The Hard Part with Evan McCann

Daniel Spataro is the Co-Founder and CEO of IntegrationOS.

Use IntegrationOS to rapidly launch new integrations, remove costly data silos and build connected apps that perform at the scale your customers demand. All at a price your CFO will love.

Takeaways

-Pivot from an agency model to a scalable product-led organization

-Why integrations are so crucial but a pain to maintain and build.

-The importance of security and privacy with integrations

-Why they focus on enterprise integrations for B2B companies.

-Discuss the importance of open source software (OSS).

-The Toronto tech ecosystem

-Nuances to selling to SWEs

-Using Slack as a quick customer support channel

-Utilizing LLMs and AI in integrations

Chapters

00:00 Dan's Journey and Early Work

08:55 Early Investor Conversations

23:53 People Behind Integrations

30:29 Building a Developer Tool and Selling to Developers

37:27 Thriving in the Toronto Tech Ecosystem

Keywords

journey, university, IntegrationOS, SaaS enterprise tools, challenges, agency model, product scaling model, pain point, integrations, privacy, security, mid-market, enterprise, open source, Integration OS, Toronto tech ecosystem, large language models, generative AI, automating integrations, pricing model, usage-based billing, customer support, dealing with hard times

Ryan Freeman is the Global Head of Partnerships at Deel.

Deel is the all-in-one Global People Platform that simplifies and streamlines every aspect of managing an international workforce—from culture and onboarding, to local payroll and compliance. Their industry-leading suite of HR tools, payroll solutions, mobility services, and compliance expertise makes it possible for companies of all sizes to scale globally with unmatched speed and flexibility. Today, Deel serves over 25,000+ companies worldwide—from small teams to publicly traded enterprise businesses.

Ryan is also a Strategic Advisor at Lula Convenience and Switch Growth as well as a Venture Partner at Ripple Ventures.

Takeaways

Ryan's background at Turnstyle (acquired by Yelp), DoorDash, GoBolt and now Deel.

What "partnerships" truly means.

Balancing speed and deal quality.

Building relationships quickly and effectively when it comes to partnerships.

Creativity when it comes to deep and complex partnerships.

Building partnerships remotely as well as working with team members remotely.

Advice for early-stage founders when it comes to partnerships and business development.

Chapters

00:00 Ryan's Career Journey: Consulting to Startups

06:51 DoorDash and the Impact of the Global Pandemic

11:16 GoBolt and the Importance of Sustainability

28:38 The Depth and Creativity of Partnerships

33:58 Advice for Early-Stage Companies Exploring Partnerships

Keywords

career journey, management consulting, startups, acquisition process, partnerships, alignment, remote work, speed vs deal quality, creativity, execution, documentation, breadth of experience, focusing on the positives

Akshay Maharaj is the Co-Founder of Aview International.

Aview (Techstars '23) is a global content management platform enabling creators and enterprises to monetize their media to international audiences. Our one-click solution offers multi-language translation, voiceover dubbing, global distribution and brand deal opportunities.

Takeaways

International expansion is important for creators to prolong their careers and increase monetization opportunities

Creators should consider creating separate channels for different languages to tap into new markets

Distribution and monetization are key aspects of Aview's platform, helping creators reach global audiences and secure brand deals

Creator brands are a growing trend, but success may vary.

Understanding the audience and their preferred platforms and content formats is crucial for creators.

Snapchat is emerging as a platform with high monetization opportunities for creators.

Creators should focus on one social platform and become a leader in that space.

Paywall platforms can be challenging unless the content is perceived as highly valuable.

Longevity in content creation requires building a brand or business beyond just creating content.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

00:20 The Genesis Story of Aview and Getting in Front of Creators

06:17 From Subtitles to Internationalization: The Evolution of Aview

09:04 The Importance of International Expansion for Content Creators

11:49 Monetization Opportunities in Different Regions

25:08 Trends in Platforms: Understanding the Audience

25:31 Trends in Content Formats: Short Form vs Long Form

26:27 The Rise of Snapchat and Creator Monetization

28:19 The Streaming Wars and the Future of Content

30:57 Challenges and Considerations of Paywall Platforms

35:37 Strategies for Long-Term Success as a Creator

38:41 The Role of Video Optimization and Growth Hacking

41:13 The Power of Mindset in Overcoming Challenges

44:02 Taking Action as an Aspiring Entrepreneur

Keywords

Aview, content creators, international expansion, monetization, creator brands, platforms, content formats, social media platforms, creator monetization, content format, paywall platforms, long-term success, video optimization, growth hacking, mindset, entrepreneurship

Stephen Jagger is the Co-Founder of addy.

addy makes real estate investment accessible to everyone, through crowdfunding properties and letting anyone invest. Canadians over the age of majority in all provinces and territories can invest - https://addyinvest.ca/

Takeaways

-Building strong co-founder relationships

-addy enables regular Canadians to invest in institutional commercial real estate at any dollar amount.

-How addy adds value to real estate owners and developers.

-addy's software streamlines the investment process and provides transparency for investors and issuers.

-US expansion for addy

-Discussion around the current housing market and interest rates.

-addyone membership offers benefits like faster money transfers,

-New plans to introduce debt opportunities on the platform.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

02:18 Lessons from a Serial Entrepreneur

08:55 The Genesis of addy

13:40 Enabling Regular Canadians to Invest in Commercial Real Estate

25:30 Vetting Opportunities and Providing Transparent Information

26:55 Automated Tax Reporting and Investor Relations

28:02 US Expansion and Access to Different Currencies

29:31 Enabling Canadians to Invest in US Real Estate

31:34 The Benefits of the addyone Membership

35:06 In-Person Events and Community Building

40:53 Scaling Up and Introducing Debt Opportunities

44:42 Personal and Professional Goals for the Future

44:57 Dealing with Hard Times and Finding Support

47:40 Encouraging Users to Join the addy Platform

Keywords

entrepreneurship, co-founder relationship, Addy, real estate, investment platform, institutional commercial real estate, trust-building, transparency, Addy, investment platform, real estate, software automation, US expansion, tax complications, AdiOne membership, events, government intervention, scaling, debt opportunities, support

Willson Cross is the Co-Founder & CEO of Borderless AI.

Borderless AI is a global payroll solution that leverages the power of generative AI to automate and speed up the process of onboarding, managing, and paying international team members.

Takeaways

Dropping out of NYU and starting GoFetch.

Going through a successful acquisition of GoFetch.

The importance of timing.

Building a world-class team.

How to truly add value to customers while leveraging AI.

Prioritize deep domain expertise and startup experience when hiring.

Tips to raising capital effectively.

Maintaining and building strong co-founder relationships.

Chapters

00:00 From NYU to Startup

03:28 Lessons Learned from the Acquisition of GoFetch

07:31 Borderless AI: Revolutionizing HR for International Teams

27:57 Introduction

28:04 The Importance of Co-Founder Relationships

34:44 Building a World-Class Team

39:01 Hiring for Deep Domain Expertise and Startup Experience

44:44 Effective Communication and Problem-Solving in Managing People

48:35 Taking the Leap: Starting Your Own Venture

52:35 Conclusion

Keywords

entrepreneurship, startup, technology, mentors, acquisition, AI, HR, team building, fundraising, co-founder relationships

Byron Thom, Investor, Mentor and Board Member.

Byron’s CV...

• Engineering undergrad

• IP Lawyer

• Co-Founder of Optigo Networks

• Investor at BDC’s IT Venture Fund

• Investor at Framework Venture Partners

• Corp Dev at Cymax Group Technologies

• Governor on the UBC Board of Governors

• Angel, Mentor and more.

Takeaways

• How an engineering undergrad, law school and work as an IP lawyer influence Byron’s investing lens.
• The importance of team, market, and technology in VC.
• His first time as a founder of Optigo Networks.
• BDC’s role in Canada’s tech ecosystem.
• The spinoff of Framework Venture Partners from BDC.
• A good versus a great board member.
• The power of storytelling.
• The VC ecosystem is facing challenges in raising funds, and policymakers should support VC to ensure a vibrant tech ecosystem in Canada.
• Canada should leverage its leadership in AI and increase investment to commercialize, ensuring it remains a global leader.
• Thoughts on the Vancouver tech scene.
• Why UBC creates such an impact on the BC economy and tech ecosystem.

Chapters

00:00 From Engineering to Law

06:53 Venture Capital and BDC

09:34 BDC's Role in the Canadian Tech Ecosystem

22:13 Investing in Founders

26:57 The Power of Storytelling

29:07 Back to an Operator Role at Cymax

29:25 The Growth of E-commerce and the Paradigm Shift in Buying and Selling

32:14 Qualities of a Great Board Observer and Board Member

35:08 UBC's Impact in Various Sectors and its Importance in British Columbia

40:49 The Thriving Vancouver Tech Scene and Focus Areas

44:43 The Need for Canada's Investment in AI and Commercialization

53:08 Challenges and Future of the VC Ecosystem

56:21 The Role of BDC in Supporting Venture Capital

Keywords

law, engineering, technology, co-founder, venture capital, IP, patents, BDC, Framework Venture Partners, angel investing, team, market, technology, storytelling, Cymax, BTC portfolio, e-commerce, paradigm shift, board observer, UBC Board of Governors, Vancouver tech scene, biotech, climate tech, AI, blockchain, Canada, AI strategy, productivity, investment, VC funds, PE funds, BDC, federal election

Keith Ippel is the Co-Founder of Spring Activator, Spring Investing Collective and Spring Impact Capital.

Spring Activator helps entrepreneurs to change the world. We provide the tools, training, and network to values-driven entrepreneurs from launch to $1.5M in revenue.

Spring Investing Collective exists to help everyone have the opportunity to invest for people, the planet and profit. Through the Investing Collective, investors become empowered through experiential education, be in community with like-minded investors, and access the best early-stage impact investing opportunities in Canada. 

Spring Impact Capital invests in Canadian changemakers at the early stages of their company journeys to promote scalable innovation in planet and human health. They invest in founders to scale innovations for a more sustainable, healthy and equitable world.

Takeaways

• Invoke Labs was the birthplace of Hootsuite and one of the first venture studios in Vancouver.
• A great idea versus a good idea.
• The importance of team over an idea.
• What does impact mean to Keith and Spring from an investment standpoint.
• Spring's geographic expansion and impact.
• Keith looks for founders with a clear vision, hustle, adaptability, and a focus on revenue generation.
• Build strong communities.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Invoke Labs

01:10 Creation of Invoke Labs and the Venture Studio Model

05:34 Timing and Tailwinds for Spring Activator

06:00 Differentiating Good Ideas from Great Ideas

07:48 Evolution of Spring Activator

09:47 Importance of Accelerator Programming

10:12 Characteristics of a Great Accelerator

12:09 Importance of Connections Beyond Capital

13:22 Key Considerations for Founders

15:36 Introduction of Spring Impact Capital

18:40 Introduction of the Spring Investing Collective

20:03 Challenges Faced by Impact Startups

22:15 Building Strong Communities

24:52 Geographic Expansion of Spring

27:35 Global Perspectives and Learnings

30:14 Vancouver Tech Scene and Future Growth

33:09 Investment Criteria and Qualities of Founders

36:01 Future Plans for Spring

39:07 Dealing with Hard Times

41:06 Favorite Books and Excitement for the Future

43:34 Final Message

Kyle Folk is the CEO of Ground Truth Agriculture.

