Startup Canada Podcast

Entrepreneurship is often seen as a great way to work flexible hours and forge your own future, but it can also be used to heal communities. Just ask Dawn Setford, founder and president of the Indigenous Arts Collective of Canada!  Dawn Setford, she who keeps the feathers, is Mohawk Bear Clan whose familial territory is St. Regis/Akwesasne. Dawn is the founder and president of the Indigenous Arts Collective of Canada – home base for over 250 Indigenous artists. She is the facilitator for the Indigenous Women’s Arts Conference and IndigenARTSY.com – a multivendor Indigenous Arts Marketplace. Dawn has dedicated herself full time to protecting endangered Indigenous art forms to empower Indigenous women and the next generations of traditional Indigenous artists. She is the owner of Pass The Feather.ca. She is a Feather Keeper and artist; practicing and sharing traditional bird medicines. Her extensive knowledge and collection of feathers are showcased at passthefeather.ca. When she’s not sharing her feathers, Dawn is a graphic and web designer whose focus is on Indigenous business and organizational branding and marketing. “When Indigenous women are confident, they teach their children to be confident – and that is intergenerational healing.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard, Dawn discusses her work helping to create artistic identities for Indigenous women, the importance of women in community healing, and entrepreneurship as a marriage of money and happiness. The post Entrepreneurship as Healing with Dawn Iehstóseranon:nha Setford – March 2, 2021 first appeared on Startup Canada.

Great leadership is a vital piece of the puzzle for founders. Bruce Poon Tip, Founder of G Adventures and Planeterra, believes leadership is a continuous transformation, not a final destination.  Passionate about the power of travel to change the world for the better, Bruce Poon Tip is a global leader in social entrepreneurship, leadership, immersive travel, and innovation. He is best-known as the founder of G Adventures, the world’s largest small group adventure travel company and pioneer of community tourism. Bruce’s first book, Looptail: How One Company Changed the World by Reinventing Business, became a New York Times Best Seller.  In 2018, Bruce was honoured as one of Canada’s Most Admired CEOs in the category of social entrepreneurship, and in 2019 he made his top 10 debut on Glassdoor’s Top CEOs in Canada list. Bruce has also been granted three honorary doctorates – two in laws from Capilano University and the University of Victoria, and an honorary doctorate of business from Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island, United States. In 2020, he was honoured as one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business and released an instabook titled Unlearn: The Year the Earth Stood Still. “Everything starts and ends with great leadership. It should be something all founders study. Because when your leadership stalls, the entire business starts slowing down.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard, Bruce discusses the travel industry during COVID-19, redefining the limits of social enterprise, and the importance of measuring good leadership.The post The Art of Leadership with Bruce Poon Tip – February 23, 2021 first appeared on Startup Canada.

Raising capital is an age-old problem for founders – but what if there was a free matchmaking service that connected startups and funders? Enter Raymond Luk, Founder and CEO of Hockeystick! Raymond Luk is a serial entrepreneur and investor. He is the founder of Hockeystick (a matchmaking system for startups and funders), Flow Ventures (a financial consultancy for startups), Year One Labs (an early-stage micro-VC fund), and others. He is passionate about entrepreneurship and removing barriers to raising capital through technology.  He currently lives in Toronto with his wife who is the founder of Zvelle, a fashion company. “It’s easy to get caught in the weeds when building something new. The “easy button” model forces you to strip away all of the features, buttons, and crazy business models – because none of it matters if your customer can’t hit that big red button.”  In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard, Raymond discusses the founder mindset, the “easy button” model, and his mission to solve the global problem of private-market funding.The post Funding the Future with Raymond Luk – February 16, 2021 first appeared on Startup Canada.

