Our Team
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Partners
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Associates
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Operations
Partners
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Stephan Ouaknine
Chairman and CEO, Managing Partner
As founder of Inerjys, Stephan is both Managing Partner of Inerjys Ventures and President and CEO of Inerjys Renewables. He is responsible for fund raising, sourcing growth investments and managing the day to day activities of Inerjys infrastructure projects globally. Stephan comes from the telecom sector, where over a 15-year career spanning three high-tech ventures, he has delivered over $1 billion in total shareholder value with three successful exits.
Stephan’s success stories include Blueslice Networks, a leading provider of evolved Subscriber Data Management (eSDM) solutions for telecom carriers. Stephan led Blueslice from its foundation in 2001 until its acquisition in 2010 by Tekelec (NASDAQ: TKLC). At the time of its acquisition, Blueslice was the global leader in cross-platform SDM solutions deployed in tier 1 accounts in over 25 countries. Stephan’s other successes include Emblaze (LSE: BLZ), a next-generation mobile multimedia company which reached a $6 billion valuation during his tenure, and Airslide Systems, a leader in next generation signalling which merged with Cantata Technology and was acquired by Dialogic (NASDAQ: DLGC).
A proven and experienced entrepreneur, Stephan knows how to develop a startup from the idea stage into a truly successful, market-leading business.
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Vincent Martel
Partner
Vincent Martel joins Inerjys as a Partner. Vincent has 11 years of experience in M&A / Corporate Finance, nine years acting as strategic investor within large international corporations and two years providing advice to clients undertaking strategic investment.
Vincent has a proven track record of generating investment opportunities, developing, negotiating and executing corporate combinations (acquisitions, divestments, JVs) on an international level, most recently with AREVA in Paris where he led acquisitions for AREVA Renewables’ rapid growth in the renewable sector. Most notably, Vincent led the 49% buyback of Multibrid (an offshore wind turbine OEM that became AREVA Wind), the acquisition of PN Rotor (an offshore wind rotor blades manufacturer that integrated AREVA Wind) and the acquisition of Ausra (a solar thermal technology that became AREVA Solar).
Vincent graduated in 2000 from HEC Montreal with honours (“Profil Mercure”) and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (“CFA”) charter since 2004.
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Eric Ouaknine
Partner, VP Corporate Development
As Partner and Vice President of Corporate Development, Eric Ouaknine brings to Inerjys over a decade of experience in international sales and a keen understanding of world markets. His unique perspective, having been integrally involved at both the start-up and established stages of company development, gives Eric exceptional business acumen. As a Partner at Inerjys Ventures, he plays an active role in selecting Inerjys’ key portfolio companies. However, Eric’s main focus is on global infrastructure projects with Inerjys Renewables where he is repsonsible for seeking out profitable projects in which to invest and and developing them in cooperation with local strategic partners.
Prior to joining Inerjys, Eric was a founding member of Blueslice Networks, a telecom leader in subscriber data management. As Blueslice's VP Sales, Eric's dedicated leadership was vital to its seamless expansion into European markets. During this period, Eric successfully managed agreements with over twenty high-profile customers and channel partners including British Telecom, Vimpelcom Russia and Alcatel-Lucent. He also played a central role in Blueslice's acquisition in 2010 by Tekelec (NASDAQ: TKLC).
Eric’s extensive negotiation background and tactical approach serves his conviction that with the right combination of efficient solutions, renewable energy can and will attain grid parity allowing renewables projects to be highly profitable without relying on government subsidies. -
Irfan Tachrir
Partner
Irfan Tachrir, a Partner at Inerjys, joins us from the Indonesian telecom giant Telkomsel, where over a career spanning over two decades he has risen to the positions of VP Synergy, Partnership & Regulatory and VP International Roaming. A lawyer by training, Irfan had a distinguished career in private legal practice prior to entering the business world.
Irfan’s keen business mind and deep knowledge of the emerging markets of Southeast Asia are invaluable assets to Inerjys as we expand into that area of the world and other developing markets.
