's previous marketing, sales, and design experiences in startups of varying growth stages make her a champion of the entrepreneurial spirit.

Neema Rimber, Program Coordinator at Spring Activator

Neema Rimber

Program Coordinator

Neema likes to think of herself as an amalgam. With a degree in Economics and International Relations from UBC where she was also a MasterCard Foundation Scholar, her academic background and values for support and engagement feed a keen interest in social impact and financial inclusion ventures, especially with underserved and equity-seeking communities. Her experience includes roles in impact measurement, competition policy and operations and logistics and she is excited to bring these intersectional experiences to support the Spring team as a Program Coordinator.

Jaiya Varshney

Network Intern, Impact Investing

Currently attending UBC Sauder, double majoring in Marketing and Entrepreneurship with a Sustainability and Social Impact concentration, Jaiya is passionate about making a positive impact. She works as an associate for the Vancouver Social Value Fund, a student-led impact investment organization, and has co-founded a number of initiatives including Down To The Last Straw, an environmental awareness campaign. Jaiya has also been working towards making a lasting impact in sustainable fashion. She is thrilled to be joining a community where creating positive impact is embedded into the culture.

Manas Srinivasaiah

Training Intern, Impact Investing

Manas is a commerce student at Queen's University. He helped create the student-led Kingston Social Value Fund where he is a fund manager, working to invest in local social enterprises, innovative nonprofits, and enterprising cooperatives. He is passionate about being a part of the changing dynamics in the impact investing ecosystem and the way we define value. At Spring he is excited to help entrepreneurs and investors create positive change in the world and scale that impact. Manas also loves to cook and often spends his time experimenting with new ingredients and recipes.

Nazm Grewal

Nazm Grewal

Intern, Operations & Marketing

Nazm recently completed her second year of Applied Mathematics at Western University. She's actively involved with the student entrepreneurship community and was previously Vice President, Events at W5 – Western Entrepreneurship Association. She also has experience working in product and growth at an early-stage startup, and is passionate about advocating for diversity and inclusion within social entrepreneurship and venture capital spaces. In her spare time, Nazm loves to bake, try new recipes, and read!

Mike Winterfield - Spring EiR

Mike Winterfield

Advisor & EiR

Top 40 under 40. 20 years in the tech industry specializing in services companies and SaaS products. 14 years in various executive roles, most recently President of Traction Rec and COO at Traction on Demand. Mike has spent the last decade scaling companies from start-up to $300M by building high performing teams committed to core values. Avid lover of nature and any form of outdoor activity or experience.

Sana Kapadia

Sana Kapadia

Advisor

Sana Kapadia is a world changer, champion of diversity and systems change. A Top 40 under 40 winner, she drives strategy and impact at Spring with her rich global background in impact Investing, equity research, and social entrepreneurship. Currently living in Germany, Sana is a mum of two adventurous trailblazers (under 4!), reads voraciously, loves traveling and wants to scuba dive with her beach-loving husband.

Is this you?
Amazing Human

We are not actively hiring at the moment, but if you're an amazing human who wants to change the world through innovation, then we want to hear from you!

Change the world with us!

We acknowledge that we live, work and play on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō, and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples.