

Flagship Podcast
Amiral Ventures
The Flagship Podcast brings you inside stories from the Canadian technology ecosystem. You’ll hear from founders, investors, builders and learn about their triumphs, hardships and hard earned lessons.
You’ll learn about strategies and tactics and about the human side and what it takes to build a thriving technology company which will hopefully help you on your journey.
You’ll learn about strategies and tactics and about the human side and what it takes to build a thriving technology company which will hopefully help you on your journey.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 18, 2025 • 46min
The long hard road of deep tech with Joël Sirois, founder & CEO @ Biointelligence
Joël discusses the inception and development of BioIntelligence which is focused on real-time data monitoring in industrial biotechnology. His journey began with a background in chemical engineering and years of experience in developing bioprocesses. Frustrated by the lack of real-time information in fermentation processes, Joël's team at the University of Sherbrooke developed a revolutionary optical probe technology. This innovation allows operators to monitor multiple parameters in real-time, significantly improving productivity, quality, and resource consumption in industrial biotechnological processes. We also talked about the strategic challenges of funding and scaling the company, emphasizing the importance of a clear vision and focus on core applications within the biotechnology industry. This is one of the conversations I’ve had on the podcast. I really enjoyed Joël’s candor on what it takes to build a breakthrough startup.

Mar 12, 2025 • 39min
Revolutionizing Healthcare with Patient-Centered Technology with Francis Robichaud, Co-Founder & CEO @ Lime Health
Un nouvel épisode dans la série des startups de Québec On a parlé avec Francis Robichaud, Co-fondateur et PDG @ Lime Santé. Francis discute de son parcours d'intégration de la technologie dans le système de santé pour améliorer l'expérience des patients et l'efficacité du système. En tant qu'ingénieur passionné par les soins de santé, Francis exploite les données et les commentaires des patients pour apporter des améliorations systémiques. Il explique l'approche de son entreprise en matière de numérisation du parcours du patient, d'optimisation de la communication et d'utilisation de l'IA pour de meilleurs résultats en matière de soins de santé. Francis aborde également les défis et les opportunités des systèmes de santé du Québec et des États-Unis, ainsi que l'importance de la responsabilité personnelle et de la transparence dans les soins de santé. La conversation s'étend à la stratégie de croissance de l'entreprise, à ses ambitions internationales et au rôle des outils novateurs dans la définition de l'avenir des soins de santé.

Mar 6, 2025 • 37min
Resilience and perseverance with Jimmy Beauregard, CEO & Co-Founder @ Flovver
Sharing today a new podcast series highlighting the 5 cool startups participating in Quebec Tech’s first cohort. The startups are: Flovver, Lime Santé, Biointelligence, Maket and Ferreol. The first episode is with Jimmy Beauregard, CEO & Co-Founder @ Flovver (in french). Jimmy started the company in 2020 and their mission is to make sharing money accessible to all by offering secure, automated technological platforms that promote ethical and accessible financial growth. They specialize in end-to-end loan management solutions designed to streamline the lending process. Their offerings aim to accelerate secure access to funds and empower businesses to integrate lending into their models effectively. Jimmy shares his entrepreneurial journey on the podcast, detailing his 18-year-long career, which began with a web agency and eventually led to the founding of Flovver. Its inception is a tale of resilience and perseverance. Despite early setbacks, Jimmy secured clients and continuously improved the product over the years. Jimmy emphasized the importance of not waiting for perfection, showing up during tough times, and balancing work with personal life priorities. He highlights the crucial role of a dedicated team and good partnerships in achieving success.

Feb 27, 2025 • 34min
Helping women thrive with Anna Chif, Co-Founder @ Coral
Anna Chif is a world class founder that is one to her second company. She co-founded Coral. a women’s digital health platform designed to help women in perimenopause, menopause and beyond achieve their optimal health. Coral matches users with a wellness coach, who is available to chat asynchronously with users to talk through symptom management. They recently raised $4M in seed financing led by Brightspark as well as Diagram Ventures and The51. We spoke about: Anna’s deep conviction on building Coral Coral’s mission and business model Applicable lessons from Dialogue Objections during her recent fundraise Integrating AI with a human touch

Feb 20, 2025 • 32min
The Future of Pharma: AI-Driven Research with Marc Bellemarre, co-founder & Chief Scientific Officer @ Reliant
In this episode, we interview Marc Bellemarre, who discusses his work on developing AI software for the pharmaceutical industry. They focus on 'commercial pharma,' which involves everything beyond molecule search and testing, such as marketing and clinical landscape analysis. Marc's software uses AI to expedite the literature review process, reducing a traditionally 400-hour task to half an hour. The software aims for high accuracy by structuring scientific data and helping analysts and researchers make informed decisions. Marc explains the intricacies of integrating AI with user-friendly software interfaces and ensuring transparency in data validation. He also shares his motivations for leaving a secure job at Google to create a startup and highlights the potential of AI to eliminate bureaucratic inefficiencies. The conversation touches on the challenges of combining traditional software engineering with AI research and the importance of founder-led sales for startups. Marc concludes by discussing the future ambitions for his company and the vital role of building robust AI ecosystems.