Ground Truth Ag's solution will improve the process of obtaining and grading grain samples. This solution will enable farmers to view and maintain records of their grain quality in real-time, directly on the combine, and use that information to manage risk and increase income. This technology will eliminate discrepancies and save time and money for both farmers and the companies that buy their grain.

Takeaways

-Growing up in a farming family sparked an obsession with agtech

-Kyle's first business IntraGrain Technologies, the acquisition and learnings

-During an acquisition realize the importance of maintaining focus on running the business and not getting caught up in the acquisition process.

-The biggest challenge in agtech is addressing tech fatigue and platform overload among farmers by designing user-friendly platforms that can integrate with other tools.

-The current grading process is subjective and time-consuming, leading to inefficiencies and potential financial losses for farmers.

-Utilizing computer vision and AI to unlock value for farmers.

-Building a software + hardware business and the challenges behind that.

-How agtech companies find distribution and get in front of farmers.

Chapters

00:00 From Farming to Ag Tech: Kyle Folk's Journey

06:26 Lessons Learned from the Acquisition of IntraGrain

25:04 Challenges in the Grading Process

33:33 The Importance of Data in Grain Grading

43:02 The Potential Impact of Automated Grain Grading

Keywords

Ag Tech, agriculture, grain monitoring, grain grading, technology, acquisition, machine vision, AI, data fatigue, platform integration, ground truth, machine vision, grain grading, agriculture, AI, computer vision, customer support, ag tech, reputation

Alex Barrett is the Co-Founder and CEO of Meroka, Alex is also the Co-Founder and General Partner at Boon Fund.

Meroka's mission is to make independent practice ownership the default path for physicians in all specialties.

Meroka believes that care delivered in the independent setting produces superior patient outcomes at a lower cost. By breaking down barriers to successfully operate an independent practice, they aim to empower more physicians to choose ownership over employment and swing the pendulum away from consolidation. Because healthcare deserves to be personal, not corporate.

Takeaways

-Early Inovia and Alex's tactic of building common ground with founders

-The ups and downs at RenoRun

-Boon Fund, operators backing operators and why that is an advantage

-Raising money for Meroka as a previous and current investor

-B2B SaaS has become saturated, opening the door for models like Meroka inspired by Constellation Software and Valsoft

-Meroka's business model and focus on the US market

-Building and maintaining co-founder relationships

-The need for higher risk appetite and getting rid of the fear of failure in Canadian tech

Chapters

00:00 Early Days at Inovia

02:27 Building Confidence and Selling Skills

05:13 Lessons from RenoRun

07:30 Boon Fund: Operator-led Investing

09:17 Genesis of Boon Fund

11:39 Boon Fund's Unique Perspective

14:12 Genesis of Meroka

21:08 Focus Areas for Meroka

23:25 Finding the First Hundred Customers for Meroka

25:48 Different Types of Buyers in Medical Practices

29:54 Raising Money for Meroka

33:03 Strategy for Investors in Meroka

34:13 Importance of Co-founder Relationship

36:24 Building a Team and Hiring

38:23 Expressing Vision and Mission

40:51 Canadian Tech Scene and Risk Appetite

44:34 Favorite Book and Excitement for the Future

47:09 Career Trajectory and Reaching Potential

Sang Lê was the Co-Founder and CEO of Peko (acquired by Fresh Prep).

Peko is Western Canada’s first “peculiar” & surplus grocery delivery service, on a mission to fight food waste. As of February 2023, they became a part of Fresh Prep Foods - Canada’s most sustainable meal kit delivery service.

Takeaways

Effectively leveraging internships.

Genesis story behind Peko.

How to find advisors and mentors.

How to build a following through effective earned media, pitch competitions and more.

Learnings from the acquisition and what post-acquisition life is like.

Chapters

00:00 Early Founder Experiences

03:11 Internships and Experiments

09:13 Genesis of Peko

13:48 Building Relationships and Scaling

22:59 Acquisition and Post-Acquisition

27:35 Advice and Mentors

35:21 Favorite Book and Excitement

37:56 Dealing with Hard Times

38:55 Closing Message

Tarun Sachdeva is the Co-Founder and CEO of Gitwallet.

Gitwallet is a toolkit for open-source maintainers to commercialize their services for their repos and ecosystems. We help leading maintainers create robust support offerings, sell across channels, and grow their businesses.

• Tarun also has some great writing on his blog.

Takeaways

What makes UWaterloo and the co-op program so legendary.

Working on the very first AWS team as an intern. AWS started as a mobile team called Amazon Anywhere.

His experience building and leading product teams at Wattpad.

Great products vs. good products.

Nuances to launching products at startups vs. scaleups.

Dive into open source software (OSS) and why Tarun is building in the space.

How Gitwallet helps OSS maintainers commercialize more effectively.

Why the Toronto tech scene has renewed energy and excitement.

Chapters

00:00 UWaterloo and the Co-op Program

05:08 Working on the Original AWS Team

10:03 Time at Wattpad

13:15 Interest in Product and Product Leadership

16:38 Launching Products at Different Stages

23:09 Genesis of Gitwallet

29:12 Commercialization of Open Source

34:14 Toronto Tech Scene

42:37 Dealing with Hard Times

Shawn Adrian is the Founder of Input Logic.

Input Logic is a digital product studio in Nanaimo, BC founded in 2011. They launch beautifully crafted web and mobile apps for brands and startups.

Takeaways

Don't be shy to talk about money and value when freelancing.

Finding product-market fit requires a combination of timing, luck, and intuition.

Building a great product studio involves talent retention and focusing on the craft. Hiring great talent and retaining them is crucial for a successful product studio. It's important to find people who love the craft and allow them to focus on it.

When choosing clients, it's ideal to work with founders who are building zero-to-one products and are willing to take a scrappy approach.

Aligning craft with business constraints requires prioritizing goals, problem-solving, and making decisions on scope and features based on potential revenue impact and customer value.

Launching an MVP involves focusing on design, bug-free execution, and providing value to end users. Iteration and feedback are essential for continuous improvement.

Growth and feedback can be challenging, and it's important to implement metrics and provide clients with tools to make data-driven decisions. Learning from successful growth-focused founders can provide valuable insights.

Equity deals should be evaluated based on the founder's experience, network, and the involvement of trusted individuals.

Chapters

00:00 Early Interest in Design

01:29 Freelancing and Best Practices

05:49 Input Logic and Quote Robot

10:00 Starting Input Logic

14:01 Finding Product-Market Fit

24:34 Building a Great Product Studio

27:43 Hiring and Retaining Talent

28:36 Finding the Right Clients

30:10 Sweet Spot for Revenue

31:14 Aligning Craft with Business Constraints

33:09 Launching and Iterating on Products

34:18 Growth and Feedback

39:02 Equity Deals

40:26 Favorite Books

42:13 Personal Excitement for the Year

45:57 Professional Goals for the Year

46:07 Dealing with Hard Times

49:25 Passion for Canadian Founders

Faye Pang is the Canadian Country Manager at Xero.

Xero is a global small business platform with 3.95 million subscribers which includes a core accounting solution, payroll, workforce management, expenses and projects. Xero also has an extensive ecosystem of connected apps and connections to banks and other financial institutions helping small businesses access a range of solutions from within Xero’s open platform to help them run their business and manage their finances. Xero is a FIFA Women’s Football partner.

Faye is an LP in Women's Equity Lab. Canada’s first all-female early-stage investment fund fostering an environment to learn and invest while supporting the next generation of game-changing companies.

Takeaways

Joining Uber Eats Canada when it had 6 people and grew the team to 120+.

The realities of joining a fast-growing, demanding early-stage company.

Hiring practices, a sense of urgency, and a collaborative culture contribute to attracting and retaining high-quality talent.

Launching Uber Freight in Canada.

Joining Xero Canada and bringing lessons and learnings from Uber.

Selling to enterprise customers requires managing expectations, understanding complex decision-making processes, and coaching customers on evaluating new technology.

Women's Equity Lab provides a platform for female investors to support and empower female founders in the tech industry.

Chapters

00:00 Scaling Uber Eats Canada

02:23 Personal Growth and Transformation at Uber

08:09 Experience at Uber Freight

10:24 Transition to Xero

13:24 Role at Xero and Building the Team

16:26 Scaling from 1 to 10

21:00 Women's Equity Lab

35:26 Sales Team Structure at Xero

36:40 Canadian Tech Scene

39:49 Favorite Book

40:53 Excitement for the Future

41:51 Dealing with Hard Times

43:16 Message to Listeners

Vasu Nadella is the Co-Founder and CEO of Vital Bio.

Vital Biosciences has raised $48M+ from Sam Altman, Lachy Groom, Marc Benioff, Northpond Ventures, Labcorp, Inovia Capital and Route 66 Ventures. Vital is bringing to market its revolutionary blood-testing product, the VitalOne. A compact device the size of a desktop computer, VitalOne conducts more than 50 lab-grade test results (95% of routine lab orders), with results available within just 20 minutes. The goal is to enable doctors to conduct tests, diagnose and treat patients in a single visit.

Michael Helander is the President and CEO of OTI Lumionics.
OTI Lumionics specializes in advanced materials for OLED displays and lighting applications. They focused on developing innovative solutions to enhance the performance and efficiency of OLED technology. OTI has raised $55M+ from LG Technology Ventures, Samsung Venture Investment Corporation, UDC Ventures, Anzu Partners and The Family Office of Lee Lau.

Takeaways

Canadian founders should think globally and tackle big problems that can have a global impact.

Dive into the "Tall Poppy Syndrome".

Why Michael and Vasu have decided to build in Canada.

Celebrating successes and creating a culture that supports risk-taking and failure is crucial for the Canadian startup ecosystem.

The Canadian VC ecosystem needs more successes to drive more investment and support for innovative startups.

Retaining talent in Canada requires competitive wages, benefits, and growth opportunities.

Government programs should focus on supporting long-term bets and providing risk capital for early-stage startups.

Chapters

00:00 OTI and VitalBio Background

03:14 Tackling Hard Problems in Canada

06:44 Challenges in the Canadian Ecosystem

12:25 Investment Gap in Canada

19:19 Cultural Shift and Tall Poppy Syndrome

23:12 Retaining Talent in Canada

28:18 Driving the Canadian VC Ecosystem

34:09 Canadian Founders in the US

38:27 Perception of Failure in Canada

41:07 AI Talent in Canada

10:00 Challenges in the Industry

20:00 Advancements in Technology

30:00 Impact on Society

40:00 Future Possibilities

Raquel Urtasun is the Founder and CEO of Waabi.

