Team Overview
Samer Bishay is President and CEO of Iristel & Ice Wireless, Canada's leading provider of wireless and wireline IP services. As Iristel's founder, Samer led the company from a small startup to an international telecommunications service provider with domestic infrastructure licences on three continents (North America, Europe and Africa). Samer is also actively participating in many public forums that are helping shape Canadian Telecommunications broadband policy which will have a significant impact on Canada's future in rural broadband development and advancement. Samer has won numerous awards and accolades. Most notably, he is the recipient of Profit Magazine's Young Entrepreneur Award as the youngest CEO among the Top Profit 100 companies in Canada. Named one of the top 25 Canadian Immigrant Entrepreneurs in 2020 and featured on the Government of Canada Website A licensed airline captain, Samer was appointed Honorary Colonel of 34 Signal Regiment of the Canadian Armed Forces in 2019. In this role, Colonel Bishay serves as an advocate for the Regiment and the CAF in general; and he helps strengthen the military's bond with the community Prior to founding Iristel, Samer was a lead systems engineer in the Radarsat program at the Canadian Space Agency. Samer is a graduate of the Space & Communications program at York University, with an Honours Bachelor of Science Degree.
Andrew is a self-made business-tech enthusiast with a diverse background in Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, Network Engineering and a bounty of knowledge to spread across all fields within technology. Andrew has developed and worked on process & implementation design, web-streaming platforms, social-media platforms, financial applications, big data engines and Middleman model companies Andrew brings together FINTECH with BLOCKCHAIN technologies together through various models from credit checking to global transfers of assets using Hyperledger Fabric. Andrew advises on how to build trust relationships with many organizations who do not trust each other utilizing Blockchain technology
Adrian Maftei is technical lead for the Iristel group in Canada and has over 11 years applied experience in managing and deploying wireless network infrastructure. Adrian manages complex core system integrations and new rollouts of services in the Iristel and Ice Wireless networks. He has extensive hands-on experience with deployments of mobility solutions and network components ranging from 3G and LTE radio access points to core network elements such as CS Core, PS Core, IMS and VAS/Messaging and can comfortably deploy, configure and manage 4G, 5G and LTE technology stacks. Adrian has a Master's Degree in Advanced Wireless Communications from the Bucharest Polytechnic University and holds the following certifications: LTE/E-UTRAN Signaling, 5G NG-RAN Signaling, Nokia Flexi LTE BTS - installation, commissioning and integration of network services
Andrew Buchanan is an entrepreneur with a love for technology. He is a founder and CTO of Addos Technologies and an owner and director of Video Armed. With two decades of experience, Andrew has designed and developed intricate systems across the Telecommunications, Industrial Automation, and Video Surveillance industries. His career began with the creation of the patented VideoJet Inc network video recorder platform. He then designed and developed two central station video monitoring platforms before transitioning to the telecommunications industry in 2008. As ThinkTel Communications' Director of Systems Engineering, Andrew spearheaded a comprehensive revamp of billing, automation, and customer experiences, which contributed to the company's significant growth. In 2015, Andrew and his longtime friend Jeremy Olson founded Addos Technologies to cater to a niche market in the Industrial Automation industry. Collaborating with Cargill and the University of Alberta, Addos pioneered a novel approach for monitoring industrial assets' health, using machine learning and custom hardware to analyze high-fidelity sensor data and provide early warnings of equipment failures. Andrew holds a Computer Engineering degree from the University of Alberta, where he graduated with distinction.
Nahid is a crypto marketing and branding maverick who has been involved in the crypto market since late 2016 and has a deep understanding of how crypto markets and communities function. Nahid has been involved in numerous token and NFT projects and has consulted multiple projects to raise millions successfully in presale funds. He has experience growing crypto communities from the ground up and has helped produce millions in organic volume through his branding and marketing campaigns. Nahid is also a self taught blockchain developer and entrepreneur with experience working on and coding solidity smart contracts. Nahid completed 3 years in Computer Science at the University of Toronto before leaving to focus on crypto full time.
Kadeem is an advanced marketing entrepreneur who has excelled in both marketing and advertising. With his 10 years experience in developing marketing campaigns and event management, Kadeem has been able to take many brands and influencers from start-up to generating millions. He is very familiar with understanding the psychological aspects of marketing and relating to a consumer, as he has dealt with hundreds of thousands of people through his event management and ownership of Nightclubs. Kadeem also developed an expertise within the crypto market as he is an active CSC certified trader. He has experience with growing and managing crypto communities, alongside multiple crypto and NFT projects that were able to successfully raise millions in trade volume
Advisors
Lionel Khoury is a distinguished partner and investor at Karrier One. Before joining the firm, he founded and continues to manage Echelon Consulting Group (ECGI), a comprehensive family office focused on real estate investments and mortgage financing solutions. With an extensive background in the financial industry, Lionel has held various positions such as Investment Specialist and Compliance Officer at RBC, and Senior Financial Advisor at CIBC. Outside of his professional endeavours, Lionel is a devoted husband and father of three boys. He cherishes spending quality time with his family, friends, and colleagues. His personal interests include cooking, collecting watches, and creating lasting memories with those close to him.