Feb 14, 2025 • 34min
North Star | Founder Panel
In this panel discussion, Gabriel Sundaram, a co-founder of Attain, hosts successful CEOs and founders to share their entrepreneurial journeys and key strategies for building and scaling startups. Panelists include Andrew from Stay 22, Anna from Dialogue and Coral, Malik from Nesto, and Joanne from PemPem. They discuss the importance of speed, intensity, and obsession in growing a business, the balance between rapid execution and maintaining personal well-being, and the role of mentorship and coaching. The conversation also emphasizes the value of storytelling in media, adapting to market realities, and the significance of teamwork and finding joy in the entrepreneurial journey. The session ends with advice for students on leveraging academic skills in the business world and maintaining a healthy balance while pursuing their passion.

Feb 14, 2025 • 35min
North Star | Student Founder Panel
In this North Star panel discussion, Eleonore Jarry from Brightspark Ventures sat down with student founders. The conversation highlights the experiences of various student founders, their innovative projects, and the challenges they face in the startup ecosystem. Key topics include raising initial funds, the importance of team and mission, navigating the academia-industry transition, pivots and finding product-market fit, and the unique advantages and support systems available to young entrepreneurs. The panelists also engage in practical discussions on retaining talent within Montreal's ecosystem and fostering stronger ties between academic institutions, startups, and the broader venture capital landscape.

Feb 14, 2025 • 44min
North Star | Harley Finkelstein, President of Shopify
Harley Finkelstein on Entrepreneurship, Grit, and the Montreal Entrepreneurial Spirit Harley Finkelstein of Shopify shares his journey and insights at the North Star event, highlighting the importance of Montreal in his entrepreneurial career. He expresses gratitude for the city's role in his growth and the legacy of his family's market stall. Finkelstein delves into the motivation behind entrepreneurship, stressing both passion and necessity as drivers. He discusses the lowered cost of entry due to modern technology, urging aspiring entrepreneurs to pursue persistent ideas. Emphasizing grit, he argues that failure is part of the journey, and shares personal anecdotes on anxiety and vulnerability as strengths. Finkelstein encourages embracing the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Montreal and the value of staying geographically agnostic in business operations. The session concludes with reflections on personal growth, success, and the importance of having a personal mission aligned with professional goals.

Feb 10, 2025 • 32min
Venture building with Amelie Foz-Couture, Partner, Co-Head @ Diagram Ventures
In this episode, we dive deep into the Venture Studio model with Amelie, discussing the varied and often misunderstood landscape of venture studios. Emily explains how their unique approach involves de-risking ideas internally before partnering with an entrepreneurial community to launch startups. The conversation expands into the nuances of their recently closed $80 million Climate Fund, which focuses on leveraging software and business model innovations to solve critical adoption challenges in the climate tech space. Emily shares insights on addressing macro climate problems, the importance of rigorous customer discovery, and navigating the evolving competitive landscape. Listeners also gain a glimpse into the strategic thought process behind their investments and the future of climate-focused ventures

Feb 2, 2025 • 34min
Accélérer votre virage avec François Gingras, Vice-président Innovation @ Investissement Québec
J’ai eu le plaisir d’échanger avec François Gingras, Vice-président Innovation @ Investissement Québec. Nous avons parlé de: La récente initiative d'Investissement Québec « Grand V », dont l'objectif est de soutenir les entreprises québécoises par des améliorations technologiques et durables de leur productivité. L’initiative offre un soutien financier pouvant atteindre 45 milliards de dollars sur trois ans, combinant prêts et capitaux propres, et comprend des services d’assistance technologique et d’innovation. L'importance de l'innovation tant au niveau des produits que des processus Le rôle de la culture organisationnelle et des succès initiaux des projets pour surmonter les obstacles à l’innovation. Comment le Québec peut-il être plus compétitif en matière d'amélioration de la productivité et la vision future de la résilience économique du Québec (très opportun avec la guerre commerciale imminente) Vous pouvez apprends plus à propos de Grand V ici: https://grandv.investquebec.com/