

The Insider's Guide To Finance
Cory Cleveland
The Insider’s Guide To Finance brings you stories from the front lines of financing public and private companies.
We host seasoned CEO's, fund managers, bankers, brokers and business experts who answer your questions about how to properly finance opportunities and build outstanding success stories.
We dig into the educational ‘how to’s' and mechanics of structuring good deals. You’ll also hear about strokes of luck, tense negotiations, the pressures of closing, as well as how to best engage investors and navigate the private and public markets.
We host seasoned CEO's, fund managers, bankers, brokers and business experts who answer your questions about how to properly finance opportunities and build outstanding success stories.
We dig into the educational ‘how to’s' and mechanics of structuring good deals. You’ll also hear about strokes of luck, tense negotiations, the pressures of closing, as well as how to best engage investors and navigate the private and public markets.
Episodes
Mentioned books

May 15, 2019 • 1h 18min
Praveen Varshney - Partner at Varshney Capital
From mining to gaming to real estate and now to going deep with social impact investing; Praveen talks with us about his approach to investing in winning opportunities.He and his partners – his father and brother – have earned an outstanding reputation and are now focusing their strengths on bettering the world through building companies that deliver on a greater cause.Our conversation takes us into what he looks for in investment opportunities, how to use public venture capital and to his thoughts on capital structures and the powers of “aligned capital”. We also get into the deals he’s excited about now and how he and his partners structure and finance real estate opportunities.Check out some of our most popular episodes:Chicken S#!it CEOs w. Mogens Smed: https://bit.ly/3M7c4xCLeadership Lessons from Louis Vuitton, Samsonite, and Now, EVCP Growth Equity: https://bit.ly/3LN5GugCanada’s Best Venture Partner w. Bruce Croxon: https://bit.ly/3ppCAt9Stay in the know and follow along:Subscribe to the podcast:iTunes - https://apple.co/43d7C6ZSpotify - https://spoti.fi/43d7SmrConnect with our host, Cory Cleveland on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3Lti42oVisit The Insider’s Guide to Finance Website: https://bit.ly/3ANacUrSign up for our free 5-part master class Investor Marketing 2.0: https://bit.ly/42C0FLWFollow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/42grK7wSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/411XXxUSubscribe to The Knowledge Bank Letter - a periodic letter of actionable insights, interviews, and quality curations: https://bit.ly/3pgdAVf

Apr 24, 2019 • 49min
Lloyed Lobo - Cofounder of Boast.AI
There are hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars that you can recover from the government programs.You’ve likely heard about them - R&D and the SRED tax credit programs. Lloyed Lobo of Boast.AI and I connect to discuss what these programs are and how they can apply to your business.If you have ever wondered about tax credits work, how to best approach getting them - and even if you should bother, this will be a helpful interview for you.Check out some of our most popular episodes:Chicken S#!it CEOs w. Mogens Smed: https://bit.ly/3M7c4xCLeadership Lessons from Louis Vuitton, Samsonite, and Now, EVCP Growth Equity: https://bit.ly/3LN5GugCanada’s Best Venture Partner w. Bruce Croxon: https://bit.ly/3ppCAt9Stay in the know and follow along:Subscribe to the podcast:iTunes - https://apple.co/43d7C6ZSpotify - https://spoti.fi/43d7SmrConnect with our host, Cory Cleveland on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3Lti42oVisit The Insider’s Guide to Finance Website: https://bit.ly/3ANacUrSign up for our free 5-part master class Investor Marketing 2.0: https://bit.ly/42C0FLWFollow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/42grK7wSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/411XXxUSubscribe to The Knowledge Bank Letter - a periodic letter of actionable insights, interviews, and quality curations: https://bit.ly/3pgdAVf

