Investors & Advisors


Jordan Banks

Managing Director, Facebook Canada.

Mr. Banks is currently the managing director of Facebook Canada and the managing partner at Thunder Road Capital which is a company he founded in 2008 to provide investment and advisory services to early stage technology companies.

Before launching Thunder Road Capital, he was the chief executive officer of JumpTV (TSX: NLN), a leading broadcaster of sports and international television over the Internet. Prior to joining JumpTV, he served as the managing director of eBay Canada, which he helped launch in 2000. A lawyer by profession, he also practiced corporate law at Goodmans in Toronto.

Banks is the founder of the recently launched Twitter movement called “A Million Tweets to Remember.” He is also the founder and chairman of Sportsfest, a non-profit organization focused on raising funds for Alzheimer’s research and care. He is a member of the Board of Directors for Well.ca, Peerset, the Baycrest Centre and the Moses and Temara Tobe Foundation, as well as sitting on the Advisory Boards of The Mark, Next Pathway, Brendan Moore & Associates, Recruitingblogs.com, and the Canadian Innovation Exchange.

He is a member of the Young President’s Organization (YPO) and, in May 2006, he was named one of Canada’s “Top 40 Under 40″ honourees.


David Ceolin

Owner, Innovation Grade Capital.

David was the founder and CEO of Digital Cement, a global firm widely recognized for its innovative capabilities in digital marketing strategy and execution with clients such as Kraft Foods, FedEx, and the NBA (National Basketball Association). Pitney Bowes acquired Digital Cement in 2007. David is also the author of a best selling book entrepreneurship (The Idea Guide).

David now runs his own investment firm called Innovation Grade Capital, focusing on new and disruptive ventures in health & wellness, education, environment, and media/marketing. In 2006, David received the Top 40 under 40 award, given annually to individuals from multiple disciplines that demonstrate vision, leadership, innovation, achievement, and community impact.


Brian Cooper

Founder, Insight Sports Ltd.

Brian Cooper has over 25 years’ experience in a wide variety of executive positions throughout the sports and entertainment industry. He founded Insight Sports Ltd., a well-known broadcast/production company and built properties like: The NHL Network, GOL TV, The World Fishing Network, Gold Rush 2002, Ultimate Gretzky, and the long-running TV series, The Business of Sports.

Brian was VP Operations and Business Development at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment and was part of the executive team that created and launched the Raptors brand experience (an innovative blend of entertainment, sport and music). He was also President and COO of the Toronto Argonauts and was credited with the revival of football in the Toronto marketplace in the 1990s.

Brian currently sits on the charitable boards of the Wayne Gretzky Foundation and Canada Basketball. In December 2007, The Globe & Mail named Brian as one of the top 25 most influential figures in Canadian sport.


Arlene Dickinson

CEO, Venture Communications Ltd.

Arlene Dickinson is the CEO of Venture Communications Ltd. and a 20-year veteran in marketing communications. Her vision has driven Venture’s growth, successfully building it from a small, local firm into one of Canada’s largest independent marketing firms, with offices in Calgary, Toronto and Ottawa. Her accomplishments, vision and leadership have been recognized with a number of awards; but perhaps her greatest honor was Venture’s selection as one of Canada’s “50 Best Managed Companies” for three consecutive years.

Since Fall 2007, Arlene has appeared as one of the “Dragons” on CBC’s hit show “Dragons’s Den” – a national television series which invites people to pitch business ideas to the Dragons, in an effort to persuade them to invest.


Edward Greenspon

Vice President, Business Development, Star Media Group

Edward Greenspon is vice president, business development for Star Media Group, a division of Torstar Corp. He is an award-winning author, columnist and the former Editor-in-Chief of The Globe and Mail from 2002-2009.

Since leaving the Globe & Mail in 2009, Mr. Greenspon has also chaired The GPS Project, an initiative of the Toronto-based Canadian International Council aimed at producing a new global positioning strategy for Canada.


Bryan Pearson

CEO & President, LoyaltyOne.

Mr. Bryan A. Pearson serves as Chief Executive Officer and President of LoyaltyOne, Inc. He serves as President of LoyaltyOne of Alliance Data Systems Corporation. He is responsible for operating Canada’s premier coalition retail loyalty program – the AIR MILES® Reward Program and oversees the development and execution of loyalty and database marketing strategies that build long-term, interactive and value-added relationships with its customers. He is also responsible for Frequency Marketing Inc.

Mr. Pearson has been President of Alliance Data Loyalty Services of Alliance Data Systems Corporation since 2006. He has been an Executive Vice President of Alliance Data Systems Corporation since 2006. He leads all of the enterprises organized by Alliance Data under the LoyaltyOne umbrella: LoyaltyOne Consulting, the AIR MILES Reward Program, COLLOQUY, Direct Antidote and Precima. He joined Loyalty Management Group Canada Inc., a subsidiary of Alliance Data Systems Corporation in November 1992 and established and managed its Calgary office and Western region. He was appointed president of the AIR MILES Reward Program in 1999.

He is a frequent speaker at industry events around the globe, and his views are widely quoted in national and international publications. Mr. Pearson holds a BScH degree and an MBA from Queen’s University.