About Rewiring Prosperity - The Lighthouse Series: WIN-VC
Rewiring Prosperity — The Lighthouse Series: WIN-VC is hosted by Vanessa Paesani, Executive Director of the Pond-Deshpande Centre. This 10-part stream shines a light on women founders across Atlantic Canada who are raising venture capital and scaling ambitious ventures, sharing real-world insights on fundraising, growth, and what it takes to build a more inclusive innovation economy.
Publisher
Pond-Deshpande Centre at University of New Brunswick
#10: Reimagining the Hair Industry with Aaliyah Lahai
What if the future of hair extensions started with a different material and a different way of thinking about innovation?
In this episode of Rewiring Prosperity, Vanessa Paesani sits down with Aaliyah Lahai, founder of Gáamai Hair, to explore her journey from childhood hair rituals in Moncton to building a Canadian hair innovation company.
Drawing on her background in science, sustainability and public policy, Aaliyah is developing a bio-based alternative to conventional synthetic hair used in extensions, wigs and protective styles. Alongside that work, she is building a hair intelligence platform to support more personalized product, care and styling decisions.
The conversation explores how customer discovery helped broaden her approach beyond materials, why understanding an industry doesn’t mean solving every problem at once and how research partnerships and Atlantic Canada’s entrepreneurship ecosystem have helped her move forward.
Aaliyah also shares how her thinking about venture capital has evolved, why raising investment shouldn’t be treated as proof of success and what founders can do to build stronger companies before pursuing outside capital.
1 Sept 2026
Reimagining Personalized Education with Houlie Duque
What if education adapted to each childinstead of expecting every child to adapt to the same system?
In this episode of Rewiring Prosperity,Vanessa Paesani sits down with Houlie Duque, founder and CEO of Homeschool Genius Lab, to discuss her journey from educator to EdTech entrepreneur.
After working within some of the world’s most respected educational systems, Houlie recognized how difficult it was for traditional classrooms to give every student the individualized support they needed. That experience inspired her to build a fully bilingual education program combining personalized curricula, project-based learning and parentcoaching.
The conversation explores the evolution of homeschooling, the growing demand for personalized education and howHomeschool Genius Lab is using an AI-native platform to scale its impact.
Houlie also shares what she has learned about fundraising, responding to prevention-based investor questions, buildinga strong pitch narrative and why deeply understanding the customer’s problem should come before developing the solution.
19 May 2026
#8: Scaling Sustainability in Atlantic Canada with Marie Dankworth
In this episode of Rewiring Prosperity, Vanessa Paesani sits down with Marie Dankworth, founder of Seagreen Solutions,to discuss her journey from seaweed researcher to climate entrepreneur.
Originally from Germany, Marie came to Atlantic Canada to study seaweed ecology at the University of New Brunswick — and ended up building a company focused onusing kelp-based biochar to store carbon and improve soil health.
The conversation explores climate innovation, commercialization, entrepreneurship, and what it takes to move from academia into the startup world. Marie also shares insights into scaling sustainable technologies, the challenges of climate-focused ventures, and why Atlantic Canada is uniquely positioned to lead in seaweed innovation.
15 May 2026
#7: Deborah Sanni on Venture Capital, Founder Networks, and Scaling Innovation
In this episode of Rewiring Prosperity: The Lighthouse Series, Vanessa Paesani sits down with Deborah Sanni, ExecutiveDirector of Startup Atlantic, ecosystem builder, operator, and emerging impact investor.
Deborah shares her journey from healthcare and HR into entrepreneurship, innovation, and venture ecosystems —and explains why she believes innovation is one of the most powerful tools for social and economic change.
The conversation explores Atlantic Canada’s growing startup ecosystem, the structural barriers underrepresentedfounders still face in venture capital, and why relationship-building is one of the most underrated growth strategies for founders. Deborah also opens up about inclusive investing, founder pathways, ecosystem collaboration, and whyAtlantic Canada is uniquely positioned to become a global launchpad for innovation.
If you’re a founder, investor, operator, or ecosystem builder, this episode is packed with practical insights on scalingcompanies, accessing capital, and building resilient innovation communities.
12 May 2026
#6: From Social Equity to Clean Energy: A Conversation with Lark Meadow
In this episode of Rewiring Prosperity — The Lighthouse Series: WIN-VC, host Vanessa Paesani sits down with LarkMeadow, co-founder of Aeon Blue, a company developing synthetic jet fuel technology using seawater and captured carbon dioxide. Drawing from a background in social equity and nonprofit leadership, Lark shares how climate innovation and social impact became deeply connected in her work, ultimatelyleading her into the clean energy sector.
