NEIL SEEMAN

Neil Seeman is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, professor, business columnist, and mental health advocate. A leading authority on health systems innovation, data science, and entrepreneurial psychology, Neil is an Associate Professor and Senior Fellow at the University of Toronto’s Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), a columnist for The Toronto Star, Healthcare Quarterly, essayist for the National Post, and Publisher at Sutherland House Experts.

At the heart of Neil’s work is a commitment to interdisciplinarity. An active mentor to the next generation of leaders, Neil co-founded the educational program EPS for first-time founders, serves as a leadership mentor at the University of Toronto, and supports veteran-owned businesses as they shape innovative technologies to meet urgent societal needs.

Pioneering Big Data, Tech Innovation & Global Sentiment

Neil is the Founder and former CEO (2011–2021) of RIWI, a leader in real-time global trend-tracking and data analytics. As the inventor of Random Domain Intercept Technology (RDIT), he pioneered highly secure, unbiased, and predictive methodologies for global data collection.

His innovations have been applied globally to make sense of how citizens in all countries produce, consume, and understand information, as well as to track and combat the spread of misinformation.

• Market Milestones: Led RIWI through successful public listings on two Canadian exchanges (CSE and TSX-V), maintaining a consistent market capitalization of $50M during his CEO tenure, with a peak valuation of $72M.
• Global Recognition: Recipient with his team of major international awards for data innovation and enterprise growth, including the Deloitte Technology Fast 50™, twice winning The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business (ROB) Canada's Top Growing Companies, and twice ranking on the Financial Times list of The Americas' Fastest Growing Companies. He has also been recognized by TMRE, NGMR, IIeX, and Battle of the Quants.
• Global Policy & Financial Impact: RIWI’s technology and Neil's research have been applied and featured in reports by The World Bank, Freedom House, Central Banks, top research universities, and leading global financial and consulting firms. His invention is profiled in top peer-reviewed journals, including the National Institute Economic Review, Nature, and BMJ.
• Advisory Roles: Co-founder of EPS (an educational program for first-time founders) and Advisor to AI startups.
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Academic Appointments, Fellowships & Early Career

Neil’s multi-disciplinary academic work bridges public health, data systems, humanities, and creative writing. His research has been supported by the joint New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) (spanning SSHRC, CIHR, and NSERC), family foundations and philanthropists.

• Associate Professor & Senior Fellow: Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), Dalla Lana School of Public Health (Faculty member since 2021; Senior Fellow since 2020). 
• Associate: School of Graduate Studies (SGS) (2011–Present).
• Scholar-in-Residence & Senior Fellow: Massey College (Senior Fellow since 2014).
• Fellow: Senior College, University of Toronto (2025–Present).
• Fellow: The Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences (Appointed June 2022).
• Senior Academic Advisor: Investigative Journalism Bureau (IJB), Dalla Lana School of Public Health (2021–Present).
• Affiliated Faculty: UofT Centre for Global Health (2021–Present) and Department of Computer Science (2026-)
• Leadership Mentor & Program Faculty: Vernissage Health, in partnership with IHPME and the Rotman School of Management (2024–Present).
• Special Advisor: International Society for World Philosophy at Massey College (2025–Present).
• Mary and Philip Seeman Knowledge Translation Advisor: The Health Informatics, Visualization, and Equity (HIVE) Lab (2023–Present).
• Course Lead: UofT School of Continuing Studies (2025–Present).
• Co-Founder: The Health Strategy Innovation Cell at Massey College / University of Toronto (Founded 2008).
• Former Senior Fellow: Fraser Institute (2001–2003).
• Former Researcher: IBM (2006–2008).

Strategic Advisory: Supporting Veteran-Owned Businesses & Defense Tech

Leveraging his background in law, big data, and data privacy, Neil provides specialized advisory guidance to Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs) and their mission-aligned partner organizations.

Author, Media & Mental Health Advocacy

A passionate champion for mental health, Neil serves as a Board Director for Mental Health Research Canada and was honoured with the Lifetime Mental Health Advocacy Award by the Reach Out Together Foundation in 2025.

As a journalist, business columnist, and public thinker, Neil has written hundreds of articles for international media and peer-reviewed journals such as Nature, the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), and Synapse. In 1998, he served as a Founding Member of the Editorial Board of the National Post. Today, he writes regular business columns and essays for The Toronto Star, The Hub, Healthcare Quarterly, Nikkei Asia, and the National Post.

Selected Books & Publications

• Accelerated Minds: Unlocking the Fascinating, Inspiring, and Often Destructive Impulses that Drive the Entrepreneurial Brain (2023); Japanese Edition: Entrepreneurship Addiction (2025). Declared a "must-read" by the Next Big Idea Club.
• The New Sustainability Edge: Redefining Business from Startups to Industry Leaders (Co-author, 2025).
• XXL: Obesity and the Limits of Shame (Co-author, 2011). Shortlisted for the Donner Prize and designated an "Outstanding" academic title by the University Press Books Committee.
• Psychosis: Discovery of the Antipsychotic Receptor (Co-author, 2011).
• Psyche in the Lab: Celebrating Brain Science in Canada (Co-author, 2006).
• Parental Psychiatric Disorder: Distressed Parents and Their Families (Co-author, 2004).
• Better Medicine: Reforming Canadian Health Care (Co-author, 2002).

Education & Professional Credentials

• M.P.H. — Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University (1998)
• J.D. — Henry N.R. Jackman Faculty of Law, University of Toronto (1995) | Barrister and Solicitor (Admitted to the Bar of Ontario, 1997)
• B.A. (Hons.) — Queen’s University (1992)

"One of Canada’s sharpest voices on innovation”

- Brian Crombie, Talk Show Host: The Brian Crombie Radio Hour