Looking to develop the skills you need to become an innovator and leader?
Curiosity to Creation is a workshop series that centres on cultivating the key soft skills essential for entrepreneurs, whether you're just starting out or already building a venture.
The series is designed to strengthen your personal and interpersonal capacities, from communication to collaboration and innovation, giving you the tools to succeed regardless of your path. Rather than immediate startup action, we'll delve into the concrete skills you need to innovate, lead, and grow. Join us to get inspired and explore entrepreneurship.
Founders Come in All Forms
Fireside Chat with Dr. Morgan Barense & Wayne Pommen
Date: Tuesday, September 23, 2025
Time: 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Location: Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus, 108 College St., 7th Floor, Winter Garden
REGISTER FOR FOUNDERS COME IN ALL FORMS
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: September 22nd, 2025 The first of our four-part series, this inspiring session is all about showing that there’s no one “right” path to becoming a founder.
Co-hosted with Innovation on Board at U of T, join us for an insightful session that challenges the conventional wisdom of what it takes to be a successful founder. This event, a discussion with two remarkable founders, Dr. Morgan Barense and Wayne Pommen, will dismantle the myth of the "perfect" entrepreneurial path.
The session will feature a Q&A with our speakers. Following the discussion, there will be time for networking, and optional tours of the Centre for Entrepreneurship (located on the 6th floor) will be offered.
Light refreshments will be served.
Dr. Morgan Barense
Dr. Morgan Barense is a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto and holds a Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience. Her research focuses on how memory functions across the lifespan, particularly in the context of aging and neurological disease. In addition to her academic work, Morgan is the co-founder and CEO of HippoCamera, an app grounded in decades of research on memory consolidation that helps users record and revisit meaningful daily experiences. Designed to support brain health and memory retention in aging populations, HippoCamera exemplifies how fundamental science can be translated into tools with real-world impact — a perspective that speaks directly to the role of research-driven innovation.
Wayne Pommen
Wayne Pommen is a leader in the fintech sector and currently serves as Chief Revenue Officer at Affirm, where he oversees global commercial operations, including sales, marketing, partnerships, and communications. Prior to this, he was the CEO of PayBright, one of Canada’s first and most successful buy-now-pay-later platforms. Under his leadership, PayBright grew from a five-person startup to a 200-person company, partnering with major retailers such as Apple, Samsung, and Hudson’s Bay. The company was named Canada’s Fintech Company of the Year in 2019 and was acquired by Affirm in 2021. Wayne brings deep experience in building and scaling ventures, offering insights into the challenges of early-stage growth, strategic leadership, and navigating acquisition — all critical aspects of innovation in practice.
.