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What We Believe
What We Believe
Finclusiv Edge believes that financial technology should work better for everyone, not just a few.
As a women-led initiative based in Halifax, we are building a more connected, inclusive, and purposeful fintech community. We’re here to fill a gap in the local ecosystem: helping fintech founders find each other, helping newcomers build meaningful networks, and making it easier for innovators to access the people, knowledge, and resources they need to grow.
Our work intersects community, conversation, and connection. Whether you’re a startup founder, a new arrival to the region, or a student exploring the fintech space — Finclusiv Edge has a space for you.
We're starting bold conversations about the future of financial technology, from open banking and real-time payments to AI ethics, and fintech for everyone. We believe fintech should be a catalyst to strengthen local economies, expand access, and support a resilient financial system for all.
Who We Are
Who We Are
Michele Poole
Michele Poole
Michele Poole is a seasoned fintech and payments leader with over 20 years of experience delivering high-impact products, programs, and partnerships that have transformed both company performance and the broader financial services ecosystem in Canada. She has held senior leadership roles at Interac Corp, National Bank of Canada, CIBC, and multiple fintech startups, where she’s known for turning strategy into action — and complexity into momentum.
A builder at heart, Michele has led cross-functional teams to bring major initiatives to market, from modernizing digital payment systems to launching new fintech capabilities. She approaches every challenge with a consultant’s lens — gathering insight, analyzing options, and crafting solutions grounded in data, research, and diverse perspectives.
As founder of DeepPoole Advisory, she helps mission-aligned fintechs and small businesses navigate Canada’s evolving payments landscape, connect with the right partners, and integrate AI in ways that are practical, ethical, and empowering. Her recent work includes building AI agents designed to help small business owners increase productivity and demystify emerging technologies.
Co-founding Finclusiv Edge reflects both her professional drive and personal mission: to build a more inclusive fintech ecosystem that supports newcomers, founders, students, and bold thinkers in finding their place — and their people.
Michele is endlessly curious, deeply collaborative, and drawn to big, messy problems worth solving. A proud East Coaster and connector of ideas and people, she believes that being underestimated is often your greatest strategic advantage — and that the most meaningful impact comes from building things that truly include everyone.
Carrie Forbes
Carrie Forbes
Carrie Forbes is a transformative leader with over 25 years of experience orchestrating complex organizational change across complex industries. She has held CEO and senior executive roles in complex organizations, turning ambitious visions into practical realities and navigating complexity with clarity and purpose. As founder of Rockstar Advisory, she helps purpose-driven organizations and their leaders navigate transformational change, align culture with strategy, and unlock human potential for sustainable growth. Her work is grounded in the belief that the most successful transformations happen when people feel genuinely engaged in shaping their organization's future.
Recognized as International Woman of the Year at the 2024 Open Banking Expo Awards, Carrie's recent work includes guiding organizations through post-pandemic cultural shifts, modernizing governance frameworks for the digital age, and helping leaders build resilience while driving ambitious change agendas. Co-founding multiple initiatives throughout her career reflects both her collaborative leadership style and her commitment to collective impact.
Carrie is optimistic about human potential, deeply committed to inclusive leadership, and drawn to organizations tackling meaningful challenges. A proud Nova Scotian, she believes that underestimated communities often break through with innovation; the most lasting transformations emerge when authentic leadership meets strategic discipline.
Maria Pacurar
Maria Pacurar
Maria Pacurar is an award-winning finance professor, governance leader, and passionate community builder who believes fintech should be accessible, inclusive, and shaped by diverse voices.
A proud Romanian, Maria came to Canada in 1999 for doctoral studies and chose to build a life and future in the country that gave her so much. For over 20 years, she has taught in English and French at several institutions, earning a reputation for making complex ideas accessible, bringing the real world into the classroom, and ensuring students feel seen, challenged, and inspired.
In 2019, Maria developed Atlantic Canada’s first dedicated fintech university course at Dalhousie University, transforming it into a unique space where students connect directly with founders, investors, and industry leaders. A passionate attendee of fintech industry conferences, she feels energized by the intersection of learning, innovation, and human connection, and is motivated to break silos and facilitate meaningful dialogue.
Known for her principled voice, frankness, and generosity, Maria advocates for equity, purpose-driven innovation, and financial systems that include rather than exclude. Vividly remembering her own immigrant beginnings, she is passionate about helping students, newcomers, and emerging leaders find their place in the ecosystem. Having benefited from mentors who opened doors for her, Maria sees every opportunity to support others as a chance to pay it forward.
At this stage in her life, Maria feels inspired to do more. More to lift others. More to build spaces that feel welcoming and bold. More to shape a fintech community in Nova Scotia that reflects the future she believes in. Co-founding Finclusiv Edge reflects the natural evolution of her academic mission and personal values: creating pathways for underestimated voices, democratizing financial knowledge, and building bridges between academic research and practical innovation to transform how we think about inclusive financial services.
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