Startup Canada Podcast

From the smallest of places can come the biggest of ideas, and Patrick Farrar, CEO of Startup Zone PEI will be the first one to tell you that! As a startup advisor and mentor for several businesses, Patrick has helped launch and foster several social startups, leading efforts in raising millions in financing. Attending Jonkoping International Business School in Sweden, the top school in the world for research on Family Business and Entrepreneurship, Patrick conducted research on developing long-standing businesses. His experience and love for start-ups pull him towards other ventures that bring added value to the Canadian economy through business creation and employment. Drawing on startup experiences, he’s inspired to enhance the support and training of ambitious entrepreneurs. This has led him to the Startup Zone, a business incubator that helps entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. “Everyone underestimates PEI, though we’re one of the smallest provinces in Canada when it comes to entrepreneurs there’s a lot of supports considering our size.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Ceridian, Patrick discusses the future of East Coast entrepreneurship, and keeping an eye on the island! The post Future Trends in East Coast Entrepreneurship with Patrick Farrar – March 17th 2020 first appeared on Startup Canada.

Everyone has a story they can bring to life – a mantra by which Jeanne Lam, General Manager of WattPad, says the company lives by each and every day! Jeanne Lam is a senior executive with over fifteen years of experience working in technology and high-growth consumer startups. She is the General Manager of Wattpad, a global multi-platform entertainment company that is home to a community of more than 80 million people. Prior to Wattpad, Jeanne led growth and user acquisition at Shapeways, the world’s largest 3D printing service. She has also worked at Yahoo as Director of Platform Strategy, and mobile payments company, GoPago, as Head of Marketing & Business Intelligence. Before her startup career, she spent three years as a management consultant at Accenture. “The business wasn’t driven from sourcing content, it was about creating a network effect that needs to exist for the business to grow, scale, and accelerate without the need for a marketing budget.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Ceridian, Jeanne discusses the importance of building in processes that make your business self-driven, and starting with your eye on a global prize. The post Building the Machine that Drives Your Business with Jeanne Lam – March 3rd 2020 first appeared on Startup Canada.

There are business relationships, and then there’s your relationship with your business – and Anne Whelan, CEO of Seafair Capital will tell you that just like in romance, you can fall in, out, and back in love with it! A Canadian entrepreneur, innovator, community and business leader. As the founder and CEO of the Seafair group, she has grown a small, family business into a thriving portfolio of small-and-medium-sized organizations. ​In addition to leading her group of companies, she is also a director of the Bank of Canada, and of CSA Group, a Canadian standards organization with global operations in testing, inspection, and certification. She has received many accolades for entrepreneurship and leadership at the national level, including being named to Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women by WXN in 2016 and Atlantic Business Magazine’s CEO of the Year in 2014. “Running a business isn’t that different than a relationship, I’m sure all the listeners have fallen out of love with somebody at some point. That’s where you need to evaluate what you want out of the business and what will bring you fulfillment.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Ceridian, Anne discusses the importance of staying true to what you love about your business, and balancing the other aspects alongside it. The post Sustaining Passion for Your Business with Anne Whelan – March 3rd 2020 first appeared on Startup Canada.

It’s never been a better time to be a woman entrepreneur in Canada, as Janet Bannister, Partner at Real Ventures will tell you! Janet is a Partner at Real Ventures, a leading source of capital for entrepreneurs who are building the next generation of leading tech companies. Janet has led investments in over a dozen companies and works actively with founders to help them build large, industry-defining companies. Not only is that, but Janet is also very active in the Canadian tech ecosystem; she is on the Board of Communitech in Waterloo and Vector Institute in Toronto as well as the Toronto Region Board of Trade. She is also an active advisor at MoveTheDial, DMZ, Creative Destruction Lab and the Research Board of the University Health Network. In 2004, Janet launched Kijiji.ca and grew it to become one of the most visited websites in Canada. “More capital is definitely going into the hands of women, which is very exciting – I’d say at least 3-5 times the amount.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Ceridian, Janet discusses the importance of bringing funding to women entrepreneurs everywhere, and how best to pursue it. The post Connecting Women With Capital with Janet Bannister – February 25th 2020 first appeared on Startup Canada.

Buying local doesn’t only mean customers from your community, it also means thinking big corporate as well! A topic that Nicole Verkindt, Founder and CEO of the OMX, breathes fire on. Nicole Verkindt is the Founder & CEO of Canadian technology company, OMX (theomx.com). OMX is a powerful procurement platform specialized in driving socio-economic returns. The platform measures local spend and socio-economic impacts, including ESGs, or Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance indicators, and other sustainability metrics. Previously, she led a global, high tech manufacturing business. She was also a “Dragon” on CBC’s Next Gen Dragon’s Den, which was dedicated to early stage technology businesses. She was named Startup Canada’s national woman entrepreneur of the year in 2017 and received the Canadian Advanced Technology Peter Brojde award for Next Generation leadership. “We’re constantly talking supply chains as opportunities to do better for your local community, but it’s time to put your money where your mouth is.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, Nicole discusses the importance of procurement from local companies to big business, and how startups can find their place in massive supply chains. The post Power of Procurement with Nicole Verkindt – February 18th 2020 first appeared on Startup Canada.

