The team

Marc Hébert holds a doctorate in neurological sciences. He is director of the cognitive and clinical neurosciences axis of the CERVO Research Center and co-director of the Thematic Center for Research in Neurosciences at Laval University. Professor of ophthalmology at Laval University since 2001. He was president of the Society for Light Therapy and Biological Rhythms from 2010 to 2013. He is the founder of the company Chronophotonix and co-founder of DiaMentis, which holds exclusive licenses operating at Laval University.

He has over 30 years of experience building winning teams, deploying business strategies and risk management practices to small and medium-sized businesses, including 18 years in venture capital. He contributed to the success of several companies, including Telecité, Optosecurity and Miranda. He is a speaker on the theme of value creation and the creation of innovative ecosystems and the author of the book "The Business Paradox".

Bilingual senior executive leveraging subject matter expertise in Sales, Business Development, IT, Finance and General Management with a proven consultative approach to effectively guide and advise established or start-up companies. Diligent and resourceful with a proven track record of presenting compelling concepts to drive business growth. A visionary and innovative leader, motivated to build strong cross-functional teams, to deliver key operational and financial results for either point assignments or longer-term engagements. A customer-focused and results oriented person, able to engage with all levels of management through strong communication and problem-solving skills.

Isabelle Dufresne is Vice-President of Investments at INNOVEXPORT, a Quebec-based venture capital fund whose mission is to support the start-up of innovative businesses targeting international markets. She has extensive expertise in corporate finance at all stages of development, but more specifically in technology start-ups. In 2006, she co-founded a microbrewery, which was sold to the third largest brewery in Belgium in 2016. Thanks to her university training combining science (master’s degree in microbiology) and business (MBA), as well as her entrepreneurial profile, Ms. Dufresne brings great wealth to various boards of directors and advisory committees.

Sébastien Jutras is Vice-President of Operations and RA/QA at THORASYS Thoracic Medical Systems, a respiratory medical device company based in Montreal, Quebec. Thanks to his long experience in innovation and product development, he brings invaluable technical expertise to the company. Sébastien has been involved in Chronophotonix since its creation and contributed to the development of the first versions of the Bluewake.

Brian Barry is Tirna Partners Managing Partner. Previously CEO of Ericsson in Canada and has extensive industry experience in leading Boards and accelerating companies’ growth and M&A (recently PinPoint by Descartes). Currently Advisor to Descartes, Chairman University of Limerick and an Advisor to The Government of Ireland

Simon Thibault is a professor in the Department of Physics, Physical and Optical Engineering at Laval University. He brings to the advisory team a rich experience and expertise in the fields of optical design (engineering, aberration theory, optomechanics), optical metrology (interferometric, CGH, aspherical), adaptive optics (simulation , deformable mirrors), optics for extreme environments (design, metrology, cryogenic, space) and in long-term outdoor lighting (LEDs, aging models, standards, thermal management).

Peter Cowan is the founder and principal consultant of Northworks IP. He has created and led the growth of technological innovation and intellectual property programs in business, from new startups to large multinational companies. He has worked with leaders, inventors and technical teams in eight countries to help identify and protect their breakthrough innovations, both in mature and emerging markets.