Building Tomorrow's Financial Leaders
We're not just educators – we're architects of entrepreneurial thinking, crafting experiences that bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world application in venture building.
Meet Our Founding Team
Behind every great educational platform stands a team of passionate individuals who've walked the walk. Our founders bring decades of combined experience from Silicon Valley startups to Bay Street boardrooms.
Celeste Thorne
Managing Partner & Venture Strategist
Celeste spent fifteen years building and scaling fintech startups across North America before founding phelanorvixa in 2020. Her journey began at RBC's innovation lab, where she witnessed firsthand how traditional financial education was failing to prepare people for the realities of modern entrepreneurship. After leading three successful exits – including a payments platform that processed over billion in transactions – she realized that the most valuable lessons came from real-world experience, not textbooks.
What drives her isn't just the success stories, but the failures that taught her the most. "I've made every mistake in the book," she often tells our learners. "My job is to help you avoid the catastrophic ones while ensuring you make the instructive ones." Her approach to venture building focuses heavily on sustainable growth models and ethical business practices – principles that were shaped by witnessing too many startups crash and burn due to poor fundamentals.
What We Actually Believe
Reality Over Theory
We teach what actually works in today's market, not what worked twenty years ago. Our curriculum evolves with real market conditions, economic shifts, and technological changes that affect how businesses operate.
Community First
Learning happens best in collaboration. We've built a network where experienced entrepreneurs mentor newcomers, creating genuine relationships that extend far beyond our programs.
Sustainable Growth
We focus on building businesses that last, not flash-in-the-pan successes. Our approach emphasizes sound financial principles, ethical practices, and long-term value creation over quick wins.