The Hard Part with Evan McCann

Derrick Emsley is the Co-Founder of tentree and veritree.Chapters00:00 Podcast Introduction2:00 The Genesis of Tentree05:04 Lessons Learned in Entrepreneurship07:36 Transitioning to Veritree09:07 Navigating the Climate Tech Landscape12:07 Project Selection and Impact14:52 Building Partnerships and Verification17:37 The Importance of Trees20:24 Consumer Behavior and Local Impact23:12 Trends in Sustainability25:52 Metrics and ROI in Sustainability28:38 Learning and Growth as a Founder31:26 Team Dynamics and Culture34:09 The Role of Impact in Business37:01 Technology in Tracking Projects39:52 Overcoming Challenges in Entrepreneurship

Chloe Liang is the Co-Founder of Cocasa.Cocasa is revolutionizing travel and property ownership by allowing members to buy equity in luxurious holiday homes from €39,000/10% share.Chapters00:00 Podcast Introduction2:00 From Banking to Founding: Chloe's Journey10:31 Identifying the Problem: Cocasa's Mission21:08 Understanding the Cocasa Model35:25 Navigating Challenges as a Founder40:06 Engagement and Community Building

Kyle Norton is the Chief Revenue Officer at Owner.Chapters0:00 Podcast Intro2:00 Evaluating Companies: The Key Factors07:38 Building a Revenue Team: Initial Steps and Strategies11:39 Quality Over Quantity: The Importance of Revenue Quality15:49 AI in Sales: Internal and External Impacts20:42 Navigating the Changing Landscape of Outbound Sales26:58 Hiring for Success: Qualities in Sales Roles33:15 The Hybrid Work Debate: In-Person vs Remote38:47 Geographic Strategy: Where to Position Sales Reps44:09 Continuous Learning: The Benefits of Advisory Roles47:20 Resilience in Sales: Maintaining Drive Through Challenges52:31 Introduction to the Hard Part Podcast52:31 Engagement and Community Building

Benjamin Bergen is the President at Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI).CCI is a member-based organization reshaping how governments across Canada think about innovation policy and supporting homegrown scale-ups to drive prosperity.Chapters00:00 Podcast Introduction2:45 Reflecting on a Decade of CCI's Impact05:32 Understanding the Shifts in Innovation Policy08:10 The Importance of Effective Government Policies11:16 Building Stronger Industry-Government Relationships13:37 Navigating National Sovereignty in a Global Economy16:44 The Role of Government Procurement in Innovation25:10 Navigating Government Contracts and Policy Advocacy29:23 Capital Investment and Government's Role32:24 Tax Competitiveness and Brain Drain34:25 CCI's Mandate to Innovate36:02 Navigating Federal and Provincial Regulations38:29 Intellectual Property in the Innovation Economy42:08 Engagement Between Government and Industry44:07 Finding Purpose in Challenging Times

Nicole LeBlanc is a Partner at Woven Capital.Woven Capital is the $800M investment arm of Toyota Motor Corporation. Their aim is to broaden the group’s global reach and accelerate innovation by investing in exceptional growth-stage ventures. Chapters00:00 Podcast Introduction 2:45 Introduction to Woven Capital05:38 Investment Strategy and Structure08:13 Exciting Technologies and Market Trends11:18 Post-Investment Support and Value Addition14:16 Global Investment Focus and Cultural Insights16:53 Diverse Applications of Toyota's Expertise19:44 Robotics and Future Trends22:38 Corporate Venture Capital Landscape in Canada25:16 Learning as an Investor28:07 Fund Structure and Investment Strategy31:08 Cultural Differences in Business Practices33:42 Deep Tech and Hardware Investments36:27 AI Applications and Industry Trends39:23 Resilience and Optimism in Challenging Times

