Annual public meeting
Innovating for social good
How research drives innovation and sparks entrepreneurship to create lasting social impact
Join us for this virtual panel with two entrepreneurs who are benefiting society by turning their research into thriving Canadian companies.
Lianna Genovese
Founder of ImaginAble Solutions, a company that develops communication, recreation and rehabilitation technologies that empower people with disabilities to live the lives they imagine
Cliff van der Linden
Founder of Vox Pop Labs, a company that builds data-driven applications, and is best known for producing Vote Compass, a public policy literacy tool used by tens of millions of people during election campaigns worldwide.
In conversation with
Sylvain Charbonneau
President and CEO of the Canada Foundation for Innovation
Officials will also report on the CFI’s activities during fiscal year 2023–24.
*Simultaneous interpretation will be available.
Register to attend
Featured speakers
Founder, ImaginAble Solutions
| Lianna Genovese is founder and CEO of ImaginAble Solutions, a women-led social impact company in Canada that specializes in creating assistive technology to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. At the age of 19, she invented Guided Hands®, an international award-winning assistive device that enables children and adults with hand disabilities to write, paint, draw and access technology. She has sold the product to hospitals, rehabilitation centres, schools and families in 23 countries and has received more than 40 international design awards, including the James Dyson Engineering Award. Her team’s impact on the disability community earned her a spot in Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2023 in Toronto. In November 2024, Lianna will receive a Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award in Kentucky. She holds a Bachelor of from McMaster University. |
Founder, Vox Pop Labs | Clifton van der Linden is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at McMaster University, where he also serves as the inaugural academic director of the Master of Public Policy program and the Digital Society Lab. He is founder and chief executive officer of Vox Pop Labs, a social enterprise that builds data-driven applications to support decision-making. Vox Pop Labs is best known for producing Vote Compass, a public policy literacy application that has been used by tens of millions of people during election campaigns worldwide. |
Moderator
President and CEO of the Canada Foundation for Innovation |