Demo Day Signup
Welcome! We’d love to have you join us for a Research Impact Demo Day, where we demonstrate the matchmaking features of Research Impact.
Please fill out the form below to sign up and receive an invitation.
2023 Impactful Actions Award Nominations Open May 1st
Nominations for Profound Impact’sTM Impactful Actions Awards will open May 1st!
The Impactful Actions Awards is an annual awards program recognizing leaders worldwide who are making a profound impact on the global community by inspiring collaborative solutions to difficult problems. This program brings together two of Profound Impact’s core values: open collaboration and making a positive impact.
New for 2023
Now in our third year, the 2023 Impactful Actions Awards will include two award categories:
- Young Leader
- Lifetime Achievement
The winner will be announced annually on September 14th, Profound Impact Day, which is a celebration of the world’s diverse leaders and changemakers who are leaving their mark on the global community through their initiatives, influence, and impact.
Award Criteria
To meet the judging criteria for the Impactful Actions Award, the Nominee must:
- Significantly contribute to the area(s) of leadership, mentoring, gender equality and inclusiveness, academic excellence, or research;
- Be a living person over the age of 18 years old;
- Have achieved professional recognition in their field of study or expertise;
- Exemplify the core values of open collaboration and positive impact;
- Demonstrate innovative ideas or actions for solving challenging problems with the scalable potential for global impact.
Award Timeline
Key dates in this annual award cycle for 2023 include:
- MAY 1 – Award nominations open
- JUNE 30 – Award nominations close (nominations will be accepted until 11:59 PM ET)
- JULY 20 – Three finalists selected and notified
- SEPTEMBER 14 – Winner honoured on Profound Impact Day
The top 3 finalists in each category will be profiled in early September in Profound Impact’s newsletter. The award winners will be recognized on Profound Impact Day and a donation to their charities of choice will be made by Profound Impact Corporation.
Dr. Feridun Hamdullahpur was the inaugural recipient of the Award in 2021. Dr. Hamdullahpur is the former President & Vice Chancellor and Professor of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Waterloo. He was selected for the impact he has made on university education, research and scholarship in our broader society through constant reform and innovation in the higher education sector, in addition to his involvement in the United Nations’ HeForShe initiative to take action on gender inequality.
Kehkashan Basu M.S.M. was the Impactful Actions Award winner in 2022. Basu, who was just 22 years old, started working towards improving the world around her at the age of seven. Basu planted her first tree at eight and founded her own humanitarian organization, Green Hope Foundation when she was 12. The foundation focuses on empowering vulnerable populations by providing education for sustainable development. The global social enterprise has worked with more than 300,000 people across 26 countries, focusing on water, sanitation, clean energy, and food security.
If you have questions about the Impactful Actions Award, please email rrusiniak@profoundimpact.com.
The Nominator must contact the Nominee(s) to inform them of their Nomination. Nominee(s) has the right to decline to be nominated, in which case, no nomination should be submitted. Self-nominations are accepted and nominees who were previously nominated are eligible to be nominated for this awards cycle. The nomination submission must be completed using the online nomination form which will be available May 1, 2023.
CS-CAN Two Part Webinar Series
Industry – Research Collaboration Webinars
Profound Impact is excited to announce our participation in two CS-CAN webinars for a discussion on new strategies for matching funding and researchers. The webinar series will run in two parts on March 24, 2023 and April 20, 2023.
Webinar #1 – March 24, 2023 – View the recording here
Industry – Research Collaboration: Benefits and Challenges
Connections between industry, colleges and universities are vital as researchers seek industry partners for federally and provincially-funded research programs and industry looks to researchers for insight into long-term research directions as strategic development road maps are developed.
This webinar will discuss the benefits of collaboration to researchers, students and industry partners as well as the challenges in identifying potential partners and developing collaborative agreements.
This webinar features:
- Emily Gordon, Advisor, Business Development at Mitacs
- Camelia Nunez, Manager of Operations at the Lazaridis Institute at Wilfrid Laurier University
- Ig Kolenko, Executive Director at the Smart Manufacturing and Advanced Recycling Technologies (SMART) Centre at Conestoga College
Webinar #2 – April 20, 2023, 3:00 PM EST – View the recording here
Industry – Research Collaboration: Best Practices and Tools for Success
What makes an industry-researcher collaboration a success?
Hear from the experts:
- Vio Onut, Principal R&D Strategist at the Centre for Advanced Studies (CAS) at IBM Canada and Adjunct Professor at University of Ottawa;
- Jennifer Moles, Director, R&D Collaboration and Commercialization Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI)
- George Shaker, Principal Scientist and Head of Research at Spark Technology Labs (STL).
- Brian Romansky of Profound Impact demonstrates the Research Impact matching tool.
You can view both webinars with this playlist on Youtube!