Waabi is an AI company building the next generation of self-driving technology. With a world-class team and an innovative approach that unleashes the power of AI to “drive” safely in the real world, Waabi is bringing the promise of self-driving closer to commercialization than ever before.

Waabi has raised $83.5M+ from leading investors including Khosla Ventures, Uber, 8VC, Radical Ventures, Golden Ventures, OMERS Ventures, Volvo Group Venture Capital AB, BDC Capital’s Women in Technology Venture Fund, AI luminaries Geoffrey Hinton, Fei-Fei Li, Pieter Abbeel and Sanja Fidler.

Raquel is also a Full Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto and a Co-Founder of the Vector Institute for AI. She previously was the Chief Scientist and Head of R&D at Uber Advanced Technologies Group (ATG).

Takeaways

The best advice that Dara Khosrowshahi the CEO of Uber gave her.

How Waabi's approach differs from Waymo, Cruise, Tesla and other self-driving platforms.

Waabi's unique AI-first approach to self-driving uses a simulation system to train its AI platform and achieve scalability and safety.

Why and how Waabi integrates their hardware solution at the OEM level.

The initial focus of Waabi is on self-driving trucks, which have better unit economics and address the driver shortage in the industry.

How Canada can foster a robust AI ecosystem and reduce brain drain.

How we can foster more and better commercialization from Canadian universities.

Waabi's capital needs, why Raquel chose specific types of investors and her thoughts on capital efficiency.

Chapters

00:00 Early Interest in Self-Driving Cars and Robotics

02:04 Progress in Self-Driving Technology

04:20 The Need for a Revolution in Self-Driving Technology

05:22 Transition to U of T and Uber Advanced Technologies Group

10:20 Focus on Trucking in Self-Driving

13:36 Integration of Hardware and Software in Waabi

16:15 Importance of Scale and Simulation in Self-Driving

21:36 Transition from Professor to Executive to Founder

24:30 Team Composition and Differences in Research and Startups

27:14 Raising Capital and Capital Efficiency

35:28 Building a Strong AI Ecosystem in Canada

39:15 Personal Interests and Motivations

40:43 Excitement for Waabi's Future

46:45 Focus on Safety and Transforming the World

Anish Kaushal is an Associate at Amplitude Ventures.

Amplitude Ventures works with Canada's most promising healthcare companies that share their vision of bringing groundbreaking technologies to patients. Amplitude is focused on building world-class Canadian companies in precision medicine and next-generation medical devices.

Anish also is a writer and content creator of A Niche Experience where he has published 900+ articles, summarized 250+ books and much more.

• Website link
• Newsletter link
• Link to book summaries

Anish is also a Mentor at Front Row Ventures.

Takeaways

Anish's pivot from medicine to venture capital.

Impacts of AI on biotech and therapeutics.

Amplitude's unique thesis in the healthtech space.

Why it takes so much time and money to get a drug to market.

Canadian innovation has created the mRNA vaccine delivery mechanism and insulin.

The need for more early-stage investment to support the growth and success of Canadian healthcare innovations.

Commercializing healthcare technologies in Canada is challenging due to government processes and limited market size.

Anish's content journey with A Niche Experience and where he wants to take it.

Chapters

00:00 Interest in Medicine and Pivot Out

06:12 Transition to Amplitude

09:20 Amplitude's Focus and Thesis

15:21 Biotech and Therapeutics Focus

22:48 Impact of AI in Healthcare

27:10 Commercialization in Canada

32:07 A Niche Experience and the Importance of Learning

39:19 Building a Content Journey and Creating an Independent Media Company

46:21 Dealing with Hard Times and the Importance of Self-Love

Ryan Wilson is the Co-Founder and CEO of Walter.

Walter enables modern, collaborative relationships between law firms and their clients. Their software platform dramatically and immediately reduces the unbillable, frustrating tasks across law firms so legal teams can focus on higher-value billable work. But it’s also transformative for their clients. They get on-demand digital access to their data so they can collaborate with their law firm on everything from executing private financings to managing their cap tables – and beyond.

Takeaways

Take chances on young people and give them opportunities.

Choose investors carefully and prioritize those who share your values.

Building a solid team requires trust, autonomy, and a high-trust environment.

Acquisitions, Ryan has been through multiple, what makes a great one and what things to avoid.

Consider the security and privacy needs of your product from day one.

Create a pricing model that differentiates your product and captures value.

Embrace AI as an enabling technology and focus on building a strong foundational system.

Focus on building a diverse and inclusive ecosystem.

Chapters

00:00 Ryan's Entrepreneurial Journey

03:17 Lessons from Acquisitions

07:45 Identifying Problems and Achieving Product-Market Fit

10:20 Challenges of Digital Innovation

13:30 Addressing Gaps in the Legal Industry

28:50 Pricing Strategy for Walter

34:05 Building a Solid Team

38:44 Investors in Walter

39:15 Dealing with Hard Times

Stephanie Curcio is the CEO and Co-Founder of NLPatent.

NLPatent is an industry-leading AI-based patent search and analytics platform trusted by Fortune 500 companies, law firms, and research universities around the world.

The platform takes an AI-first approach to patent search; it's built from a proprietary LLM trained on patent data to truly understand the language of patents and innovation.

Users simply describe their invention in full sentences and conceptually relevant results are generated instantly; consistently outperforming human experts on speed and accuracy.

Takeaways

Building trust and addressing concerns around data security is crucial when selling AI technology to law firms.

Continuous improvement, user feedback, and staying ahead of the curve are essential for success as a founder in the AI space.

Choosing the right investors and being capital-efficient are key factors in raising money.

NL Patent is focused on building an end-to-end patent management platform and expanding their product offerings.

The importance of IP and patents is growing, especially in the AI space.

Chapters

00:00 Career Path and Introduction to Patents

01:49 Genesis Story of Starting a Startup

04:28 Approach to Learning and Interest in New Ideas

06:06 How NLPatent Empowers Lawyers

09:54 Difference Between Domain-Specific and General AI Models

13:53 Selling to Law Firms and Lawyers

21:48 Balancing AI Capability and User Experience

25:29 Founder Journey and Maintaining an Edge

25:58 Building a Network and Learning from Others

29:06 Raising Money and Overcoming Challenges

32:38 Choosing Investors and Being Capital Efficient

36:07 The Future of NLPatent

40:07 The Growing Importance of IP and Patents

42:47 Favorite Book and Excitement for the Future

46:44 Dealing with Hard Times as a Founder

48:33 Supporting Canadian Businesses

Drew Taylor is the Co-Founder and CEO of Acorn Biolabs.

Acorn has developed the world’s first non-invasive, follicle-based cell cryopreservation service and has patented cell-based treatments made from a patient’s own hair follicle cells.

Takeaways

Moving from playing MLB baseball to doing his PhD.

Regenerative medicine is needed to address the limitations of prosthetics and improve patient outcomes.

Banking younger cells can provide better results in regenerative medicine and enhance healthspan.

The field of regenerative medicine is gaining momentum, with a focus on anti-aging, longevity, and healthspan.

Raising capital in the regenerative medicine space can be challenging due to the complexity of the field and the need to find investors who understand both the medical and business aspects.

Acorn's banking service involves specialized facilities for processing and storing cells, leveraging existing infrastructure, and ensuring safety and maintenance.

The future of regenerative medicine includes making the storage of younger cells a standard of care and leveraging stem cells for maintenance and performance as individuals age.

Chapters

00:00 Transition from Baseball to PhD

01:35 Lessons from Baseball for Founding a Company

07:06 Identifying the Need for Regenerative Medicine

09:25 The Importance of Collecting Younger Cells

12:17 Driving Factors in the Regenerative Medicine Space

20:17 Team Composition at Acorn

23:38 Raising Capital in the Regenerative Medicine Space

28:03 Acorn's Banking Service and Expansion

30:57 The Future of Acorn and Regenerative Medicine

35:21 Dealing with Hard Times

37:02 Engaging with Regenerative Medicine

Andre Charoo is the Founder and General Partner of Maple VC.

Maple backs founders with Canadian roots...because they build category-defining companies. Andre was the 25th employee at Uber. He is a Venture Partner at Inovia and Co-Chair of The C100.

Takeaways

How Andre raised his first $1M fund and executed his unique Canadian-focused thesis.

What it is like fundraising as an emerging solo GP.

Trends with Canadian founders building in the US.

Canadian founders bring a unique perspective and ambition to the table, often outperforming their peers in the US.

Canadian schools provide a solid foundation for entrepreneurs, but Canadians often have to compete on work product rather than resume alone, which is what gives them an edge.

Canada should focus on reaping the returns from successful startups (North and South of the border) and reinvesting in the ecosystem.

Celebrating Canadian success stories can inspire and motivate young students and entrepreneurs.

Chapters

00:00 Pre-Maple Career

03:41 Founding Maple

08:31 Starting a Venture Capital Firm

22:51 Trends in Canadians Building in the US

27:43 Reaping Returns for Canada

28:08 Celebrating Canadian Success Stories

28:20 Shining a Light on Canadian Startups

32:08 Lessons Learned in Fundraising

37:00 Managing Relationships with Later Stage Founders

41:26 Building the Maple Franchise

45:38 The Future of Maple and Partnerships

48:56 Dealing with Hard Times

49:03 Message to Founders

Cindy Diogo-Kociuba is the Co-Founder of Consoul.

Consoul is a family caregiver wellness platform. Their mission is to connect family caregivers to the resources, learning and support they need to focus on them. Their distinctive approach combines respite services, caregiver learning, and access to resources to tackle burnout directly in one place.

Takeaways

Misconceptions about talent acquisition include not understanding what is being recruited for, only caring about filling the role, and thinking recruiters have no say in the hiring decision.

In a startup environment, talent acquisition requires agility, automation, and a focus on relationship building.

Consoul focuses on the mental health and wellness of caregivers, providing tangible resources and a marketplace for support.

Building a successful B2B2C model involves providing value to both the company and the employees, and finding revenue streams that support the mission of the platform.

Reaching caregivers involves partnerships with employers, grassroots efforts, and word-of-mouth referrals.

Consoul aims to prove the ROI of its platform by measuring retention, productivity, and the impact on caregivers' well-being.

Managing a full-time role while growing a startup requires passion, tenacity, and a balance between personal and professional commitments.

Chapters

00:00 Misconceptions about talent acquisition

05:03 Nuances of talent acquisition in a startup environment

07:14 Genesis story of Consoul

09:56 Identifying the problem and solution for caregivers

12:32 Learning low code, no code and working with technical support

13:09 Balancing content and partnerships in the platform

14:53 Hiring the whole person and psychological safety

22:36 Building a community and connecting caregivers

24:10 Balancing revenue generation and cost-effectiveness

26:33 Measuring success and proving ROI

29:09 Geographical focus on Canada

31:17 B2B2C model and making it successful

36:13 Managing a full-time role while growing Consoul

39:10 Favorite books and personal and professional excitement

44:34 Dealing with hard times and embracing empathy

Jim Estill is the CEO and President of Danby Appliances.