In the tech startup space, it’s easy to overload products with every gadget and feature you can think of. Jason Sparrow, CEO of BarrelWise, thinks we should involve customers in the design process and be aware of not over-complicating our products. Jason is the CEO of BarrelWise Technologies Ltd., which has developed the world’s first comprehensive system for wine barrel management that delivers process efficiency, quality control, and barrel-by-barrel quality insights to wineries. Jason holds an MBA in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from the University of British Columbia as well as a BA in History and Economics from the University of Victoria. He was also recently recognized as an Entrepreneurial Changemaker as part of the Inniskillin Changemaker Initiative, in partnership with Startup Canada. “One thing that has helped us a lot is getting constant feedback from potential users. Get your customers involved in the design process right from the get-go.”  In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard, Jason discusses involving your customers in product design, the do’s and don’ts of product development, and going out of your way to delight early adopters.The post Product Development 101 with Jason Sparrow – February 9, 2021 first appeared on Startup Canada.

Powerful technology is only as good as its application – faults in execution and implementation can often lead to over digitalized workspaces and overly complicated operations. So how do we utilize tech to empower customers and our ventures? Just ask Michal Pisarek, CEO of Orchestry!   Six-time Microsoft SharePoint MVP, former Co-Founder of Dynamic Owl Consulting and of BONZAI Intranet, Michal Pisarek is a serial entrepreneur, international speaker, Microsoft 365 thought leader and former professional chef bringing his great depth of product, leadership and user experience expertise to Orchestry. His team empowers organizations by creating custom solutions that help organizations effortlessly unlock the power of Microsoft 365.  “Too many entrepreneurs fall in love with the technology they are trying to use but they aren’t in love with the idea of working with customers or with the problem they are trying to solve. Your mission and vision are critically important.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and powered by Microsoft Canada, Michal discusses executing ideas, the importance of relationship building, and utilizing the right tech.The post Utilizing the Right Tech with Michal Pisarek – February 2, 2021 first appeared on Startup Canada.

Week to week, the business landscape in Canada changes drastically – often making it difficult for entrepreneurs to plan for the future. Jason Brommet, Head of Modern Work for Microsoft Canada, chats about tech as a critical investment for entrepreneurs as they plan for the future of work. As Head of Modern Work for Microsoft Canada, Jason leads the team responsible for enabling organizations to amplify the ingenuity of their people with secure, collaborative platforms and tools that accelerate growth and success. Within the Microsoft 365 portfolio, he oversees productivity platforms, such as Microsoft Teams, as well as security and compliance tools. The Microsoft 365 team works with and across Microsoft’s sales and delivery teams, and their market-leading ecosystem of partners. “Find the moments to adopt tech as a platform for innovation and resiliency. Invest in tech to enable your most valuable asset – your people.”  In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and powered by Microsoft Canada, Jason discusses Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams, empowerment through technology, and things entrepreneurs should be doing to prepare for the future needs of their workplace.The post The Future of Work with Jason Brommet – January 26, 2021 first appeared on Startup Canada.

It’s no secret that a great team can be the difference between a company’s success and failure. Bruce Croxon, Partner at Round13 Capital, values a few specific traits on his team – curiosity and open mindedness. Bruce Croxon made his mark as a digital pioneer by co-founding Lavalife and revolutionizing how people connect. Under his direction, he grew this early tech start-up into the marquee brand in online dating with over two million users. Partner, chairman and CEO, Croxon helped lead the company’s growth from four to 600 employees, while achieving revenue of just under $100 million.  Since the sale of Lavalife, Bruce has been active as both an investor and advisor in growth-stage companies in the technology sector. As an ex Dragon on CBC’s Dragons’ Den, he added a broad range of businesses and products to his portfolio that tapped into his passion for digital media, health, and marketing. Croxon currently helms Round13, a company dedicated to investment in growth-stage Canadian tech companies. He also co-hosts The Disruptors on BNN and CTV, a weekly show spotlighting Canadian business and believes our entrepreneurs can hold their own with anyone in the world. “Great teams can make incredible companies out of so-so ideas. On the other hand, bad teams can ruin great ideas.”  In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard, Bruce discusses investing in your most valuable asset – your team.The post Building Great Teams with Bruce Croxon – January 19, 2021 first appeared on Startup Canada.

