Celebrating Tech Connect’s First Cohort

On September 10th, leaders, partners, and supporters gathered at The Junction NB for an evening of connection, conversation, and celebration. Hosted by Venn Innovation, the Tech Connect Wine & Cheese Networking Evening highlighted the incredible work of our program’s very first cohort as they near the completion of their journey.

A Milestone Moment

This inaugural group of participants has spent the past months immersed in paid work placements, mentorship, and training, while making real contributions to our community. Through projects with the Family Resource Centre and the BCCCNB, they’ve shown just how quickly skilled IT professionals can step in, solve problems, and create meaningful impact when given the opportunity.

The evening wasn’t just about reflecting on what they’ve accomplished, it was about looking forward. With the first cohort cycle coming to a close, these participants are ready to take the next step, bringing their proven skills and fresh perspectives to employers across Southeast New Brunswick.

Why Tech Connect Matters

At its heart, Tech Connect is about building bridges.

• For internationally trained and underrepresented IT professionals, it creates a pathway into meaningful careers here in New Brunswick.

• For employers, it opens access to job-ready talent, eager to contribute to business needs and drive innovation.

With the support of WorkingNB, McKenna Institute, and ACOA, Tech Connect aims for at least 80% of participants to secure full-time employment in their field after completing the program, strengthening not just businesses, but our entire tech ecosystem.

The Power of Community

The September 10th gathering was a reminder of what’s possible when we come together - employers, partners, nonprofits, and skilled professionals - to share insights, open doors, and spark new opportunities. The conversations started last night are just the beginning of long-term collaborations that will shape the future of tech talent in our region.

To our first cohort: congratulations on everything you’ve achieved so far. And to our community: thank you for supporting this program, these professionals, and the vision of a stronger, more inclusive tech sector in Southeast New Brunswick.

What’s Next

If you’d like to learn more about how Tech Connect can support your hiring needs, or how you can get involved as a mentor, partner, or supporter, we’d love to connect. Together, we can continue building bridges between talent and opportunity.

Celebrating Entrepreneurship at Elsipogtog Pow Wow Pitch

On August 30th, 2025, the Elsipogtog Pow Wow Grounds came alive with vibrant dances, songs, food, regalia, and crafts. A Pow Wow is a pan-Indigenous celebration of culture, identity, and spirituality. This year, it was also the stage for a powerful entrepreneurial showcase: the Elsipogtog Pow Wow Pitch.

Sixteen Indigenous founders took the stage in the first round, presenting ideas that ranged from early-stage concepts to businesses already making an impact.

“I was honoured to participate as a judge at the Elsipogtog Pow Wow Pitch, a truly well-organized and mindful event. Sixteen founders delivered impressive presentations in the first round, demonstrating strong preparation and a remarkable variety of ideas. While a few participants were still in the ideation stage, most were already operating businesses seeking traction and growth.” – André Zanoti

From there, the top ten advanced to the second round, where the winner earned a coveted Golden Ticket to the Grand Finals in Ottawa, with the opportunity to compete for $25,000 CAD.

This summer alone, nearly 300 founders pitched their ideas across 16 Pow Wow Pitch events nationwide—a testament to the depth of entrepreneurial spirit within Indigenous communities.

At Venn Innovation, we are especially proud that two of the participating founders, both working on tech solutions, are currently in the pre-incubation stage at the Venn Garage Program, with the potential to join the program fully in the near future.

Local Prizes at Elsipogtog

• Fan Favourite – $500

• Youth Prize (21 years old or under) – $500

• 3rd Prize – $1,000

• 2nd Prize – $2,500

• 1st Prize – $5,000 + Golden Ticket to the Finals in Ottawa

Our team also had the chance to participate in a meaningful way.

*“The Pow Wow in Elsipogtog was much more than just an event. Representing Venn Innovation, I attended as a mentor for the on-site pitch competition. I had the privilege of witnessing 16 enthusiastic and brilliant Indigenous entrepreneurs passionately share their business ideas and their vision for elevating their community.

I was especially glad to be paired with Christian Polchies and to mentor him on his consulting business. He showed deep mindfulness about the impact he hopes to create for the Indigenous community through his work.

