The Narwhal Project
We are an accelerator that helps emerging technology companies obtain capital to fund their growth. Working at the intersection of strategy, marketing and finance we help companies analyze strategic options, adopt and document a strategy, and raise funding. We help entrepreneurs figure out the best markets to serve, how to differentiate effectively, ensure product market fit, improve unit economics and raise capital.
The Narwhal Project was also established to conduct research in order to discover the underlying factors that are essential to create world-class technology companies. Our objective is to understand how companies can accelerate their growth and adopt best practices in technology commercialization.
Charles Plant
Founder and Managing Director
Charles Plant, the founder of the Narwhal Project is a serial entrepreneur, financial strategist, and innovation economist. He was co-founder and CEO for 15 years of Synamics, a telecommunications software firm. He has been co-founder of four, Board Chair at four and CFO of eight emerging technology companies. He has worked on numerous financing and M&A transactions in investment banking, on the management committee and CFO of three venture capital firms, and as an advisor at a number of incubators. Charles has also served as an advisor to national, provincial and city governments on innovation policy. As an educator, Charles spent seven years on the faculty of York’s Schulich School of Business teaching in the MBA program and has taught innovation and entrepreneurship at the University of Toronto. He has an MBA in marketing, is a CPA/CA and is currently pursuing a PhD in Economics.
Marielle Voksepp
Managing Director
Marielle Voksepp, a Managing Director at the Narwhal Project is an experienced leader, operator and educator whose work with startups and early-stage entrepreneurs spans 10 years. She has designed and delivered numerous entrepreneurship programs and advises leading entrepreneurial support organizations across Canada on program strategy and operations. These organizations include MaRS Discovery District, Futurpreneur Canada and the University of Calgary’s Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking. Marielle led the design and launch of the IFH Impact Accelerator, the first impact-focused fintech accelerator in Canada. She is also an investor in real estate and early-stage technologies. Marielle has a BSc and BEd and is currently working on a master’s degree from UofT.