Chris Neumann, Partner at Panache Ventures and founder of DataHero, dives into his entrepreneurial journey and insights into the venture capital landscape. He shares the challenges he faced while building DataHero, the nuances of effective startup accelerators, and the pressing need for more venture funds in Canada. Chris emphasizes the importance of mentorship and a supportive network for startups. He also discusses the evolving Canadian startup scene, the potential of AI innovations, and why Canadian cities should focus on their unique strengths rather than comparisons with Silicon Valley.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Early Career
Chris Neumann's first tech job was working on Y2K software for DSL billing.
His first post-Stanford job at Motorola involved a failed joint venture phone with Apple.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Rokr E1 Flop
The Apple-Motorola Rokr E1 phone was a significant tech failure.
Its issues with software and hardware led Apple to develop the iPhone.
insights INSIGHT
Early Cloud Concerns
In 2011, cloud adoption was slow due to corporate concerns about external data storage.
Startups and non-core functions primarily utilized cloud services.
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building a business when there are no easy answers
Ben Horowitz
In this book, Ben Horowitz shares his personal and often humbling experiences in the tech industry to offer essential advice and practical wisdom. He addresses various hard decisions and challenges that business leaders face, such as firing friends, managing company culture, handling layoffs, and making tough strategic decisions. Horowitz emphasizes the importance of honesty, resilience, and adaptability in leadership, drawing from his experiences with companies like Loudcloud and Andreessen Horowitz.
The Hobbit
or There and Back Again
J.R.R Tolkien
Published in 1937, 'The Hobbit' is a children's fantasy novel that introduces readers to the richly imagined world of Middle-earth. The story follows Bilbo Baggins, a home-loving hobbit, who is persuaded by Gandalf to join Thorin and his twelve dwarves on a quest to reclaim their treasure from the dragon Smaug. During the journey, Bilbo encounters various creatures, including trolls, goblins, and the mysterious Gollum, and discovers a magical ring that renders the wearer invisible. The novel is a prequel to 'The Lord of the Rings' and explores themes of personal growth, courage, and unexpected heroism[2][4][5].
Quit
The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away
Annie Duke
Chris Neumann is a Partner at Panache Ventures. Panache Ventures is Canada's most active seed-stage venture capital fund. Panache is led by a team of experienced operators, with a strong angel investor track record, years of institutional VC experience and a strong network in Canada, in Silicon Valley and worldwide. In this episode, we discuss building and selling his first company DataHero, what makes a great accelerator, why we need more venture funds and what they should look like, why Canada and Canadian cities should stop comparing themselves to Silicon Valley and his fantastic blog The Quiet Part Out Loud that gives founders great insights.
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!
The Hard Part with Evan McCann 
