Startup Canada Podcast

Sarah Fodey is a Managing Partner at SandBay Entertainment, one of Canada’s foremost production houses dedicated to diverse, inclusive, and intersectional cinematic storytelling. In Sarah Fodey’s 25-year career as a film and television executive producer, writer, and director, she has developed and delivered multiple feature films and a variety of scripted and documentary series.  Sarah’s passion for both historical documentaries and the telling of Canada’s queer stories has influenced her most recent work such as The Fruit Machine, a feature documentary on Canada’s decades-long purge of LGBT civil servants and military personnel, and Sex, Sin & 69, a film that unpacks Canada’s partial decriminalization of homosexuality in 1969. Han Nguyen entered the motion picture industry in 2002 and has since garnered vital industry experience in every screen-based medium. From feature films and shorts, to scripted series and documentaries, Han has delivered content to CBC, TVO, YTV, TFO, APTN, Amazon Studios, and Lifetime. Han executive produced Noël en boîte, a Telefilm Canada feature, as well as two seasons of Qanurli for APTN, an interprovincial-territorial co-production between SandBay Entertainment and Qanukiaq Studios. Along with Sarah, she also produced the critically acclaimed documentary, The Fruit Machine, and was nominated for a 2019 Canadian Screen Award for Best Documentary Program. Han recently wrapped post-production on her directorial debut documentary “The Colour of Music” set to premiere on CBC this summer. “Beyond desire, we feel a responsibility to tell these stories. We have the privilege of holding the microphone.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Scotiabank, Sarah & Han dive into intersectional storytelling and the importance of contributing to the Queer Archive through their films. This episode is in partnership with Canada’s LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce in celebration of Pride Month. The post Driving Change and the Stories That Happened Before It with Sarah Fodey and Han Nguyen first appeared on Startup Canada.

Andrew Gurza is an award-winning Disability Awareness Consultant and the Chief Disability Officer and Co-founder of Bump’n, a sex toy company for and by disabled people. Andrew uses they/he pronouns and identifies proudly as disabled. Their work has been featured on BBC, CBC, Daily Xtra, Gay Times UK, Huffington Post, The Advocate, Everyday Feminism, Mashable, Out.com, and several anthologies. He was the subject of an award-winning National Film Board of Canada Documentary “Picture This”. Andrew has guested on a number of podcasts including Dan Savage’s Savage Love and Cameron Esposito’s Queery. He has spoken worldwide about sex, disability and what it means to be a Queer Cripple.  “Put your idea out there into the world. Even if it doesn’t go huge, if you have fun, just do it.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Scotiabank, we dive into following your passions, building accessible spaces, and fostering a community around your brand. This episode is in partnership with Canada’s LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce in celebration of Pride Month.   The post Bump’n Barriers to Accessibility with Andrew Gurza first appeared on Startup Canada.

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.