The Operational Intelligence Company

Enabling thriving entrepreneurial communities locally, nationally, and internationally through new economic practices of partnership and intentional diversity, Valerie Fox is best known as the co-founder and founding Executive Director of the DMZ. She then founded The Pivotal Point, where she helps grow community-based incubators worldwide through coaching, mentoring, and co-creation.

Val has over 30 years of experience in the digital world, where she started a graphic design business and was then sought by IBM to be part of their senior innovation network. She led their enterprise software design teams and was the creative director for large online experiences like the Sydney Olympics. She was awarded 5 patents, including the Universal Shopping Cart for the Web.

Other awards include the Sara Kirke Award for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the 2016 CNE Woman of Distinction Award, and the honour of being part of the 2016 Canada Innovation Leaders team. She’s currently on several boards and advisories, including Futurpreneur and Genesis Accelerator.

Dr. Adrian Bulzacki holds a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Toronto Metropolitan University, specialising in computer vision and machine learning. His career bridges technology and business strategy with a particular focus on spatial computing and innovation. As the founder of ARB Labs Inc., he has guided the company to establish itself as a leader in casino table security and gesture recognition technology.

Dr. Bulzacki is an active investor in early-stage companies, advising peers on technology and innovation opportunities while currently focusing on launching projects in Quantum Technology. A founding member of the DMZ at TMU—recognised as a leading university-based incubator—and holding a Fellowship in Commercialisation from the Federal Economic Development Committee, his contributions reflect a deep commitment to advancing technology and nurturing future leadership. His engagement extends beyond the classroom through active participation in initiatives like the DMZ’s Black Innovation Programmes and Bootcamps, where he works to support and empower diverse talent. He also provides strategic investment guidance to family offices and is an establish speaker at the Global Family Office Investment Summit. His dedication to mentorship has been recognised with the G. Raymond Chang Outstanding Volunteer Award for his guidance of young entrepreneurs at Toronto Metropolitan University in 2022. He delivered a keynote at the National Defence University—Eisenhower School in Washington, D.C., on “Practical Advancements in AI for Financial and Legal Markets.”

Luigi Ferrara is the Principal of Conifer, a design, strategy, sustainability, and digital transformation company focused on creating new formats for the future through collaborative creation.

For 22 years he served as the Director and then Dean of the Centre of Arts, Design and Information Technology at George Brown College in Toronto. During his tenure he directed the renowned Institute without Boundaries for 20 years and then became the founding Chair and CEO of the Brookfield Sustainability Institute (BSI). He was President and is now a Senator of the World Design Organization which represents the global design professions, academic institutions, promotional organizations, corporations and design cities. He is a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, an architect and multi-disciplinary design practitioner who has worked in the fields of urban design, planning, architecture, interiors, exhibition, strategy, research and innovation, branding, product system service design, interaction design, software development and management consulting. He lectures on topics such as digital transformation, sustainability, collaborative design, design thinking and innovation.