Meet our Team
Jason Sparrow
CEO
Jason holds a BA in History and Economics from the University of Victoria, as well as an MBA in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from the University of British Columbia.
Born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Jason’s love of hiking, skiing and camping inevitably brought him to the west coast. He began his career in the food equipment industry, working for several years as a Marketing and Business Development manager before deciding to pursue entrepreneurship.
David Sommer
CTO
BASc. and MASc. Mechanical Engineering from the University of Waterloo, David is currently pursuing his PhD at the University of British Columbia where his research is focused on optical diagnostics and energy systems.
He has worked as a sales engineer for Toshiba, a space systems engineer for the Canadian Space Agency, and a consultant for RDH Building Engineering. David's focus at BarrelWise is to direct product development and manufacturing, and to ensure our technology portfolio is aligned with the needs of our current and future customers.
Artem Bocharov
Director of Sales
Artem is a CFA Charterholder, holds a BA in International Business from the University of Manchester, and an MBA in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from the University of British Columbia.
Born and raised in Russia, Artem built a successful career as a private banker at Barclay’s in London, UK. Eventually, his love for the outdoors brought him to Vancouver, where he continues to pursue his passion for nature, people and technology.
Miayan Yeremi
Research & Development
BSc. in Physics, MSc. in Physics and Statistics, as well as a MEng. in Mechanical Engineering, all at UBC. Miayan is currently working on his PhD in Mechanical Engineering, specializing in gas detection and emission rate measuring technology.
Happily married and a proud father of 4 beautiful girls, Miayan is passionate about understanding how things work. His current research involves developing sensors for gaseous phase measurements. Miayan loves any project that has acoustics, magnets, or 3D printing in it, and at BarrelWise he gets to play with all the above, and more.
Adrien Noble
Mechanical Designer
Adrien is a recent graduate from a BASc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of British Columbia. Born in Switzerland and raised in Ontario, his passion for skiing and the outdoors brought him to Vancouver.
Adrien spent several years designing and building off-road cars while in school, which led to a job at Tesla Motors. He has also worked in a carbon sequestration lab and done research in the field of concussion biomechanics. Adrien's focus at BarrelWise is on product development and manufacturing.
Advisors
Tom Urban
Tom Urban mentors early stage ventures as an advisor and investor. He has extensive experience in investment banking, working for Goldman, Sachs & Co. as well as in the agricultural biotechnology industry and forestry genetics.
Tom began his professional career with Goldman, Sachs & Co. After two years with Goldman, Tom left to join Pioneer High-Bred international, as the Country Manager of Romania. After the purchase of Pioneer by E.I. DuPont de Nemours, Tom headed their worldwide cereals seed business in Paris, France. In 2002, Tom returned to the U.S. as a Director in the DuPont strategy group, focusing on DuPont's agricultural portfolio.
Tom received his undergraduate degree from Middlebury College and a Masters of Business Administration from the Harvard Graduate School of Business.
Gabe Kalmar
Dr. Kalmar has been an avid supporter of entrepreneurship in Canada for the past 25 years. He currently holds positions as an Entrepreneur in Residence for entrepreneurship@UBC and Innovation Boulevard, and is also a Mentor in Residence for Venture Connection at Simon Fraser University.
During his 12 years at Genome BC he has taken on roles as the Executive Director of Operations, Vice President of Sector Development, and Vice President of Entrepreneurship and Commercialization. He was also the President and CEO of the Pacific Autism Family Network
Alex Chunn
Alex Chunn is an accomplished design and innovation leader with over 30 years of experience in product and brand design, corporate management and academic program development. Degrees in Industrial Design and Business Administration provide a unique perspective on the role of design in business success.
Alex was based in Hong Kong for the past 18 years and has experience in the areas of consumer research, identifying user insight, defining product opportunities, concept development and design execution. His work in North America and Asia has involved leading cross functional teams based in multiple geographic locations and extensive collaboration with product management and key retail partners in North America, Europe and Australia.
Alex provides mentorship to business startup ventures like BarrrelWise supported by entrepreneurship@UBC.
Nanette Anzola
Nanette holds a BA in Political Science and Communication Studies from Carleton University, a Master’s in Marketing from IESA, as well as an MBA from the University of British Columbia.
Born and raised in Venezuela, Nanette is a skilled marketer with years of experience in consumer research, strategic planning and marketing communications. Nanette began her career in marketing by working in market research and advertising for Ipsos and Publicis. She found her passion for building brands in the wine and spirits industry in her role as Market Research and Brand Strategy Manager for Santa Teresa Rum.
Kyle Cheriton
Kyle brings extensive international experience with global brands and start-ups in the areas of consumer marketing, brand management and business development. He has worked in leadership roles in global corporations including Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, The Walt Disney Company and United Airlines. He has also played key strategic roles in startups such as Rakuten, Arista Networks and Martiniburger.
Kyle currently lives in Vancouver and serves as a mentor and advisor at The University of British Columbia’s entrepreneurship@UBC program. He was an initial mentor to BarrelWise and is now an advisor to the company.