Flagship Podcast

I had the pleasure of speaking with Andria Santos, Co-founder & CEO @ Fülhaus  Fülhaus is an AI-powered interior design and furnishing company dedicated to improving performance of furnished real estate properties and hospitality business through good design.    We spoke about:  Building a solid interior design company over 10 years The AI new product they launched with Ludwig and how it can empower interior designers globally How Fülhaus is the first & best customer for Ludwig The huge market opportunity ahead with their new AI Entrepreneurial lessons after 10 years  

Simon De Baene is the dreamer and visionary at the top of Workleap, which designs software used by over 15,000 organizations in 110 countries. Recognized as one of Quebec's largest SMEs, Workleap now has over 200 employees and is currently one of the fastest-growing companies in North America. Early in his entrepreneurial journey, Simon realized that employee fulfillment was the key to success, and began building what would quickly become one of the most inspiring business cultures on the planet. Audacious and non-conformist by nature, he is more motivated than ever to challenge the status quo in the workplace. We spoke about:  Being obsessed in order to build a world-class product How you need to be relentlessly determined to achieve a breakthrough How competition has radically increased in software  The global opportunity for Workleap The market for employee experience and how it’s growing

Scott Loong, a Partner at Panache Ventures and former CEO of Covera.ai, dives into the innovative landscape of FinTech and venture capital. He discusses his transition from law to entrepreneurship, shedding light on the importance of mentorship. Scott unveils the unique customer experience challenges at Quivera and critiques the effectiveness of startup accelerators. He emphasizes the emotional journey of founders, the need for empathy, and the significance of strong support systems in navigating the complex startup ecosystem.

Originally from Montreal, business woman, creator and philanthropist, Vickie Joseph has been immersed in the world of fashion from a very young age. Today, as a happy mother of three children, the designer and businesswoman has been recognized for her projects on several occasions, including the multi million dollars she and her husband Frantz Saintellemy invested in the neighborhood of Saint Michel. Having created her clothing line in 2006, Vickie is a model of success. With determination and perseverance, she has succeeded in creating a company that broke into a very limited local market in Quebec, swept the country, and then spread internationally to create jobs for eager young women who would not otherwise have had the chance to work in such a niche sector

John is the Founder and Managing Partner of Maverix Private Equity, a private equity firm focused on technology-enabled growth and disruption investment strategies. As a firm run by entrepreneurs, funded by entrepreneurs, and for entrepreneurs, Maverix invests in health and wellness, financial services, transportation and logistics, live, work, play and learn, and retail. John chairs the Investment Committee, guides the strategy of the firm, is deeply involved with fundraising and sourcing and leading investment opportunities, particularly within the technology industry.  He led Maverix’s first investment in Viral Nation and sits on their board.  John is also the Founder of OMERS Ventures and Co-Founder and Vice Chair of the Council of Canadian Innovators. Over the course of his leadership as the CEO of OMERS Ventures, they invested over USD$500 million in over 40 disruptive technology companies across North America, including growth investments in Shopify, Xanadu, Wattpad, Wave, Hootsuite, Rover, Desire 2 Learn, Hopper, DuckDuckGo, TouchBistro and League. During his tenure at OMERS, John also formed OMERS Platform Investments, and as its Executive Managing Director, he formed OMERS Growth Equity and led investments in Purpose Financial, PointNorth Capital, District Ventures, OneEleven and ArcTern Ventures. John co-founded the Council of Canadian Innovators with Jim Balsillie, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping high-growth Canadian technology firms scale globally.  

For the first episode, I could not think of two better people than my mighty partners at Amiral Ventures, Frederic Bastien and Dominic Becotte. We spoke about:  Why we’re starting Amiral Ventures  The funding gap in Canada and how we’re planning to address it Our investment thesis centered around sustainable economic dynamism  Why we believe that the Canadian tech ecosystem is just getting started