My mission is to rebalance power in society…

I have defined my adult life around my childhood mantra: “it’s not fair”.

Melissa's Bio
Top-100-badge

Meet Melissa

Melissa Kargiannakis is a futurist, founder, speaker, & tech advisor. She's won awards from the Queen of England, the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada, and the Women of Influence RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards. She also led skritswap to win the Top 20 Most Innovative Companies in Canada. All before 30.

Melissa exemplifies tenacity, grit, and impressive intellectual horsepower. She gracefully balances both approachable vulnerability with never-ending strength. As a speaker or guest lecturer, Melissa brings the zest and charm to any conversation. She has been leading teams for over a decade from her university dorm room to San Francisco today. Melissa has also published Master's research and would love to hear from you on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Melissa Kargiannakis' Bio

Fundraising Coach Testimonial

“Melissa is one of the most incredible people I met at ODF.”

Consulting Testimonial

“Working with Melissa was one of the most illuminating and rewarding engagements I’ve ever had. Her ability to extract the kernel of the concept is unmatched. Melissa, you knew exactly what my readers were looking for, and were able to distill my messaging into a clean, concise and sellable presentation…THANK YOU!”

- Adam Spencer
President & CEO, AbleDocs

Speaking Testimonial

"Melissa's energy is contagious. I enjoyed the fact that she took the time to understand our needs and tailored her presentation to that. I can only suggest you book her for an engagement."
- Patrick Walther MSc.
Co-Founder & COO, AGvisorPRO Inc.

Fundraising Coach Testimonial

"She was very intentional about how to help. She gave me guidelines for how much to fundraise. She also gave me an idea of how to get introductions from other founders. She was overall extremely helpful and I would recommend her to anyone that needs help for fundraising.”

 

Fundraising Coach Testimonial

“No vanity or general advice. She was extremely specific about how I should get the warm intro and how I should write the intro blurb. That is super helpful.”

Fundraising Coach Testimonial

“Melissa gave me a textbook’s worth of information related to fundraising strategy. She gave clear and direct guidance for not only how I should prepare for my fundraise but also how I should position myself”

Fundraising Coach Testimonial

“Fantastic. Offers advice like a laundry list. Couldn’t be more lucky. Also super real and someone I can trust – like she’s on my team.”

Screen Shot 2022-06-28 at 11.10.53 AM

Leave your audience inspired & in awe

Hire Melissa to speak

Melissa is an Engaging & Accomplished Speaker

  • SXSW Talk: Can AI Eliminate Bias?

    March 2022

    Link to Session

  • The BIG Debate - IACCM

    June 2021

    Debated the motion: the desire for perpetual economic growth will continue to place profit and lowest cost over planet and long-term social good.

  • Founder Focus on Cloudflare TV

    March 2021

    Recording here.

  • Future of Work Founder Interview

    February 2021

    Recording here.

  • U of T Rotman School of Business - Guest Lecturer

    November 2020

    Snippet Recording here.

  • WXN Top 100 Remote Work Workshop

    May 2020
    Watch the Video

  • IACCM Remote Work Workshop

    May 2020

  • Upside Foundation Fundraising Speaker

    January 2020

    Tweet

  • IACCM Americas Conference Speaker

    November 2019
    Keynote Panel, Track Session, & Shark Tank Pitch

    Agenda here

  • AccelerateOTT Tech Conference - Ottawa

    June 2019
    Technology Panelist

  • Speaking with the Honourable Minister Bains on the Canadian Digital Charter

    May 2019

    Video at 36:20 mark here 

  • U of T Rotman School of Business - Guest Lecturer

    May 2019

  • Keynote About My Passion With AI

    April 2019
    Google HQ New York
    Watch the Video

Full Speaking History

My startup: skritswap

What is skritswap? An AI start-up that simplifies complex language. Imagine a mortgage re-written at a grade 5 reading level in seconds. skritswap helps you make information easy to understand.

Learn about Skritswap

Visit the Site
Screenshot_4