Beginning his career in the non-profit sector as General Manager for AIESEC (PRON: eye-sek) in Morocco, Naoufel provided young people with leadership development and cross-cultural global internships. He later transferred to the AIESEC United States in New York City and managed the expansion to Bahrain, Qatar, and the UAE through a US government grant of over $1 million. He then took on the interim COO’s role and managed a team of 10 people with a budget of $4 million. Naoufel joined Microsoft Middle East and Africa as Regional Program Coordinator, managing the Microsoft Software Donation Program for internet safety and security. He also managed relationships with crucial Microsoft partners in the region, like the World Bank and the United States Agency for International Development. After two years at Microsoft, Naoufel moved to Montreal to join tech startups. He started at TandemLaunch Technologies, where he built relationships with university tech transfer offices around the world. At his last company, Naoufel was Head of Business Development at Local Logic.  Today, Naoufel is the Co-Founder and CEO of QueerTech, an organization that aims to Queer The Tech Ecosystem by breaking down barriers, creating spaces, and connecting communities to support and empower LGBTQ2S+ people to thrive. “You want to start your diversity strategy on day one.”  In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Scotiabank, Naoufel Testaouni tells the story of QueerTech, why he started it and where their programming is at today. Paige, Rick and Naoufel also discuss why representation is so needed in the tech industry. This episode is in partnership with Canada’s LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce in celebration of Pride MonthThe post Why Tech Needs More Representation with Naoufel Testaouni first appeared on Startup Canada.

AK MacKellar is an entrepreneur, speaker and the founder of Free To Move, the body inclusive movement platform for the LGBTQ+ community. As a queer, non-binary and chronically ill person, they’ve felt like an outsider in most fitness spaces. AK aims to build a new type of fitness industry – one that is welcoming to beginners and marginalized people, that focuses on helping people feel good in their body, strong in their daily life and take care of their mental and physical health.   “The world needs you, not only to provide for queer folks but the world. As queer individuals, we often want to provide for our community, there is alot of opportunity.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Scotiabank, AK encourages you to follow your curiosity and shares how entrepreneurship allowed them to choose what to do and how to do it. This episode is in partnership with Canada’s LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce in celebration of Pride Month. The post Inclusion as an Instrument for Wellness with AK MacKellar first appeared on Startup Canada.

Born and raised on the west coast of British Columbia, Mickey McLeod has had an entrepreneurial bent since he was young. After leaving high school, Mickey worked as a tree planter for a couple of seasons before he realized that he had what it took to become a tree-planting contractor. He figured out how to get a successful bid, hired a crew and went to work – doing that on and off for the next 10 years. He then started his own sawmill business on Salt Spring Island in the mid-1980s and ran that until he started his next venture: Salt Spring Coffee.    Mickey founded Salt Spring Coffee with his wife Robbyn Scott in 1996. Growing up among the 1960s counterculture movement on Texada Island had exposed Mickey to the ideas of sustainability, organic farming and taking care of the environment – values which he brought to Salt Spring Coffee.  The company was one of the first to bring organic, fair-trade coffee to B.C. and, through initiatives like its zero-waste program and B Corp certification, continues to strive to have a positive impact on people and the planet.       “Be curious, do your research and if it feels right, go for it!” In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Scotiabank, Mickey McLeod takes us along his entrepreneurial journey and how he took the bold leap into the world and business of coffee with Salt Spring Coffee. The post Brewing For Change, Fairness and Good with Mickey McLeod first appeared on Startup Canada.

Maayan Ziv, a passionate advocate for accessibility, discusses the importance of investing in accessibility and inclusivity. She shares her journey with AccessNow, highlighting the global movement to create accessible locations and the economic benefits for businesses. The conversation also delves into AI technology for mapping accessibility, promoting awareness, and the societal impact of entrepreneurial responsibility.

Ryan Moreno is the CEO and Co-Founder of Joseph Richard Group, a Canadian-based collection of unique hospitality ventures featuring more than 25 establishments.  Along with his co-founder, a best friend since elementary school, Ryan has always thrived in the restaurant and nightlife industry and since 2009, Joseph Richards Group has been growing and expanding. Ryan has taken his business one step further by bringing his hospitality group virtual, establishing a series of virtual ghost kitchens. Now boasting more than 100 ghost kitchen restaurants, he continues to overcome challenges and remain a leader in his industry. “I think sometimes it’s good to take a step back and be grateful for the opportunity to actually be able to do it.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Scotiabank, Ryan Moreno talks about his early ventures in entrepreneurship, the responsibility of businesses to impact their communities, as well as the importance of listening to what your team has to say. The post Glass Half Full: Leadership in Hospitality with Ryan Moreno first appeared on Startup Canada.