Associates
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David Berliner
Associate
David brings his expertise in renewable energy and environmental issues to the Inerjys team. As an Associate, David is responsible for identifying and researching potential investments in renewable energy companies, and liaising with partners in academia. David's professional and academic experience allow him to blend perspectives from academia, science & technology, finance and public policy to target strategic renewable energy investments.
David recently completed a Masters of Public Administration from Columbia University, with a focus on environmental science and policy, which exposed him to leading thinkers and practitioners in the fields of renewable energy and the green economy. As part of his studies, he consulted for the New York City Mayor’s Office on renewable energy issues. David also holds a B.Sc from the University of Toronto in environmental science and human biology.
David previously worked at Hart House (University of Toronto) as Sustainability Coordinator, where he advanced sustainability and renewable energy projects on the campus. David also interned for the Carbon Disclosure Project in New York City where he communicated with leading Canadian companies about their climate change strategies.
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Raphael Bouskila
Associate
Raphael joins Inerjys from the academic sector, having been granted a B.Eng. in electrical engineering from McGill University and an M.Sc. in experimental condensed matter physics from the University of Toronto. His research interests and experience have been particularly broad-based, ranging from microwave waveguide and laser design to advanced solid-state materials engineering, as well as scanning probe microscopy, pattern recognition and computer architecture. He is extremely passionate about all aspects of science and technology, and brings this passion to Inerjys Ventures where he studies the emergent and visionary technologies being developed by our portfolio companies and analyzes future potential investments.
Aside from academia, Raphael’s resumé also includes several years of experience working as a computer systems administrator, HPC expert and programmer for organizations ranging from small businesses and academic research groups to large interuniversity HPC installations and multinational corporations. Raphael is also an avid player of contract bridge, and, on a volunteer basis, has organized and managed major tournaments for the ACBL.
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Max Finder
Associate
Max is responsible for identifying top prospective technology investments. Previously, Max was co-founder of Startupifier, an organization that bridges the gap between students and entrepreneurship, as well as a featured columnist for NextMontreal.com. He has a strong background in sales, marketing, and fundraising, having worked at the taste marketing company First Flavor.
Max’s recent sustainability projects include the designing and building of a monochromator for a McGill professor during research into plant photosynthesis, as well as crafting a business strategy for a pulp and paper company trying to enter the wood-composite sector. Having received a bachelor's of mechanical engineering from McGill, he is passionate about the intersection of business with technology.
Operations
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Darya Bykadorova
Executive Assistant, Human Resources
Darya joins Inerjys as the executive assistant to Stephan Ouaknine and as the point of contact for Inerjys employees' issues and inquiries.
Prior to Inerjys, Darya was the executive assistant at Tekelec (NASDAQ: TKLC) and Blueslice Networks, Inc. At Tekelec and Blueslice, Darya scheduled, organized and managed both large and small events, involving important representatives from industry and government. In addition to administrative functions, Darya also prepared reports, researched special organizational projects, and performed various bookkeeping and HR duties.
Darya has also assisted in a volunteer capacity at Zustrich, the Quebec Association for Ukrainian Immigrants, where she performed various tasks such as event organization and planning and facilitating newcomers’ integration into Montreal life, as well as Federation CJA’s employment agency, where she helped challenged and at-risk students achieve academic success and acquire career skills.
Darya holds a BA (Hons.) in Psychology from Concordia University in Montreal. Darya is a strong believer in renewable energy and is excited to be a part of the transformative Inerjys vision.
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Ekaterina Zrajevski
Administrative Assistant, Graphic Designer
As the Administrative Assistant at Inerjys, Ekaterina is responsible for ensuring that things run smoothly on a day to day basis. She also contributes her skills in graphic design to create and update visual communication materials for the company.
In the past, Ekaterina has produced and directed several short films and animations, including a short documentary broadcast on the CBC. In addition to her experience in production administration and filmmaking, Ekaterina has also been involved in producing an awareness campaign to increase community involvement at the Centre Communautaire de Loisirs Côte-des-Neiges where she has been a volunteer for many years.
Ekaterina is currently completing her Bachelor of Arts with a major in Communication Studies and a minor in Psychology, at Concordia University.
