Startup Canada Podcast

Peter Near and Casey Pruden discuss their partnership in leveraging technology for community missions, accelerating their plans during the pandemic. They highlight the importance of tech solutions for businesses, the transformation in community services, and the positive impact of rapid technology adoption in response to COVID-19.

Mallory Greene is the co-founder and CEO of Eirene – an innovative funeral services startup based in Toronto. Eirene allows families to make high-quality, affordable cremation arrangements – from the comfort of their own home. There’s no shopping around, up-selling or in-person consultations required. Previously, Mallory worked at Wealthsimple as part of their founding team. She worked on everything from marketing to HR to communications. Mallory learned what it takes to build a company from the ground up, to rally others around a mission, and to grow a sustainable business. “My main goal is to help people understand what their options are and allow them to make decisions for themselves.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard, Mallory talks about the moments that prompted her to find ways to innovate and improve the funeral industry, who her biggest competitor is, and how deliberate decisions for her company’s brand and language allow her to open an honest conversation about life and death.The post Peace, Not Pain: Bringing Innovation to End of Life Arrangements with Mallory Greene first appeared on Startup Canada.

A Senior Product Manager of Business Solutions for Moneris, Kelly is a passionate product professional specializing in innovative online and mobile payment systems. She is always looking at how technical innovation can help solve business problems in the online and mobile space with her keen sense for business needs and creative mind.  Kelly has over 20 years in the payment industry having worked in a variety of areas including sales, operations, audit, project management and now more recently leading a team of driven product managers while managing products of her own. Prior to working in the payments industry, she worked in the financial sector in fraud and telephony.  She holds a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) designation, is Scrum Master Certified and has completed many courses with Pragmatic Marketing. “Businesses had to pivot to online. We are a small genuine business partner.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Moneris, Kelly explains that social media can be a quiet research tool to understand your competition and the eCommerce landscape, the pivot to online business, and investing time and energy into reconnecting with your customers in creative, post-pandemic ways. The post Ready for Reconnection: Companies and Their Customers with Kelly McBain first appeared on Startup Canada.

Ellie Zolghadr is the director of product for digital solutions at Mastercard Canada. She is passionate about technology and innovation, and has a knack for storytelling. She comes from a quantitative educational background.  She started her career in consulting with a pivot to product and innovation, building new products in the digital space in payments, identity solutions, trading, marketplaces, etc. She is also an instructor teaching craft of product management in a global digital school. “The best approach for any entrepreneur setting up their business in a digital space is to have a very thoughtful and mindful approach for your business – don’t replicate other people’s business.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard, Ellie talks about the challenges that come with doing business online, approaching the digital space in a thoughtful and mindful way and exploring the ways that you can measure your business’ success.  The post Knowing Your Customers: Strategy, Security & Success Online with Ellie Zolghadr first appeared on Startup Canada.

John is the Founder and Managing Partner of Maverix Private Equity. John is also the Founder of OMERS Ventures and through his leadership as the former CEO, OMERS Ventures invested over $500 million of capital in over 40 disruptive technology companies across North America, including growth investments in Shopify, Wattpad, Hootsuite and many more. During his tenure at OMERS, he also formed OMERS Platform Investments as its Executive Managing Director. John is also the Co-founder and Vice-Chair of the Council of Canadian Innovators, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping high-growth Canadian technology firms scale up globally.  John has received accolades from numerous organizations including being selected as Canada’s Most Powerful Business Person by Canadian Business Magazine and as one of Toronto’s most influential persons by Toronto Life Magazine. Amongst his many awards, he was also awarded the Outstanding Progress and Achievement by the Schulich School of Business, an award for outstanding career achievements in their respective field.  “I want to invest in businesses that want to be there for the long haul. Not those who are looking for a quick cash exit”. In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard, John touches on the disappointment and depression that can come with fundraising, but also why right now is a great time to get business financing. The post Power Over Politeness: Funding Canada’s Disruptors with John Ruffolo first appeared on Startup Canada.

What started off as a kitchen-based business and eventually went on to impress business tycoons on Dragon’s Den, is now a top North American nutrition brand spearheaded by two young entrepreneurs promoting health, nutrition, and self-care, with 300% growth year-over-year. Both Claudia and Dominic have changed the way healthy eating is perceived. They developed frozen meal cubes that are delicious and packed with all the nutritional requirements for a healthy diet.  Claudia and Dominic align on one important goal for their company, which is to promote healthy eating, reduce the ecological footprint, Since first launching blender-free smoothies, they have built their business and brand, alongside 40 employees, by continuously evolving and adding new products and creating new recipes that can be enjoyed by all. The two have also kick-started the “Plant a Tree” initiative, in the hopes that Evive will obtain a carbon-neutral certification by 2023. With an active and growing online presence, they both hope to inspire others to be healthier and live their best lives.  “We help people eat healthier and get more from life, through Evive. ” In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard, Dominic and Claudia share how their kitchen side hustle has transformed the way people enjoy smoothies across North America.  The post A Superfood Business: Melting Innovation and Impact with Dominic Dubé & Claudia Poulin first appeared on Startup Canada.