On a personal level, the Pow Wow was truly a ‘wow’ moment for me. The vibrant colors, rhythms, dances, and smiles made the experience unforgettable.

At Venn Innovation, we care about the people behind the startups. And for me, Pow Wow was one of the most meaningful human-centered experiences I’ve had.”* – Ayoub Serhani

For us at Venn Innovation, the Elsipogtog Pow Wow Pitch was more than a competition. It was a reminder that innovation is not only about technology—it’s about people, culture, and community. We’re grateful to witness and support the next generation of Indigenous entrepreneurs making their mark.

Tech Connect Graduate Highlights: Aigul Yermagambetova & Evgeny Ginzburg

Venn’s Tech Connect program is designed to help internationally trained professionals gain Canadian work experience, strengthen technical and professional skills, and connect with the local tech community. Today, we’re excited to highlight two recent graduates who made a big impact during their time in the program: Aigul Yermagambetova and Evgeny Ginzburg.

Aigul Yermagambetova

• Program Dates: June 2, 2015 – September 19, 2025

• Key Focus: Software Development

Aigul quickly established herself as a cornerstone of the front-end development team. Her eagerness to learn and her dedication to continuous improvement stood out throughout her Tech Connect journey. Known for asking thoughtful questions and diving into learning opportunities, Aigul demonstrated impressive growth in writing secure code and mastering quality assurance.

Her notable milestone was serving as the backbone of the front-end development team, where her coachability and technical skills made a lasting impact.

• Strengths developed: Front-end and back-end development, secure coding, QA

• Contribution to the community: Through consistent project work and team support

• One word to describe Aigul: Dedicated

Shannon McMackin, Program Director, shared:

“Aigul has picked up very quickly on how to write secure code and is highly coachable.”

Evgeny Ginzburg

• Program Dates: August 5, 2025 – October 10, 2025

• Key Focus: Sr. Full-Stack Engineering

As a senior full-stack developer, Evgeny proved his expertise by stepping into a project mid-stream and making immediate contributions. Within just two days of joining, he was already working with the back-end team, demonstrating not only his technical ability but also his agility in adapting to new projects. His inquisitive nature, determination, and collaborative mindset made him an invaluable member of the team.

• Strengths developed: Adaptability, inquisitiveness, full-stack problem solving

• Contribution to the community: Supporting the dashboard build, listening and collaborating effectively

• One word to describe Evgeny: Determined

Shannon noted his impact, especially when a team member moved on to a full-time role:

“While we missed a milestone as another had moved off to accept a full-time position, Evgeny was able to step in and pick up. He helped the team catch up on the lost hours of coding.”

Looking Ahead

Both Aigul and Evgeny leave the Tech Connect program with strengthened technical skills, meaningful contributions to their teams, and a readiness to launch the next chapter of their careers. We’re proud to celebrate their achievements and excited to see where their journeys take them next.

Garage Member Spotlight: Gáamai Hair

When it comes to beauty, sustainability is often left out of the conversation. For Aaliyah Lahai, that gap was impossible to ignore. Traditional synthetic hair extensions and wigs aren’t biodegradable, lack disposal guidelines, and create unnecessary waste, an issue that more and more innovators in New Brunswick are working hard to address.

That’s where Gáamai Hair comes in. Founded in June 2023, Gáamai Hair creates biodegradable, textured hair extensions and wigs that bring sustainability to the beauty industry without compromising style. By targeting the wig and clip-in market, Aaliyah is not only reducing synthetic waste but also championing circular solutions in a space that desperately needs them.

Since joining the Venn Garage in November 2024, Aaliyah has been growing her business through a B2B and B2C model, proving that eco-conscious products can also be scalable. She’s also exploring innovative ways to integrate technology into her business model, making her solution not just sustainable but forward-looking in how beauty and innovation intersect.

Most recently, Gáamai Hair hosted Afro Hair Day NB on August 6th, an empowering community event where participants shared experiences and celebrated the beauty of textured hair.

We’re proud to have Aaliyah in the Garage and can’t wait to see how Gáamai Hair continues to reshape beauty, sustainability, and innovation.

