Rewiring Prosperity - The Lighthouse Series: WIN-VC

In this episode of Rewiring Prosperity , Vanessa Paesani sits down with Marie Dankworth, founder of Seagreen Solutions,to discuss her journey from seaweed researcher to climate entrepreneur. Originally from Germany, Marie came to Atlantic Canada to study seaweed ecology at the University of New Brunswick — and ended up building a company focused onusing kelp-based biochar to store carbon and impro...

In this episode of Rewiring Prosperity: The Lighthouse Series, Vanessa Paesani sits down with Deborah Sanni, ExecutiveDirector of Startup Atlantic, ecosystem builder, operator, and emerging impact investor. Deborah shares her journey from healthcare and HR into entrepreneurship, innovation, and venture ecosystems —and explains why she believes innovation is one of the most powerful tools for socia...

In this episode of Rewiring Prosperity — The Lighthouse Series: WIN-VC , host Vanessa Paesani sits down with LarkMeadow , co-founder of Aeon Blue , a company developing synthetic jet fuel technology using seawater and captured carbon dioxide. Drawing from a background in social equity and nonprofit leadership, Lark shares how climate innovation and social impact became deeply connected in her work...

In this episode of Rewiring Prosperity — The Lighthouse Series: WIN-VC , host Vanessa Paesani sits down with Shanti Shanmugam , a technical founder building in the AI agents space and the CEO and Co-founder of Urai AI , a platform focused on simplifying and scaling complex AI systems. Shanti shares an honest perspective on what it takes to step into the founder role, moving beyond engineering into...

In this episode of Rewiring Prosperity — The Lighthouse Series: WIN-VC, host Vanessa Paesani is joined by Cathy Bennett, co-founder and managing partner of Sandpiper Ventures, former finance minister of Newfoundland and Labrador, and seasoned entrepreneur and investor. Drawing on her experience across business, policy, and venture capital, Cathy offers a clear and practical perspective on how capi...

In this episode of Rewiring Prosperity — The Lighthouse Series: WIN-VC , host Vanessa Paesani is joined by Dr. Ellen Farrell , professor at the Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’sUniversity and creator of Investor Q&A , one of Canada’s mostrecognized training programs for women raising venture capital. Together, they explore the often-overlooked dynamics of investor questioning and discus...

In this episode of Rewiring Prosperity — The Lighthouse Series: WIN-VC , host Vanessa Paesani is joined by Danielle Graham , venture capitalist, ecosystem builder, and co-founder of The Firehood , to examine how early-stage capital works and what founders need to understand before they begin fundraising.  Drawing on her experience supporting underrepresented founders and building investment networ...

In the inaugural episode of Rewiring Prosperity — The Lighthouse Series: WIN-VC, host Vanessa Paesani, Executive Director of the Pond-Deshpande Centre at the University of New Brunswick, speaks with Dr. Bethany Wilkie, entrepreneur, scientist, and former CEO of a venture-backed deep-tech company. Bethany reflects on her journey from academic research to startup leadership, sharing how a highly tec...

Rewiring Prosperity — The Lighthouse Series: WIN-VC is hosted by Vanessa Paesani, Executive Director of the Pond-Deshpande Centre. This 10-part stream shines a light on women founders across Atlantic Canada who are raising venture capital and scaling ambitious ventures, sharing real-world insights on fundraising, growth, and what it takes to build a more inclusive innovation economy.