Experience

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  Spring Activator

  • Impact Investor

    • Sep 2023 - Present

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  Algoma Fall Festival

  • Member Board of Directors

    • Mar 2024 - Present

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  Sekond Skin Society

  • Advisor

    • Oct 2023 - Present

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  The Being Human Foundation

  • Founder, President, Board Chair

    • Nov 2022 - Present

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  Insight Timer

  • Certified 200hr Mindfulness Meditation Teacher

    • Nov 2022 - Present

    Vanessa offers free mindfulness practices on the Insight Timer app. Vanessa earned her 200hr mindfulness meditation certification from The Lab of Meditation, recognized by The International Mindfulness Teacher’s Association. Her training was focused on trauma-informed offerings and social justice, grounded in traditional Buddhism.

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  Vienna Studios

  • Toronto, Ontario, Canada

  • Founder, CEO, Host/Producer

    • May 2020 - Present
    • Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Home of “The Human Challenge”, an Amazon Music x ACAST “Indie Podcast Amplifier 2023”, hosted and produced by Vanessa Ferlaino.“The Human Challenge” combines topical issues, interviews, wellbeing, and human-interest stories to break down barriers and reinvigorate humanity. Vanessa has been honoured to interview olympians, professional athletes, astronauts, singers, and even grammy-nominated artists, and is very big on promoting rural artists and causes. Publisher of 2X award-winning book debut, “human”. A “Red Ribbon Winner” from The Wishing Shelf Book Awards and second place award at The Bookfest 2022 Awards in “self-help transformation” category. Featured in Times Square 2022.

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  RBC

  • Toronto, Ontario, Canada

  • Tech Ecosystem Partnerships

    • Dec 2021 - Jun 2022
    • Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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  TELUS

  • TELUS Technology Accelerator

    • Sep 2019 - Dec 2021

    ** Vanessa is a TELUS ChooseToChallenge Award Recipient for 2021. ChooseToChallenge is an award by TELUS Chief Technology Office and Technology Strategy to support women in business and STEM that have made a unique, successful contribution to TELUS Technology Strategy through a flagship initiative **- Flagship Initiative: Launched an innovative internal program to promote technologies that TELUS supported through their startups, while giving startups an opportunity to attract investment. This initiative included coordinating seven business units and a third-party technology vendor to secure the contract, as well as plan and execute all marketing, PR, finance, and marketing actions to acquire startups.- Partnership and Scouting: Responsible for scouting, sourcing, startup companies that align with TELUS Technology Accelerator areas of interest, mainly AgTech, IoT, Digital Health, via industry partner referral program. - Project Management: Planned technology POC projects with the startups TELUS Technology Accelerator partnered with, and oversaw the execution of the technology project, coordinating between the startup and 1-2 business units to offer specific technology and engineering support. This also included consolidating some of TELUS technology resources into offerings for startups, based on the business unit that sourced the technology.- Fundraising: assisted startups with identifying fundraising channels, and in some cases, securing dilutive and non-dilutive funding through channels that are internal and external to TELUS.- Public Relations and Promotions: Speaker at events, including IEEE.

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  Kingsman Scientific Management

  • CBD Business Development

    • Jun 2019 - Sep 2019

    Business opportunity consulting and assessment in CBD productionMarketing strategy and execution for life science CDMO portfolio company

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  Academic Technology Ventures

  • Toronto, Canada Area

  • Biotechnology Portfolio Manager

    • Jun 2018 - Feb 2019
    • Toronto, Canada Area

    In just a few years, ATV's portfolio has grown to about 60 companies by licensing awe-inspiring, just-released technologies from university and government labs around the world. We have been featured in Popular Mechanics, Scientific American, WindPower and more!Working closely with TTOs, inventor teams, investors, and strategic partners, we turn inventions for commercialization into high-growth companies. Our team has a proven track record of success in sponsoring research, raising capital, and domain expertise. By the end of 2018, FIVE of our current portfolio companies across ENERGY, DIAGNOSTICS, BIG DATA, AND FITNESS/NUTRITION SUPPLEMENTS will be generating revenue.At ATV, I specifically evaluate and manage the growth of our biotechnology opportunities, from proof of concept to large-scale. I also take on additional business development responsibilities, including growing our strategic partner and investor network to assist with the growth of our portfolio companies.