Meet the first of our Tech connect graduates

Fatai Bello

Fatai Bello, Tech Connect Graduate

In December 2024, Fatai moved to Moncton from Nigeria with his family, bringing over 20 years of IT leadership experience, including senior roles at IBM and Upstream. Through Tech Connect, he quickly adapted to Canadian workplace culture, stepped into leadership on projects, and built the confidence to navigate the job market.

Today, he’s at TD Bank and still volunteers his expertise on weekends to support our community IT projects.

He reflects:
“Tech Connect has been instrumental in helping me build a solid foundation for gaining Canadian work experience and understanding the professional environment in Canada.”

Vitalii Petrenko

Vitalii Petrenko, Tech Connect Graduate

In January 2025, Vitalii arrived in Moncton from Ukraine with over a decade of data engineering experience. At Tech Connect, he transformed the Family Resource Centre project—moving systems from paper to digital, applying privacy standards, and mentoring other developers. Along the way, he refined his résumé, sharpened interview skills, and gained confidence in Canadian workplace norms.
Before finishing the program, he accepted a role as Senior Data Engineer with Bciti Inc., exactly the career path he envisioned when moving here.

Vitalii shared:
“Tech Connect upgraded my résumé, sharpened my interview skills, and taught me Canadian workplace norms. Even better, it offers the full infrastructure you need to grow—constant interaction, training resources, and real project work.”

Both graduates are now thriving in their careers while continuing to give back to our community.

This is the purpose of Tech Connect: Skilled newcomers. Real opportunities. A clear path forward.

March 28, 2024

VENN INNOVATION GARAGE PROGRAM PROFILE: Atlantic Memory Clinic

A TECH STARTUP FOR THE AGED
Atlantic Memory Clinic develops innovative tool to help diagnose dementia

When Professor Sarah Pakzad first came to Moncton, NB from Toulouse, France twenty years ago, she did not plan to become a tech entrepreneur.

“I arrived in Moncton for a short-term teaching assignment at the Université and I’m still here today,” sats the clinical neuro psychologist, who continues to teach at the Université de Moncton.

Professor Pakzad is now on the brink of commercializing a comprehensive new tool which can promote early diagnosis of dementia and be used in Canada and around the world.

Her initiative, called the Neurocognitive Frailty Index, or NFI for short, has been developed into a mobile app that can help identify patients who may be at risk of developing dementia.

The mobile app takes in basic patient information (age, gender, education, income level, residential situation, etc.), then asks questions that measure physical, mental and cognitive variables. The entire process can take as little as ten minutes (results may require another session twenty minutes).

Once all information is entered, the mobile app immediately produces the results in a PDF document, showing the patient’s cognitive abilities which helps health professionals better predict the risk of dementia and if a referral to a specialist or additional treatment is needed.

The NFI has been tested, and recommended by local neurologists and neuro psychologists who are eager to begin using it, and the app has drawn serious interest from the healthcare system in France.

How important is this innovative tool? “Right now the global population is facing a dementia and aging tsunami,” states Professor Pakzad. “Our healthcare systems are in danger of being overwhelmed by this illness and early detection can help the system deal with these patients in a timely way. That is why we developed the NFI.”

The road to a fully developed NFI mobile app took Professor Pakzad years of research and study. It started when she began volunteering at a local hospital as a way to augment her career development. She soon recognized the issue of rising cases of dementia. “Back in 2004 we were seeing the beginnings of the Baby Boom generation developing this condition and as we know, they comprise a large part of our population.”

She decided to study this condition and began her research not only with healthcare professionals but with the general population as well. “At the beginning, we sent hundreds of letters to physicians and talked to almost 800 people over 50 years of age who lived in nursing homes and independently, in rural and urban areas, every six months - three times in total.” Sarah admits that it wasn’t too hard to get people to participate – she offered them a $20 gift card for every visit.

That research prompted an idea for an accessible, quick and reliable diagnostic tool and Professor Pakzad developed the first version of the NFI in 2017. It draws on a database of at least 25,000 patients over 50 years of age and Professor Pakzad has partnered with Alzheimer’s Society of Canada as part of the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging.