Jim's resume is impressive:

• Founder of EMJ Data (acquired by SYNNEX)
• Founding Board Member of BlackBerry
• Angel in 150+ startups like Miovision, Clearpath Robotics (acquired by Rockwell Automation), PostRank (acquired by Google) and Well.ca
• Founding member of Communitech
• Order of Ontario and Order of Canada
• Active philanthropist

Takeaways

Being a great board member, especially to high-growth companies.

Founding his first business in university.

What it was like being a Founding Board Member at BlackBerry and watching its meteoric rise.

How to be great at sales.

Hiring.

His new focus of acquiring "smoke stack businesses" and applying high-growth principles to unlock value.

His recent acquisition of Arctic Snowplows and future plans.

Chapters

00:00 University of Waterloo Experience

01:10 Starting EMG Data

02:07 Reinventing Himself

03:03 Constant Learning and Seeking Help

04:02 Continual Reinvention and Giving Things Up

05:07 Time Management and Prioritization

06:26 Growth and Change of the Team

07:52 Dealing with Challenging Moments

09:42 Asking for Help and Finding Mentors

11:41 Being a Board Member

14:17 Approach to Sales

16:12 Joining the Board of RIM

17:33 Being a Board Member for High-Growth Companies

19:47 Acquisition of Danby Appliances

22:53 Transition to Danby Appliances

26:38 Changes at Danby Appliances

28:31 Acquisition of Arctic Snowplows

30:46 Acquisition Strategy and Value Add

36:13 Being a Humanitarian and Giving Back

38:37 Favorite Book

39:09 Excitement for the Year

40:08 Dealing with Hard Times

Simran Kang is the Founder and CEO of MyFO.

MyFO is an easy-to-use platform to help you start and grow a family office. Our net worth snapshot, curated guidance and personalized workflows help you securely manage and safe-keep all important information pertaining to your growing family office.

Takeaways

Working at a Big Four firm like PWC provides valuable insights into various businesses and builds strong relationships.

Simran breaks down Family Offices (FOs), what they are, how the operate and make decisions.

How they find FOs which are very under the radar.

The future of MyFO including a potential deal marketplace.

Her role as a Board Member at BC Tech.

Raising her pre-seed round.

Building a team at the earliest stages.

Chapters

00:00 Working at PWC and Joining a Family Office

03:28 Understanding Family Offices

06:22 Identifying the Problem and Launching MyFO

09:19 Unlocking Capital for Family Offices

13:28 Aggregating and Analyzing Data for Family Offices

17:47 Reaching Out to Family Offices

20:10 Raising Money for MyFO

23:19 User Experience and Engagement

25:25 Creating a Deal Flow Marketplace

28:43 Building the MyFO Team

31:37 Building a Strong Tech Community

35:37 Favorite Book and Excitement for the Future

37:53 Dealing with Hard Times

38:44 Message on Financial Literacy

Peter Faist is the Founder and CEO of Staffy.

Staffy is an online, on-demand platform that connects experienced workers with businesses who need their skills on a short- or long-term basis. Using a proprietary mobile and web app, contractors work when they want and businesses hire only when there’s a need. Managing everything from recruitment and vetting to scheduling and payment, Staffy is simplifying the way we work.

Takeaways

Build the business before the app.

How to solve the cold start problem with marketplaces.

How to create successful placements in marketplaces.

How to scale marketplaces.

Pivot from hospitality to healthcare during the pandemic and how Staffy did it successfully.

How Staffy continues to evolve with its new HRIS platform for healthcare.

Andrew Kim is the CEO and Co-Founder of SHARE.

SHARE is a real estate investment company that streamlines the end-to-end process of buying and managing high-return single-family rental homes on behalf of investors in the US, Canada, and abroad. They make investing in and owning real estate as easy as stocks by enabling investors to reap the benefits of real estate ownership without the burden of full-time landlord duties.

Takeaways

Share aims to make the US single-family rental market more accessible to retail investors by providing institutional-grade asset management.

His early ventures Joyus and Kingmaker.

Andrew's time at Loblaw Digital from the early days to scaling to hundreds of people.

The impact of higher interest rates on real estate.

Venture-backed versus bootstrapped.

Keeping a small and lean team.

Chapters

00:00 Early Ventures: Joyus and Kingmaker

04:00 Joining Loblaw Digital

07:18 Leaving Loblaw Digital and Starting Share

11:23 The US Single-Family Rental Market

16:00 Scaling the Business and Team Composition

21:05 Impact of Interest Rates on Strategy

23:16 Competition and Future Growth

25:18 Motivation and Drive as a Founder

26:13 Team Composition and Lean Operations

28:44 Venture vs. Bootstrap and Maintaining a High-Performing Team

32:15 The Startup Scene in Toronto

34:13 Conversations with VCs and Investors

35:57 Investing in Share vs. Physical Real Estate

39:51 Dealing with Hard Times and Personal Solace

39:58 Final Thoughts and Taking Action

Maxime Courchesne is a VC Investment Manager at Investissement Québec (IQ).

Investissement Québec is the go-to partner for foreign and Québec-based businesses seeking to make a go of it in the province. Working out of 17 offices across Québec and 12 more around the world, their experts have a thorough understanding of your business environment and the unique challenges that Quebec founders face.

Summary

Max Courchesne, a VC investor at Investissement Quebec (IQ), shares insights on the Montreal and Quebec tech ecosystem. He discusses his career journey and the value of diverse experiences in venture capital. Max explains the role of IQ and its unique position as an evergreen institution. He highlights the focus on investing in Quebec ventures with international growth potential. Max also discusses the challenges and advantages for Montreal and Quebec-based startups, the dense investment ecosystem, and the future of the tech scene in the region. He shares his thoughts on deal flow, keeping an edge as an investor, and dealing with hard times.

Takeaways

Investissement Quebec (IQ) is an evergreen institution that provides patient capital and supports businesses in Quebec.

IQ’s VC investment thesis focuses on investing in Quebec ventures with international growth potential.

Montreal and Quebec have a dense and thriving tech ecosystem, with a strong focus on AI and a range of industries.

The diverse and dense VC ecosystem in Quebec with investors like IQ, CDPQ, Amplitude, Brightspark, Luge, Whitestar, Lumira, Inovia, Diagram and more. LPs like Fonds de solidarité FTQ, Teralys and Fondaction. Family offices like Lune Rouge.

IQ provides value-add support to its portfolio companies, including but not limited to financial support, internationalization, technology innovation, supply chain optimization, governance structure, and access to networks and talent.

Chapters

00:00 Max's Career Journey

03:12 The Value of Diverse Experiences in VC

06:09 About Investissement Quebec (IQ)

09:43 Investing in Quebec Ventures with International Growth Potential

10:23 Investment Stages and Evaluating Growth Potential

13:40 The Nature of Evergreen Funds

16:27 The Dense Quebec Investment Ecosystem

18:57 Challenges and Advantages for Montreal and Quebec-based Startups

22:39 The Future of the Montreal and Quebec Tech Scene

23:08 Value Add and Support from IQ

27:01 Exciting Trends in Montreal Tech

31:36 Dealing with Deal Flow in a Specific Region

35:24 Keeping an Edge as an Investor

40:11 Favorite Book Recommendations

43:16 What Max is Excited About in 2024

45:57 Dealing with Hard Times

51:34 Closing Remarks

Akash Vaswani is a General Partner at Velocity Fund.

Velocity Fund is a pre-seed fund spun out of the University of Waterloo to invest in world-changing companies at the earliest stage.

Waterloo grads have started companies like Databricks, Instacart, Faire, Substack, PagerDuty, Top Hat, ApplyBoard, D2L, Avidbots, BufferBox (acquired by Google), Kik, North (Formerly Thalmic Labs, Acquired by Google), Pebble (Acquired by Fitbit), Float, Vidyard and MUCH more.

Takeaways

What makes UWaterloo founders so strong, co-op, professors own their IP, success breeds success and more.

Why the co-op program is so legendary and drives so much impact.

What Velocity Incubator is and why Velocity Fund spun out.

Why UWaterloo is the fourth largest feeder school to Y Combinator after Stanford, Berkley and MIT.

Velocity companies have raised $4.2B with a net equity value of $26B.

Where should founders build? Canada or the US?

Chapters

00:00 Akash's Experience at the University of Waterloo and Introduction to Velocity

04:06 The Power of Velocity and University of Waterloo in Unlocking Entrepreneurial Opportunities

09:42 The Impact of the Co-op Program at the University of Waterloo

13:36 The Role of Velocity in Supporting Startups

18:05 Akash's Journey as a Founder and Investor

21:29 The Thesis and Approach of Alicorn Ventures

29:39 The US-Canada Debate and the Importance of Building in the Right Location

44:42 The Future of the University of Waterloo and Velocity

51:52 Connecting Canadian Entrepreneurs

52:15 Addressing Scarcity Mindset and Funding

Lewis Wynne-Jones is the VP Product at ThinkData Works.

ThinkData Works unlocks the value of external data to grow your business. Connect seamlessly to any source, drive critical insights, and deliver data while retaining visibility and control. Flexible data connections, an intuitive catalogue interface, and a suite of enrichment tools securely deliver data where it needs to be — inside or outside your organization.

Takeaways

Being employee #1 at ThinkData.

Understanding the goals and outcomes of using data is crucial for effective data management.

The shift from a consulting model to a SaaS product requires careful planning and consideration of the market dynamics.

How to think about data from a startup and large company perspective.

Data tools and platforms play a significant role in the data management space, but it's important to remain agnostic and adaptable to different technologies.

AI is a powerful tool for operationalizing data, but it's important to have a pragmatic view and focus on solving real problems.

Building products that are designed for humans and telling a whole story with data are key to delivering value to customers.

Chapters

00:00 The Genesis of Think Data

03:35 Being the First Employee

06:48 Personal Journey at Think Data

13:33 Shift from Consulting Model to SaaS Product

17:18 Shift from External Data to Internal Data

22:06 Impact of Tools and Platforms on Think Data

26:01 The Hype Cycle of AI

29:46 Thinking About Data for Founders and Large Companies

35:19 Making Decisions with Data

39:26 Building and Leading Product

43:47 Dealing with Hard Times

46:25 Data or Data?

48:32 Changing Metrics and Models in Venture Capital

49:32 The Rise of Bootstrapping

50:08 The Importance of Happy Paying Customers

50:52 Reflections and Appreciation

Amodini Chhabra is an Investor at Compass Digital Ventures. Compass Digital Ventures is the Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) arm of Compass Group. They invest in Seed and Series A startups at the intersection of food, retail, and hospitality technology. Their area of interest include frontline employee experience, automation, sustainability tech, restaurant management, convenience economy, omnichannel retail, AI & ML.

Compass Group is one of the largest contract food service companies in the world employing over 500,000 people.