Apr 17, 2019 • 57min
Mike Winterfield - Fund Manager and Founder of Active Impact Investments
Mike Winterfield is the founder and CEO of Active Impact Investments.He is blazing an interesting trail in the world of finance with a focus on companies that have a defined social benefit and purpose.The thesis of his fund is to invest in companies that have a clear stated mission to tackle some of our most challenging social and environmental problems. The thing is, it is not a charity by any means. Along with a purpose that goes beyond just profit, his fund is looking to make outsized returns the same way a typical venture capital fund would.Impact investing may be gaining a meaningful following. From high-networth investors looking to have more meaning in their investments to companies using a greater purpose as a competitive advantage, Mike and his team are on to something really interesting.Check out some of our most popular episodes:Chicken S#!it CEOs w. Mogens Smed: https://bit.ly/3M7c4xCLeadership Lessons from Louis Vuitton, Samsonite, and Now, EVCP Growth Equity: https://bit.ly/3LN5GugCanada’s Best Venture Partner w. Bruce Croxon: https://bit.ly/3ppCAt9Stay in the know and follow along:Subscribe to the podcast:iTunes - https://apple.co/43d7C6ZSpotify - https://spoti.fi/43d7SmrConnect with our host, Cory Cleveland on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3Lti42oVisit The Insider’s Guide to Finance Website: https://bit.ly/3ANacUrSign up for our free 5-part master class Investor Marketing 2.0: https://bit.ly/42C0FLWFollow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/42grK7wSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/411XXxUSubscribe to The Knowledge Bank Letter - a periodic letter of actionable insights, interviews, and quality curations: https://bit.ly/3pgdAVf

Apr 4, 2019 • 37min
Bruce Campbell - Portfolio Manager and Founder of Stone Castle Investments
Bruce Campbell, the founder and Portfolio Manager of Stone Castle Funds.In this interview, we don’t talk about investment ideas or big wins. Instead we focused on what he likes to see from the opportunities and companies he invests in. From the funds he manages to the way he keeps deals on his radar, you’ll hear his inside perspective.Bruce and his team manage six funds across various sectors including everyone’s favourites, cannabis and blockchain. He is a regular contributor to BNN Bloomberg, The Globe and Mail and a number of other media outlets.There are lots of other good points here about both his views on industries he’s covering as well as what he likes to see in his investments.Check out some of our most popular episodes:Chicken S#!it CEOs w. Mogens Smed: https://bit.ly/3M7c4xCLeadership Lessons from Louis Vuitton, Samsonite, and Now, EVCP Growth Equity: https://bit.ly/3LN5GugCanada’s Best Venture Partner w. Bruce Croxon: https://bit.ly/3ppCAt9Stay in the know and follow along:Subscribe to the podcast:iTunes - https://apple.co/43d7C6ZSpotify - https://spoti.fi/43d7SmrConnect with our host, Cory Cleveland on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3Lti42oVisit The Insider’s Guide to Finance Website: https://bit.ly/3ANacUrSign up for our free 5-part master class Investor Marketing 2.0: https://bit.ly/42C0FLWFollow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/42grK7wSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/411XXxUSubscribe to The Knowledge Bank Letter - a periodic letter of actionable insights, interviews, and quality curations: https://bit.ly/3pgdAVf

Mar 28, 2019 • 1h 7min
Part 2 - Gordon Keep - 35 Years Of Finding Gold In The Capital Markets
Part 2 - What would you learn from 35+ years of building companies in the capital markets?In this two part episode, Gordon Keep expounds on his experience in building over 250 companies and the lessons he’s had with public venture capital.From his early days with the TSX, helping write regulations, being an early mover into South America with what was Yorkton Securities and on to his enduring partnership with Frank Giustra to build some of the world’s most notable resource companies.Check out some of our most popular episodes:Chicken S#!it CEOs w. Mogens Smed: https://bit.ly/3M7c4xCLeadership Lessons from Louis Vuitton, Samsonite, and Now, EVCP Growth Equity: https://bit.ly/3LN5GugCanada’s Best Venture Partner w. Bruce Croxon: https://bit.ly/3ppCAt9Stay in the know and follow along:Subscribe to the podcast:iTunes - https://apple.co/43d7C6ZSpotify - https://spoti.fi/43d7SmrConnect with our host, Cory Cleveland on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3Lti42oVisit The Insider’s Guide to Finance Website: https://bit.ly/3ANacUrSign up for our free 5-part master class Investor Marketing 2.0: https://bit.ly/42C0FLWFollow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/42grK7wSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/411XXxUSubscribe to The Knowledge Bank Letter - a periodic letter of actionable insights, interviews, and quality curations: https://bit.ly/3pgdAVf

