The Grebel Peace Incubator Program supports peace-related start-up initiatives through mentorship, training opportunities, and seed funding in order to validate their concepts and secure sustainable funding to effect systemic change. We know that making connections with the right mentors is a crucial ingredient in the success of a start-up.
This Mentorship Circle is intended to deepen and expand the ability of the Centre for Peace Advancement to support members of the Peace Incubator program. The Mentorship Circle does not encompass all of the many individuals throughout the Centre for Peace Advancement’s networks that provide mentorship to incubator members on an ad hoc basis. Members of the Mentorship Circle gather each semester to:
- provide collective mentorship to incubator members
- distribute grants from the Centre for Peace Advancement’s Peace Incubator Fund
The Mentors:
Angela Krone
Angela graduated from the University of Waterloo (BASc, 2019) and has been actively involved in the KW tech community throughout her co-op and full-time career. She has worked on a wide range of innovative projects at start-ups and large companies and currently works on the Augmented Reality team at Google.
Angela is known for asking the right questions that help drive products forward. Specializing in human centred design and playful exploration (often through prototypes and proof-of-concepts) she has seen first hand how the power of getting at the heart of a user need can dramatically impact a project’s success. She loves to both facilitate and participate in brainstorming sessions to help find new ways to approach problems.
During her time in university, Angela was actively involved in the PeaceTech community and courses taught at the Centre for Peace Advancement, and is excited to be able to return to participate as a mentor. When not working, you can find her playing board games, frisbee, or volunteering around the community.
Kate Pearce
Kate is passionate about supporting and enabling communities to connect, make an impact, and thrive through the development of strong, trusting partnerships. She currently serves as the Manager, Social Impact at Kindred Credit Union. Through her work Kate turns commitments into action with a focus on collaboration.
Her work experiences have included supporting recreation programming for youth and young adults, community engagement, facilitation, event management, and community relations. She has worked in a variety of sectors including post-secondary, charity, not-for-profit, and corporate.
She holds a Bachelor of Recreation Management (BRM) from Acadia University, and completed her MA at the University of Waterloo in the department of Recreation and Leisure Studies. With a dedication to continuous growth, she has continued on her learning journey gaining insights and knowledge from her colleagues, community leaders, friends, and neighbours.
Roopa Reddy
Roopa is an educator who believes in students’ potential to address problems that matter, for them and for society. She is a Lecturer at the Conrad School, with a focus on undergraduate teaching in social impact, using critical lenses. Before joining the faculty team at the University of Waterloo, Roopa explored models of education and social enterprises in various contexts, including in Colombia, Haiti, India, and Indonesia.
She began her career in Management consulting after graduating from the BBA/BMath program (Wilfred Laurier University/University of Waterloo), before pursuing her Master’s in International Development at the London School of Economics.
She enjoys learning languages, dabbling in creative writing, and travel - her most recent adventure involved a multi-day trek in Peru.