Anthony Azrak and Jai Mansukhani are the Co-Founders of OpenSesame.OpenSesame is building Cell, an embedded AI agent layer that lets users explore, understand, and take action inside any SaaS product using natural language.Chapters0:00 Introduction2:45 Introduction to Speedrun and OpenSesame's Experience05:30 Identifying the AI Gap and OpenSesame's Focus08:20 Customer Use Cases and Product Iteration11:08 Target Market and Software Company Dynamics13:58 The Future of AI Interaction and User Experience16:49 Navigating the AI Landscape and Customer Education19:33 Feature Development and Revenue Opportunities22:34 Customer Discovery and Feedback Mechanisms25:05 The Future of Work with Natural Language Interfaces28:30 Raising Capital and the SF Ecosystem32:25 The Language User Interface Revolution37:21 Team Dynamics and Hiring in the AI Era40:37 The Advantages of Being in Silicon Valley42:49 Navigating Challenges as a Founder

Derek Bullen is the Founder and Board Director of S.i. Systems.S.i. Systems is one of the largest Canadian IT staffing and consulting firms that connects organizations with skilled technology professionals. They specialize in providing contract, permanent, and project-based talent across areas like software development, business analysis, project management, and IT infrastructure.Chapters0:00 Introduction2:45 Founding Principles and Evolution of SI Systems11:02 Shifts in the Contractor Landscape13:29 The Art of Matching Talent with Opportunity18:10 Scaling the Business: Lessons Learned25:28 Building Relationships and Client Trust29:02 Leadership Transition and Executive Roles33:22 Personal Growth and Life After Leadership39:54 Navigating Hard Times and Resilience

Emily Luk is a member of the Product team at Wealthsimple.She previously Co-Founded Plenty, which was acquired by Wealthsimple.Chapters00:00 Emily's Journey: From Venture, Stripe and Even.05:44 Cultural Insights from Stripe and Even08:27 The Birth of Plenty: Identifying Gaps in FinTech11:17 Navigating FinTech Challenges and Infrastructure14:17 Unlocking Multi-User Experiences in FinTech17:11 The Evolution of Consumer FinTech19:56 Wealthsimple Acquisition: A Seamless Transition23:01 Building a Comprehensive Product Suite at Wealthsimple26:00 The Importance of Multi-User Financial Management28:35 Growth Through Multi-User Engagement31:41 Resilience in the Face of Challenges

Matthew Lombardi co-founded The Icebreaker with Jeff Waite and Michael Edwards.The Icebreaker is Canada's defence innovation network, trusted by founders and funders, operators and professionals at DND and the CAF, defence primes, IDEaS, NATO DIANA, and everywhere decisions are made to defend the nation.Their mission: to make Canada a net exporter of defence technology by 2030.The Icebreak LinksThe Icebreaker Hackathon on September 20.Hundreds of Canadian companies making ‘dual use’ products useful for defence, survey finds - The Globe and MailChapters00:00 The Genesis of The Icebreaker and Canadian Defence Tech05:35 Urgency for Change in Defence Strategy08:09 Cultural Shifts in Defence Innovation10:54 The Role of Technology in Defence and Civilian Life13:32 Building a Community in Defence Tech16:27 Spotlighting Canadian Innovators19:09 Infrastructure Needs for Defence Innovation21:52 Procurement and the Future of Defence24:28 The Arctic: A New Frontier for National Security27:25 National Pride and the Defence Tech Movement30:12 Opportunities for New Talent in Defence Tech

Carter Li is the CEO of SWTCH.SWTCH - https://swtchenergy.com/Chapters00:00 Genesis of SWTCH: A Personal Journey05:35 Challenges of EV Charging in Existing Infrastructure08:06 Designing Charging Solutions Based on Dwell Time11:05 Technological Advances in EV Charging13:49 The Value of EV Infrastructure in Real Estate16:33 Shifts in the EV Charging Landscape19:32 Vertical Integration in Charging Solutions22:27 Innovative Solutions for Grid Overload25:29 Monetization Strategies in Charging Infrastructure27:15 The Future of Urban Living and EV Charging29:55 Scaling Hardware in EV Charging32:57 The Impact of Autonomous Vehicles on Charging35:44 Finding Balance in the Entrepreneurial Journey