Andrew Karesa, '23 MBA

Andrew Karesa is the CEO and founder of blueBell Village, a community-rooted initiative inspired by his grandmother’s Alzheimer’s journey and shaped during his MBA at the Alberta School of Business. Blending Indigenous values of relational care with practical innovation, Andrew developed blueBell Connect — a culturally informed, clinically grounded platform for dementia caregivers. With a background in engineering and a deep commitment to social impact, his leadership is guided by humility, trust, and a vision of care that centers people over profit.

BAA: What inspired you to found  blueBell Village and blueBell Connect?

The idea for blueBell began during my MBA, inspired by my personal experience with my grandmother’s Alzheimer’s journey. As my family navigated the coordination of her care, I realized how fragmented and culturally insensitive many support services were. Around the same time, I came across a video on the Hogeweyk dementia village in the Netherlands, which sparked the idea — could we create something like this in Alberta?

Alongside an MBA classmate with a similar family experience, we started shaping the vision for a dementia village rooted in community and cultural context. As the healthcare landscape evolved — rising costs, shifts in AHS, and broader system challenges — we pivoted. I began building blueBell Connect, a patent-pending platform that helps caregivers deliver clinically valid, personally specific , and culturally appropriate dementia care.

It started as a side project—I'm an engineer by training, and my sister, a psychologist, helped ground the platform in science. The philosophy behind it is “for community, by community,” enabling caregivers to support individuals in a way that honors both medical needs and cultural identities.

Today, blueBell is deeply connected with the Alberta School of Business. Many of our team members and board, including myself, are ASB alumni, and the journey has been shaped by that community.

BAA: How has your Indigenous heritage influenced your leadership approach or shaped your vision for community and care at blueBell Village?

My Indigenous heritage has deeply shaped the way I lead and envision care through blueBell. At its core, blueBell is about relationality — the idea that we're all interconnected and responsible for one another. There's a Cree word, Wahkohtowin, which speaks to kinship not just among people, but between all living things. That principle guides everything we do.

When I work with Indigenous communities, I don’t come in with the mindset of “here’s a solution.” I show up with humility and openness — offering what I know, and being ready to learn from the community in return. It's not about imposing, but about building relationships over time. There's a beautiful concept shared by U of A scholar Dr. Cindy Gaudet called “Keeoukaywin or The Visiting Way” — it’s about taking time to build relationships before anything else. The focus is on, not being transactional or extractive. That’s the approach I take with blueBell. 

Even the name blueBell is rooted in this sense of personal connection and care. It’s named after my grandmother—Shirley Bell—whose journey with dementia inspired this work. Blue was her favorite color, and she loved tending her garden. The capital 'B' in Bell within our logo honors her. This isn’t just a company — it’s a continuation of caregiving, of honoring relationships, and of community-led solutions.

BAA: What advice would you give to alumni or students looking to create social impact through entrepreneurship?

First, reframe what entrepreneurship really means. It’s not just about maximizing profit. The original meaning of the word in French — was about undertaking something significant, meaningful, and often difficult. That’s what social entrepreneurship should be: rooted in purpose, not just in profit.

This is my second company, and the difference is stark. My first was about building a career. With blueBell, it's about creating meaningful change — supporting caregivers, honouring culture, and building tools that actually help people. The users of Connect aren’t just data points—they’re individuals with stories, emotions, and needs. And for me, the work only matters if it's relational, human, and rooted in deep respect for community. My advice?

• Start with people, not a product. 
• Don’t get caught up in scalability too early. 
• Measure success in impact, not just revenue. 
• Let your values guide your decisions. 

And finally, stay humble. You don’t need to have all the answers. Build relationships, show up consistently, and remember that if your work earns the trust of the community — you're on the right path.

BAA: How do you balance innovation with compassion in a field that is so deeply rooted in human care, not in a clinical nature but in a relational nature?

That’s exactly it — because this field is so deeply rooted in human care, our approach is framed around relationality first as opposed to clinical.

At blueBell, we prioritize community-informed innovation. The technology behind Connect isn’t built in isolation — it’s grounded in the lived experiences of caregivers and communities. Every recommendation the platform gives is clinically valid, personally specific, and culturally appropriate. It doesn’t offer a blanket solution rooted in Western models of care — it adapts to where people are, how they live, and what they value.

Compassion isn’t a feature we add on—it’s the foundation. Innovation, in this context, means listening deeply, respecting cultural nuance, and designing with — not for — those we serve. I’ll admit, as an introvert and an engineer by background, this kind of relational work doesn’t come naturally. But I’ve learned that real impact happens not from staying behind the screen, but by building trust and showing up for people. Ultimately, compassion and innovation aren’t opposites — they’re partners. When done right, one fuels the other.

BAA: How did your time at ASB shape your values or leadership style as a CEO?

My time in the MBA program at the Alberta School of Business was foundational — not just for business knowledge, but for building the relationships that continue to support me today. Several members of our team, including shareholders and advisors, are ASB grads, and that network has been invaluable.

The program gave me the tools to navigate the complex intersection of health and tech, especially as our company isn’t a traditional for-profit model. Courses like Doug Peterson’s Corporate Governance helped me understand legal structures and accountability, while David Muddle’s Strategy in the Public Sector gave me insight into operating alongside public systems. Emily Block’s Negotiation class was especially helpful—it was practical, not just theoretical — and I use those skills daily as opportunities come our way.

Teddy Carter’s Introduction to Indigenous Business course also sparked the academic foundation for my doctoral work and cemented a friendship that still continues. Even the intensives on interpersonal dynamics with Ross Bradford gave me space to reflect on relational leadership — something I value deeply.

In short, ASB didn’t just teach me how to run a business. It gave me the lens to lead with integrity, to build with community, and to stay grounded while navigating uncharted territory.