Takeaways

Transitioning from a design background to venture capital.

CDV's unique Pilot, Invest, Scale process for working with early-stage companies.

How to launch, build and create a successful CVC platform.

Unique challenges for the food service industry.

Challenges of CVC include balancing strategic objectives with financial returns and maintaining alignment with the parent company's goals.

Why AI and fintech are interesting areas for Amo right now.

Chapters

00:00 Transition from Design to Venture Capital

02:24 Experience at Boston Consulting Group Ventures

06:19 Joining Compass Digital Labs

09:13 Compass Digital Labs and Compass Digital Ventures

12:01 The Process of Working with Startups

14:28 Strategies for Corporate Venture Capital Success

17:55 Investment Stage and Co-Investment

20:50 Defining the Thesis and Focus Areas

23:45 Deal Flow and Finding Founders

27:36 Unique Challenges in the Food Service Space

31:11 Internal Relationships and Strategic Value

34:29 Incubating In-House Solutions

37:41 Areas of Interest: FinTech, AI, and Procurement

43:52 Favorite Books: 'The Inner Game of Tennis' and 'The Palace of Illusions'

45:45 Excitement for the Future: Driving Innovation and Finding Balance

47:03 Dealing with Hard Times: Mindfulness and Supportive Circle

Rachel Wong is the Co-Founder of Monday Girl.

Monday Girl is the first private members club focused on supporting and connecting next-generation women leaders. Monday Girl offers:

• A powerful network of like-minded professionals who can offer guidance, support, and valuable connections
• Resources, programming, and mentorship opportunities that can help you grow and develop as a leader in your respective field
• Digital and IRL gatherings where members can build genuine connections that can last a lifetime
• Email concierge@mondaygirl.ca to learn more
• Follow Monday Girl on Instagram

Takeaways

Learnings from being one of the earliest Uber Eats Canada team members.

The genesis story of Monday Girl, a community and mentorship platform for women, and the pain points it addresses.

Going from a side hustle with Monday Girl to fulltime.

Networking can be redefined to be more inclusive and less transactional.

The importance of brand and redefining networking to make it more inclusive and less transactional.

Insights on scaling the community, monetization through sponsorship and membership, and creating successful meetups.

Chapters

00:00 Early Days at Uber Eats Canada

02:10 Genesis Story of Monday Girl

05:41 Building Community and Gathering Feedback

06:11 Scaling the Community

08:20 Brand and Networking

11:08 Different Mediums and Channels

16:05 Redefining Networking

20:01 Mentorship at Monday Girl

22:45 Transitioning to Full-Time

25:41 Scaling the Community

28:00 Monetization and Sponsorship

30:27 Creating Successful Meetups

33:09 Future Focus for Monday Girl

38:00 Favorite Book and Dealing with Hard Times

41:35 Excitement for the Year Ahead

My podcast supporter!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fasken's Emerging Tech and Venture Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ practice is comprised of 80+ dedicated legal professionals across the Canadian market. We're deeply involved in the startup ecosystem and have worked closely with founders from startup to scale-up to exit. Our team is a leading Canadian law firm for VC financings and tech M&A and act for many of the best-in-class startup and scale-up innovation-based companies and entrepreneurs in Canada.

Given this experience we understand market trends and can assist in guiding your company forward as you scale – we take a holistic and strategic approach to helping our clients achieve their goals and provide the full suite of services including corporate, corporate finance, M&A, commercial, IP, data and compliance, employment, tax and beyond. We are excited to help the next generation of unicorns! 

Alex McIsaac is the Founder and General Partner of Northside Ventures.

Northside Ventures is a pre-seed and seed-stage venture capital firm backing exceptional Canadian founders in the US and Canada with unique insights derived from past experiences that serve as a competitive advantage in their next venture. They invest in a founder’s first round of external capital, often at the point of company inception and ideation. Their typical cheques are $100K-500K. They believe in a generalist approach to early-stage investing, prioritizing categories that can potentially transform our world's future greatly. Core investment categories include artificial intelligence, B2B SaaS, fintech and cleantech.

Takeaways

Operational experience is valuable for venture capitalists, as it provides credibility and a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by founders.

Learnings from being a founder at NRStor (acquired by Blackstone) and an investor at BDC and Global Founders Capital.

The best founders often have experience working at scaled ventures and have solved hard problems, giving them a competitive advantage in their next venture.

How Alex defines an exceptional founder and what characteristics they have.

Outbound sourcing and dealflow strategies Alex uses.

Raising a first-time fund as an emerging manager and solo GP.

Canadian founders are often more conservative and capital-efficient compared to their American counterparts, but the gap is narrowing as the ecosystem matures.

Northside Ventures aims to back exceptional Canadian founders at the earliest stage and believes in the potential for Canada to produce more unicorns in the coming years.

Chapters

00:00 Early Career Moves and Venture Capital

02:24 Founding NRStor and Building a Business

05:30 Transitioning from Venture Associate to Founder

08:07 Joining Global Founders Capital and Gaining Autonomy

10:05 The Importance of Founders in Investment Thesis

13:53 Evaluating Founders and Their Experience

16:57 Differences Between American and Canadian Founders

20:04 Genesis of Northside Ventures

22:20 Considerations for Fund Size and LPs

25:38 Value Add and Supporting Founders

29:39 Sourcing Deal Flow and Identifying Opportunities

36:00 Investments and the Future of Northside Ventures

My podcast supporter!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fasken's Emerging Tech and Venture Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ practice is comprised of 80+ dedicated legal professionals across the Canadian market. We're deeply involved in the startup ecosystem and have worked closely with founders from startup to scale-up to exit. Our team is a leading Canadian law firm for VC financings and tech M&A and act for many of the best-in-class startup and scale-up innovation-based companies and entrepreneurs in Canada.

Given this experience we understand market trends and can assist in guiding your company forward as you scale – we take a holistic and strategic approach to helping our clients achieve their goals and provide the full suite of services including corporate, corporate finance, M&A, commercial, IP, data and compliance, employment, tax and beyond. We are excited to help the next generation of unicorns! 

Cory Janssen is the Managing Director of AltaML Fund I LP and the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of AltaML. Previously, Cory co-founded Investopedia, a financial education site that provided content and tools to help educate individual investors. From its founding in 1999, Investopedia became one of the most popular financial sites on the web and was sold to Forbes Media in 2007. Cory is also a director at VerticalScope Inc., and sits on several private company advisory boards. Connect with Cory on LinkedIn.

AltaML is a leading artificial intelligence (AI)-powered solutions developer. Working with organizations that want to use AI to leverage their data to develop solutions that drive tangible business results, AltaML empowers partners to create operational efficiency, reduce risks and generate new sources of revenue. Through a deep understanding of organizational pain points and challenges, AltaML’s solutions encompass the entire machine learning (ML) life cycle, from evaluating potential use cases and determining feasibility to piloting solutions, putting code into production, and ensuring model evolution.

Takeaways

Investopedia was founded accidentally during the dot-com bubble and became the web's biggest investor education website.

Successful AI adoption requires understanding business workflows, data, and creating a program rather than individual projects.

Large language models (LLMs) have the potential to revolutionize various industries and change how software is built.

How Rich Sutton with reinforcement learning (UAlberta) and Geoff Hinton with deep learning (UToronto) created the underpinnings for the AI industry.

Why Canada is not great at commercialization and how we can change that/adapt to it.

Talent in the AI industry can come from various sources, and it's important to have a mix of domain expertise and technical skills.

Canada needs to change its mindset and become a player in the AI industry to fully capitalize on its potential.

Having a circle of people to lean on, such as peer-to-peer groups, is crucial for getting through hard times as an entrepreneur.

Chapters

00:00 The Origin of Investopedia

02:22 The Acquisition by Forbes

06:07 Life After Investopedia

08:14 The Birth of AltML

11:50 The Venture Studio Model

23:49 Common Mistakes in AI Adoption

28:20 Focus on Large Language Models (LLMs)

33:30 Talent and Learning in the AI Industry

39:07 Keeping AI Talent in Canada

44:01 Capitalism and Entrepreneurship

44:41 Excitement for Clean Tech and Bursting of the AI Hype

45:31 Dealing with Hard Times

46:40 Reflections on Running the Podcast

49:40 The Importance of Asking for Help

My podcast supporter!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fasken's Emerging Tech and Venture Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ practice is comprised of 80+ dedicated legal professionals across the Canadian market. We're deeply involved in the startup ecosystem and have worked closely with founders from startup to scale-up to exit. Our team is a leading Canadian law firm for VC financings and tech M&A and act for many of the best-in-class startup and scale-up innovation-based companies and entrepreneurs in Canada.

Given this experience we understand market trends and can assist in guiding your company forward as you scale – we take a holistic and strategic approach to helping our clients achieve their goals and provide the full suite of services including corporate, corporate finance, M&A, commercial, IP, data and compliance, employment, tax and beyond. We are excited to help the next generation of unicorns! 

Steve Davis is the CEO of Operto.

Operto is the world’s leading property automation and IoT operating system for vacation rentals, hotels, and serviced apartments is revolutionizing guest stays and hospitality management. Through technology that connects teams, guests, managers and smart devices; Operto addresses common friction points to provide fully seamless and personalized stays - creating greater efficiency, guest satisfaction and more revenue.

Takeaways

Marketing has evolved from a mass-market, spray-and-pray approach to a more targeted and consultative strategy, focusing on becoming a trusted advisor and thought leader.

Successful salespeople now need to adapt to longer sales cycles and the fact that buyers are more informed than ever before, requiring a consultative and value-driven approach.

Having experience as both an investor and founder can provide unique perspectives and insights that can make someone a better leader and decision-maker.

Acquisitions can be a faster and more efficient way to grow a business, but it's important to carefully consider the integration process and cultural fit.

Building a strong company culture is crucial for attracting and retaining top talent, and it requires creating an environment where people can do their best work and feel empowered.

Operto solves the problem of managing short-term rentals by providing automation and tools that streamline operations and enhance the guest experience.

Operto takes an open-source approach, working with various hardware and software platforms to provide flexibility and compatibility for their customers.

Personal growth as a CEO can be achieved through continuous learning, seeking advice from mentors and peers, and taking time for self-reflection and self-care.

Chapters

00:00 Evolution of Marketing

03:03 Consultative Sales Approach

05:37 Insights from Investor and Founder Roles

09:23 Joining Aperto as CEO

12:28 Problem Solved by Operto

17:51 Open Source Approach

19:42 Acquisitions vs. Building Internally

23:38 B2B and B2C Dynamics

26:53 Building a Strong Company Culture

30:42 Maintaining an Edge as a CEO

34:20 Favorite Books and Personal Growth

47:08 Excitement for 2024

48:43 Continuous Learning and Growth

50:45 Seeking Great People for Hyper Growth

My podcast supporter!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fasken's Emerging Tech and Venture Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ practice is comprised of 80+ dedicated legal professionals across the Canadian market. We're deeply involved in the startup ecosystem and have worked closely with founders from startup to scale-up to exit. Our team is a leading Canadian law firm for VC financings and tech M&A and act for many of the best-in-class startup and scale-up innovation-based companies and entrepreneurs in Canada.