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  Mediphage Bioceuticals Inc.

  • Toronto, Ontario, Canada

  • Chief Operations Officer

    • Oct 2017 - Jun 2018
    • Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Mediphage Bioceuticals is a gene therapy startup company at JLABS Toronto. We are committed to developing gene therapy platforms that enable the development of in-need therapeutics. We act with integrity, honesty and are committed to bettering mankind in a safe and efficacious way through our DNA ministrings and iPHAGE system. In comparison to other viral and non-viral vectors, our DNA ministrings are:- safer by inducing cell death in the event of an insertion - efficient and scalable through an e.coli bacterial production system - effective transfection rate in slow-dividing and fast-dividing cells- These three pillars enable tissue specificity. Our iPHAGE system further enhances our delivery vehicle, increasing physical, biochemical, or genetic specificity. We form partnerships with leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to provide you with safer, effective, and efficient delivery vehicles for gene therapy development.

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  Rexall

  • Canada
  • Retail
  • 700 & Above Employee

  • Front Shop Clerk

    • Jan 2011 - Jan 2018

    Front Shop Clerk Jan 2011 – Present- Exceeded $10,000 weekly sales target by understanding patient and customer needs.Interim Head Manager of Cosmetics May 2013 – Sept 2013- Analysed details of sales activities to develop tactics to increase sales, such as hosting promotional events. - Negotiated expired product terms with vendors for store credit, saving the store $3,000 in losses from expired product.

  • Interim Head Manager of Costmetics

    • May 2013 - Sep 2013

    - Applied LEAN methodology to increase product flow from stockroom to shelves, reducing lost revenue from expired product by 5%.- Negotiated terms with vendors to accept 1-2 year old expired product for store credit, saving the store $3,000 in losses from expired product.- Upgraded product lines and designed product trials to increase sales by 10%.

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  Smart Bandage (Brillio Tech Inc.)

  • Toronto, Canada Area

  • Director of Strategy

    • Sep 2016 - Oct 2017
    • Toronto, Canada Area

    Currently 7M Americans suffer from chronc wounds, costing the healthcare system $40B. Physicians and nurses rely on smell, physical appearance and measurements of the wound to monitor the wound but lack real-time biometric data to track wound healing progression. Our Smart Bandage integrates with current bandages and tracks physiological measures, including pH, bleeding levels, blood glucose levels, and pressure. This real-time, long-term data is sent to the smartphone or tablet of the patient and physician. This allows physicians and nurses to make more informed decisions about trating the wound to increase the chances of healing by 50%. My exciting role as Director of Strategy involves:- Developing commercialization and implementation plan, including aligning regulatory and market reimbursement strategy with clinical trial testing.- Interviewing wound care teams to identify unmet needs and reporting these findings to technology team for product development. - Engaging with key stakeholders, including insurance companies and wound care clinics to design trials that prove value-added services.- Developing business and commercialization plans; compiling and presenting these strategies for investors, VCs, competitions, and tradeshows.- Identifying funding opportunities for tech development and commercialization projects through industry, government and institution grants, angel networks, and VC firms; secured $60,000 in non-dilutive funding.- Establishing operations in Canada, including prototype lab space and sites for clinical, technology, and economic validation trials.

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  Independent

  • Strategy Consultant

    • Sep 2015 - Sep 2017

    - Strategic opportunity assessment for start-up company, HelpWear, which included conducting interviews with target customers to develop their prototype into a final product and conducting a market analysis. - Commercialization and implementation assessment for Mediphage Biopharmaceuticals, including redefining the target market, preparing pitchdecks, and identifying funding opportunities.- Quality Assurance for BreqLabs Inc: Established benchmarks and metrics to test finger tracking, range of motion and speed of current and future product prototypes.

