Attention all graduate and post-graduate student entrepreneurs!

Professor Stephen Wright
Interim Dean, Faculty of Arts & Science, University of Toronto

and

Professor Christopher Yip
Dean, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, University of Toronto

invite you to the official launch of the Eva and Allen Lau Commercialization Catalyst Prize for Computing & Engineering Innovation, made possible through the generosity of alumni Eva and Allen Lau.

Discover how this prize will create exciting opportunities for our community of innovators and a new generation of aspiring entrepreneurs. Join industry experts and leading academics as they share lessons from their early journeys in innovation and commercialization: their successes, challenges, breakthroughs, and practical advice for those ready to take the leap. A networking reception will follow.

Date: Wednesday, October 15, 2025
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Location: University of Toronto, St. George Campus
Location details will be provided closer to the event

This event is open to graduate and 4th year student entrepreneurs. 

Kindly RSVP by registering here.

Please advise us of any dietary or accessibility requirements with your acceptance.

For event inquiries, please contact dua.events@utoronto.ca

About the speakers

Patricia Thaine
Co-Founder, Chairwoman, Private AI

Patricia Thaine is the Co-Founder & Chairwoman of Private AI, a Microsoft-backed startup who raised their Series A led by the BDC. Private AI won the Privacy Innovation Award at PICCASO 2024, was named a 2023 Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum as well as a Gartner Cool Vendor. Patricia was on Maclean’s magazine Power List 2024 for being one of the top 100 Canadians shaping the country.

Professor Daniel Wigdor
Co-Founder, CEO of AXL

Professor, Computer Science, University of Toronto

Dr. Daniel Wigdor is the Co-Founder and CEO of AXL, a Canadian venture studio turning world-class applied AI research into scalable companies. For over two decades, he has been at the forefront of human-computer interaction and applied AI through his work in academia, industry, and entrepreneurship. Daniel is a professor at the University of Toronto and previously held roles at Microsoft Research, Harvard, and Meta, where he became the founding director of Reality Labs Toronto following the acquisition of his company, Chatham Labs.

Martin Snelgrove
CEO, Hepzibah

Martin Snelgrove is the CEO of Hepzibah and a seasoned tech entrepreneur, having co-founded five companies. Before Hepzibah and Kapik, Martin led a series of high-performance technical teams for a range of companies, having served as Chief Scientist at Philsar Electronics (acquired by Conexant Systems), Chief Technology Officer at Soma Networks and CEO of Dissonance Inc., a design consultancy. For the first 16 years of his career, Martin was a professor and researcher at the University of Toronto, and at Carleton University where we held an NSERC Industrial Research Chair. Martin has an impressive track record in producing high-impact, commercially significant technologies.

About the moderator

Jon French
Director, University of Toronto Entrepreneurship (UTE)

Jon French is the Director, University of Toronto Entrepreneurship (UTE). He is responsible for supporting and championing all entrepreneurship initiatives across U of T’s three campuses and provides leadership to the UTE team while managing ONRamp – 5,000 square feet of co-working and community event space on the St. George (downtown) campus. He is a central liaison for the leaders of U of T’s 12+ accelerator programs and manages relationships with several key stakeholders across industry, government and the broader innovation ecosystem. The UTE community will play a major role in animating the new Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus as an innovation hub for the university, the City of Toronto and Canada.

Jon also has oversight of various external and internal funding programs for U of T entrepreneurs. Since joining, he has helped launch tri-campus initiatives, including the Black Founders Network and the provincially recognized IP Education Program. Under Jon’s leadership, U of T was recognized as one of the Top 5 University Business Incubators in the world in 2023.