Mar 20, 2019 • 53min
Part 1 - Gordon Keep - 35 Years Of Finding Gold In The Capital Markets - Part 1
What would you learn from 35+ years of building companies in the capital markets?In this two part episode, Gordon Keep expounds on his experience in building over 250 companies and the lessons he’s had with public venture capital. From his early days with the TSX, helping write regulations, being an early mover into South America with what was Yorkton Securities and on to his enduring partnership with Frank Giustra to build some of the world’s most notable resource companies.This is a history lesson where Gordon reflects on some of the deals that put Canada on the map as a major player in the international resource space. This is also a tactical discussion. We discuss listing through CPC’s, RTO’s and IPO’s, what to pay for a shell, how to pick partners and how to tactfully take profits… We also talk timing… They won huge on Uranium, Gold and Lithium, but lost on Potash… In Gord’s words, they missed it by about 8 or 9 months.Gordon, Frank and Brian now lead Fiore Group where they continue to advise and build remarkable companies. This is an episode you won’t want to miss… in fact, listen closely with a notepad as there's so much value in the experience he shares.Check out some of our most popular episodes:Chicken S#!it CEOs w. Mogens Smed: https://bit.ly/3M7c4xCLeadership Lessons from Louis Vuitton, Samsonite, and Now, EVCP Growth Equity: https://bit.ly/3LN5GugCanada’s Best Venture Partner w. Bruce Croxon: https://bit.ly/3ppCAt9Stay in the know and follow along:Subscribe to the podcast:iTunes - https://apple.co/43d7C6ZSpotify - https://spoti.fi/43d7SmrConnect with our host, Cory Cleveland on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3Lti42oVisit The Insider’s Guide to Finance Website: https://bit.ly/3ANacUrSign up for our free 5-part master class Investor Marketing 2.0: https://bit.ly/42C0FLWFollow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/42grK7wSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/411XXxUSubscribe to The Knowledge Bank Letter - a periodic letter of actionable insights, interviews, and quality curations: https://bit.ly/3pgdAVf

Mar 13, 2019 • 50min
Frank Lonardelli - Financing And Acquiring Great Real Estate Deals
Frank Lonardelli is the founder and CEO of Arlington St. Investments. Frank is a sharp businessman having built a portfolio of real estate assets well into the hundreds of millions of dollars. As well as having an exceptional eye for deals and detail, Frank is a powerful storyteller. He has the ability to paint a vivid picture of situations and opportunities which has surely worked in his favour when financing his projects. We discuss his main focus right now; the redevelopment of 17th Avenue in Calgary, Alberta. He has bought up dozens of properties in Calgary with a focus on reshaping the inner-city. I thought we’d drill down on the hard-skills of how he structures and finances his projects, but instead, Frank shared some interesting points about the application of soft-skills in creating a good deal. For those interested in financing real estate development projects, this is a special episode worth listening to.Check out some of our most popular episodes:Chicken S#!it CEOs w. Mogens Smed: https://bit.ly/3M7c4xCLeadership Lessons from Louis Vuitton, Samsonite, and Now, EVCP Growth Equity: https://bit.ly/3LN5GugCanada’s Best Venture Partner w. Bruce Croxon: https://bit.ly/3ppCAt9Stay in the know and follow along:Subscribe to the podcast:iTunes - https://apple.co/43d7C6ZSpotify - https://spoti.fi/43d7SmrConnect with our host, Cory Cleveland on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3Lti42oVisit The Insider’s Guide to Finance Website: https://bit.ly/3ANacUrSign up for our free 5-part master class Investor Marketing 2.0: https://bit.ly/42C0FLWFollow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/42grK7wSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/411XXxUSubscribe to The Knowledge Bank Letter - a periodic letter of actionable insights, interviews, and quality curations: https://bit.ly/3pgdAVf

