Who we are.
Our team is made up of experienced industry professionals with strategic business consulting backgrounds. We run our own core programs for training early-stage entrepreneurs, but we also have shown amazing success in running programs for other organizations with their own mandates, including empowerment and upward mobility for Indigenous, black, and other racialized audiences.
We believe in diversity, championship, and empowerment for marginalized groups, and building stronger startup businesses and small-to medium-sized organizations through disruption, better relationship-building, and collaboration.
Adam McNeill
Mentor, Digital Strategist, Business Consultant, Storyteller, Leader
With nearly 20 years in strategic communications and digital transformation for B2B and B2C brands, Adam is able to bring a wealth of career experience and project stories to his learners' growth and development. Cherishing a deep passion for education and business development, Adam has taught at the college and university levels, and has spent more than five years developing and leading learning programs and other materials to support entrepreneurship.
Adam's enthusiasm for advancing the prosperity and well-being of indigenous, black, and Canadian newcomer populations is evidenced by the countless testimonials of his program participants. Our learners can't say enough about what they learned from him and have found him to be a fun, friendly, and knowledgeable mentor.
Kris Atkinson
Mentor, Leader, Solutions Architect
Kris values a self-starter attitude as it's gotten him where he is. Always passionate about finding new ways to leverage technologies in the pursuit of business and organizational objectives, he is driven to impart these insights to leaders and startup founders in order to help them remain lean and stable as they learn and grow their businesses.
Kris has learned that he has both black and indigenous genealogy and seeks to help the more visible members of these minority communities overcome the social, political, and financial barriers that confront them. As a consultant and a teacher in the tools of the trade, Kris not only works tirelessly to teach his knowledge of digital tools to our learners, but also to keep the cost of them low for entrepreneurs in their initial stages of growth.
Takako Hiruma
Social Media Content & Engagement Maven
Takako 'Kako' Hiruma is a multi-business owner, entrepreneur, strategic thinker, content creator, social media influencer, actress, and all-around amazing human being.
While all of us here at Founder Academy participate in supporting and promoting the brand through social media, we trust Kako to do her thing with content, advise us on content and strategy.
She is also a newcomer to Canada, and helps us keep it real when planning for cohorts of newcomer entrepreneurs, advising us of their journeys and challenges, and helping Founder Academy to better understand how to support entrepreneurs like her.
Emily Atkinson
Academic & Administrative Support
Emily is a Nova Scotia born professional who is friendly, detail-oriented, And works to uphold Founder Academy by taking on a support role that ensures our members' success.
Emily is the mother of a boy and a girl who keep her busy on top of her 9-5 duties.
Dave
Chief Morale Officer
This principal role truly embodies the best application of Dave's strongest and most innate talents.
Dave's boundless curiosity for finding out just what's going to happen next stands as a testament and shining example to the rest of us as we maintain a growth mindset and a commitment to lifelong learning.
As an agent-at-large, we have circulated an internal policy that Dave is to be allowed to tackle internal projects as he sees fit, and without interference from other departments or their heads.
Dave is to report directly to Adam and Kris.
We'd love to hear from you
We're here to help your business thrive—reach out to continue the conversation.
