The Hard Part with Evan McCann

Eva Chan is the Co-Founder of Launch Pop. Launch Pop is a venture studio working with founders to build eCommerce brands that dominate their category. Some notable companies built from their research, design and growth include - More Labs/Morning Recovery, Marlow, Liquid IV, IMMI and many more! Takeaways -Building an ecom venture studio. -What does brand actually mean and how to build one for the modern buyer. -GTM and launch strategy for ecom brands. -Shift in ecom from huge valuations and rounds to margins and seeking sustainable growth. -When should ecom brands look at an omnichannel strategy. -Why CAC can be a trap for early-stage founders. -Why basket sizes are growing and consumers are now comfortable making $1000+ purchases online. -How founders should think about ecom apps. Chapters 00:00 Eva's Journey in Design School 09:52 The Venture Studio Model 28:58 Balancing Data and Intuition 35:23 The Importance of Premium Brands 43:47 Final Message: Taking Things Lightly and Having Fun Keywords Eva Chan, LaunchPop, design school, Exact Media, e-commerce, product innovation, brand building, data-driven decision-making, community building, nurturing inner genius

Chris Gilpin is the CEO of OrderUp (acquired by Wealthsimple). OrderUp's Point of Sale helps restaurants improve Front of House efficiency by 66% by empowering guests to order and pay from their phones. Chris also Co-Founded Turnstyle Solutions (acquired by Yelp) and Ascendent a reinsurance business focused on bitcoin. Takeaways Working at Apple and chatting with Steve Jobs. The hacky way they got restaurants to use Turnstyle. The acquisition of Turnstyle by Yelp and learnings. Chris's interest in Bitcoin led to the creation of Ascendant Capital, a reinsurance company that provides managed exposure to the Bitcoin space. Launching OrderUp during the pandemic and being acquired by Wealthsimple. Chris's thoughts on the Toronto tech scene. Insights into loyalty marketing. How to evaluate ideas and a process to turn them into a business. The importance of meditation in Chris's life. Chapters 00:00 Chris's time at Western and decision to pursue dual degrees 01:13 Chris's experience working at Apple 06:09 Starting TurnStyle and the motivation behind it 09:29 Scaling TurnStyle and the challenges faced 12:00 The acquisition of TurnStyle by Yelp 14:08 Chris's interest in Bitcoin and the creation of Ascendant Capital 23:48 Creation of OrderUp and interest in the POS and online ordering space 24:11 Passion for Supporting Restaurant Operators 25:08 The Seamless Integration of WeChat in Restaurants 25:37 Pivoting to Online Ordering and Payment 26:07 Challenges with Integrating with Point of Sale Systems 27:04 Becoming a Point of Sale System 27:54 The Wealthsimple Acquisition 29:28 The Toronto Tech Scene 30:27 Funding Challenges in Canada 31:19 Future Potential in Loyalty Marketing 32:03 Bridging the Gap Between Online Advertising and Offline Transactions 36:05 Chris' Process for Starting New Ventures 39:32 Chris' Focus and Future Plans 40:44 Favorite Books: 'The Bitcoin Standard' and 'How to Create a Mind' 42:33 Dealing with Hard Times: Importance of Having a Co-founder and Meditation 45:27 Encouragement to Learn About Money and Rethink the Monetary System

Eunice Wu is the Co-Founder and CEO of Asepha. Asepha makes it easy for pharmacists to automate manual tasks so they can focus on clinical work. Takeaways Pivot from being a pharmacist to a startup founder. Importance of building a solution with domain expertise and a deep understanding of the problem. Building in a heavy regulatory, compliant and security-focused industry. Leveraging AI to create value for pharmacists. Tech fatigue in pharmacies and how Asepha combats it. Integrating easily into a pharmacist's workflow and creating an unlock versus a block. How to leverage accelerator programs to a founder's benefit. Running a lean team with lots of runway and why it is becoming the norm. Chapters 00:00 Interest in Pharmacy and Pursuing a Career 04:07 Building a Co-Founder Relationship 09:06 Building User-Friendly Software for Pharmacists 15:05 Geographical Variations in Pharmacy Regulations 27:45 Building Trust and Security with Larger Pharmacy Chains 32:20 Learning as a First-Time Founder Keywords pharmacy, tech, pharmacist, software, medication review, AI, workflow, compliance, security, accelerator programs, community

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, Co-Founder of Spring Activator, talks about the birthplace of Hootsuite, team importance over ideas, impact investing, and founder qualities. The podcast explores the evolution of Spring, community building, and Vancouver's tech sector future.