Given this experience we understand market trends and can assist in guiding your company forward as you scale – we take a holistic and strategic approach to helping our clients achieve their goals and provide the full suite of services including corporate, corporate finance, M&A, commercial, IP, data and compliance, employment, tax and beyond. We are excited to help the next generation of unicorns! 

Guillaume Thérien is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner (Associé) of Triptyq Capital.

Based in Montreal, Triptyq Capital is a $40M early-stage venture capital investment fund that invests in companies developing tech for the media, creator economy, gaming, XR and entertainment sectors.

Takeaways

Guillaume's background in marketing and entertainment has provided him with valuable insights as an investor in the entertainment tech space.

Working for Guy Laliberté's (founder of Cirque du Soleil) family office, Lune Rouge.

How Guillaume's other Partners, Bertrand Nepveu (Vrvana acquired by Apple) and Charles Sylvestre (Novacap and Fonds de solidarité FTQ) bring different skills to the firm.

The entertainment tech industry presents unique challenges and roadblocks that founders should be aware of, such as regulatory issues and platform dependencies.

Why Montreal is a top city globally for entertainment, gaming, media and entertainment tech.

Different platforms like the Apple Vision Pro and YouTube and how they impact founders and companies building in the space.

The process behind raising $40M as first-time emerging managers.

Chapters

00:00 Background in Marketing and Entertainment

04:14 Insights from Music and Entertainment Background

06:28 Experience at Lune Rouge

08:49 Genesis of Triptyq

13:23 Successful Fundraising for First Fund

18:12 Exciting Areas of Investment

22:02 Geography in Entertainment Tech

26:32 Challenges in Entertainment Tech

29:02 Defining Content in Entertainment Tech

30:35 Recent Investments and Founders

35:30 Investing in Platform Companies

38:07 Favorite Book and Future Outlook

39:43 Excitement for 2024

41:49 Dealing with Hard Times

42:58 Closing Remarks

My podcast supporter!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fasken's Emerging Tech and Venture Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ practice is comprised of 80+ dedicated legal professionals across the Canadian market. We're deeply involved in the startup ecosystem and have worked closely with founders from startup to scale-up to exit. Our team is a leading Canadian law firm for VC financings and tech M&A and act for many of the best-in-class startup and scale-up innovation-based companies and entrepreneurs in Canada.

Given this experience we understand market trends and can assist in guiding your company forward as you scale – we take a holistic and strategic approach to helping our clients achieve their goals and provide the full suite of services including corporate, corporate finance, M&A, commercial, IP, data and compliance, employment, tax and beyond. We are excited to help the next generation of unicorns! 

Robbie Bent is the Co-Founder and CEO of Othership.

Othership is a platform that includes a physical space and a mobile app to affect positive change and address the problem of loneliness and the detrimental effects it has on our individual and collective health. Othership encourages openness to the awe, belonging, and interconnectivity that animates the human experience for a more joy-filled life and living. They combine a transformational breathwork app and physical spaces built around sauna + ice bath classes.

Takeaways

Don't optimize for money early in your career; focus on being around smart people and interesting problems.

Building a community requires finding a topic with emotional energy and creating a recurrent learning or socializing experience.

Designing a physical space involves understanding the customer journey, iterating based on feedback, and paying attention to detail.

Scaling a business while maintaining quality requires a strong training program and a team that aligns with the company's values.

Trends such as increased loneliness, reduced interest in alcohol, and the rise of wellness practices present opportunities for businesses like Othership.

Designing impactful programming that can keep users engaged and scale.

Building a brand and brands that inspire Robbie.

Raising a $10M Series A and scaling beyond Toronto to NYC and beyond.

Chapters

00:00 Starting in Finance

02:05 Becoming a Founder

04:06 Lessons from a Failed Startup

05:46 Passion and Long-Term Commitment

06:15 Building a Community

08:16 Designing the Physical Space

11:12 Finding Passion and Purpose

13:51 Building and Maintaining a Community

17:11 Scaling the Business and Maintaining Quality

21:23 Inspiring Brands and Experiences

24:12 Creating a Welcoming Experience for First-Timers

27:42 Capitalizing the Business

32:40 Location Selection

33:50 Trends and Opportunities

36:35 Creating an Amazing Programming Experience

39:00 Favorite Books and Podcasts

40:49 Excitement for 2024

42:52 Dealing with Hard Times

43:44 Dealing with Fear and Emotional Support

47:12 Finding Meaning and Purpose

My podcast supporter!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fasken's Emerging Tech and Venture Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ practice is comprised of 80+ dedicated legal professionals across the Canadian market. We're deeply involved in the startup ecosystem and have worked closely with founders from startup to scale-up to exit. Our team is a leading Canadian law firm for VC financings and tech M&A and act for many of the best-in-class startup and scale-up innovation-based companies and entrepreneurs in Canada.

Given this experience we understand market trends and can assist in guiding your company forward as you scale – we take a holistic and strategic approach to helping our clients achieve their goals and provide the full suite of services including corporate, corporate finance, M&A, commercial, IP, data and compliance, employment, tax and beyond. We are excited to help the next generation of unicorns! 

Neha Khera is a General Partner at 2048 Ventures.

2048 Ventures is a thesis-driven earliest-stage venture capital firm. They are founders, experienced operators, nerds and dreamers obsessed with the future. They've backed over 200 startups and have the experience and conviction to lead your pre-seed or seed round.

Takeaways

University of Waterloo's engineering program and co-op program provide a strong foundation for problem-solving and work ethic.

What it was like being one of Mejuri's earliest investors.

Learnings from investing at MaRS and 500 Startups/500 Canada.

Why Canadian founders run marathons and American founders run sprints.

Research is a valuable skill for investors, allowing them to make informed decisions and understand complex industries.

Investing in early-stage companies requires a focus on the team and their ability to execute.

The venture capital industry needs more diversity in terms of gender and background, and efforts should be made to support underrepresented founders and investors.

Nuances to being an emerging manager.

Chapters

00:00 University of Waterloo and Engineering

02:18 Transition to Venture Capital

04:22 Joining Mars and Formative Experience

06:19 The Strengths of Research in Investing

07:28 Early Investments and Evolving Decision-Making

09:31 Importance of Mentors and Networking

11:02 Investing in Majuri and Taking a Bet on Herself

13:35 Transition to 500 Startups Canada

15:47 Experience at 500 Startups Canada

16:41 Transition to 2048 Ventures

19:59 Choosing 2048 Ventures and Alignment with Alex

23:49 Navigating the Noise in the Market

25:36 Differences Between Canadian and American Founders

27:17 Encouraging Canadian Founders to Take More Risks

28:59 Raising a Fund and Challenges for Emerging Managers

34:53 State of the Market for Pre-Seed and Seed

36:20 Building Conviction in Founders and Developing Relationships

38:58 Misconceptions About Emerging Managers

41:38 Maintaining Communication and Support with LPs

44:36 Favorite Books and Excitement for the Future

46:17 Dealing with Hard Times and Maintaining Perspective

47:30 Open Call to Founders and Promoting Diversity

My podcast supporter!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fasken's Emerging Tech and Venture Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ practice is comprised of 80+ dedicated legal professionals across the Canadian market. We're deeply involved in the startup ecosystem and have worked closely with founders from startup to scale-up to exit. Our team is a leading Canadian law firm for VC financings and tech M&A and act for many of the best-in-class startup and scale-up innovation-based companies and entrepreneurs in Canada.

Given this experience we understand market trends and can assist in guiding your company forward as you scale – we take a holistic and strategic approach to helping our clients achieve their goals and provide the full suite of services including corporate, corporate finance, M&A, commercial, IP, data and compliance, employment, tax and beyond. We are excited to help the next generation of unicorns! 

Kaylee Astle is the Founder and CEO of Blanka.

Use the code HARDPART10 for 10% off.

Blanka helps anyone start a makeup or skincare line in under 5 minutes. Choose from hundreds of high-quality cruelty-free beauty and skincare products to personalize and dropship online. With zero minimum order quantity, they also offer dropshipping services so you can focus on marketing and sales. In their app, you can choose products, order samples, and use their logo visualizer to see your brand come to life in one click.

Takeaways

Her background and learnings at Deloitte, SAP, MobSquad and Spocket.

Nuances to building for the Shopify App Store.

Platform businesses have the potential to empower and enable others to start their own businesses.

Why they wanted to be more vertically integrated with Blanka.

The beauty industry is evolving, with emerging brands and influencer-led brands gaining traction.

Going from bootstrapped to raising capital, why the shift in strategy.

Building a strong network of founder friends can provide support, guidance, and opportunities for collaboration.

Chapters

00:00 Background and Career Arc

03:10 Starting an E-commerce Brand During COVID

04:38 Identifying a Problem and Starting Blanka

06:02 Building on the Shopify App Store

07:13 Building a Platform Business

08:51 Choosing the Beauty Industry and Vertical Integration

09:22 Customer Experience and Target Audience

10:25 The Future of Creator and Influencer Brands

11:27 Marketing and Branding Strategy

18:48 Bootstrapping and Raising Capital

21:43 The Fundraising Process

24:48 Finding Co-founders

27:57 The Role of Operations

29:53 Building a Founder Network

32:01 Deploying Capital After Fundraising

34:11 The Blanka User Experience

35:59 Favorite Book and Excitement for the New Year

37:33 Dealing with Hard Times

38:19 Closing Remarks

My podcast supporter!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fasken's Emerging Tech and Venture Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ practice is comprised of 80+ dedicated legal professionals across the Canadian market. We're deeply involved in the startup ecosystem and have worked closely with founders from startup to scale-up to exit. Our team is a leading Canadian law firm for VC financings and tech M&A and act for many of the best-in-class startup and scale-up innovation-based companies and entrepreneurs in Canada.

Given this experience we understand market trends and can assist in guiding your company forward as you scale – we take a holistic and strategic approach to helping our clients achieve their goals and provide the full suite of services including corporate, corporate finance, M&A, commercial, IP, data and compliance, employment, tax and beyond. We are excited to help the next generation of unicorns! 

Elizabeth Yin is the Co-Founder and General Partner of Hustle Fund.

Hustle Fund is a venture capital fund investing in founders at the pre-seed and seed stages. They also have Angel Squad, a vetted community of angel investors, who get radical access to Hustle Fund's deals and investor education.

Takeaways

Learnings from working for Tony Hsieh (LinkExchange and Zappos).

Being in Silicon Valley provides a unique environment for networking and learning from peers. Why Canadian founders should consider spending time there.

How Toronto's tech ecosystem has changed over the last few years.

Differences between Canadian and American founders.

A great angel investor is someone who understands their purpose and has a clear portfolio construction strategy.

Things that Hustle Fund looks for in founders at the earliest stages.

What it was like raising Hustle Fund I.

