We compare TKS to Olympic training. You can think of our directors as your coaches. This team of industry experts—from NASA, MIT, SpaceX, and beyond—is here to support your most ambitious goals.
Meet The Team
Learn more about the people and mindsets behind TKS.
Directors
Your future coach.
Brandon Jennings
Head of Program
Brandon Jennings
Brandon has led product development at Bowery Farming, consulted at McKinsey & Company, and co-founded JS Operations, advising on manufacturing tech. He’s also worked at Raytheon, SpaceX, and Li & Fung. Brandon holds an MBA and a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, along with a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.
Shea Tough
Program Success
Shea Tough
Shea is a former geneticist and entrepreneur who founded a synthetic biology startup incubator, helping over 100 startups with lab space, mentorship, and funding. With experience working alongside industry giants like Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca, Shea has contributed to the launch of groundbreaking new drugs.
Mikaela Ergas Lenett
TKS Activate
Mikaela Ergas Lenett
Mikaela is a creative-turned-data expert with an MS in Data Visualization from Parsons. She helped scale Kode With Klossy’s pilot Data Science Program, one of North America’s largest all-female programs. As employee #1 at Data Culture, she helped businesses turn challenges into data solutions.
Max Newlon
TKS Activate
Max Newlon
Before TKS, Max was President of BrainCo, a Harvard Innovation Labs startup he helped grow into a $1B company. With a master’s from Harvard, he led fMRI research on meditation, yoga, and invasive BCI tech for Parkinson’s. Max is now a Senior Advisor at Evio, a VC firm investing in human potential.
Skylor Lane
TKS Toronto
Skylor Lane
Skylor is an educator-turned-entrepreneur with deep experience in venture capital, AI, and startups. He scaled Canada’s #1 Bitcoin exchange before its acquisition and made early investments in companies like Starkware, NuBank, and Discord.
Lyn Chen
TKS Toronto
Lyn Chen
Lyn is a 2x founder who’s raised over $2M from investors like Y Combinator. A Thiel Fellow and the youngest Forbes 30 Under 30 in enterprise tech, Lyn has worked in startups and corporate roles across consumer AI, food tech, and marketing in three countries. She’s also spent 500+ hours teaching youth about STEM and entrepreneurship.
Esther Kim
TKS San Francisco
Esther Kim
Esther is a genetic engineer and biotech entrepreneur who worked with Jo Zayner to create CRISPR kits that make science accessible to all. Featured in Netflix’s Unnatural Selection, Esther is dedicated to inspiring the next generation of scientists.
Pranav Menon
TKS Vancouver
Pranav Menon
Pranav is a UBC Engineer turned startup expert who’s built medical devices, led an AI agency, and mentored 200+ innovators at UBC.
Azar Chatur
TKS Calgary
Azar Chatur
Azar helped scale startups like Traction on Demand and Checkfront, both of which were acquired, and co-founded a manufacturing company serving clients like the Toronto Raptors. Before TKS, Azar was a venture capital investor, funding innovative Canadian companies.
Hari Mahesh
TKS New York
Hari Mahesh
Hari taught himself to code at 16 and became the youngest employee at Johnson & Johnson, building healthcare apps with 1.5M+ users and topping iOS charts. He’s worked in venture capital at Emergence Capital, led product at a FinTech startup, and continued building businesses along the way.
Andrés Velarde
TKS Seattle
Andrés Velarde
Andrés is a materials scientist and engineer who has designed hard-tech products for optogenetics, nanotech, and renewable energy storage. Andrés has also taught Engineering Design through MIT’s prestigious MITES program.
Sahil Arora
TKS Dubai
Sahil Arora
Sahil, a Columbia-educated psychology graduate, founded a mindfulness company serving 100+ entrepreneurs and worked in strategy at RBC and Plug & Play Ventures. Sahil is passionate about helping future leaders set bold goals and make a positive impact.
Raha Francis
TKS Virtual
Raha Francis
Raha, a Harvard Law graduate, has worked as a tech lawyer and BCG consultant, advising everyone from solo entrepreneurs to global corporations.
Patrick Fortier
TKS Virtual
Patrick Fortier
Patrick, a former nuclear physicist turned AI expert, specializes in natural language processing and generative AI, with experience ranging from startups to AVP at the largest U.S. insurance company. His passion for teaching and mentorship led him to TKS.