The Hard Part with Evan McCann

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! 

Michelle Reid, VP of Partnerships & Growth at Z1, discusses her formative experiences, the importance of choosing the right company, Z1's unique studio model, balancing metrics and soft skills in sales, building curiosity, disqualifying potential customers, and creating a successful partnerships team.

Dan Balaban is the Executive Chair and CEO of Greengate, a leading Canadian renewable energy company.Greengate is focused on the development of large-scale renewable energy and next-generation net zero projects. To date, Greengate has successfully developed over 1 GW of operating and in-construction renewable energy projects in Canada, including the country’s largest wind energy and solar energy projects. These projects represent nearly $2 billion of investment, are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1.7 million tonnes per year and produce enough renewable energy to power more than 400,000 homes. Dan's Twitter/X In this episode, we discuss... Having a successful exit by the age of 30 and what that unlocked for him The gap he saw in the market in 2007 to start Greengate Debunking misconceptions about renewables Why and how the debate around renewables has become so polarized Balancing renewables and fossil fuel production and usage Operating in regulatory environments on a provincial, federal and international level Greengate's unique model of developing renewable projects from raw land to large projects How we can improve energy literacy 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! 

Ian Whytock is the Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Tidal Venture Partners. Tidal Venture Partners is a pre-seed to seed+ fund focused on the emerging ecosystem of Atlantic Canada. With conviction, they back small teams with high potential, who have detailed plans for achieving larger, later-stage milestones. In this episode, we discuss... Major exists in the ecosystem like Verafin (acquired for $2.75B by Nasdaq) and Radian6 (acquired for $326M by Salesforce) and how that is creating new startups in the region The nodes that make Atlantic Canada a strong tech ecosystem What it has been like raising a first-time fund focused on Atlantic Canada Thoughts on LP composition before raising and now while raising Fund I The different types of emerging managers popping up Unique challenges founders have in Atlantic Canada and ways Tidal helps them Their most recent publicly announced investments, Mimosa Diagnostics and Symbodi 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! 

Thomas Park is the Co-Founder and Lead Partner of the BDC Deep Tech Fund, a $200M VC fund focused on supporting Canadian start-ups developing “hard tech” such as quantum computers, photonics, and fundamental AI. In this episode, we discuss... How Thomas's experiences at the International Criminal Court, UN, The Gates Foundation, Dartmouth and Havard shaped him as an investor Why and how he launched the BDC Deep Tech Fund Nuances to investing in deep tech startups Areas where deep tech innovation is happening in Canada The impact BDC Capital has had on the Canadian tech and venture space Discuss their most recent publicly announced investment, Darwin AI His role as Co-Chair of the Global Defense Council and the impact deep tech has on the defence sector and in geopolitics How do we create more deep tech companies in Canada Impact of manufacturing and global supply chain on deep tech The Asian Canadian Venture Collective he co-founded 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! 

Corey Pollock is the Head of Product at Pixel Union and Co-Founder of numerous companies like Uptime (acquired by WeCommerce), ListingAI (acquired), Google Meet Enhancement Suite (acquired) and more. In this episode, we discuss... What he learned about building product from Robleh at Tiny Hearts What made Tiny Hearts unique when building product and the acquisition by Shopify His work at Shopify and helping launch the Arrive (now Shop) app Going from an Apprentice role to Lead and what it takes to scale as a product person Building solo, in small teams and large organizations The importance of timing when launching a product Why empathy is crucial as a product manager Why ideas are becoming so saturated 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! 

Peter Root is the Co-Founder of Wildfire Robotics. Wildfire Robotics leverages scalable robotics for complete wildfire containment - from initial attack to mop-up to monitoring.‍ The team has developed a self-propelled and remotely controlled robotic snake, called Firewall, that can be deployed in rough terrain, up to 10 km at a time, to offer rapid, fluid-based protection of communities, industry assets, critical infrastructure, homes, and sensitive ecological areas. In this episode, we discuss... Effective ways to commercialize technology Intraprenuer versus entrepreneur Utilizing drilling technology to fight wildfires Insights into how we currently deal with wildfires and other technology solutions How to scale robotics from a team and technology process standpoint Shifting attention from investors to focus on the wildfire space 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! 

Joella Almeida is the CEO and Co-founder of MedEssist. MedEssist is a complete digital health platform for pharmacies committed to enabling pharmacists to provide the best modern, comprehensive solution for their patient interactions, elevating care, solving irritating pain points around their practice, and helping them craft their dream practice. In this episode, we discuss... The genesis story behind how MedEssist was started The challenges and problems that pharmacies have Misconceptions Canadians have about pharmacies and why they are so underutilized The platform and products that MedEssist has built to empower pharmacies Their project Access To Care and turning pharmacies into pharmacy health clinics 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! 

Jessica Hodgson is a Managing Partner at Moonshot Associates. With Moonshot Associates, you can tap into expert guidance and tailored solutions precisely when needed, allowing you to focus on innovation, profitability, and scaling your business. Whether it's developing a winning marketing strategy, optimizing your HR processes, fine-tuning your financial projections, or enhancing your product roadmap, they have you covered. In this episode, we discuss... Her HR roles at HootSuite, Fatigue Science, Later and VINN Automotive How to scale a startup effectively from a culture and people standpoint Why all problems are people problems Why culture is what you reward and what you will tolerate When is the right time to make your first HR hire Promotion versus outside hiring Remote, hybrid or in-person Interviewing tips and tactics Why future CEOs are likely to come from HR roles 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!