Our Team

Ozan Isinak is an active investors and serial entrepreneur with over 25 years of international experience within the angel investment, venture capital and private equity sectors. Based out of Silicon Valley during the first dotcom boom in the 1990’s, Ozan worked closely with Fortune 1000 companies in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, New York, Toronto, Hamburg, Stockholm, London and Istanbul. Ozan later acted as General Partner in various angel investment and private equity practices.

He is currently the President of Keiretsu Forum Canada, the world’s largest angel investment network operating on four continents. The global network specializes in syndication of deals and invests over $84 million USD into 200 early stage companies each year.

Ozan also holds a Partner position in Trendwell Ventures Inc., a Toronto based boutique M&A practice. He actively participates in portfolio investment decisions, venture capital GP duties and helps technology enabled companies scale through hands-on management toward exit transactions.

Ozan received his MBA in Finance from the University of San Francisco – McLaren School of Business in 1998 and holds a double major in Economics & Political Science from the University of Western Ontario (1994). He speaks English, Turkish and French.

Kevin Sterling is a seasoned marketing executive with experience ranging from start-ups to large corporations. He has invested in 50+ early stage organizations and is assisting high growth companies with international distribution.

Kevin is currently President of the Toronto chapter of Keiretsu Forum which is the world’s largest angel investor network with 52 chapters in 23 countries and 3,000+ members. Kevin reviews 150+ opportunities per year as an active member of the Keiretsu Academy, Deal Screening Committee, and Due Diligence teams for North American investment opportunities. He is also part of the Senior Advisor Network for Keiretsu Capital.

Kevin is also a partner in Trendwell Ventures Inc. which is a boutique capital advisory and consulting firm specializing in international channel expansion and soft landing for growing companies.

Kevin graduated with a degree in genetics from Western University, he is a serial entrepreneur that successfully founded and exited companies in a variety of industries (telecom, internet, energy, consumer licensed products).

His largest exits came via two IPOs in telecom and energy markets.

Mira is an experienced business professional, speaker and entrepreneur who has contributed over 20+ years to a diverse range of organizations – both large and small – in a wide variety of industry sectors. As a CPA, CMA with a solid foundation in strategy, management and accounting, she sees the big picture and understands how all parts of an organization – from operations & marketing to finance, human resources & technology – must work together to create real value and achieve results.

As the Vice President at Keiretsu Forum Canada, Mira manages a diverse range of relationships and activities with investors, partners/sponsors and entrepreneurs.  In addition to coordinating multiple monthly investor meetings across central Canada, Mira also helps to manage Keiretsu’s annual Investor Capital Expo.  As Chair of the Deal Screening Committee, Mira manages a steady stream of deal flow to discover great growth-stage companies that are seeking capital and striving to create great returns for our investors.  As a member of our Pitch Coaching team, Mira brings her diverse expertise & insight – plus the benefit of having seen hundreds of pitches – to help entrepreneurs create a more effective & compelling investor pitch.

With her focus on holistic value creation and win-win-win results, Mira not only provides tactical, operational and strategic advice, she also provides the professional leadership and development support needed for a successful entrepreneurial mindset that can empower people to turn their dreams into reality.

An award winning multi-passionate serial entrepreneur, Ben is no stranger to the startup world having been involved with a number of early stage companies and organizations. In fact, he discovered an entrepreneurial streak at the ripe age of 14 while others where striving for good grades. Ben has always thought he would have done much better in school if only the child next to him had applied themselves a little more.

With the last 20 years being involved in technology companies, his current roles include President at InsightArk Inc, Co-Founder & CTO with DermaviaLABS and Co-Founder of oxiGEAR while also serving on a number of senior leadership role at not-for-profit and community organizations. An invaluable advisor by some and a leadership chiropractor to others, no matter how Ben is described, clients and partners regularly welcome the impact and benefits that result from their work together.

In 2000, Ben co-founded the North American Association of Asian Professionals-Toronto (NAAAP Toronto) and currently serves as President. With Ben’s leadership in the community and steadfast stewardship, NAAAP Toronto is recognized as one of the leading Chapters in the NAAAP network encompassing 28 cities. In 2015, Ben was also elected as Chairman of the NAAAP Presidents’ Council at NAAAP National.

Ben has served as a member of the Chinese Advisory Cabinet at SickKids Foundation and AFP Foundation for Philanthropy (Canada). His prior experiences include being Co-founder and COO of Xystar Technologies, Co-founder of Global Connexxions and was awarded the 1998 Chinese Canadian Entrepreneurship Best Business Startup Award, served on advisory committee for Enterprise Toronto, City of Toronto Economic Development Office. As Co-founder of United Nations Trade Point Toronto, Ben was involved with the United Nations Conference on Trade & Development and played a critical role in fostering the efficiency of world trade with industry partnerships.

In addition to serving as president of the London chapter of Keiretsu Forum, Lee is the owner of Frannet Southwestern Ontario, assisting clients to determine the best franchise path to meet their career, income and lifestyle goals. Lee brings 25 years of entrepreneur support and leadership in multiple sectors as thought leader, executive, founder and sales excellence. Lee is also the co-founder of Designer Microbes, a synthetic biology company in London Ontario, LBC Industries and founder of Eless Enterprises, his boutique consulting firm.

Supporting entrepreneurs at Keiretsu Forum, The Business Help Centre of Middlesex County, London Economic Development Corporation and The Western Research Park; for the past 15 years Lee has worked with more than 400 regional, national and international technology companies.  He has an exceptional network of contacts and relationships in funding and granting agencies in North America.  Lee’s outreach, financing and resource network is always growing. Corporate structuring, enabling organizational execution and maximizing your advantage in  Canada are among his strengths.   Lee is an accomplished Startup,Franchising , Innovation and Entrepreneurship Executive known for outstanding business development, relationship building, early and mid-stage operational expertise in a variety of Technology Sectors. Providing consistent, positive bottom line results to non-profit and for profit organizations and companies.

An accomplished Canadian lawyer with an entrepreneurial spirit, Upasana helps start-ups and
international businesses turn their vision of entering Canada into reality. An expert in the
Canadian Start-up Visa Program, Upasana has successfully launched several global start-ups
companies' in the Canadian market.
Upasana is the CEO and the founder of Investor Quotient Canada Inc., with expertise in law and
venture capital. Her extensive litigation experience with some of the top Canadian law firms,
including Lerners LLP and the Attorney General's office, has given her an in-depth
understanding of Canadian regulatory and business requirements. Upasana's expertise in law,
immigration, and regulatory compliance combined with her highly accomplished advocacy,
negotiations, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills allow her to proficiently handle all the
business and legal aspects of an enterprise's strong and seamless entry into the Canadian market.
Upasana being an entrepreneur and an angel investor, understands how hard it can be for
business owners to move to a new country, start a business, and raise capital. A tireless believer
in delivering world-class service every single day, Upasana applies the same grit and hustle for
her clients' success that made her a MacArthur Foundation Scholar and earned her a Master of
Law (LLM) degree from the University of Toronto.
Blending her acumen for business development with her vast network of leading investors,
business consultants, and top-notch lawyers in Canada, Upasana ensures her clients have the
necessary support, mentorship, and knowledge to strategically and successfully break into the
Canadian market.