About propel Mentorship | propel Accelerator

ABOUT PROPEL MENTORSHIP >

propel Accelerator Mentors make up the "Professional Team" of experts focused on accelerating the growth of the ICT companies that we call propel Accelerator Clients - the startups in need of fuel for their ideas. Our mentors are experienced in a variety of supportive fields, including ICT, who help our clients move from early-stage product/service development to market readiness.

To be a propel Accelerator Mentor, one must be motivated by a desire to participate in someone else's success - a selfless donation of time, energy, and interest to ensure growth and stability for companies at an early stage for the good of our industry, our economy, and the individuals that will become future mentors and contributors to our community's prosperity.

The propel Accelerator is essential to the success of ICT entrepreneurship and new business formation in New Brunswick. The promotion of ICT has been identified as a priority by the provincial government, the Enterprise Network, the region’s municipal governments, the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, ACOA, and the University of New Brunswick.

propel needs your time and in-kind support to help us meet these important goals. In addition to providing added value to your company, your support will ensure that entrepreneurs participating in the propel Accelerator find the services and mentorship they need to launch and grow their companies.

Learn about the rationale behind the propel Accelerator model >

Value to Mentors

Mentors are a key component of the ICT ecosystem. They will be assigned an accelerator client, and will work and meet with the client regularly over the course of their time in the Accelerator. The value of this in-kind contribution is based on the mentor’s market rate. This year-long commitment will be sponsored by the propel Accelerator during the first year. For every six (6) hours a mentor contributes to the Accelerator, they will be eligible to invoice propel for a $300 stipend.

We understand that this may fall well under the mentor’s normal hourly rate. In recognition of this fact, the following value and benefits are offered to Mentors:

Public relations value from the goodwill and positive publicity that this initiative generates
A way to attract new growth clients
Sharing of business expertise and resources
Exchange of ideas and innovation to create potential partnership between public, private and educational stakeholders and communities
Access to information about industry developments, trends and best practices
The opportunity to attract and retain business and human resources capital in this region, increasing the number of potential customers

In addition to direct benefits, mentors have the satisfaction of knowing that they are helping this creative, high-value sector and community prosper. Overall benefits include:

Encouraging and nurturing entrepreneurial activity
Minimizing risks associated with small business start-ups
Engaging and representing all segments of the business community.

After the first year, the propel Accelerator client can opt to continue working with the mentor for a fee set by the Mentor at the beginning of the relationship.

Our propel Accelerator Mentors are as follows:

Bob Justason

Prior to joining the Mariner's team as Chief Operating Officer, Bob held a variety of senior positions with NBTel and Aliant Telecom, including VP, Broadband Engineering, VP, Engineering and VP, Technical Solutions and Support. Bob’s expertise spans the full range of IP and broadband networking... MORE >>

Gerry Pond

Chair, Propel Accelerator. Gerry Pond has over 42 years of experience in the Information & Communications Technology sector. He is currently the Chairman of Mariner Partners Inc., a company he co-founded in 2003. Mariner, with a staff of over 120 professionals, provides consulting and... MORE >>

Gerry Verner

Gerry Verner is Chief Executive Officer of AnyWare Group, a leading provider of customer-driven access solutions giving people the freedom to securely access and share the information that is important to them – anytime, anywhere.

With more than 20 years of experience in the telecommunications and information technology sectors as well as extensive experience in marketing, business development and finance, Mr. Verner is responsible for directing the strategic vision of the Saint John, New Brunswick-based company as well as establishing growth strategies for AnyWare Group's portfolio of powerful remote access solutions including ROAM (Role Oriented Access Management) which is now implemented in 60 hospitals throughout North America, and MyCareAnyWare, a chronic disease management solution that increases the quality and frequency of contact between the patient and healthcare providers to promote compliance and self-management.

Throughout his career, Mr. Verner has been responsible for securing close to $150 million in investment between IPOs and venture capital firms. Since joining AnyWare Group as CEO in 2002, Mr. Verner has led the company through several stages of financing to successfully secure more than $12 million from venture capital and strategic investors.

Prior to joining AnyWare Group, Mr. Verner spent more than a decade at New Brunswick Telephone Company (NBTel), where he was part of the team that developed the business plan and strategy for the rollout of broadband services throughout New Brunswick. He was also a founding member of iMagicTV, a global broadband video software company, and holds a technology patent for a television set top box.

A native of New Brunswick, Mr. Verner sits on the board of propel, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry association for the Saint John region. He also serves as a board member of the Saint John Board of Trade. He has a passion for fly fishing and travelling and is an avid guitarist.

Mr. Verner holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from the University of New Brunswick. He and his wife, Anne, live with their two young daughters outside of Saint John.

Jeff Roach

An entrepreneur at heart, Jeff has extensive experience in creating, establishing, and growing business ventures throughout Canada. Jeff founded and grew five successful companies, three of them ICT-based, and has been a strong supporter of business development in Saint John, volunteering his time... MORE >>

Curtis Howe

Curtis is President, CEO and co-founder of Mariner. Curtis has 25 years of experience in the telecommunications sector, spanning marketing, network operations, software engineering and network technology. He has led a series of IPTV developments and deployments beginning with the world’s first launch of a commercial service at NBTel (now Aliant Telecom) in 1999, where he served as General Manager, Systems Engineering, responsible for Network Technology and Information Systems.