Landon Miller is a Mohawk, Turtle Clan from Six Nations of the Grand River. As President of The Ryan Group, Landon founded the company to focus primarily on economic development opportunities while maintaining core values and rights as indigenous people. His focus has always been on Indigenous self-government, business sovereignty and creating own source revenue. Landon has a strong belief that Indigenous land title should not negatively impact the potential of project-specific growth and prosperity, he serves as a liaison between Indigenous communities and corporate Canada. In October 2016, Landon opened the first and largest free standing Indigenous owned Tim Horton’s on Indigenous territory in Canada. This precedent setting venture has now become a model for similar Indigenous franchise opportunities across the country. Landon has made it his lifelong business mandate to create indigenous led models to improve the quality of life within those communities.
Rob's executive leadership spans decades in the telecom, wireless, cable and media/entertainment industries. As a CTIO, he led organizations such as Continental Cablevision, EchoStar/Dish Network, T-Mobile, and Leap Wireless through periods of strategic and dynamic growth with over $20B of career technology budget management. With his extensive expertise in IT management and systems, telecommunications, billing processes and more, he is a go-to expert in multiple industries. Between corporate engagements, Rob cultivated an advisory practice with a team of consultants, leading to the establishment of Strickland Consulting. Numerous Board of Director positions and executive-level engagements bolstered the company’s network and experience over the years. Building on these successes with management consulting, digital marketing, business development, M&A, and Board Advisory, Rob and the Strickland Consulting team channeled their expertise into a new larger-scale group – Move 37 Ventures or just “M37”. Now, Rob's focus is on emerging technologies and connecting companies around the world to enable change and growth in telecommunications, security and technology. This allows Rob and M37 to partner with startups, post-revenue growth firms and established market leaders on a global basis – connecting distant points and making personal connections that no other market-leading consulting firm can.
A songwriter, rapper, producer, DJ, technologist Pro Gamer, Animator, Futurist and Blockchain pioneer. Founding member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group N.W.A., producer of Grammy nominated #1 hit song Supersonic. CoFounder/CEO MDDAO a Medical Metaverse co. CEO DRIVYN Performance, Founder of iNov8 Next Open Labs, Founder of GGGOAT PC and lifestyle brand.
With over 20 years of experience in investment banking and entrepreneurship, this individual has a diverse background in the tech industry. They currently hold the position of General Partner at True Block Capital, a blockchain investment firm, and have previously served as the Managing Partner at Clairfield International, where they focused on mid-market M&A. Additionally, the individual has been the CEO and co-founder of five software-focused technology companies. They also have experience as the Senior VP of M&A for Fi System, a European public company that was acquired in 2003, where they completed 10 acquisitions and various equity market transactions worth over $100 million. In their role as a Strategic Advisor for over 50 different technology companies across Canada, France, the UK, and the US, the individual has originated, executed, and completed various equity market and acquisitions transactions across different sectors in Europe, the US, and Canada. They are also an investor and board member in various tech companies, including those focused on blockchain, and hold a B.S., M.Sc. in Engineering, M.Mkt., and M.Fin. degree.
As Co-Founder of Lontra Ventures, Andrea partners with dynamic founders who tackle massive market opportunities and lead through explosive growth. Karrier One is squarely positioned to exceed those objectives by expanding digital access to through the international DeWi sales model. Over the last decade, Andrea has carefully crafted the Lontra Ventures portfolio to represent the best of technology and business transformations. The portfolio ranges from Security and Software to Healthcare and Digital Assets. Prior to joining Lontra Ventures, Andrea ran a $700 M Global P&L for Dell and worked in the Media Investment Bank of Salomon Smith Barney in NYC. She holds an MBA from UT, Austin and degrees in Finance/Economics from UW-Madison where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa.
Salvador Gala is a co-founder of Escape Velocity (EV3), an investment firm focused on on decentralized infrastructure. At EV3, he and his partner Mahesh Ramakrishnan raised a $25m venture fund backed by the founding GPs of a16z, Ribbit Capital, Thrive, Framework, Multicoin, Castle Island, SoftBank, and other leading investment firms. Before starting EV3, Sal was an investor at Ribbit Capital and an investment banker at Goldman Sachs, and before that, a Venezuelan immigrant and Bitcoin nerd.