When you’re trying to break into an already saturated market, sometimes you need to go against the grain to let that business idea ferment to perfection – as Ted Fleming, Founder of Partake Brewing will tell you! Ted is here, to talk beer. Five years ago he gave up alcohol due to Crohn’s disease, but unfortunately, that meant everything great about beer besides the booze went as well – the taste, the camaraderie, the joy of discovering new beers. After a friend suggested Ted try non-alcoholic beer, which he did to his taste buds disappointment, he did what so many of our guests on the Startup Podcast do – and crafted his own solution. “Sometimes going against conventional wisdom is a good thing. It’s ok to be early in a market if you learn something.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Ceridian, Ted discusses the importance of being early into an existing market if you have a new idea, and how he scaled up in the prairies. The post Scaling Up in the Prairies with Ted Fleming – February 11th 2020 first appeared on Startup Canada.

What causes all things to bloom, whether in business or in botany, their fullest? Time! And according to Dr. James Bowen, Investor and Entrepreneur, time is just as valuable as the innovation it allows to flourish. After founding his first startup at age 21, James has c0-founded 4 startups, is an author of 5 books, an inventor, a professor at 12 universities, an advisor and also an angel investor of several startups, and a community activist. He is also active on social media with his podcasts and blog articles. His vision inspired the Startup Canada Awards and is now on to his next initiative – getting everyone involved in investing and benefiting from long term view of emerging and growth-oriented innovations. His new book FrontRunner Investing is the starting point for this conversation, available now! “We need funding or financing that is patient and long term. We need to have investors who understand how the company will evolve over a five to ten-year time frame.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, James discusses the importance of looking to the long-term for budding innovation. The post Investing in Long-Term Innovation with James Bowen – February 4th 2020 first appeared on Startup Canada.

They say necessity is the mother of invention, but Yukonstruct’s Executive Director Lana Selbee would say the same for innovation! Yukonstruct provides a community co-working space for creators and entrepreneurs in the Yukon to give access to space, equipment, and knowledge. As the executive director, Lana manages this space and helps foster an environment encouraging growth and innovation. A former entrepreneur herself, Lana’s first startup experience was launching a retail boutique and community art gallery in Calgary, AB. Since then she’s consulted for many startups, nonprofits and community organizations, helping them grow and support their members. “The Yukon is just so rich with nature and culture, inspiration is everywhere, even though it’s remote. So I think innovation comes naturally, and you can attract incredible people that are looking for an adventure.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupPodcast, Lana discusses the importance of drawing inspiration from the world around you, and all things north of expectations in the Yukon. The post Innovation By Necessity with Lana Selbee – January 28th 2020 first appeared on Startup Canada.

Being a Founder can be a lonely journey, even more so when you move to a new country. But if you ask Miryam Lazarte, Co-Founder of LatAm Startups, it doesn’t have to be. LatAm Startups is a Toronto-based accelerator that brings startups from Latin America to Canada to help scale these companies globally. A serial entrepreneur since childhood in Colombia, Miryam is passionate about building stronger economic ties between Canada and Latin America—and—often—overlooked market of 800 million consumers. “If you can facilitate newcomers entering the Canadian startup ecosystem, it’s a great opportunity not only for newcomers but for Canadian companies that are looking to tap into international waters.” Lazarte is a member of the Program Advisory Committee for Business Administration, Entrepreneurship and Small Business at Seneca College, and works closely with both Canadian and Latin American angels in pursuit of cross-border investment opportunities. On this week’s Startup Podcast, Miryam talks about the opportunities Canadian companies can open by bringing in newcomers. The post Gathering the Tools to Go Global with Miryam Lazarte – January 21st 2020 first appeared on Startup Canada.

Your idea is precious as a founder, and it’s easy to feel threatened by the idea of sharing it with others. However, Danielle Torrie, Manager of Startup Calgary, challenges you to bust that idea wide open. Since joining Calgary Economic Development in 2017, Startup Calgary has connected with over 8,000 event attendees through workshops, meetups, and events like Startup Weekend. Prior to joining Startup Calgary full time, Danielle leveraged her experience in marketing and communications as a member of two-person events and marketing agency that supported entrepreneurial organizations like the A100, Rainforest Alberta, Cybera, and more. “If you’re looking for support from the Calgary community, that also means that you have to be willing to accept feedback. Support doesn’t always come in the form of being a customer.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, Danielle discusses the importance of having an open dialogue around your business ideas and practices as an entrepreneur, especially when local business isn’t so local. The post Open Dialogue on the Open Market with Danielle Torrie – January 14th 2020 first appeared on Startup Canada.