Mar 6, 2019 • 36min
Hanif Joshaghani - Investment Banker Turned Serial Entrepreneur
Former Investment Banker turned entrepreneur… This is the story of Hanif Joshaghani, CEO of Symend. Hanif has moved on to his fourth startup the previous being remarkable successes with partial and complete exits. His leadership of Symend is certainly influenced by his investment banking experience. In this episode, you’re going to hear about what you should know about investment bankers. For example… the value of being methodical, organized and thoughtful about the steps in your financing can not be understated. It can mean the difference between a quick, properly priced financing or at worst, not being able to get your deal done. As well, you’ll hear about his experience and strategy with his current fundraising initiatives with Symend. I particularly liked our discussion around financing and the due diligence process. It’s an inside scoop on how your deal may be viewed by bankers and check writers. Check out some of our most popular episodes:Chicken S#!it CEOs w. Mogens Smed: https://bit.ly/3M7c4xCLeadership Lessons from Louis Vuitton, Samsonite, and Now, EVCP Growth Equity: https://bit.ly/3LN5GugCanada’s Best Venture Partner w. Bruce Croxon: https://bit.ly/3ppCAt9Stay in the know and follow along:Subscribe to the podcast:iTunes - https://apple.co/43d7C6ZSpotify - https://spoti.fi/43d7SmrConnect with our host, Cory Cleveland on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3Lti42oVisit The Insider’s Guide to Finance Website: https://bit.ly/3ANacUrSign up for our free 5-part master class Investor Marketing 2.0: https://bit.ly/42C0FLWFollow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/42grK7wSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/411XXxUSubscribe to The Knowledge Bank Letter - a periodic letter of actionable insights, interviews, and quality curations: https://bit.ly/3pgdAVf

Feb 27, 2019 • 31min
Brian Paes-Braga, Managing Director at Fiore Group, Founder of LIX
Brian Paes-Braga is a partner and Managing Director at the Fiore Group as well as the founder of Lithium X. He has a remarkable story of taking an opportunity, structuring it up with good partners and using public venture capital to create tremendous value. We discuss his early experience in the brokerage industry and the process of how he structured Lithium X. We also talk about the importance of a powerful narrative and the raising over $50+ million for LIX.Brian provides some great first-hand experience in reflecting on the growth of LIX and the deals he is focused on now. Enjoy the show.Check out some of our most popular episodes:Chicken S#!it CEOs w. Mogens Smed: https://bit.ly/3M7c4xCLeadership Lessons from Louis Vuitton, Samsonite, and Now, EVCP Growth Equity: https://bit.ly/3LN5GugCanada’s Best Venture Partner w. Bruce Croxon: https://bit.ly/3ppCAt9Stay in the know and follow along:Subscribe to the podcast:iTunes - https://apple.co/43d7C6ZSpotify - https://spoti.fi/43d7SmrConnect with our host, Cory Cleveland on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3Lti42oVisit The Insider’s Guide to Finance Website: https://bit.ly/3ANacUrSign up for our free 5-part master class Investor Marketing 2.0: https://bit.ly/42C0FLWFollow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/42grK7wSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/411XXxUSubscribe to The Knowledge Bank Letter - a periodic letter of actionable insights, interviews, and quality curations: https://bit.ly/3pgdAVf

Feb 20, 2019 • 51min
Tyler Stuart - Investing In The Future Of Cannabis
Tyler Stuart is a pioneer in the Cannabis industry. He and his partner created one of Canada's first cannabis exclusive investment funds focusing on the 'picks and shovels' of the industry.Green Acre Capital now has two investment funds of over $100 million focused both on early-stage venture opportunities and later stage private equity investments. Listen to hear how Tyler view the industry and the deals he sees.Check out some of our most popular episodes:Chicken S#!it CEOs w. Mogens Smed: https://bit.ly/3M7c4xCLeadership Lessons from Louis Vuitton, Samsonite, and Now, EVCP Growth Equity: https://bit.ly/3LN5GugCanada’s Best Venture Partner w. Bruce Croxon: https://bit.ly/3ppCAt9Stay in the know and follow along:Subscribe to the podcast:iTunes - https://apple.co/43d7C6ZSpotify - https://spoti.fi/43d7SmrConnect with our host, Cory Cleveland on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3Lti42oVisit The Insider’s Guide to Finance Website: https://bit.ly/3ANacUrSign up for our free 5-part master class Investor Marketing 2.0: https://bit.ly/42C0FLWFollow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/42grK7wSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/411XXxUSubscribe to The Knowledge Bank Letter - a periodic letter of actionable insights, interviews, and quality curations: https://bit.ly/3pgdAVf