TalkForTech Team
About us
Dr. Karen Katchen, Ph.D., C.Psych.
Co-Founder, Chief Science Officer (CSO), TalkForTech
Dr. Karen Katchen brings over 35 years of experience as a Registered Psychologist and Executive Coach. Over the past 15 years, Dr. Katchen has worked in the Technology sector with senior executives in Enterprise Companies as well as with Founders and their teams in the startup community, to build awareness, and to strengthen skill sets for greater Resiliency, Emotional Intelligence and Leadership. Greater competency builds better performance in this fast paced, high pressure, scale up economy.
Tanya Kelen
Co-Founder and CEO, TalkForTech
As Co-Founder & CEO of TalkforTech, Tanya Kelen is dedicated to shaping the future of wellbeing and education by leveraging innovative creative technologies. She leads a visionary team, supported by strong relationships with corporations, investors, family foundations, governments, neuroscientists, psychologists, and academic R&D labs.
She is a serial entrepreneur, with a proven track record of scaling teams and has coached over 200 startups in media, education, gaming, and digital innovation.
Tanya leads the North Star vision for the company along with TalkforTech’s emerging creative technologies R&D lab, where she continually seeks out the most talented teams to roll out new impactful transformative products that enhance TalkforTech’s productivity, wellbeing, and happiness outcomes for all.
Together with Co-Founder Dr. Karen Katchen, they have assembled best-in-class talent and products to pioneer novel approaches in education, mental health, and employee wellness.
Tammy Jones
Co-Founder & Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), TalkForTech
Tammy Jones has spent her entire sales career at the forefront of technology, starting in SaaS before it even had a name. With over two decades of experience, her work is defined by a common thread: building early traction and turning it into sustainable, scalable growth. She has worked for leading global developers of innovative psychometric assessments and has consistently led revenue for companies across SaaS, professional services, and most recently, AI-native platforms.
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As a former VP of Sales and advisor for VC-backed and Y Combinator startups, Tammy is a proven operator who’s built and scaled multiple go-to-market teams.
Tammy is especially passionate about supporting other women in tech and sales, and helping leaders lead in ways that are both heart-centered and performance-driven.
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Risa Reisman
Director of Coaching, Training & Content Development, TalkForTech
Risa Reisman, MSW, is a Social Worker who integrates evidence-based support, particularly Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), within demanding professional settings. With a Master of Social Work from Yeshiva University, Risa offers highly relevant experience to the technology sector. Risa was the facilitator for the successful Pilot Project at Wealthsimple, gaining direct insight into the specific stress points and culture of the tech industry.
In previous roles, including Mind Beacon Therapist and School Social Worker, she focused on building resilience and developing individualized treatment plans for diverse populations. Her background establishes her as a skilled professional adept at providing impactful, modern clinical support.
Advisors and Consultants
Mike Grandinetti
Advisor / Consultant AI/GenAI Global Scaling & Innovation, TalkForTech
Mike Grandinetti is a serial entrepreneur and globally recognized innovator, educator who has spent his career at the intersection of technology, design, and human-centred innovation. A former Silicon Valley engineer and McKinsey strategy consultant, Mike has co-founded or held C-suite roles in eight VC-backed startups, achieving two NASDAQ IPOs and seven strategic exits to companies including IBM, Oracle, and Symantec.
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Currently an Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School, Mike has taught and mentored at leading universities including Harvard, Brown, Berkeley, MIT, Babson, and Rutgers. Named Financial Times Global Professor of the Week and Professor of the Year multiple times, his teaching spans AI for Business, Creativity & Innovation, and Leading Disruptive Change. He has led over 200 global hackathons and design sprints for organizations such as IBM, Microsoft, Nike, and the MacArthur Foundation, and advises governments and accelerators worldwide on building innovation ecosystems.
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With Mike's proven track record of successful IPO's and exits, he is championing the ethical and responsible use of AI/GenAI/XR with vibe-coding and red teaming for TalkForTech to delight customers around the world. Under his advisory services, he guides TalkForTech and all our affiliated venture entrepreneurs and companies to unleash greater creativity, imagination, and flawless execution with the highest levels of leadership. Under his guidance, the C-Suite is positioned to become a market leader globally in the reinvention of Behavioural Health Platform Solutions that Super Charge Leadership and Employee Skills Building. Our proprietary Innovation and Creativity Assessments track people data that is most vital for governments, corporations and academia to ensure that civil society can flourish in the abundant economy.
Norman Valdez
FRSA, Advisor/ Consultant for Responsible AI/Gen AI and Social Impact, TalkForTech
Norman is technology leader, educator, and social impact strategist. He serves as Director of Technology, Marketing & Communications at CERIC, and he is also an Emerging Technology Fellow at Community Foundations of Canada, and CEO & Co-Founder of BrainTrainr, a nonprofit democratizing AI education. A Fellow of the RSA and a member of the Center for AI and Digital Policy, Norman works at the intersection of AI, ethics, and digital equity, helping organizations and communities thrive in an AI-driven world.