Beyond the 9-to-5: Monetize Your Passion

Are you interested in starting your own business? Or want to develop your passion into a side hustle? Join us for a rich discussion on how you can leverage your entrepreneurial skills to monetize your passion! Our diverse panelists will share their journey on how they started their business and some of the challenges they faced, and you'll get the opportunity to network with them and others with the same entrepreneurial mindset.​

About Keren Yun

Growing up, Keren had aspirations of becoming a virtuoso cellist. While she still plays on occasion – as well as the electric bass if you want to jam – her career took an unexpected turn, leading her to a dynamic role in communications and investor relations. Having a taste of the corporate world, Keren channelled her entrepreneurial spirit as co-founder of a thriving hospitality and events management group with four restaurant locations north of Toronto. From concert halls to boardrooms and bustling eateries, she has drawn from her eclectic experiences and background to excel in new ventures.

In her spare time, Keren co-founded the Korean Professional Women’s Association in 2014, a not-for-profit organization that seeks to empower young professionals through mentorship, leadership and civic action – now entering its 10th year! Outside the business world, Keren enjoys spending time on the golf course, where she pretends her swing is as flawless as her career trajectory. Off the green, she’s a full-time chauffeur for her six-year-old daughter, shuttling her to every conceivable extracurricular activity (because, you know, Tiger Mom).

About Yanky Li

Yanky was the co-founder of, OpenHouse.Ai.  A company that has raised several funding rounds with strategic investors and venture capital.  Before building his own company, he helped a fintech unicorn scale up by identifying new revenue opportunities with new use cases.

Yanky is an Entrepreneurship Advisor with YSpace, helping companies from early validation to scale-up companies.  He has helped bring new solutions and products to the market and helped companies raise funds for their next growth phase.

Professionally he is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) in Canada and Australia, and a Project Management Professional (PMP).

About Michelle Choi

Michelle Choi is the founder of Bov Active, a women’s golf athleisure brand redefining golf and tennis wear for the modern woman. After working in IT project management at CIBC, she turned her side hustle into a full-time passion. Featured in the media as a golf fashion expert, Michelle also has experience running a storefront and hosting pop-up shops. Bov Active’s mission is to make golf more fun and less intimidating with versatile, empowering pieces that boost confidence on and off the course.

About Jennifer Shin

Jennifer Shin is currently the Manager of Tribunals at the Ontario College of Teachers. She is trained as a lawyer, and has committed the past 15 years to advancing the public interest through professional regulation. She has worked with several regulators including the College of Denturists, College of Midwives, and Travel Industry Council of Ontario. She currently serves as a public member of the Patient Relations Committee of the Ontario College of Pharmacists and the Elections Committee of the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers.

She secretly dreams of opening up a planner and stationary shop one day – though truth be told, it may really just be a way to test out planners, pens and stickers to her heart’s content without judgement.