Qasim Virjee

Qasim Virjee has a diverse range of work experience spanning over several years. Qasim started their career as the Founder & CEO of GetFilmi in 2012, where they licensed and distributed films globally. Qasim also built a custom SVOD platform during their time there.

In 2014, Qasim joined the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival as an International Programming Associate. Qasim contributed to the festival's programming and operations.

Qasim then worked at SoftLayer, an IBM Company, as the Manager of the Catalyst Program in Canada. Qasim managed the program and helped support startups with cloud infrastructure.

After that, they represented IBM as the Manager (Canada) in the IBM Global Entrepreneur Program. Qasim negotiated partnerships and sponsorships with various organizations and brought high growth startups onto IBM's cloud infrastructure.

In 2015, Qasim founded Startup Safaris, a project focused on creating alliances within the global startup ecosystem. Qasim also hosted event programming in East Africa to bring together investors and entrepreneurs.

Qasim later served as the President of Skrumble in 2016. Qasim coordinated business unit efforts and developed partnerships and consultant relationships to support growth. Qasim also played a role in raising a $1.8M seed investment round.

In 2017, Qasim became the Chief Executive Officer of StartWell, a position they currently hold.

Lastly, in 2022, they took on the role of Chapter Director - Toronto at Startup Grind, where they are responsible for relaunching the Toronto chapter as a hybrid event series.

Qasim Virjee began their education at Hillcrest Secondary School from 1994 to 1996. Qasim earned their University of Cambridge IGCSE 'O' Levels from this institution, with studies focused on Mathematics, Economics, English, French, Computer Studies, Geography, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. Following this, from 1996 to 1998, they attended Premier Academy to complete their GCE Advanced Levels, concentrating on Mathematics, Physics, and Economics. Finally, Qasim went on to study at McGill University from 1998 to 2002. During this period, they pursued a BA degree in Religious Studies and Humanistic Studies.