In this capacity, Curtis also led the technology teams responsible for a series of IPTV technology developments including MPEG over IP, video aware DSLAMs, and PC-based broadcast, as well as the integration of these technologies into commercial production networks. He concurrently served as a director of iMagicTV, developers of the Media Manager IPTV middleware later acquired by Alcatel.

Curtis subsequently became CTO for Aliant Telecom where he led both engineering and network operations teams in a second integration of IPTV services. In 2003, he co-founded Mariner Partners, Inc. focusing on IPTV integration and innovative IPTV applications for TV, PC and mobile devices.

At MPI, Curtis and his team have assisted leading IPTV integrators and service providers to develop, integrate and launch their IPTV offerings, specializing in IPTV service assurance and innovative IPTV applications, including the xVu IPTV monitoring system.

A licensed professional engineer, Curtis is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), and a member of the New Brunswick Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists. He is the Chairman of the Board of the New Brunswick Electricity Systems Operator, and a Director of Jacobi Systems Corporation. Curtis is a past director of TARA Inc., iMagicTV, Connectivity Inc., Datacor/ISM Atlantic, Stentor Canadian Network Management, and the Micro-Electronics Technology Center.

In April 2006, Curtis was awarded the KIRA Award Industry Person of the Year. For more details, please

Jeff White

Jeff is currently a Vice President in the Financial Advisory Services function of Deloitte. He has extensive experience in the operations and financing of high growth technology companies. Jeff has served as CFO to a number of technology companies helping each execute on its financing growth... MORE >>

Karen Pierpoint

Practice Areas:... MORE >>

Practice Areas:
Intellectual Property and Technology
Privacy Law
Corporate / Commercial
Employment Law

Karen is an associate in our Saint John office practicing in the areas of information technology, intellectual property, privacy, e-commerce and a range of corporate/commercial matters relating to technology businesses. Karen brings strong technical expertise, business and technology industry knowledge to her legal practice. Prior to joining Stewart McKelvey, Karen worked as in-house counsel for a multi-national New York based IT Company, specializing in IT consulting services, large-scale outsourcing (including off-shore outsourcing), international business transactions, applications development, helpdesk services, e-commerce, software licensing, website development, EDI, and unified messaging. Complementing her law practice, Karen brings with her 5+ years experience as a former business systems analyst/architect and systems administrator. Karen graduated from the University of New Brunswick with a bachelor of laws in 1989 and obtained a Bachelor of Arts (History / English) prior to her law studies. In 1998, Karen completed the Applied Information Technology program at the Information Technology Institute in Moncton, New Brunswick.

Information Technology - provides strategic advice on a wide area of technology issues including: outsourcing transactions; international business transactions, mergers and acquisitions involving technology companies and/or assets; joint ventures and other partnering related agreements, technology, software and database development, commercialization and distribution of software products internationally; IT maintenance and technical support (including service level agreements); value added reseller (VAR) technology agreements; electronic messaging, data processing, and electronic data interchange agreements; disaster recovery; digital data destruction; public/private IT procurement; software and database licensing agreements; source code escrow agreements; confidentiality, data privacy and protection; IT subcontracting agreements; limiting liabilities and risk management; as well as other IT related agreements and issues. Having appeared before the American Arbitration Association, Karen also has extensive experience in advising clients on the use of arbitration and mediation clauses in technology agreements and devising alternative dispute resolution structures.

Internet and E-Commerce – provides advice on all aspects of doing business on the Internet, including Website Development Agreements, Online Reward Agreements, Website Legal Notices & Disclaimers, Website Privacy Policies, Cookie Policies, Domain Name Transfers and Registrations, Internet Agreements, Consumer Protection Laws, Electronic Contracts, Electronic Signatures, Internet Advertising (Competition laws), Contests, Linking Agreements, Website Hosting, Application Service Provider Agreements, Digital Rights Management, License Agreements, as well as other internet and e-commerce related agreements and issues.

Intellectual Property - advising on Intellectual Property matters, including protecting ownership rights in software and other technology products, proprietary rights of employees and contractors, copyright, trade-marks, trade secrets, confidentiality, technology transfers and assignments, IP registration, software licensing and escrow agreements.

Privacy - advising organizations (both private/public sector) on privacy compliance and data security and protection legislation including disclosure and consent requirements for active and passive data collection on the Internet; assisting organizations with the development and implementation of privacy policies and guidelines, including digital data destruction, personal information practices, compliant procedures and use of intranets.

Employment - advising corporate clients regarding employment agreements, independent consulting agreements, confidentiality agreements, and issues relating to restrictive covenants, IP ownership and privacy.

Education
Information Technology Institute (A.I.T. 1998)
University of New Brunswick (LL.B. 1989)
Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador (B.A. 1984)

Professional Activities and Affiliations:
Member of the New Brunswick Law Society
Member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Law Society
Member of the Canadian Bar Association (and the Intellectual Property and Privacy subsections)
Member of Canadian IT Law Association
Mentor for PropelICT

Richard Jones

President, Propel ICT and Chair, Propel Energy. Richard Jones has twenty four years of diverse business experience in the energy, utilities, and information technology fields. He has worked in a wide variety of roles with integrated petroleum and energy utility companies and has developed... MORE >>

Justin Kennedy

With experience in software development for 14 years, Justin founded Maritime Source, Inc. in 2002, focusing on dynamic web and desktop applications. He has developed solutions for e-commerce, publishing industry, mobile workforce, logistics, and content management. Justin has also built solutions... MORE >>

Mark Thorburn

Trisha Coady

ABOUT PROPEL MENTORSHIP >

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