This is a special episode featuring highlights from the inaugural Ottawa Innovation Week, with seven insightful interviews from some of the most inspiring leaders in technology and innovation, many of whom were speakers and organizers during the week’s events.

Ottawa Innovation Week is a celebration of bold ideas, creative minds, and the changemakers driving the future of technology, business, arts, entertainment, and social impact—right here in Canada’s capital. The initiative was led by Sonya Shorey, President and CEO of Invest Ottawa, in collaboration with the Ottawa Board of Trade, Ottawa Tourism, and numerous partner organizations. My interview with Sonya can be found in Episode 118 of The Art & Science of Learning podcast.

Designed to showcase the strength, diversity, and growing momentum of Ottawa’s innovation ecosystem, this first-of-its-kind event brought together leading voices from across technology, entrepreneurship, investment, and research.

Throughout the week, I had the privilege of speaking with seven influential figures who are shaping the future of innovation both locally and globally. From startup founders and global corporate leaders to investors and ecosystem architects, each guest shares unique insights into their field, along with personal reflections on growth, leadership, and opportunity.

Featured interviews (with timestamps) include:

• Veronica Farmer (11:50) – Chief Marketing Officer at Wesley Clover International and a widely respected community builder in Ottawa’s business and tech landscape
• Dr. Lindy Ledohowski (37:20) – Vice President at RBCx, supporting leading tech companies with insights drawn from her background as both founder and academic
• Julia Elvidge (46:20)– Co-founder of SheBoot, a trailblazer in intellectual property strategy and a champion of women’s entrepreneurship in tech
• Nick Quain (59:10) – Vice President of Venture & Entrepreneurship at Invest Ottawa and a driving force behind the city's startup ecosystem
• Erin Kelly (1:07:20) – Co-founder and CEO of askpolly.ai, an AI-powered platform transforming predictive analysis in public affairs and beyond
• Jonathan Lowenhar (1:14:50) – Founder & Managing Partner at Enjoy The Work, a global advisory firm helping startup founders become exceptional CEOs
• Andrew Holmes (1:23:20) – Founder of Sleep Efficiency Inc., and a national expert in the science and impact of sleep health

From venture capital and AI innovation to women-led tech startups and the future of sleep science, this episode presents a compelling cross-section of ideas and expertise. Whether you’re a founder, investor, policymaker, or simply curious about Ottawa’s role in shaping the innovation economy, there’s something here for you.

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Links and Guest Biographies:

Ottawa Innovation Week: https://www.investottawa.ca/innovation-week/

Invest Ottawa: https://www.investottawa.ca

Interview with Sonya Shorey about Ottawa Innovation Week: https://www.theartandscienceoflearning.com/e101-jan-present/e118-launching-ottawa-innovation-week-sonya-shorey

Veronica Farmer

Veronica Farmer is Chief Marketing Officer at Wesley Clover International where she oversees all aspects of its promotion and management, collaborating closely with portfolio companies and affiliates such as L-SPARK, Alacrity Global, and WCS Global. Recognized as one of Ottawa’s foremost community builders, Veronica holds leadership and board roles in numerous business and non-profit organizations. As the Founder and former CEO of TrueCourse Communications, a full-service marketing and communications agency, Veronica guided numerous tech, B2B, and B2C clients in Ottawa and beyond toward market success. TrueCourse was acquired in December 2024, marking a milestone in her entrepreneurial journey. 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronicafarmer/

TechTuesday: https://www.wesleyclover.com/events/techtuesday/

Dr. Lindy Ledohowski

Dr. Lindy Ledohowski is VP at RBCx, where she supports some of the Ottawa region’s biggest and best tech companies on behalf of RBCx. Prior to her work in banking, she was a professor and founder of EssayJack, an academic writing platform. EssayJack was acquired in 2021 by Wizeprep, and Lindy joined Wizeprep first as a VP and then as Chief Operating Officer. She is also an active Board member in the not-for-profit space

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindy-ledohowski/

Julia Elvidge

Julia Elvidge is co-founder of SheBoot, a bootcamp for women entrepreneurs of scalable tech and tech-enabled businesses. Julia has been recognized as one of the world’s foremost IP strategists by Intellectual Property Magazine (IAM). Trained as an electrical engineer, Julia designed microchip circuits and analyzed semiconductors before moving into the business side of technology. As co-founder and President, Julia helped build Chipworks into an industry leader, delivering patent analytics and technology intelligence services to intellectual property and R&D groups in electronics companies across Asia, North America and Europe. Recipient of the Canadian Women in Communications Trailblazer of the Year Award (2008) and CATA WIT (Women in Technology) Sara Kirke Award for Woman Entrepreneurship (2007).

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliaelvidge/

SheBoot: https://sheboot.ca

Nick Quain

Nick Quain is Vice President of Venture & Entrepreneurship at Invest Ottawa, he spearheads support for Ottawa’s tech and entrepreneurial sectors while championing the local business ecosystem as a whole. Previously he served as co-founder and CEO at CellWand. They pioneered the use of abbreviated dialing codes in North America with their award-winning #TAXI (Pound Taxi) service and later in the mobile transportation space with The Ride app. CellWand earned numerous business and innovation awards, including the 2010 Canada’s Top 10 Competition for Technology, recognition as one of Canada’s Hottest Innovation Companies, and being named one of the top 10 Wireless Companies to Watch by IDC.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-quain/

Erin Kelly

Erin Kelly is co-founder and CEO of askpolly.ai, the venture-backed AI company that has cracked the code for predicting human reaction to a future scenario. askpolly has successfully predicted the outcome of over 30 elections and referendums, assisted with frundraising, forecast disease spread and helped hundreds of executives hone their messages through very difficult PR situations.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinottawa/

askpolly: https://www.askpolly.ai

Jonathan Lowenhar

Jonathan Lowenhar is Founder & Managing Partner at Enjoy The Work. Founded in 2015, Enjoy The Work is a San Francisco-based startup advisory firm  that helps founders transform into master operators and become great CEOs. Enjoy The Work has supported more than 125 startups, representing more than $13B in combined market value. Among their global client list are notable success stories such as Tipalti, Paper.co, inDinero, RealtyMogul and Honeybook.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jlowenhar/

Enjoy The Work: https://enjoythework.com

Andrew Holmes

Andrew Holmes is Founder of Sleep Efficiency Inc. Before founding Sleep Efficiency, Andrew served as Senior of Cardiopulmonary labs at the Queensway Carleton Hospital in Ottawa, where he led the team responsible for a full-service out-patient cardiopulmonary department and sleep clinic. Andrew is routinely featured as the sleep subject matter expert on CTV News and CBC’s The National, offering insights into the critical role of sleep health.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-holmes-rpsgt-49961951/

Sleep Efficiency: https://www.sleepefficiency.ca