Michael Curry - Managing Partner, Investeco - Toronto, ON

Michael's focus at Investeco is identifying investment targets, conducting research and due diligence, and helping drive company growth strategies once an investment is made. He is Vice Chair of the board at Organic Meadow and is on its audit committee, and also sits on the board of Rowe Farm Meats. Previously, Michael was co-owner/operator of a successful building materials distribution company and spent seven years in the reforestation industry. Michael became focused on the environmental economy in 2001 when he began researching environmental companies for the E2 Venture Fund.

Keith Gillard - BASF Venture Capital America Inc. – Fremont, CA

Keith Gillard is responsible for the North American activities of BASF Venture Capital which are run through BASF Venture Capital America Inc., Santa Barbara.

Prior to joining BASF Venture Capital in March 2006, Keith Gillard was with Mitsubishi Corporation, responsible for its technology-related venture capital investment and business development activities in Canada, with a specific focus on clean energy and environmental technologies. He started his career in investment banking before becoming an entrepreneur in IT.

Claude Haw - Managing Partner, Venture Coaches - Ottawa, ON

Claude is Managing Partner at Venture Coaches, a local venture firm responsible for Severn Bridge Investments, Venture Coaches Fund, and Canadian Cleantech Fund. Claude is a professional engineer and has more than 30 years history in a variety of technical, general management and venture investing roles in the high technology sector. He has a wealth of experience in building successful technology companies in Canada from start-up to acquisition and IPO. Prior to Venture Coaches, he held a number of executive positions at Newbridge, including Vice-President and General Manager of the Newbridge ATMnet Business Unit. Claude grew the unit from inception to a $200-million-per-annum business. Before joining Newbridge, he held senior management positions at Mitel Corporation and Leigh Instruments.

Scott MacDonald - Investment Director, Emerald Technology Ventures - Montreal, QC

Scott MacDonald is a Partner with Emerald Technology Ventures, a global leader in cleantech venture capital. Founded in 2000 under the name SAM Private Equity, Emerald is a pioneer in this rapidly emerging sector and is focused on innovative technologies in energy, materials and water. From offices in Zurich, Switzerland and Montreal, Canada, Emerald manages three venture capital funds and two venture capital portfolio mandates totaling over US$440 million. Scott has been active in the venture capital industry for the past 10 years and has focused exclusively on the global cleantech sector for the past 5 years. Scott graduated with a Bachelors degree from McMaster University and an MBA from Dalhousie University. He previously served as Chairman of RuggedCom (TSX:RCM) and is currently a Director of SynapSense, Solicore and SoftSwitching Technologies. He is a member of the North American Advisory Board for the CleanTech Venture Network, an industry association that brings together all stakeholders in the area of cleantech, a volunteer director of Gymnastics Canada and is an elected voting member of the Canadian Olympic Committee for the 2005-2009 quadrennial.

John Richardson - CEO, President and a founder of B.E.S.T. Discoveries Fund and B.E.S.T. Total Return Fund - Toronto, ON

John Richardson is the founder, CEO of The BEST FUNDS group of companies which include a group of Investment Funds and money management firms including B.E.S.T. Investment Counsel Limited, an asset management firm focused on private equity and venture capital as well as Absolute Private Counsel, an Alternative Asset Management firm serving the institutional marketplace. He holds the designation of Senior Investment Counsellor/Portfolio Manager and is the Senior Counselling Advisor of the investment management team at BEST FUNDS.

John is the CEO of three publicly offered venture funds across Canada. In his extensive experience and as advisor to the Fund, John has successfully negotiated over 100 transactions across different stages of investments and diverse industries, in private and public equity employing the use of diverse investment instruments from convertible debt to equities, both common and preferred share structures, as well as special warrants and limited partnerships.

Prior to this other work experience includes working in Public Accounting in a number of different practice areas as well as being the Chief Financial Officer of a scientific equipment manufacturer and distributor. Mr. Richardson speaks regularly about Venture Capital and Private Equity in a number of public forums including the Team Canada mission to Hong Kong. Currently, he serves as a director on a number of private and public company boards. He is a Chartered Accountant, and a Chartered Business Valuator. He holds a Masters in Business Administration from the State University of New York and a Certificate Pratique de la Langue Francaises from the Universite de Savoie in France.