Sustainability is a buzz word in the entrepreneurship community – but what is true sustainability and how do we achieve circularity within our ventures? Just ask Lindsay Lorusso, Co-Founder and CEO of Nudnik! Lindsay is a circular economy nerd   After spending 15+ years innovating in the waste management space she launched her own business, along with her twin sister (also a waste management alum), to tackle a growing global waste problem through their clothing brand, Nudnik.  Nudnik transforms the softest 100% organic cotton off-cut fabrics and end-of-roll threads & trims that would otherwise pollute the planet into unisex, contemporary basics for kids with monthly rotating themes.  Nudnik has successfully completed programs at the Joe Fresh Centre for Fashion Innovation, Next Canada’s Next Founders program and EY’s Velocity. Nudnik was selected for Desjardins Good Spark Program, a finalist for the BMO Celebrating Women Grant Program and as a leading Changemaker in the Changemaker Initiative with Startup Canada and Inniskillin Estate Winery. “I believe that sustainability will be the biggest pillar of business going forward. So whatever you do, do it through a sustainable lens.”  In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard, Lindsay discusses the circular economy, the global problem of textile waste, and running a business with her twin sister. The post Understanding Circular Design with Lindsay Lorusso – January 12, 2021 first appeared on Startup Canada.

Often one of the most daunting tasks an entrepreneur can face – how do you finance your startup?  Simon Yep and David Kosmayer chat about the benefits of corporate partnerships vs. traditional venture capital investing when financing your big ideas, and how to navigate entering those partnerships.   Simon Yep, VP of Corporate Development and Partnerships at Moneris, oversees strategy, investments, M&A and partnerships. Simon has over 19 years of experience as a strategic advisor and business leader accountable for developing and executing organic and inorganic initiatives to drive P&L growth in fintech, payments, loyalty, retail and healthcare. David Kosmayer is CEO and Founder of Bookmark.com, a Website Builder disrupting the future of web design with Artificial Intelligence. David created his first company at 22 just coming out of college. Marketing Extensions Inc., an online affiliate and marketing agency, was born from the basement of his parent’s home. This company grew under his leadership into a 55-person team, topping $60M in revenue in less than a decade. “Like any relationship, a partnership is work. Have the difficult conversations and find the areas where you can and can’t compromise so you’re on the same page. Honesty and transparency are paramount.”  In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Ceridian and powered by Moneris, Simon and David talk about the importance of entering funding partnerships that align with your values and goals, and why corporate partnerships are often a great way to do just that.  The post Financing Your Idea with David Kosmayer and Simon Yep – January 5, 2021 first appeared on Startup Canada.

Technology changes and trends shift every day. However, through hard work, persistence, and a focussed business model, entrepreneurs can equip themselves to adapt to these changes and use them as growth opportunities. Just ask Dominic Sévigny, Founder, President, and COO of SmartUse Solutions Inc.! Dominic Sévigny has a double degree in electronic and software development. He started out as a programmer in 1998 and worked for the largest software firms in Quebec and France. In 2006, he founded his first business named RunAtServer, which specialized in Silverlight and Windows 8 app development. After selling it, he founded SmartUse in 2012 which became the industry leading construction cloud app for marking up and sharing construction blueprints and documents in real-time. After 8 years, the software is used by thousands of companies across Canada and the United States and it is also deployed on some of the largest Joint-Venture construction projects on the east coast of Canada like KPH-Turcot, Crosslinx Transit Canada, REM and Ottawa Stage 2 LRT. “Make sure your business model actual works – a lot of people try to copy and paste their business models and it just doesn’t work.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Ceridian,, Dominic details first hand the challenges of transitioning to new technologies, but how his team also experienced the ways in which those new tools can enhance success.  For more information on Microsoft Surface, click here.The post Enhancing Success: Adopting New Tech with Dominic Sévigny – December 29, 2020 first appeared on Startup Canada.