While COVID may have slowed down her project, it didn’t dampen her passion for bringing this unique tool to the healthcare system.

Today, the NFI mobile app has been tested to more than 90% accuracy, can help rule out illnesses that mimic dementia such as depression, has been peer reviewed and published in the Journal of Frailty and Aging (2021), an international publication.

Professor Pakzad approached Venn Innovation’s Garage Program last year when she realized she was ready to make her vision of an early diagnostic tool a reality. “I heard of Venn Innovation at the Université and came to the program for help on the next steps of getting this tool into the hands of healthcare professionals,” she says. “We’ve been meeting regularly and I have received guidance to help the process move along. I’m glad to be part of the program.”

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Venn Innovation helps tech startups develop innovative ideas and enter the marketplace to change our world!
Have an innovative tech idea? Contact Aïssa Azzouzi, Manager of Startup Incubation Services at Venn Innovation. 

Unleashing the Power of Innovation: My Internship Journey at Venn

By Morgan Arbeau

Morgan Arbeau (left) with Marisa Piccini, Communications and Public Relations Manager, Venn Innovation

During my internship at Venn Innovation, I learned that businesses must be adaptable and proactive to succeed. From day one, I got to work on real projects alongside talented professionals, greatly enhancing my skillset and knowledge. The company's commitment to fostering a learning environment meant I was constantly exposed to new ideas and technologies. One of the things that impressed me the most about Venn Innovation was their emphasis on collaboration. They recognized that true innovation does not happen in isolation; it requires diverse perspectives and expertise. As an intern, I was encouraged to actively participate, share my thoughts and ideas, and contribute to the overall success of the projects I was involved in.

Venn Innovation Fosters Creativity and Collaboration

I was impressed by the company's commitment to fostering a culture of innovation. One of the ways they accomplished this was by promoting brainstorming sessions and idea-sharing, which allowed for the exchange of thoughts and insights on various topics. This approach encouraged collaboration between individuals from different businesses in The Junction, which ultimately led to increased effectiveness and efficiency of the teams. I had the opportunity collaborate on projects with Atlantic Fintech and Cloudandmore. It was a great experience to work alongside such talented professionals and contribute
to the projects’ success. 

Key Takeaways from My Internship Experience

I gained valuable insights on how innovation can impact personal and professional growth. Here are the key takeaways to remember throughout my career: 

1. Embrace curiosity and never stop learning: You can expand your horizons and discover new growth opportunities by continuously seeking information and learning from others. 

2. Collaboration is critical: Innovation is a team effort, and by working with others, you can tap into diverse perspectives and expertise, leading to more creative and effective solutions. 

3. Innovation involves taking risks: Not all ideas will succeed, but it's important to see failure as a learning opportunity and a stepping stone towards future success. 

Key Projects that I worked on over my time here

During my internship at Venn Innovation, I worked on a project where I remade new business cards for the Venn Innovation team. It was a fantastic opportunity to showcase my skills and receive feedback to create something even better the next time. My supervisor, Marisa, was impressed with how I incorporated QR codes into the design, and I was thrilled to have learned something new. Innovation involves taking risks, embracing curiosity, and always learning. Collaboration is also critical, and by working together with others, we can tap into diverse perspectives and expertise, leading to more creative and effective solutions. 

After we finished the business card project, we decided to rework the Venn Innovation website. It was an excellent opportunity to learn more about website maintenance and how to use Squarespace effectively. I'm now comfortable with it and confident I can manage and modify a website without many issues. Of course, keeping the Venn website up-to-date is a never-ending task. Still, during my internship, we tackled many website-related tasks like improving the backend and optimizing SEO (search engine optimization). 

One of the projects I enjoyed the most during my internship was with Atlantic Market Intelligence (AMI). I had the chance to create pop-up banners for them, which was a great experience. It was fulfilling to see my designs come to life and be utilized in a professional setting.

Working with the Venn Innovation team and collaborating on these exciting projects has been an amazing learning opportunity. I feel grateful to have been part of such a fantastic team.