Entrepreneurship Speaker Series

Upcoming events

Dr. Les Tari, Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) of Cidara Therapeutics and a two-time UM Faculty of Science chemistry alum [BScHons/89, PhD/95]

Tari is the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) of Cidara Therapeutics and a two-time UM Faculty of Science chemistry alum [BScHons/89, PhD/95]. Following his time at UM, Tari focused on supporting early-stage drug discovery in both academic and industry settings, developing over 50 publications or patents. Previous to working for Cidara Therapeutics, Tari was a member of the scientific staff of the start-up, Syrrx Inc., co-founded ActiveSight Inc., and held various positions at Trius Therapeutics (acquired by Cubist Pharmaceuticals). At Cidara Therapeutics, Tari oversees the development of targeted immunotherapies designed to treat serious diseases.

Date and time: Tuesday, March 25, 2025, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Location: Marshall McLuhan Hall - 204 UMSU University Centre, 65 Chancellors Circle Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2

Register to join us

Agenda

Doors open at 2:30 to 3:00 p.m.
Lecture by Dr. Les Tari at 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Open networking happens at 4:00 to 4:30 p.m.

This event is free, but registration is required. Light refreshments will be served.

About Dr. Les Tari

Tari is the Chief Scientific Officer at Cidara. Trained in chemistry/structural biology with 25 years of experience in academia and industry, Tari is a highly accomplished practitioner of structure-based drug design with over 50 publications and patents. With a proven track record of success, he has led interdisciplinary research teams in the discovery and advancement of multiple drug candidates to clinical trials. Tari participated in the design and implementation of the first high throughput structural genomics platform (Syrrx) that led to the discovery of Alogliptin, which is now approved for the treatment of type II diabetes. At Trius Therapeutics, he led the research team that created a novel class of dual-targeting broad-spectrum antibacterial agents that are now entering clinical development. He is a co-inventor of the Drug-Fc Conjugate (DFC) platform, and the first clinical candidate derived from it, CD388. CD388 is the first therapeutic in clinical development with the potential to provide broad seasonal influenza prevention in all patient populations. Tari also led the pivot of the DFC platform from infectious disease indications to immunology and immuno-oncology, where the first clinical development candidate, CBO421, an inhibitor of CD73 in the adenosine pathway, has achieved IND clearance. Before his career in industry, Tari held an academic position as an Alberta Heritage Foundation Scholar for Medical Research at the University of Calgary, where he conducted research focused on antibiotic discovery. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Chemistry and a PhD in Chemistry and Structural Biology from the University of Manitoba.

Past events

Dr. Stasi Baran, Chief Operating Officer, nQube Data Science

Dr. Anastasia (Stasi) Baran, is the Co-founder and COO of nQube Data Science. As part of the team that has been integrating AI into the gaming industry for several years, she has played a crucial role in developing AI-based slot floor optimization and player segmentation solutions.

Driven by a desire to have fun at work, she pivoted from the academic world to the casino industry, where her innovative approach and extensive experience in implementing casino AI technologies have been essential to the success of nQube's AI-driven casino technology suite. Baran obtained her PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Manitoba. Her academic background includes a BSc in Physics and an MSc in Astrophysics. With her multi-disciplinary expertise, she develops fitting applications for nQube's advanced artificial intelligence technology in casinos, merging her interests in data modelling and the gaming world to encourage innovation and efficiency.

Chris Schmidt Co-Founder/CEO, Pluto Ventures

Chris started his first business at the age of ten and is still protecting Winnipeg's trees from Dutch Elm Disease. After completing a B.Sc. from the University of Manitoba, he decided not to follow in his family's footsteps and pursue medicine. Instead, he founded the world's first Snapchat filter company, Geofilter Studio.

Watch Chris's talk on YouTube

Geofilter Studio exploded at an unprecedented rate of 24,000% and grew to 85 employees in the first year. It was Canada's fastest-growing company in 2017 and created over 100,000 filters that accumulated 5 billion views worldwide. Chris then formed EveryStudio, which housed Geofilter Studio, EveryStudio AR, and EveryStudio Stickers. EveryStudio AR created augmented reality products, while EveryStudio Stickers made iOS sticker packs with over 150 million views in the App Store. In 2019, EveryStudio was acquired.

In 2018, Chris started Pluto Ventures, an artificial intelligence company with a world-class team backed by a strong group of investors and advisors. Together, they are building Parallel, a social commerce platform with users spanning 191 countries.

When Chris is not working on his companies, he enjoys helping others with their business journey and has presented at over 125 events.