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  Community Living Algoma

  • Sault Ste Marie, ON

  • Respite Worker

    • Jun 2014 - Aug 2016
    • Sault Ste Marie, ON

    - Provided personal care and assistance, as required, to the respite recipient.- Participated in mandatory respite meetings regarding care of respite recipient.- Followed instructions by the office, family, and supervisor, as well as communicated with family.- Assisted with and participated in activities and special interests of the respite recipient and ensured respites remained within allowable expenses.

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  Undergraduate Three Minute Thesis

  • Toronto, Canada Area

  • Co-Chair

    • Sep 2014 - May 2016
    • Toronto, Canada Area

    - Maintained collaborative relationships with university media outlets, student groups, studentunions and affiliated colleges to increase participant entries by 50%.- Governed multidisciplinary team of 15 P.R., logistics, and financial associates to support strategy plan initiatives, resulting in $2,000 savings over 2 year period. - Prepared budget and financial projections as well as expense reports on Microsoft Excel for grant reimbursements.

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  University of Toronto

  • Toronto, Canada Area

  • Intercollegiate Game Day Student Coordinator - Basketball

    • Sep 2014 - Apr 2016
    • Toronto, Canada Area

    - Hired, trained, scheduled, and coordinated 15 minor officials to execute game day duties including game clocks, online and live statistics, video footage, and gamesheet duties for Varsity Blues basketball games at the University of Toronto following university policies, as well as Ontario University Athletics (OUA), and Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) guidelines and protocols.- Developed in-game communication method to eliminate missed calls per game.

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  Sault Area Hospital

  • Sault Ste Marie, ON

  • Patient Billing Clerk

    • Jun 2015 - Sep 2015
    • Sault Ste Marie, ON

    - Audited and balanced parking finances on a daily basis, and tracked deposits on a weekly basis, in amounts between $15 000 and $20 000.- Processed patient payments and posted softgood charges to patient accounts through Meditech.

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  Juxtaposition Global Health Magazine

  • Toronto, Canada Area

  • Co-Director of Events, TorontoThinks Committee

    • Sep 2014 - May 2015
    • Toronto, Canada Area

    - Responsible for all logistical aspects and efficient execution of the case competition at the planning level, including securing keynote speaker(s) and judges, venue booking, scheduling catering services, organizing prizes and awards, and assisting Finance Directors with budget establishment.

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  The Corporation of the City of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

  • Sault Ste Marie, ON

  • Waste Diversion Summer Student

    • May 2014 - Aug 2014
    • Sault Ste Marie, ON

    - Edited and revised by-Law 2004-68 for the Control and Management of Waste and Recycling in accordance with the roll-out of new split body recycling carts. - Researched projected costs of GPS systems for machinery and prepared a proposal for efficient garbage packing.- Investigated and reviewed automated refuse collection programs in other municipalities as part of a proposal for an automated refuse collection program.- Promoted waste management advertisements and administered their distribution in local newspapers through InKind advertising.- Updated MSDS binders for various departments in Public Works and Transit.

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  University of Toronto

  • Toronto, Canada Area

  • Research Assistant

    • Sep 2013 - May 2014
    • Toronto, Canada Area

    - Supervisor: Dr. Patricia Ganea.- Conducted experiments to assess the role of working memory, executive function and languagedevelopment in updating mental representations in children.- Collected and recorded data via live coding and conducted data analysis.- Poster Presentation, Individual differences in language, working memory and inhibitory controlamong two-year-old children. 2013/2014 Undergraduate Research Forum, University of Toronto,Toronto, 06 March 2014.

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  Undergraduate Three Minute Thesis

  • Toronto, Canada Area

  • Co-Director of Events

    • Sep 2013 - May 2014
    • Toronto, Canada Area

    - Secured award-winning author, Mark Kingwell, as keynote speaker as well as other notablejudges, including Principal of Victoria College, Dr. Angela Esterhammer.- Planned and prepared itineraries, order of proceedings, and runsheets.- Created themed nametags and certificates using Microsoft Publisher. - Prepared slideshow productions of participant presentations using Microsoft Powerpoint.