Our Team

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

Keith Ippel

CEO & Co-founder

With over 25 years experience as a leader in technology & 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.

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.

Mari Mathews

Program Director, Impact Investing

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

Graham Day

Investment Director

Graham has extensive experience working with social enterprises in executive roles. Most recently, he worked with 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.

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.

Luan Tolosa

Senior Program Operations Manager

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.

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!