Lark explains how Aeon Blue’s integrated reactor technology works, why synthetic aviation fuel represents a major globalopportunity, and how the company is positioning itself within the future of clean energy infrastructure. She also reflects on the realities of fundraising in deep tech, the importance of shifting investor conversations toward aspiration rather than prevention, and how the Investor Q&A program helpedreshape the way she communicates vision and scale.
The conversation also explores Canada’s deep tech ecosystem, the complexity of grant coordination, and why scalableclimate technologies require stronger systems of support. For founders, investors, and innovation leaders alike, this episode offers a thoughtful discussion on commercialization, systems change, and building technologies with both economic and societal impact.
5 May 2026
#5: Founder Readiness in AI: A Conversation with Shanthi Shanmugam
In this episode of Rewiring Prosperity — The Lighthouse Series: WIN-VC, host Vanessa Paesani sits down with Shanti Shanmugam, a technical founder building in the AI agents space and the CEO and Co-founder of Urai AI, a platform focused on simplifying and scaling complex AI systems.
Shanti shares an honest perspective on what it takes to step into the founder role, moving beyond engineering intosales, fundraising, and strategic decision-making. She breaks down how building Urai AI has required not only technical depth, but the ability to clearly communicate value to investors with very different expectations and levels of understanding. From refining her pitch and leveraging analogies to buildingtraction and practicing investor Q&A, Shanti highlights the real work behind becoming “fundable.”
The conversation also explores the practical realities of early-stage fundraising, including managing runway, understanding legal and operational costs, navigating accelerator programs, and identifying the right investors. For technical founders especially, this episode offers a grounded look at how to translate product complexity into vision, build credibility through execution, and stay resilient through the challenges of raising capital.
20 Apr 2026
#4: Understanding Venture Capital Decision-Making with Cathy Bennett
In this episode of Rewiring Prosperity — The Lighthouse Series: WIN-VC, host Vanessa Paesani is joined by Cathy Bennett, co-founder and managing partner of Sandpiper Ventures, former finance minister of Newfoundland and Labrador, and seasoned entrepreneur and investor. Drawing on her experience across business, policy, and venture capital, Cathy offers a clear and practical perspective on how capital actually moves and what founders must understand to successfully raise funding.
The conversation explores the realities behind venture capital decision-making, including the importance of execution, revenue traction, and scalable business models. Cathy also addresses the structural challenges facing women founders, emphasizing that the funding gap is not a pipeline issue but a systems issue rooted in networks, pattern recognition, and access to decision-making power. She provides candid advice on founder readiness, investor expectations, and the role of ambition in building venture-backed companies.
This episode offers valuable insight for founders preparing to raise capital, particularly those navigating venture capital for the first time, and highlights the importance of both individual preparation and systemic change in shaping a more inclusive innovation economy.
16 Apr 2026
#3: Venture Capital, Bias, and Founder Preparation: Insights from Dr. Ellen Farrell
In this episode of Rewiring Prosperity — The Lighthouse Series: WIN-VC, host Vanessa Paesani is joined by Dr. Ellen Farrell, professor at the Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’sUniversity and creator of Investor Q&A, one of Canada’s mostrecognized training programs for women raising venture capital. Together, they explore the often-overlooked dynamics of investor questioning and discuss how bias can shape the way founders are evaluated in fundraising environments.
14 Apr 2026
#2: Early-Stage Capital and Founder Readiness: A Conversation with Danielle Graham
In this episode of Rewiring Prosperity — The Lighthouse Series: WIN-VC, host Vanessa Paesani is joined by Danielle Graham, venture capitalist, ecosystem builder, and co-founder of The Firehood, to examine how early-stage capital works and what founders need to understand before they begin fundraising.
Drawing on her experience supporting underrepresented founders and building investment networks, Danielle offers an inside look at how investors evaluate opportunities, why community matters in the fundraising process, and how founders can position themselves more effectively for growth.
6 Mar 2026
#1: From Innovation to Investment: Bethany Wilkie on Building a Venture-Backed Company
In the inaugural episode of Rewiring Prosperity — The Lighthouse Series: WIN-VC, host Vanessa Paesani, Executive Director of the Pond-Deshpande Centre at the University of New Brunswick, speaks with Dr. Bethany Wilkie, entrepreneur, scientist, and former CEO of a venture-backed deep-tech company. Bethany reflects on her journey from academic research to startup leadership, sharing how a highly technical idea evolved into a company capable of attracting venture capital and building partnerships with major global organizations.
19 Dec 2025
Introduction - Rewiring Prosperity: The Lighthouse Series:WIN-VC
Rewiring Prosperity — The Lighthouse Series: WIN-VC is hosted by Vanessa Paesani, Executive Director of the Pond-Deshpande Centre. This 10-part stream shines a light on women founders across Atlantic Canada who are raising venture capital and scaling ambitious ventures, sharing real-world insights on fundraising, growth, and what it takes to build a more inclusive innovation economy.
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