If you have the desire to start a business, now is the best time in history to pursue that opportunity.

Chapters

00:00 Getting into Tech and Working at Google

04:16 Learning from Tony Hsieh

07:24 Starting LaunchBit

08:30 What Made LaunchBit Different

12:15 Working at 500 Startups

14:35 Starting Hustle Fund

17:40 The State of Pre-Seed Market

20:48 Geography and Investing in Toronto

23:16 Mindset of Toronto Founders

26:46 The Importance of Being in Silicon Valley

30:12 Qualities of a Great Angel Investor

35:25 The Purpose of Angel Squad

43:42 Favorite Book: Buy Back Your Time

45:45 Excitement for 2024

47:24 Dealing with Hard Times

47:52 Recognizing Privilege and Gratitude

49:18 The Opportunities of the Post-Pandemic World

50:46 Inspiration and Encouragement

My podcast supporter!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fasken's Emerging Tech and Venture Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ practice is comprised of 80+ dedicated legal professionals across the Canadian market. We're deeply involved in the startup ecosystem and have worked closely with founders from startup to scale-up to exit. Our team is a leading Canadian law firm for VC financings and tech M&A and act for many of the best-in-class startup and scale-up innovation-based companies and entrepreneurs in Canada.

Given this experience we understand market trends and can assist in guiding your company forward as you scale – we take a holistic and strategic approach to helping our clients achieve their goals and provide the full suite of services including corporate, corporate finance, M&A, commercial, IP, data and compliance, employment, tax and beyond. We are excited to help the next generation of unicorns! 

Yvette Wu is the Co-Founder and CEO of Yield Exchange.

Yield Exchange is a B2B SaaS platform for organizations to access competitive GIC rates with speed, transparency, and ease.

Their platform acts as an online GIC marketplace for investors such as Canadian municipalities, universities, school boards, hospitals, and large corporations to access competitive rates directly from their partnering financial institutions.

Takeaways

Building a double-sided marketplace requires addressing the needs of both sides: depositors and financial institutions.

How Yvette solved the Cold Start Problem with Yield Exchange's marketplace.

Deeply listening to users' feedback and understanding their pain points is crucial for product development and iteration.

Hiring should be job-dependent, with a focus on potential and diversity of perspectives.

Maintaining focus and work-life balance is essential for long-term success as a founder.

Finding support from fellow founders, mentors, and advisors is valuable for personal and professional growth.

Chapters

00:00 Yvette's Background and Journey

06:08 Internal Consulting and Skillset as a Founder

07:36 Enterprise Risk Management and the Genesis of Yield Exchange

10:15 GICs and their Use in Innovative Ways

13:17 Creating a Marketplace for GICs

17:36 Building the Initial Marketplace for Yield Exchange

22:18 Product Development and Feedback from Users

26:45 Digging Deeper and Asking the Right Questions

30:29 Hiring and Building a Diverse Team

33:53 Growth Strategies and Prioritization

37:02 Finding Support as a Founder

40:36 Maintaining Focus and Work-Life Balance

44:28 Favorite Book and Excitement for the New Year

46:51 Dealing with Hard Times

48:03 Message to Listeners

My podcast supporter!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fasken's Emerging Tech and Venture Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ practice is comprised of 80+ dedicated legal professionals across the Canadian market. We're deeply involved in the startup ecosystem and have worked closely with founders from startup to scale-up to exit. Our team is a leading Canadian law firm for VC financings and tech M&A and act for many of the best-in-class startup and scale-up innovation-based companies and entrepreneurs in Canada.

Given this experience we understand market trends and can assist in guiding your company forward as you scale – we take a holistic and strategic approach to helping our clients achieve their goals and provide the full suite of services including corporate, corporate finance, M&A, commercial, IP, data and compliance, employment, tax and beyond. We are excited to help the next generation of unicorns! 

Dan Belostotsky is the Founder of HonestDoor.

HonestDoor is an Edmonton-based, VC-backed company that combines real estate data with data science to produce estimated values of houses and condos. In addition to the estimated HonestDoor price, it contains property taxes, transaction data, permit data, and neighbourhood growth rates for over 16M properties in Canada. By creating the most comprehensive source of commercial and residential real estate information in Canada, it empowers existing and potential homeowners to make more informed decisions.

Takeaways

Founding his first business in the digital sign space.

Seeking advice is important, but it's crucial to filter advice and trust your own knowledge and instincts.

Interesting ways Dan made money in the real estate space.

Transparency is essential in the real estate market, and platforms like HonestDoor aim to provide consumers with access to information.

Raising VC money for a B2C PropTech company can be challenging, but with the right product and market fit, success is possible.

Consider alternative options in real estate transactions.

Explore new possibilities and challenge traditional practices.

New product launches for HonestDoor.

Chapters

00:00 Starting Bellonet Media and the Inspiration from Jim Pattison

01:14 The Journey of Bellonet Media and the Acquisition Process

04:25 Lessons Learned in Entrepreneurship in Early 20s

06:41 Seeking Advice and Sticking to Your Guns

07:44 Finding Mentors and Filtering Advice

09:16 Venture Partnerships and Angel Investing

13:10 Investing in Real Estate and Creative Ways to Make Money

17:44 The Opaque Nature of Real Estate and the Birth of Honest Door

19:18 The Data Play and the Addition of Listings on Honest Door

21:10 Copying Successful Models and Adapting to the Canadian Market

23:00 Adding Listings and Challenging the Traditional Commission Structure

26:40 Raising VC Money for a PropTech Company

38:10 Expanding into B2B Products and Services

43:40 The Challenges of Raising VC Money for B2C PropTech

43:43 Favorite Books and Reading Habits

45:02 Looking Forward to 2024

46:14 Dealing with Hard Times

47:20 Final Message from Dan

My podcast supporter!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fasken's Emerging Tech and Venture Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ practice is comprised of 80+ dedicated legal professionals across the Canadian market. We're deeply involved in the startup ecosystem and have worked closely with founders from startup to scale-up to exit. Our team is a leading Canadian law firm for VC financings and tech M&A and act for many of the best-in-class startup and scale-up innovation-based companies and entrepreneurs in Canada.

Given this experience we understand market trends and can assist in guiding your company forward as you scale – we take a holistic and strategic approach to helping our clients achieve their goals and provide the full suite of services including corporate, corporate finance, M&A, commercial, IP, data and compliance, employment, tax and beyond. We are excited to help the next generation of unicorns! 

Rashel Hariri is a seasoned marketing professional, startup consultant, and podcast host.

With over 14 years of experience leading marketing strategies and teams at Global organizations. She created award-winning marketing campaigns for some of the largest brands in the world, like McDonald’s, Shopify, and ING Direct/Tangerine Bank. 

After leaving the corporate world in 2021, she established Rashel Hariri Inc., specializing in leading holistic marketing and business strategies for startups, including creating transformative go-to-market strategies, brand partnerships, and product launches. She has worked with startups and founders across North America and the Middle East. 

This fall, Rashel launched She's Interesting, a podcast community changing the narrative around entrepreneurship and highlighting the powerful stories of women entrepreneurs and investors. 

Rashel is deeply committed to the success of startups and offers guidance to career-driven individuals. As a career and entrepreneurial coach, she assists clients in unlocking their potential and shaping careers that resonate with their missions.

Takeaways

Understand the consumer and their buying decisions to effectively market your product or brand.

Be scrappy and resourceful, regardless of budget or company size, to connect with your target audience.

Focus on channels where your customers are spending the most time and tailor your content to their preferences.

Build a strong network and leverage personal connections to generate leads and opportunities.

Embrace deep conversations and curiosity to uncover unique stories and perspectives. Choosing a podcast topic that you are passionate about and that has an audience is crucial for success.

Thorough research and preparation before each podcast episode can help you create high-quality content.

Effective interviewing techniques, such as active listening and asking open-ended questions, can lead to engaging conversations.

Editing and post-production are important steps in creating a polished and professional podcast.

Promoting and growing your podcast requires a strategic approach, including utilizing social media and networking with other podcasters.

Chapters

00:00 Interest in Marketing

02:08 Influential Brands

04:07 Marketing Experience at Tangerine and McDonald's

06:28 Working with Limited Budgets

08:17 Marketing at Shopify

12:40 Analyzing Data and Feedback

16:12 Thinking about Marketing Channels

19:11 Creating Valuable Content

25:37 Starting a Consulting Practice

29:27 Common Marketing Mistakes by Founders

32:10 Starting the She's Interesting Podcast

35:22 Goals for She's Interesting

40:44 Guest Composition on the Podcast

44:37 Dealing with Hard Times

46:00 Final Message

05:30 Choosing a Podcast Topic

15:45 Research and Preparation

25:10 Interviewing Techniques

35:20 Editing and Post-Production

42:50 Promoting and Growing Your Podcast

46:15 Conclusion

My podcast supporter!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fasken's Emerging Tech and Venture Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ practice is comprised of 80+ dedicated legal professionals across the Canadian market. We're deeply involved in the startup ecosystem and have worked closely with founders from startup to scale-up to exit. Our team is a leading Canadian law firm for VC financings and tech M&A and act for many of the best-in-class startup and scale-up innovation-based companies and entrepreneurs in Canada.

Given this experience we understand market trends and can assist in guiding your company forward as you scale – we take a holistic and strategic approach to helping our clients achieve their goals and provide the full suite of services including corporate, corporate finance, M&A, commercial, IP, data and compliance, employment, tax and beyond. We are excited to help the next generation of unicorns! 

Tyler Rooney was the Co-Founder of Format (acquired by Zenfolio). Format has been offering creatives solutions to showcase, manage and grow their business since 2010.

Takeaways

The dot-com era at Waterloo was a formative time for Tyler, where he learned valuable lessons and worked at startups a few of which ultimately flamed out.

Tyler's early work experiences at companies like Infusion Development and Amazon taught him what he did and did not want to do, and helped him discover his strengths.

The inspiration from 37Signals and Basecamp influenced Tyler's approach to building Format, focusing on sustainable business models and creating value for customers.

Tyler's obsession with SaaS and business metrics.

Format experienced early traction and growth, and Tyler emphasizes the importance of staying true to bootstrapping and not getting caught up in the hype of raising venture capital.

The acquisition of Format and the change in pace it created for Tyler.

Throughout his journey, Tyler has learned the importance of meaningful relationships and the support of people in both personal and professional life.

Chapters

00:00 Tyler's Time at Waterloo and Startups

03:00 Early Work Experiences and Lessons Learned

09:50 Inspiration from 37signals and Basecamp

13:29 The Idea for Format and Building the Business

21:29 Early Traction and Maintaining Momentum

25:59 Reflections on the Journey and Staying True to Bootstrapping

35:05 Transitioning from Format and Future Excitement

46:08 Dealing with Hard Times and the Importance of People

48:20 Closing Thoughts on Meaningful Relationships

My podcast supporter!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fasken's Emerging Tech and Venture Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ practice is comprised of 80+ dedicated legal professionals across the Canadian market. We're deeply involved in the startup ecosystem and have worked closely with founders from startup to scale-up to exit. Our team is a leading Canadian law firm for VC financings and tech M&A and act for many of the best-in-class startup and scale-up innovation-based companies and entrepreneurs in Canada.

