Alison is CEO of CNSRV-X Inc. (Conserve X), a Canadian company dedicated to applying emerging technology in agriculture. She is also an AgTech Venture Partner at Builders VC San Francisco/Calgary. Alison is a Fellow and Founding Partner in the Ag Stream of the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) Rockies. She is an advisory council member at Ivey Business School’s Center for Building Sustainable Value and a mentor to the Weston Family Foundation Homegrown Innovation Challenge, Formerly as CEO/Co-Founder of GrowSafe Systems, she grew their research and development skunkworks from an Alberta garage to global operations receiving international recognition for science-based innovation. She holds patents for innovative technology and has published and presented widely. Alison is passionate about advancing women in STEM and, in 2021 was recognized as one of Canada’s most influential agricultural leaders.

Shelley Kuipers is investing in the world she wants to live in. As an activist in business, entrepreneurship, and investment, Shelley likes to take on the status quo, and seek out democratized business models and platforms.

Previous to co-founding The51, Shelley founded crowdsourcing company Chaordix and technology and marketing firm, Stormworks. She was also the co-founder of IOVIA, based in London, UK. Shelley also collaboratively runs her family office Adventure Capital, with her partner and two sons. Shelley has had the opportunity to live and work in Canada, US and the UK, as well as lead commercialisation efforts across global markets.

Shelley has been early-stage investing for more than 20 years. Her investment experience started in oil and gas, but she quickly diversified her investments into the tech sector with a focus on innovation-driven companies across many sectors. To date her family office has made +30 early-stage investments. Shelley supports many founders, and ventures as an advisor, board observer, and director.

A change-maker, board director, engineer, Creative Destruction Lab Fellow, 4th generation farmer, and early-stage investor, Judy has been at the vanguard of environmental sustainability, corporate/entrepreneurial partnerships, and diversity as critical to future-proof business. Along with her impressive experience as a C-suite corporate executive, Judy co-founded a $100 million digital/cleantech venture fund and led substantial change as the first Chair of the consolidated Alberta Innovates. In her spare time, Judy is the very definition of “outdoorsy”, an avid hiker, skier, and cyclist.

Yuan comes from a 4th generation farming background. Prior to joining the fund, she was the Director of Creative Destruction Lab – Vancouver providing mentorship and investment to early-stage deep-tech companies. She is an environmental engineer by training, and led M&A and investment banking projects. Yuan teaches entrepreneurial finance and innovation at UBC as an Adjunct Professor to contribute to experiential learning & training of the next generation leaders. Yuan is on the Board of Directors of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. She is a believer that access to arts & music shouldn't be a privilege. Yuan was awarded as the 2023 Cleantech Investor of the Year in BC by Foresight.

Joining the team in 2023 as CFO, Jodi brings over 7 years of experience as CFO with a leading private equity firm where her responsibilities included orchestrating financial analysis, budgeting, financial reporting, investor communication, tax, insurance, treasury, regulatory policies and compliance, HR, and information technology. Prior to that, she gathered 21 years of experience in taxation, tax planning, accounting, and financial reporting in increasingly senior positions at KPMG. Jodi is committed to our communities, volunteering for youth sports teams and school classrooms, as well as fundraising for numerous health-related charities. For her contributions professionally and in the community, Jodi was recognized as one of Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2007.

Anita's career is rooted in deep science and technology innovation, with experience supporting innovators from applied research through to commercialization. She has managed multi-million-dollar genomics funding programs, led the inaugural Ag Stream at the Creative Destruction Lab (Rockies), and most recently led innovative projects at a biotechnology-focused supply chain startup before joining The51 Food & AgTech Fund. Anita deeply values the impact that early-stage innovators can have on the world, especially within agriculture and food, and loves exploring the limits of technology.

Anita holds a Master of Biomedical Technology from the Cumming School of Medicine      and received her BSc Chemistry (Hon), BSc Microbiology from The University of Calgary.

Kebbie launched her career in the tech sector, diving into a myriad of roles in the disability and fintech industry. Outside of work, she enjoys engaging with her community, through organizations such as SheBoot, to facilitate access to capital for women entrepreneurs. During this time, her deep passion for supporting early-stage companies who champion positive social and environmental change developed.

Kebbie has a degree in Mathematics and Economics from UBC and an MBA from Queen's University. Rooted in her rural upbringing on a farm, she finds profound fulfillment in collaborating with companies positioned to transform the Canadian agriculture and food landscape.

Michelle’s career is shaped by her entrepreneurial drive for continuous improvement and passion for fostering innovation that creates positive social and environmental impact. Coming from a 3rd generation entrepreneurial family with ventures in industries like infrastructure, manufacturing, IoT, and fintech, Michelle also scaled her own food-tech company nationwide, growing the team by 20x and achieving cash-flow positivity in under 12 months.

Michelle holds a degree in Accounting and Finance from Monash University and an MBA from the University of British Columbia. Currently, she is pursuing a minor of ESG and clean energy transition at Copenhagen Business School. Having grown up in one of the world’s largest agricultural and food-exporting countries, Michelle is driven to support founders working to ensure food security and climate resilience.

Samia previously held roles as an Audit Intern at PwC Vancouver and as a Summer Investment Banking Analyst at CIBC Capital Markets. Samia is Métis, with maternal family roots from Lake Manitoba and Ebb and Flow First Nations, and is the Vice-President and Treasurer for the Indigenous Business Association at UBC.

Samia is in her final year as an undergraduate Finance student at UBC Sauder School of Business, where she took Yuan’s entrepreneurial finance and innovation course, fostering her initial interest in Venture Capital. This fall, she is interning as a part-time Investment Analyst at The51 Food & AgTech Fund as well as working as the Head Teaching Assistant for a Finance course at UBC Sauder.

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