Last January, Fukakusa retired as RBC's chief financial officer

after a three-decade career with the financial institution.

Now as chair of the Canada Infrastructure Bank, she's charged with overseeing the federal

government's thirty-five billion dollar investment in public works projects and

wooing private investors to join the effort.

Number 2: Apoorva Mehta.

When the University of Waterloo graduate launched Instacart in 2012, the grocery delivery

service was only available in San Francisco. The company now serves 150

markets and is valued at more than three billion dollars. Mehta's company will

begin a Canadian expansion to 2018 through a partnership with Loblaws.

Number 3: Laura Bühler.

A Calgary native, Bühler was previously a senior

director at Gilt, the popular online shopping site. In February, she became

executive director of the C100, a nonprofit aimed at connecting Canadian

entrepreneurs with investors in Silicon Valley.

Number 4: Huda Idrees

A veteran of Canada's startup scene, Idrees worked at both

Wealth Simple, an online investment service, and Wattpad, the so-called

Netflix of books, before founding her own company. Dot Health aims to ease access

to personal health records through an online subscription service. The company

is just starting but Idrees' track record means that the tech community is

taking notice.

Number 5: Bruce Linton

A former tech executive, Linton founded

Canopy Growth Corporation, the country's largest licensed cannabis producer. With

legalization pending, the company faces a rapidly expanding market. Constellation

Brands which makes Corona beer recently invested nearly 200 million

dollars in Canopy.