Katy Yam brings an unusual combination of 15+ years as a senior operator across gaming, food, and AI sectors plus board governance experience at Loto-Québec, giving her a rare perspective on both startup operations and public-sector compliance that she applies to coaching early-stage founders. As a long-time TEDx producer, she uses a participatory curation approach to source and evaluate founders through community input rather than top-down selection, while actively engineering creative collisions between disparate communities to benefit the founders in her orbit.

• Deep engagement with the Canadian technology ecosystem and Montreal startup community, frequently attending regional events like SaaS North to speak on founder resilience. She maintains strong ties to local innovation hubs such as Notman House and celebrates the achievements of fellow community members.
• Closely follows macro industry shifts in artificial intelligence, showing particular admiration for strategic leadership during high-stakes corporate negotiations, such as Satya Nadella's rapid handling of personnel changes at OpenAI.
• Personal dedication to endurance sports and physical challenges, currently training for an Olympic-distance triathlon at Mont-Tremblant. She connects this athletic discipline to a broader appreciation for a growth mindset, citing professional athletes who view failure as a step toward success.
• Passion for arts and counterculture events, specifically Burning Man, which she visits to explore large-scale art installations and connect with her camp. She speaks fondly of the emotional impact of the music and the sense of returning home when attending the festival.
• Strong advocacy for diversity and representation, celebrating wins for women in tech through awards like the DMZ Women of the Year, as well as recognizing cultural milestones such as Asian representation in major film awards.
• Values family and personal resilience, openly sharing pride in her father's strength as a stroke survivor and drawing inspiration from his support of her career milestones.