Mike Farwell Show
Renata Rusiniak of Profound Impact visits with host Mike Farwell to talk about the 12 Days of Impact campaign kickoff.
https://kitchener.citynews.ca/all-audio/the-mike-farwell-show/tuesday-november-29th-2022-6170661
12 Days of Impact Campaign
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LOCAL TECH STARTUP ENCOURAGES COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
THROUGH 12 DAYS OF IMPACT CAMPAIGN
The 12 Days of Impact campaign kicks off on Giving Tuesday, inspiring acts of kindness and generosity
WATERLOO, ON | NOVEMBER 29, 2022 — Profound Impact™ Corporation, a local startup based in the Toronto-Waterloo technology corridor, is giving back to the community this holiday season and encouraging other companies to get involved.
The 12 Days of Impact kicks off on Giving Tuesday, building on the global movement to encourage people and organizations to contribute their time, resources and talents to making their community a better place.
“The Profound Impact team knows that small acts of kindness and generosity can have a big impact within our community,” says Sherry Shannon-Vanstone, founder and CEO of Profound Impact. “Giving back does not have to be time-consuming, expensive, or difficult and the 12 Days of Impact calendar really proves it. For the second year in a row, we’re engaging our whole team in these simple acts of kindness and we hope to encourage others to do the same.”
The small team with big hearts at Profound Impact has developed a calendar of community actions throughout the month of December. From donating clothing to helping out a neighbour, the campaign offers simple suggestions on how to make our communities stronger by working together.
“We’re challenging others in Waterloo Region and across southern Ontario to take part in the 12 Days of Impact,” Shannon-Vanstone says. “We want to build a community of ambassadors who are committed to making an impact where they live and work. No action is too big or too small and our calendar focuses on how to make giving simple and accessible to everyone.”
Anyone accepting the challenge is encouraged to follow along with Profound Impact’s calendar or create their own. Participants can share their actions online through #12DaysOfImpact.
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ABOUT PROFOUND IMPACT CORPORATION
Profound Impact is a female-founded Canadian company located in the Toronto-Waterloo technology corridor. Profound Impact’s data, AI and analytics driven solutions help education, research and social impact organizations automate their processes, measure program impact, tell their story and inform strategy. Profound Impact’s products include Research Impact, which automatically matches researchers to funding opportunities; Career Impact, which provides organizations with actionable insights by analyzing the career trajectory of program participants; and Connection Impact, which provides a platform for connecting organizations’ stakeholders to measure and visualize impact. These three products involve different stakeholders, but all work towards the important goal of connecting great people to do great things and maximizing their worldwide impact.
Website: www.profoundimpact.com
Facebook: @aprofoundimpact
Instagram: @aprofoundimpact
LinkedIn: Profound Impact Corporation
Twitter: @aprofoundimpact
For media inquiries, please contact:
Katherine Hill
Durrell Communications
Canada’s Podcast
Starting a Company to Influence Culture – Profound Impact on Canada’s Podcast
Sherry Shannon-Vanstone, Profound Impact’s Founder, President and CEO was featured on another podcast!
Sherry sat down with Canada’s Podcast to discuss entrepreneurship and starting a business to influence culture. As an advocate for women in STEM, Sherry talked about positioning women in business, science, and tech as leaders in post-pandemic recovery and economic development. Listen to Sherry’s episode on Canada’s Podcast to learn more about her entrepreneurial journey, innovation, philanthropy, and Profound Impact.
Inspiring Generosity and Kindness: 12 Days of Impact Challenge 2022
The Profound Impact team is excited to launch 12 Days of Impact 2022 to kick off the giving season. The 12 Days of Impact, in partnership with Giving Tuesday, is dedicated to encouraging the importance of small acts that can make a big difference! Building on Giving Tuesday, a global generosity movement, the 12 Days of Impact encourages individuals, organizations, and businesses to address local challenges, promoting kindness, generosity, and the humanitarian spirit.
This year, the Profound Impact team is challenging individuals and organizations to create a community of ambassadors working to make a difference. The 12 Days of Impact will kick off on Giving Tuesday, November 29th, and run until Thursday, December 15th. Check out the Profound Impact 12 Days of Impact calendar, showcasing good deeds and positive acts to encourage us all to make a difference this holiday season! Click here to download a sample calendar with space to insert your own logo and challenge your network! #GivingTuesday
Meet the Team at these Conferences
You can meet the Profound Impact team at these upcoming October conferences!
