Meet the Team Behind SAIL
At SAIL, we believe in the power of innovation and collaboration to drive progress. Our team is composed of dedicated professionals with diverse backgrounds in technology transfer, intellectual property, legal affairs, and business development. Together, we’re committed to simplifying the licensing process and fostering partnerships that move cutting-edge technologies from concept to market.
David Durand
Co-founder
David Durand, B.Sc., LL.L., co-founder of MVIP Solutions, Inc., is a trained IP lawyer and strategist that assists clients in maximizing value. He is also the president of Forum International De La Propriété Intellectuelle-Québec (FORPIQ) and board member of AIoT Canada. In addition to being an advisor to the National Crowdfunding and Fintech association of CAnada (NCFA), he is member of the ISO-SEG 15 (Metaverse) and ISO TC-279 working group and a lawyer (Durand Lawyers) - member of the Quebec Bar as well as a registered trademark agent before the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
David has presented before the Standing Committee of Finance (FINA) and the Science and Research (SRSR) on the Support for the Commercialization of Intellectual Property, as well as been involved in several government consultations regarding innovation, tax incentives, and economic security. He has also contributed a chapter to Intellectual Property Management for Start-ups: Enhancing Value and Leveraging the Potential.
Dr. Kyle Briggs
Founding Member
Dr. Kyle Briggs is a physicist, entrepreneur, a Vanier Scholar, and holds a PhD (2018) from the University of Ottawa in nanoscale biophysics. He received numerous awards for this research, including the CMC Douglas R. Colton Medal for Research Excellence in 2020. He is the former CEO of Northern Nanopore Instruments, a nanotechnology company that was acquired in 2023 after bootstrapping from idea to acquisition without using dilutive investment.
He is currently the Entrepreneur in Residence for the Faculty of Science at the University of Ottawa. Aside from this professional work, Dr. Briggs is the pen behind CanInnovate, a newsletter that attempts to bring awareness and suggest solutions to the challenges with deep tech commercialization in Canada, and is actively involved in the startup community as a mentor and advisor focused on supporting companies across the interface between academic research and early commercial operations.
Founding Member
Rami Alhamad is the author of Action Potential, a platform dedicated to exploring how Canada can better commercialize intellectual property and foster innovation. He is also a co-developer of SAIL, an initiative aimed at connecting researchers and entrepreneurs to unlock the potential of deep tech startups. With a background in engineering systems and mechatronics, Rami’s undergraduate research at the University of Waterloo focused on autonomous systems, while his graduate work at the University of Guelph centered on developing robotic devices for stroke rehabilitation. These experiences shaped his commitment to bridging the gap between academic research and entrepreneurship, driving meaningful technological advancement in Canada.
Rami is also the founder of Alma, an AI-first nutrition startup reimagining how technology can help people eat well and enjoy food. Backed by Menlo Ventures, Alma is focused on making nutrition tracking effortless and joyful through cutting-edge design and AI. Previously, Rami founded PUSH, a leader in wearable sports tech, which was acquired by WHOOP, where he also served as VP of Product.
Robin Ford
Founding Member
​Robin Ford has many years of experience of policy development and in the practice of regulation and public law in Canada, the UK, and emerging markets. Although she grew up in Vancouver, and went to university in Montreal and Victoria, she spent most of her legal career in the UK working for the British Government. Apart from a wide range of legal work for governments in British Columbia and Britain, she served as head of the insurance legal department at the Financial Services Authority (the then regulator of financial services in the UK) and as an executive commissioner with the BC Securities Commission.
She is now based in Vancouver and consults in the areas of regulation and governance. She is a member of the Advisory Group of the NationalCrowdfunding & Fintech Association of Canada. Robin is a firm supporter of a more risk based (and risk friendly) and outcomes focused approach in the public and private sectors. This means raising our game on data collection and analysis, risk management, stakeholder engagement, transparency, communicating clearly, collaboration, and accountability (ie, more disciplined, flexible, and agile decision making).