Lyssa Leclerc and Cathy Bennett discuss the Leading Lenders initiative supporting Canadian women entrepreneurs. They highlight empowering women, financial literacy, relationship building, symbolism of Sandpiper Ventures, and the need for support to drive economic growth and shift conversations.

Steven Hoffman is the CEO of Founders Space, one of the world’s leading startup accelerators, with over 50 partners in 22 countries. Founders Space was ranked the #1 incubator for overseas startups by Forbes and Entrepreneur Magazines. Steven is a venture investor, serial entrepreneur and the author of ‘Make Elephants Fly’, ‘Surviving a Startup’ and ‘The Five Forces’.  Steven has a background working in TV development in Hollywood, and through his own startup, Spiderdance, he produced interactive TV shows with NBC, MTV, Turner,Warner Brothers and more. Spending time in Silicon Valley, he founded startups in the entertainment and games space and worked as Mobile Studio Head for Infospace, where he contributed to games such as Tetris, Wheel of Fortune, and Tomb Raider. With the mission to educate and accelerate entrepreneurs, Founders Space was launched and has become one of the top startup accelerators in the world. With a focus on the art of innovation, Steven has trained hundreds of founders and executives from organizations such as Qualcomm, Huawei, Intel, Disney and more.  He currently resides in San Francisco but spends most of his time in the air, visiting startups, investors, and innovators all over the world “If you can sell your vision to others, to your team, you have what it takes, you have overcome a huge hurdle already.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Scotiabank, Steve Hoffman underscores the importance of including the best people to be a part of your business, and why selling your vision to your employees is a huge win. The post Start with Direction, Not Ideas with Steve Hoffman first appeared on Startup Canada.

John Cammalleri is a veteran of the Canadian IT industry, currently leading HP’s Channel and Commercial Sales organizations. He is responsible for the performance of HP’s Resellers, Managed Services Providers, Alliances and Distributors. His team is also responsible for HP’s Small and Medium Business customer segments across Canada. John held several leadership positions over his career including Oracle, Samsung Electronics, IBM and Synnex Canada. “There has been a big change in how SMEs look at and acquire technology, and what is of priority to them. And as a community, we need to embrace it.”  In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Scotiabank, and powered by HP Canada, John Cammalleri speaks to us about embracing technology while also allowing your customers to guide you and your business. We also discuss how HP puts people first and values integrity. The post Secure Workflows and Collaboration with John Cammalleri first appeared on Startup Canada.

Steve Blank is an Adjunct Professor at Stanford and Senior Fellow for Innovation at Columbia University. He has been described as the Father of Modern Entrepreneurship.  Credited with launching the Lean Startup movement and the curriculums for the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps and Hacking for Defense and Diplomacy, he’s changed how startups are built; how entrepreneurship is taught; how science is commercialized, and how companies and the government innovate.   Steve is the author of The Four Steps to the Epiphany and The Startup Owner’s Manual which revolutionized how startups were built– and his May 2013 Harvard Business Review cover story redefined how large companies can innovate at speed.  “Founders have a view of where they see the world going, and how they are going to help it get there.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Scotiabank, Steve Blank recognizes what happens when entrepreneurs see beyond the horizon and explains the methods that turn startups into companies with scalable and repeatable processes. The post State of the Art Entrepreneurship with Steve Blank first appeared on Startup Canada.

A mom of 4 kids, eleven-time Ironman competitor and yoga enthusiast, Suzie spent years adhering to a  low-fat diet only for her health to hit a wall in her mid-40s. After reading Nina Teicholz’s best seller, Big  Fat Surprise, she immediately shifted to a high-fat, low-carb diet, and started to feel better within a few  weeks. While she loved the benefits of her new lifestyle, Suzie found it challenging to find convenient, good-fat snacks. Seeing a gap in the marketplace and a huge opportunity to help others through food,  Suzie developed Love Good Fats, a company that produces low-sugar foods loaded with good fats.  Starting in 2017, Suzie led the launch and expansion of Love Good Fats to exceed $100million in Gross Revenues in a little over 3 years with sales in the largest Retailers across Canada and the US. As a 25-year veteran of the  CPG industry, Suzie has worked at brand building companies such as Proctor & Gamble, PepsiCo, Weight Watchers; and at two other hyper growth brands prior to creating her own rocket ship success story brand, at age 50. She is more so a unique, later blooming entrepreneur, who utilized her accomplished marketing background, personal journey, and deep devotion and passion for health, to  drive towards her Mission to spread the word that  fat is back, and sugar is out!  “I would go to every single store within a taxi ride to where I was. I lived in the stores.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Scotiabank, Suzie Yorke talks about being a nervous starter and taking the first step into entrepreneurship as well as how she got closer to her Love Good Fats customers.    The post Getting Close to Your Customers with Suzie Yorke first appeared on Startup Canada.