Roxanne Molnar

Roxanne is passionate about building and nurturing relationships. It’s a skill she honed during her career in the sustainability industry. Curious to deepen her knowledge of marketing and sales, she enrolled in the Growth Marketing stream of the Tech Adjacent program.

Today, she runs her own business development company called Growth Venture. As part of her InceptionU journey, she worked on her company website and is proud of what she accomplished.

During the program, she learned to love the “nitty gritty” details of marketing - things like ideal customer profiles, buyer's journey, segmentation and creating email campaigns.

Through her company, one of the unique services she provides is Executive Ambassador Support, which involves representing a company’s brand if the founders are too busy or don’t thrive in that environment.
Becoming an entrepreneur hasn’t been easy and it still scares her, but Molnar says her LinkedIn community, friends and supporters have been extremely supportive and encouraging.

Roxanne’s advice to future learners:

“Rip the band-aid off, get out there and get networking. Starting is the hardest part, but people will come to you, so be receptive and be a sponge. Listen for ways you can help or refer opportunities to others, don’t always look for what’s in it for you. The power of a referral can be your biggest tool.”

Read more about Roxanne’s career journey here.

Aric Crosson-Bouwers

With a successful career as an architectural technologist, Aric enjoyed working in the residential development and structural engineering fields. However, he felt he had reached a professional ceiling and was feeling stagnant in his career. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it was a good time for a career flip. He discovered InceptionU and, as a self-funding participant, was able to secure alternate sources of funding to help him with the $14,000 program fee. For Aric, a husband and father of three, taking time away from the workforce was a big risk, but one he was willing to make.

Aric excelled in the program; he had a strong work ethic and soaked up the knowledge like a sponge. He was impressed with how the course blew his previous pace of learning out of the water, and how practical the training was. He also valued how connected the InceptionU facilitators were in the tech industry.

He says during some job applications, he felt better equipped for the job market than some of the other applicants who had taken four year university degrees in computer science. While they had received a lot of theory and logic, they had way less experience actually building anything.

Through his project work, networking and instructor recommendations, Aric landed a job with a prop-tech company called Collegium where he works today as a full-stack developer. With his background in architecture and new software development skills, this was a perfect opportunity.

Aric’s advice to future learners:

“InceptionU is an awesome opportunity to rapidly learn extremely valuable skills, but you can’t just rely on your skills to get the job. You’ve got to really put a lot of energy into the networking side in order to land something. And don’t delay. Start networking a month or two into the course.”

Chitra Bakshi-Bencivenga

Chitra is a former health care worker, product designer and innovator. Knowing that she’s a big-picture thinker who likes to look at problems from all angles to design solutions that help people (and animals!), she was excited to receive formal design training from InceptionU’s team of expert facilitators.

She enrolled in the Design stream of the Tech Adjacent program in the fall of 2023.

Chitra says she had never experienced a learning environment quite like InceptionU before. The community, the support and encouragement to know herself better proved valuable.

Through the program, she realized how important it is to work at a company that aligns with her values of education and sustainability. It taught her to carefully assess the impact of every decision in the design process.
As part of her final project, Chitra didn’t have to go far to find a problem she desperately wanted to solve.
Her pug-beagle mix, named Aria, suffered from food allergies and she found it difficult to find hypo-allergenic treats.
So, she took to the kitchen and her website to design a solution. Read more about her journey at InceptionU and the creation of Aria and Ezzy Superfood Treats.

Chitra’s advice to future learners:

“I have taken so many courses and programs over the years. This program gave me and the cohort an enriching experience that was so real, with customers and deadlines and feedback to implement for the next client check-in and support from the start. You have to be here and commit the time needed to learn and reflect and absorb as much as possible. This program is so valuable, go for it!”

Kyle Faloon - Design Cohort 1

It’s something many of us think about doing, but Kyle Faloon actually took a leave of absence from his role at a large industrial automation company to re-assess his professional goals and career path.

He became laser-focused and resolute in his desire to move in the direction of becoming a Product Manager. Up until that point, he’d been working at several industrial facilities on instrumentation and control systems, plus additionally doing “light” software development.

Today, he’s a Product Manager at Blue Marvel AI in Calgary, a company applying Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to de-risk and improve industrial processes. As Kyle says, these are “fundamentally hard problems with a multitude of solutions” and he enjoys trying to figure them out. In his new role, he is responsible for the success of the company’s products, from simple web apps to AI/ML models, and taking them from initial conception through to development launch and ongoing refinement.

Read more about Kyle’s career journey here.

Mezeret Gebrezgi - Cohort 11

As a former teacher, Mezeret Gebrezgi knew it was time to follow her own advice. For years, she’d been the one to mentor and guide her beloved students to gain new knowledge. Now, it was her turn.

She began learning to code through books and self-guided online courses and found the world of software development fascinating. She thought to herself, “One day I’m going to do that!”

Through the Lumina and Lifepath programs led by Margo, she discovered her leadership capabilities. She enjoys leading a group, keeping people organized and on task. She says it’s a delicate balance between influencing a group with ideas and empowering them to do their best work. She is a problem solver and strong at building relationships.

Mezeret has accepted a position as a software developer with the Calgary company Garden Loft. She and her team designed a TV/tablet application for seniors in the Garden Loft community. The app is an easy-to-use application that helps seniors connect, belong, be entertained and be independent - all of the things that are important for healthy aging.
**Mezeret’s advice for future learners:**
One important thing she learned during her time at InceptionU is the importance of asking for help. She recalls struggling with one piece of code for an entire day. She asked a facilitator for help and and within ten minutes, the problem was solved. In that moment she learned asking for help isn’t a weakness, it’s a strength.

Youssef Triki - Cohort 10

A feeling of community and safety are two things Youssef Triki valued the most about his time at InceptionU.

As a new immigrant to Canada, he had previous experience in the insurance and financial services industry in Morrocco. He already had attained a Master’s in Computer Science, but knew he needed to enhance his skills with practical Canadian experience.

“The skills and knowledge I acquired have significantly enhanced my abilities and confidence as a full-stack developer. The program's focus on practical projects and collaborative learning helped me build a strong portfolio and a network of like-minded professionals,” says Youssef.

After graduating, he landed a position with Punchcard Systems as a Full Stack Developer, where he tackles complex and meaningful projects every day. He says InceptionU prepared him to hit the ground running, well-versed in team collaboration and project work.

“The program's ROI has been tangible, as I've been able to secure a job at Punchcard Systems, a company that aligns with my values and goals.”
**Youssef’s advice to future learners:**
Have the determination and passion to become a full-stack developer - it's a challenging but rewarding journey!
Stay focused on the program and make the most of the resources available to you
Be prepared to work hard and put in the effort required to achieve your goals.
Don't wait until the end of the program to start building your network and exploring job opportunities - start early and be proactive!
“And finally, enjoy the journey! The six months will fly by quickly, so make the most of every moment and soak up as much knowledge and experience as possible,” he adds.

Zack Spring Chief - Cohort 10

Zack is one of those people who knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur. The idea of running his own software development company, choosing his own clients and making his own schedule was very appealing. So, after graduation, that’s what he did.

Zack is currently a freelance web developer who works with an interesting and diverse client roster, from the construction industry to health and beauty services. He is thriving as a self-employed developer and is grateful that InceptionU set him up with the skills for success.