Leadership
T. Leroy Smith - Co-Founder & Principal
T. Leroy Smith helps founders, boards and investors transform distressed or neglected intellectual property and institutional assets into resilient, competitive and IP‑rich growth platforms. As Founder and Managing Partner of Element Ventures (Canada) LP, he brings more than 25 years of experience structuring, protecting and monetizing science, technology and IP‑centric ventures across biotechnology, Indigenous economic development and innovation finance.
Operating at the intersection of scalable project finance, regulatory risk and IP‑driven growth, Smith focuses on converting high‑potential but under‑performing technology and infrastructure platforms into bankable, institution‑grade investments that can withstand scrutiny from boards, courts and revenue authorities. He combines systems‑level thinking with disciplined execution to integrate IP strategy, capital structuring and regulatory compliance in complex, mission‑critical settings.
Smith has founded and led platforms such as CedarBIO™, a Vancouver‑based, Indigenous‑engaged health infrastructure initiative that combines ethical bioprospecting, data assets and life‑science partnerships with Indigenous Peoples, global biopharma and policy organizations. Earlier in his career he co‑founded Bovicor Pharmatech Inc., leading venture capital and commercial development activities that resulted in a top-decile licensing outcome with a global pharmaceutical.
His advisory work spans complex international IP strategy, blended finance and regulatory‑compliant global health and technology partnerships, including mandates as Consulting Fellow at the Royal Institute for International Affairs (Chatham House), and lead advisor for Indonesia, Turkey and Nigeria health industrialization roadmap with D‑8 Organization for Economic Development.
Leroy has extensive hands-on shareholders governance experience in start ups,. His current role includes advisory, investment and intellectual property development and commercialization of wearables technology with the Saarbrücken, Germany-based mateligent group of companies.
Smith designs integrated innovation, governance and compliance frameworks that protect value, align stakeholders and support durable, IP‑backed growth for high‑stakes enterprises
Dr. Ima Arit Kashim MBBS, MPH, FMCPH, DPHA - Co-Founder & Principal
Dr. Ima Arit Kashim is a global health and public policy leader with over 25 years of experience spanning public health, vaccine strategy, digital epidemiology, and health market and regional trade development. With a background in Medicine and Public Health, her work integrates technical health strategy and systems expertise with senior policy advisory roles, positioning health as both a public good and a strategic economic sector in emerging and transitioning economies. She is a Fellow of the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House, UK), the West African College of Physicians, and the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria.
Dr. Kashim’s policy advisory experience incudes Health and Social Sector Policy Analyst with the President of Nigeria’s Independent Policy Group. She later served as Senior Global Health Specialist and Program Team Leader at the Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), where she co-designed the Bank’s first five-year Health Sector Strategy and led multi-country initiatives on health markets revitalization, industrial capacity development, and private-sector engagement. She oversaw a USD 350 million portfolio across Nigeria, Indonesia, and Turkey, supporting pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing, diagnostics, hospital networks, and resilient service delivery platforms.
Dr. Kashim has expertise in building Health industrialization infrastructure and led IsDB's Human and Institutional capacity programme on Revitalizing Health markets for Regional trade and cooperation. She is also a well published author in this respect. During the CoVID 19 crisis.Dr. Kashim played a central role in IsDB’s emergency and recovery response , designing 14 national health projects. She contributed to the Pandemic Fund architecture, on the INB 9 -11 in 2023 - 2024 as observer and representative of IsDB.
At global level she has advised Country government, UN agencies, and development partners on Infectious disease control, vaccine policy, pandemic preparedness, institutional strengthening and health markets architecture.
Recent industry appointments include Nigeria Country Representative for POLARKON - an Ankara, Turkey-based global “design-build” engineering and steel manufacturing company.
Dr. Kashim holds a Doctorate in Public Health Administration from Central University, Nicaragua/Texila American University Consortium, and is committed to health equity, ethical policy-making, and the strategic development of health systems and health industrialization infrastructure as foundations for resilient, inclusive and competitive growth.