TEDM – Sherry Shannon-Vanstone – A Profound Impact (Episode 182)

Sherry Shannon-Vanstone is the founder, CEO & President of Profound Impact, a company with an AI-powered tool called Research Impact that helps academic and industry researchers find the perfect funding match. 

In honour of her late husband, Scott A. Vanstone, Sherry founded Profound Impact in 2018 — a next-generation social engagement and interaction platform for use by universities and their alumni to engage, discover, and measure the impact that the institution and its community have on technology and the world. It also aims to build a sense of community for a global audience of affinity groups such as women in STEM and entrepreneurs.

Sherry was the recipient of the prestigious Leadership Excellence Award in Entrepreneurship for 2020 from Women in Communications and Technology (WCT). In June 2019, Sherry received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws (LLD) from Western University and in 2015, she was awarded – WOW – the World Waterloo Region’s Female Innovator of the Year.

Sherry holds a Master of Science degree in mathematics from the University of Tennessee and was a cryptologic mathematician with the US Government. Sherry has resided in Canada for 26 years and holds citizenships in both Canada and the US.

Listen in as Sherry discusses her lifelong passion of mathematics and empowering women to pursue education, and how it fuels her role as an entrepreneur and advocate for more women founders, investors, and entrepreneurs. Sherry talks about her company, how it started, who and how it serves. Sherry and Patrick have a robust conversation around core values, integrity, culture, mentorship and clarity within in all of that. Sherry also recounts a story that demonstrates the sometimes surprising and positive result of being faithful to our values.

Over her career, Sherry has made a significant contribution to the spectrum of digital industries from cryptography to telecommunications and technology, while also making a major contribution to the advancement of all women. She is an extraordinary leader and visionary who has made a material difference to the roles women play and their influence in the digital economy.