Skip to content Elena developed her passion for tech by promoting a social business incubator, covering dozens of founders’ stories in digital media, and leading a content team in the US-based EdTech startup. At Launch Academy, she will be working on social media. In her spare time, Elena is an outdoor enthusiast. Her curiosity led her to climb Europe’s highest mountain and scuba dive in the Indian ocean on an expedition with the World Guinness explorer.Ray Walia2022-12-06T23:08:56-08:00 Samson is the Community Manager at Launch Academy, where his goal is to put on events and help members feel welcomed. Samson comes from a background in child and youth care and psychology, where he helped young individuals build relationships and develop life skills. Furthermore, Samson has experience in sound design from his time at Vancouver Film School. This has brought him to work in freelance, studios, youth work, outdoor camps, school districts, and now, the startup space. In his spare time, Samson enjoys playing video games, working out at the gym, trying new restaurants, and learning new ways to be creative in the digital space.Ray Walia2022-12-06T23:11:32-08:00 Camille is originally from France, and has a background in Human Resources in the Tech Industry! She worked at companies such as Ubisoft and DNEG in the past. Since moving to Vancouver, she has been persuaded to eat kale chips and go hiking around BC — which definitely makes her an honorary Vancouverite.Camille Bonnet2022-12-06T23:12:42-08:00 Roger Patterson is a serial high-tech entrepreneur with a passion for spreading the entrepreneurial spirit and helping others succeed as entrepreneurs. He has over 17 years experience in the software and telecom industries, 12 years of which have been spent founding and running 3 successful high-tech companies after originally working for some of Canada’s largest high-tech companies (Nortel and Newbridge Networks).Ray Walia2018-07-21T08:29:31-08:00 Preeteesh is a full-stack marketer with vast experience in digital marketing, advertising, branding and social media management. From working as a stockbroker in Mumbai to being an editor for a community newspaper in Toronto, he explored his career options before finding his passion for marketing in 2014. Since then he has worked on various marketing projects for companies in immigration, fantasy sports, rock concerts, hospitality, multipurpose arenas and events. Preeteesh likes learning about the newest tech trends, values effective creativity and enjoys photography.Ray Walia2022-12-07T00:00:30-08:00 With a passion for video games and tech, Jean landed her first tech job at Launch. Outside of working at Launch, Jean is also a Twitch.TV video game streamer with an accumulated view count of 40 million views, the founder of SFU’s first PC gaming club, SFU Online Entertainment League, and remains fairly active in the gaming community. You can also find her playing a lot of PC games on her free time, looking up new places to eat and trying to figure out which hot sauce to buy next. So if you ever need a food or hot sauce recommendation, she is your go-to person.Ray Walia2022-12-07T00:01:46-08:00 Alana came to Launch Academy with a background in communications and marketing, along with years of experience producing global events. She was lucky enough to work from the quiet slopes of Banff to the sweltering beaches of Rio de Janeiro, all the while being glued to her laptop and subsequent spreadsheets. She decided to switch gears in 2016 and make the leap over to the exciting world of startups and hasn’t looked back since.Ray Walia2022-12-07T00:03:04-08:00 Sam is the Head of Programs at Launch Academy, where he oversees the development of the incubator’s various programs. Over the years, he has advised hundreds of startups on their go-to-market strategies. Formerly, he consulted for Samsung, Microsoft, Intel, Qual-comm, and NBC on their developer relations strategies, and ran some of the largest hackathons in the world.Ray Walia2022-12-07T00:05:31-08:00 Alex is a budding entrepreneur, designer and growth hacker with a track record of launching products in crowdfunding, e-commerce, SaaS, virtual currency aand marketplace platforms. Having sold his first start-up in 2013, Alex has committed himself to building a strong tech ecosystem in Vancouver; mentoring entrepreneurs and connecting them to the right resources. In 2014, Alex was recognized as Best in Social Entrepreneurship by Notable Awards and in 2015 as BC’s Top 30 under 30.Ray Walia2018-10-23T17:47:43-08:00 Over the past decade, Ray Walia has been an integral part of the movement to make Vancouver Canada’s leading hotspot for innovation and technology. His impact can be measured in the startups he has founded and funded, the volume entrepreneurs he has mentored, and the countless events he has produced to champion Vancouver’s homegrown talent, and the amount of international attention he has garnered for the city’s tech sector.Ray Walia2022-12-07T00:07:18-08:00