The annual THINK Conference is happening October 19-20 at the Design Exchange event venue in Downtown Toronto. Profound Impact’s Brian Romansky, along with Shawna Reibling, Knowledge Mobilization Officer at Wilfred Laurier University, will present The State of Play for Communicating Research Funding Opportunities to Internal and External Stakeholders: Barriers and Opportunities. Based on interviews and survey data collected from research administrators across Canada in 2021, this session will share the current state of how Research Administrators communicate funding opportunities as well as innovative new ways of solving identified pain points. Register for the hybrid conference here
CAN-CWiC is the premiere Canadian Computing Conference for Women in Technology, taking place October 21-22 at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Toronto Airport and Conference Centre. Sherry Shannon-Vanstone and Sherryl Petricevic will be introducing Research Impact at the conference and Sohail Ramzan and Renata Rusiniak will participate in the Career Fair to introduce students to employment opportunities at Profound Impact. You can use this link to register by October 10th
Startup Canada Podcast
Empowering Women in STEM with Sherry Shannon-Vanstone
Episode Overview
As a well-known serial entrepreneur, Sherry Shannon-Vanstone has made a significant contribution to the spectrum of digital industries from information security to telecommunications and technology, while also making a major contribution to the advancement of all women. She is an extraordinary leader and visionary who has made a material difference to the roles women play and their influence in the digital economy. Throughout Sherry’s career, she has been a trailblazer in the fields of STEM, business, and philanthropy.
In honour of her late husband, Scott A. Vanstone, Sherry founded Profound Impact in 2018 — a data driven platform for use by organizations and their stakeholders including alumni, researchers, and students to engage, discover, and measure the worldwide impact that the institution and its community have on technology and the world. It also aims to build a sense of community for a global audience of affinity groups such as women in STEM and entrepreneurs.
“There is a talent battle today. We are seeing digital transformation across every industry and with that, there is a huge opportunity and challenge.”
In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Scotiabank, we talk about Sherry’s entrepreneurship journey, how she leverages data with her clients, and the importance of empowering women in STEM.
IMPACTFUL ACTIONS AWARD WINNER ANNOUNCED ON PROFOUND IMPACT DAY 2022
GREEN HOPE FOUNDATION PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER KEHKASHAN BASU, M.S.M., WINS 2022 IMPACTFUL ACTIONS AWARD
The Impactful Actions Award recognizes world leaders making a profound impact on the global community.
WATERLOO, ON | SEPT. 14, 2022 — Profound Impact™ is proud to announce Kehkashan Basu, M.S.M., as the winner of the 2022 Impactful Actions Award.
The annual award is presented by Profound Impact Corporation, a Toronto-Waterloo Corridor tech company providing tools for organizations to maximize their global impact. Profound Impact’s Impactful Actions Award recognizes individuals who are inspiring collaborative solutions to difficult global problems.
Basu, who is just 22 years old, started working towards improving the world around her at the age of seven. Basu planted her first tree at eight and founded her own humanitarian organization, Green Hope Foundation, when she was 12.
“My work focuses specifically on empowering our most vulnerable populations,” Basu said. “We do this through a myriad of ways, including providing education for sustainable development and turning that education into ground level actions.”
Green Hope Foundation recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. The global social enterprise has worked with more than 300,000 people across 26 countries, focusing on water, sanitation, clean energy and food security.
“We want Green Hope Foundation to be in every country of the world so we can change the mindsets of people all across society,” Basu said. “We want to create cross-sectional dialogue and partnerships to benefit every single person within our communities.”
Basu was presented the Impactful Actions Award for Profound Impact Day. The day, which honours the late Professor Scott A. Vanstone, celebrates the impact and legacy of collaboration and innovation developed through the Profound Impact community.
“Kehkashan has done incredible work from such a young age. We’re so impressed by her commitment to making the world a better place,” said Sherry Shannon-Vanstone, Founder and CEO of Profound Impact. “Every single one of our nominees this year represents the incredible talent we have here in Ontario and across the globe.”
Basu said winning the award is a huge honour. “It’s a vindication of my belief that young people and young women are doing a lot for people and the planet. To be recognized for those efforts, it’s just a really amazing feeling.”
Profound Impact will make a donation to a charity of Basu’s choice in her honour.
Profound Impact received nominees from the community for the 2022 Impactful Actions Award. In 2021, the inaugural Impactful Actions Award was presented to Dr. Feridun Hamdullahpur, former President & Vice Chancellor (2010-2021) and Professor of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Waterloo.
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ABOUT PROFOUND IMPACT CORPORATION
Profound Impact helps education, research and social impact community organizations leverage data to measure program impact, tell their story and inform strategy. Profound Impact products include Connection Impact, Career Impact and their newest offering, Research Impact. Research Impact helps researchers match with the perfect grant to fund their research. Everything Profound Impact does works towards the important goal of connecting great people to do great things and maximizing their worldwide impact.
Website: www.profoundimpact.com
Facebook: @aprofoundimpact
Instagram: @aprofoundimpact
LinkedIn: Profound Impact Corporation
Twitter: @aprofoundimpact
For media inquiries, please contact:
Katherine Hill Durrell Communications
Brittany Bortolon Durrell Communications