Given this experience we understand market trends and can assist in guiding your company forward as you scale – we take a holistic and strategic approach to helping our clients achieve their goals and provide the full suite of services including corporate, corporate finance, M&A, commercial, IP, data and compliance, employment, tax and beyond. We are excited to help the next generation of unicorns! 

Nadia Barbosa is the Co-Founder and CEO of Tandem Experiences.

Tandem Experiences is a woman-led, purpose-oriented company making date night easy. They bundle the best local events with great food and activities so that couples can focus on spending quality time together, instead of sweating the details.

Takeaways

Tandem Experiences aims to solve the problem of fragmented planning and lack of support for couples in finding and evaluating experiences.

User feedback and engagement are crucial for improving the platform and providing value to users.

Organic growth through social media and partnerships with community organizations can help amplify the reach of Tandem Experiences.

The company focuses on unique local experiences and aims to support small to medium-sized businesses in the food, beverage, and arts industries.

Nadia emphasizes the importance of a supportive community, continuous learning, and celebrating both small and big accomplishments as a founder. Tandem is a platform that connects people through shared experiences in their city.

The app provides recommendations for activities and events, allowing users to discover new things to do.

Tandem helps people form impactful memories and reconnect with friends and loved ones.

Chapters

00:00 Background and Motivation for her MBA

02:01 Connecting with Co-Founder and Pivoting the Idea

03:05 Genesis of the Idea: Personal Experience with Dating Apps

05:31 Focus on Nurturing Relationships

08:04 The Fragmented Nature of Planning Experiences

10:12 Balancing Unique and Recurring Experiences

12:28 Measuring Success: User Satisfaction and Growth

16:14 Collecting and Prioritizing User Feedback

17:45 Organic Growth and Social Media Strategy

20:04 Expansion Strategy to Other Cities

22:12 Different User Groups and Tailoring Experiences

24:08 Partnership Strategy and Value for Partners

26:25 Balancing Efficiency and Quality with Technology

28:31 Support System and Learning from Other Founders

31:09 Product Development and Lean Approach

32:57 Gathering Feedback and Improving Recommendations

35:05 Engaging Users and Driving Engagement

37:02 Viral Growth and Referral Strategy

39:51 AI and the Flywheel Effect

42:03 Favorite Business Books and Continuous Learning

43:40 Excitement for the Future and Growth Opportunities

45:48 Pitching Advice and Celebrating Accomplishments

47:03 Dealing with Hard Times and Having a Supportive Community

49:10 Societal Impact and Mission of Tandem Experiences

My podcast supporter!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fasken's Emerging Tech and Venture Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ practice is comprised of 80+ dedicated legal professionals across the Canadian market. We're deeply involved in the startup ecosystem and have worked closely with founders from startup to scale-up to exit. Our team is a leading Canadian law firm for VC financings and tech M&A and act for many of the best-in-class startup and scale-up innovation-based companies and entrepreneurs in Canada.

Given this experience we understand market trends and can assist in guiding your company forward as you scale – we take a holistic and strategic approach to helping our clients achieve their goals and provide the full suite of services including corporate, corporate finance, M&A, commercial, IP, data and compliance, employment, tax and beyond. We are excited to help the next generation of unicorns! 

Shane Murphy is the CEO of Ownr.

Ownr is an RBCx company. They are making it simpler and more affordable for businesses to start and succeed. They know that starting and running a business takes a huge effort. By simplifying and automating business formation and everyday legal work, they help SMBs thrive.

Takeaways

Ownr aims to democratize access to incorporation and provide ongoing support for small businesses.

Building product within RBCx allows Ownr to leverage existing RBC products and create an embedded experience for users.

Shane emphasizes the importance of surrounding oneself with good people, engaging in physical activity, and listening to customer feedback.

The future of Ownr includes expanding services and addressing the needs of entrepreneurs at different stages of their business journey.

The acquisition of Founded Technologies by Ownr/RBCx.

Transitioning from COO to CEO.

Shane's thoughts on competition.

Hints of potential future products from Ownr.

Chapters

00:00 Shane's Interest in Law

01:27 Master's Degree in Political Theory

03:24 Starting Founded Technologies

06:03 Transition to Owner

08:28 Acquisition by RBC Ventures

12:46 Transition from COO to CEO

13:22 RBCx and the Focus on Tech and Innovation

17:09 Democratizing Access to Incorporation

19:37 Building Product within RBCx

22:20 Gathering Feedback from Customers

24:01 Creating a Deeper Relationship with Customers

26:57 Competition in the Market

29:39 Growth and Partnerships

32:23 RBCx and its Focus

34:10 Future of Ownr

36:40 User Journey for Different Types of Businesses

39:07 Favorite Book: Scaling People

41:01 Excitement for the New Year

41:51 Dealing with Hard Times

42:53 Closing Remarks

My podcast supporter!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fasken's Emerging Tech and Venture Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ practice is comprised of 80+ dedicated legal professionals across the Canadian market. We're deeply involved in the startup ecosystem and have worked closely with founders from startup to scale-up to exit. Our team is a leading Canadian law firm for VC financings and tech M&A and act for many of the best-in-class startup and scale-up innovation-based companies and entrepreneurs in Canada.

Given this experience we understand market trends and can assist in guiding your company forward as you scale – we take a holistic and strategic approach to helping our clients achieve their goals and provide the full suite of services including corporate, corporate finance, M&A, commercial, IP, data and compliance, employment, tax and beyond. We are excited to help the next generation of unicorns! 

Jesse Abrams is the Co-Founder & CEO of Homewise.

Homewise is a national consumer end-to-end homeownership platform, centered around its digital mortgage experience that uses data intelligence to match and secure clients with their best mortgage from 30+ banks and lenders in minutes. Homewise then connects clients to their in-house Real Estate solution (Homewise Real Estate) and partners at each step of the process from there, such as insurance and real estate law.

• Homewise Real Estate Listings
• Jesse’s Twitter

Takeaways

Foundational skills in marketing and advertising can provide a strong base for a career in the tech industry.

Identifying a gap in the market and taking the first step is crucial for starting a successful business.

A vertically integrated approach can differentiate a company and provide value to customers.

Pivoting to a B2B2C model can lead to scalable revenue growth and partnerships with other businesses.

Balancing customer and investor feedback is important for making informed decisions.

Baking education into the product can empower customers to make informed decisions and improve their overall experience. Providing advice and access throughout the home buying process can improve the customer experience and save money for customers.

Launching a real estate listing site in-house allows for greater control over the customer experience and the ability to provide tailored information to clients.

Being open to sharing ideas and collaborating with others in the industry can lead to valuable insights and opportunities for growth.

Dealing with hard times as a founder and parent requires a supportive network, engaging in physical activity, and finding joy in personal interests.

Building the industry and starting a company requires resilience, thick skin, and a passion for the work being done.

Chapters

00:00 Foundational Skills in Marketing

03:21 Genesis of the Idea for HomeWise

06:12 Taking the First Step and Identifying the Gap

10:18 Vertically Integrated Approach

15:23 Capitalizing on the Digital Movement

21:12 Pivoting to a B2B2C Model

26:50 Balancing Customer and Investor Feedback

32:40 Unlocking Competitive Rates

38:20 Baking Education into the Product

43:03 Providing Advice and Access

44:15 Launching a Real Estate Listing Site

49:50 Favorite Books and Excitement for the Future

53:45 Dealing with Hard Times

57:04 Building the Industry and Starting a Company

My podcast supporter!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fasken's Emerging Tech and Venture Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ practice is comprised of 80+ dedicated legal professionals across the Canadian market. We're deeply involved in the startup ecosystem and have worked closely with founders from startup to scale-up to exit. Our team is a leading Canadian law firm for VC financings and tech M&A and act for many of the best-in-class startup and scale-up innovation-based companies and entrepreneurs in Canada.

Given this experience we understand market trends and can assist in guiding your company forward as you scale – we take a holistic and strategic approach to helping our clients achieve their goals and provide the full suite of services including corporate, corporate finance, M&A, commercial, IP, data and compliance, employment, tax and beyond. We are excited to help the next generation of unicorns! 

Laviva Mazhar is a Principal at Luge Capital. Luge Capital is a fintech-focused venture capital firm that invests in early-stage companies in Canada and the United States. They are on a mission to build fintech champions with amazing founders.

In this episode, we discuss...

• Her journey from McGill, work in economic development, a startup studio and breaking into VC
• The first close of their $71M Fund II and what it is like raising a second fund
• Predicting if a market opportunity can grow
• Regulatory environment for fintech companies
• How she keeps an edge and levels up as an investor
• Unique areas to find strong dealflow
• Two areas in fintech she is interested in right now

My podcast supporter!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fasken's Emerging Tech and Venture Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ practice is comprised of 80+ dedicated legal professionals across the Canadian market. We're deeply involved in the startup ecosystem and have worked closely with founders from startup to scale-up to exit. Our team is a leading Canadian law firm for VC financings and tech M&A and act for many of the best-in-class startup and scale-up innovation-based companies and entrepreneurs in Canada.

Given this experience we understand market trends and can assist in guiding your company forward as you scale – we take a holistic and strategic approach to helping our clients achieve their goals and provide the full suite of services including corporate, corporate finance, M&A, commercial, IP, data and compliance, employment, tax and beyond. We are excited to help the next generation of unicorns! 

Lisa Mattam is the Founder and CEO of Sahajan. Sahajan blends the power of Ayurveda, an integral part of Lisa's South Indian heritage, with clinical science to create clean skincare products.

In this episode, we discuss...

• What "clean beauty" means
• How to start a skincare brand from ideation, manufacturing and distribution
• Launching with one product versus launching a collection on day one
• Their three-year 200,000 hotel room global deal with JW Marriott for the Ritz-Carlton, Marriott, St. Regis, and W Hotels properties and why these partnerships are so powerful
• Marketing strategy from micro-influencers to large publishers like Elle
• Designing a pricing strategy
• Post-purchase customer experience and how to design that
• Going from 8 years of bootstrapping to raising a round and how that changes things

My podcast supporter!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fasken's Emerging Tech and Venture Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ practice is comprised of 80+ dedicated legal professionals across the Canadian market. We're deeply involved in the startup ecosystem and have worked closely with founders from startup to scale-up to exit. Our team is a leading Canadian law firm for VC financings and tech M&A and act for many of the best-in-class startup and scale-up innovation-based companies and entrepreneurs in Canada.

Given this experience we understand market trends and can assist in guiding your company forward as you scale – we take a holistic and strategic approach to helping our clients achieve their goals and provide the full suite of services including corporate, corporate finance, M&A, commercial, IP, data and compliance, employment, tax and beyond. We are excited to help the next generation of unicorns!