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.

Mark Bishop and Matt Hornburg are Co-CEOs and Partners at marblemedia. Accomplished entrepreneurs, brand-builders and trusted media industry advocates, they have grown marblemedia into one of Canada’s leading independent production, distribution and digital media companies.   In addition to serving as an executive producer across marblemedia’s successful portfolio of television and interactive digital media properties, Mark leads the company’s strategic growth and management of all divisional and corporate undertakings, including global distribution and sales, finance, marketing, digital media and new business ventures. In addition to strategic direction across the company, Matt leads creative development and production for the company’s original TV and Interactive divisions, including its most recent push into primetime with the launch of new scripted and unscripted divisions.  Mark and Matt have been honoured by Playback with the Outstanding Achievement Award, recognized as Top Next Gen Producers by The Hollywood Reporter, and have won Producer of the Year at the Canadian New Media Awards and the Lionsgate Innovative Producer’s Award in addition to many program-specific accolades from Canadian Screen Awards, Interactive Emmy Award, Gemini Awards and more. “What is most important to us, is owning the IP and assets. So that we can leverage them in different ways.”  In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Scotiabank, Matt and Mark, the minds behind marblemedia, share what matters most when making media in Canada and how they have taken their creations across the world. The post Partnership and Canadian Production with Mark Bishop and Matt Hornburg first appeared on Startup Canada.

Nerissa is the President and CEO of the Black Business Association of BC where she champions initiatives to support entrepreneurs and small businesses.  After a twenty year career with the federal government, combined with her own experience as an entrepreneur, Nerissa brings a unique perspective on tackling challenges.  Nerissa stays connected to her community as a director with the Barbados Cultural Association of British Columbia, allowing  her to drive the community forward with a business focused lens, helping to build economic strength and sustainability.  “My wish is that we don’t have to have separate programs in order to meet the needs and break the barriers of systemic racism that is plaguing policies and institutions.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Scotiabank, we talk to Nerissa Allen about why spotlighting founders is important, and how the Black Business Association of BC supports Black entrepreneurs to help them scale. The post Spotlighting and Scaling Black Businesses with Nerissa Allen first appeared on Startup Canada.

Stephany Lapierre is the Founder and CEO  of Tealbook, a supplier data solution to unify systems, empower people and optimize suppliers across industries and teams. Stephany is a highly coveted supply chain thought leader and one of the most influential minds in emerging data technologies.  She has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Women in Supply Chain and Tealbook has been named a Top 50 company to watch by Spend Matters and won the Cool Vendor Award by Gartner. Prior to Tealbook, Stephany spent 10 years building a successful strategic sourcing and procurement consulting firm focusing on large-scale sourcing optimization projects.  It is Stephany’s mission to deliver a ‘Trusted Source of Supplier Data’ to an ever-growing eProcurement space. Currently, Tealbook is the only Big Data company that provides a self-enriching and self-maintaining mechanism to improve enterprise supplier data. ‘Entrepreneurship is about having ideas that you can’t shake.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Scotiabank, Stephany Lapierre shares how TealBook works (and why it works), and why focusing on operation and execution excellence matters for a company’s confidence and growth. The post Data Backed Systems for Supplier Diversity with Stephany Lapierre first appeared on Startup Canada.

Serese Selanders, CEO of SolusGuard, discusses creating champions for her safety solutions. She shares insights on navigating the startup world, securing government contracts, and empowering women entrepreneurs. Learn about her journey from the banking industry to entrepreneurship.

Carmen Sandor is the founder and CEO of Green Owl Vodka, one of the only female owned and led spirits sold at the LCBO. Green Owl is Canada’s first sipping vodka infused with green tea extract from Japan.  Carmen started her career as a reporter for CTV News and TSN. She then switched gears and started working at RPIA as a Vice President on their Client Portfolio Management team, a Toronto-based investment management firm and was the youngest person to be promoted to Vice President at the firm. Last May, she honed in on her financial industry expertise, her entrepreneurial spirit and her passion for clean ingredients to launch Green Owl Vodka.  Carmen graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism and Sociology, and was a former professional tennis player and captain of the Penn State varsity women’s tennis team.   “It was challenging to get into the LCBO, however getting consumers comfortable with our product, a new kind of product, has been more challenging.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Scotiabank, Carmen Sandor shares what the largest challenges have been while developing and growing Green Owl Vodka.  The post In Good Taste: Understanding Your Customers with Carmen Sandor first appeared on Startup Canada.

Joella Hogan will proudly tell you she is loving life in the heart of the Yukon. Based in Mayo Yukon, Joella is the Founder and CEO of The Yukon Soaps Company where she creates handcrafted soaps, shampoo bars, essential oil blends, salves, lotions and more. For Joella and those around her, Yukon Soaps Company is about more than soap, it is an earth connecting hub. Joella partners with Indigenous beadwork artists, plant knowledge holders, and includes local youth and elders to gather wild botanicals, participate in language learning classes and even employs them to support her at farmers markets.  Joella is proud to come from a long line of strong and vibrant Indigenous women, who were teachers, healers, social advocates and cultural leaders and through her work she is committed to embodying their special talents and elements of rich Indigenous culture.  As an active advocate for her First Nation and a dedicated community builder, Joella is a professional heritage worker and brings Northern Tutchone culture to the forefront of life in the Yukon.  “When you are given cultural knowledge and teachings, you also have a responsibility to pass it on. And that is what I do with my team.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Scotiabank, Joella Hogan shares her journey of building the Yukon Soaps Company and also the values that have allowed her to grow and thrive. The post Upholding Traditions and Culture through Business with Joella Hogan first appeared on Startup Canada.

Isaac Olowolafe Jr. is an entrepreneur, business owner, and philanthropist. He is the founder of BKR Capital (formerly Black Innovation Capital), a venture capital company that focuses on startups led by diverse founders. Isaac established The Dream Legacy Foundation – a philanthropic organization serving as a diversity and inclusion thought leader advocating for the millions of talented Black Citizens and historically underrepresented communities. Isaac also established The Dream Maker Realty/Olowolafe Family Scholarship Award at the University of Toronto, the largest endowment for African Studies in any Canadian university. “For the Black community to thrive and become economic leaders, we need three things: strong institutional relationships, more small businesses, and home ownership.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Scotiabank, we talk to Isaac Olowolafe about his journey, how real estate can be a tool for community building, and the future of Black innovation.  The post Real Estate & Investment: Creating Your Own Access with Isaac Olowolafe first appeared on Startup Canada.

Mona-Lisa is the Director of Futurpreneur Canada’s Black Entrepreneur Startup Program. A lawyer by trade, she also gained experience in entrepreneurship, human resources and economic development through her diverse career.  Very involved in her community, she is the President of the Women’s Young Chamber of Commerce of Québec and sits on multiple other boards. A proud ambassador of the importance of inclusive governance, she is also involved with different organizations promoting diversity, equity and inclusion. ‘We looked into these barriers and we were able to put numbers to the barriers and issues we already knew existed.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Scotiabank, Mona Lisa shares the key pairings that are essential to Futurpreneur’s programs and why young entrepreneurs need them. The post Lasting Impact for Young Entrepreneurs with Mona Lisa Prosper first appeared on Startup Canada.