Adrien Beyk is founder and CEO of Quanta Vici, a Toronto based Smart Wearable tech startup that recently launched the world’s first Smart Heated Gloves and Socks. Adrien launched his very first product at the age of 15, a full image editing software suite that got a few million downloads back in the day, known as Pixel Degrees.  He went on to study Engineering at Ryerson University, after graduation he worked with various tech startups as a senior lead engineer, handling the full cycle of different products. Today, he is leading his company, Quanta Vici towards conquering the Smart Apparel industry through a never-seen smart wearable technology that senses and maintains the temperature of your clothing according to your very own personal preferences.  He is also a strong believer of open source venture creation which is why he actively produces content on YouTube and Instagram, sharing his findings and methods as an Entrepreneur.  “No one was launching these products the right way. That is when I decided to give my heart and soul to this product, and commit to making this a very well-executed product and company” In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard, Adrien takes us along the spectrum of fashion, technology, and health to share how he is making wearables that have an impact and look good while doing it. The post Covering the Spectrum: Fashion, Technology & Health with Adrien Beyk first appeared on Startup Canada.

Donald Cooper is a public speaker and a long-time entrepreneur who holds 7 Awards of Excellence for marketing, service and business. Donald believes that commitment is the key to entrepreneurship.  Donald started his business career at the age of 6, sweeping the floor in the family business for 5 cents a day. He earned an MBA from the University of Western Ontario followed by 18 years at Cooper Canada, the family business. Cooper Canada became the world’s leading maker of hockey equipment and a Canadian brand icon.  At age 43 Donald left the family business to do something less corporate, reinventing himself as an award-winning fashion retailer. In just 3 years he fundamentally redefined the customer experience, for which he received 7 Awards of Excellence for marketing, service and business innovation.  Donald now helps companies rethink and reinvent themselves to create compelling customer value, clarity of purpose and long-term profitability. For his unique business content and compelling presentation style, Donald has been inducted into the Canadian Speaking Hall of Fame.  “Children build forts, but adults build forts too. It is their businesses. This is where they go to feel safe, secure and in control. It’s where they hide from reality”. In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard, Donald shares the best business tools for your business and lets us know why learning is easy and unlearning is hard.The post Building a Culture of Commitment with Donald Cooper first appeared on Startup Canada.

Great jewelry is much more than gems and metals.  Rachel Mielke, Founder & CEO of Hillberg & Berk, is making sure to empower women while building a maximalist brand that sparkles. Rachel always had ambitions of starting her own company. After a trip to Banff when she was 23, she decided to make this happen. Rachel founded Hillberg & Berk with two goals in mind, to create beautiful, high-quality jewelry at an affordable price for women and to use her company as a force for social good. Hillberg & Berk works to advocate for social issues and advocate for women’s empowerment.  Rachel has had the honour of designing jewelry for Queen Elizabeth II, has been awarded many entrepreneurial accolades over the years, and is an honorary Captain of the Royal Canadian Navy but Rachel’s proudest accomplishment is by far her three beautiful children and her marriage to her best friend, Zlatan. “To us, sparkle is about inspiring women to tap into their own unique skills and passions and to share those with the world”.  In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard, Rachel shares what it takes to build brand longevity, and what it means for Hilberg and Berk to be built on maximalism, sparkle, and women’s empowerment. The post Expression and Empowerment Through Jewelry with Rachel Mielke first appeared on Startup Canada.

An athlete’s recovery journey can be grueling and difficult. Rachael Rapinoe, Co-Founder & CEO of Mendi is destigmatizing cannabis use in the sports industry and prioritizing wellness. Rachael is the winner of the NCAA national championship with the University of Portland in 2005. She played pro soccer in Europe in 2010, and eventually retired to pursue her passion in the health and fitness industry. Leveraging her BS in Life Sciences and MS in Health & Exercise, Rachael went on to build Rapinoe SC–a top soccer performance training company and lifestyle apparel brand with her sister, US Soccer star sister, Megan Rapinoe. Training thousands of players across the U.S., from youth to the professional level, Rachael’s robust and trusted training brand made her a highly sought after performance coach in the Portland area. After working for the University of Portland women’s soccer team as the head performance coach, Rachael left to co-found Mendi– a cannabis sports brand improving the lives of all athletes using nature’s best tools. She continues to apply her expertise in training, competition and recovery in an effort to better understand the role recovery has in performance and the human body. With her network of influential athletes and passion for competing, Rachael shapes Mendi’s products and business to meet the relevant demand in cannabis x sports. “I don’t believe in the process of being self-made, there are people in everyone’s orbit that help us achieve the goals we aspire for.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard, Rachael discusses navigating the cannabis industry as a woman, advocating for athlete recovery, creating spaces for marginalized entrepreneurs.The post Athlete Recovery & Prioritizing Wellness with Rachael Rapinoe first appeared on Startup Canada.