Ryan Shupak is the co-founder of Jiffy, a service that allows you to get on-demand contractors to your home. Building a marketplace always comes with its own set of challenges. The supply side, the contractors, are already doing the work so building up this marketplace was a bit easier and more unique than others. The early day grind of getting sig…

Shawna Stewart is the VP of People and Operations at PostBeyond, a tech startup in Toronto. Being in charge of the operations and people part of any company is a tall order. Shawna's favourite task is to create inclusive and positive policies. In light of Black Lives Matter especially, she believes it is important to take another look at policies a…

David Lloyd recorded this episode with Neil Wainright in mid-2019 but never had the opportunity to publish it... until now! David Lloyd takes over the Float or Founder podcast to discuss "the grind" it takes to run a tech startup and turn it into a solid company. David comes from an extensive background in the tech industry in Toronto and is curren…

What does it take to launch a business in Canada? Kayla Isabelle has had the pleasure of seeing companies from launch through success many times as Executive Director of Startup Canada. She takes us through the joy of coaching and mentoring startups and the similarities she sees between leaders. What does every entrepreneur need? Passion and grit. …

Diana Goodwin launched Aquamobile eight years ago - a business enabling swim instructors to do at-home lessons on-the-go. Their internal management tool of these instructors and customers/lessons led her to launching Marketbox to other companies facing labour deployment and management challenges. In essense, Aquamobile became a customer of Marketbo…

Many people think marketing is fluffy but (especially in the tech industry) it's anything but. Marketing is creative, experimental, and data-driven. How do you write copy that connects? How do you create ads that converts? You need to test a hypothesis and see the data to build the most successful marketing strategies. Sarah Stockdale takes us on h…

David Lloyd recorded this episode with James Novak in mid-2019 but never had the opportunity to publish it... until now! David Lloyd takes over the Float or Founder podcast to discuss "the grind" it takes to run a tech startup and turn it into a solid company. David comes from an extensive background in the tech industry in Toronto and is currently…

Running a textile factory is challenging but Kathy Cheng of WS & Co. and Redwood Classics Apparel takes us into the world of vertical integration. She shares how her family moved to Canada and started this company to promote made-in-Canada goods. She discusses how they're making fashion accessible through their Redwood Classics Apparel brand and th…

Derek Manuge is the co-founder, Director, and CEO of Corl.io - a revenue sharing and investment company. He shows us the different types of funding opportunities for businesses and how he came up with the idea of using data to make equitable and fair investment decisions. There is a lot of math that goes into the underlying software! Derek shares t…

Faye Almeshaan is the Program Manager and Venture Associate of Acceleprise. Acceleprise is a B2B software accelerator program and investment firm based in San Francisco and Toronto. She talks about how companies pivoted and grew out of COVID and what the investment scene is like. If you're a B2B startup looking to join an accelerator, you can follo…

Social media marketing is a necessary component of every company. Zoe saw this a few years back when she started her agency Schmooz at a time when many didn't see social media as a serious pursuit. Zoe offers her insights on how important social media is to provide value and connect with the human side of brands, especially during COVID and Black L…

Charles Bennett has been running his full-service technology management company, Triella, for 17 years as founder and CEO! Running a company for that long has given Charles insight into the industry. He shares his top security tips for any company during COVID and with remote work becoming the norm. He openly shares the challenges of hiring and men…

Paula Teixeira Leite is the founder of Caju Winds, a cashew spread that is a delicious, vegan alternative to cream cheese and other dairy spreads. She started the business when her daughter started experiencing allergies and reactions to food. Paula shares insights into starting a food business - everything from the regulations, to working closely …

Back to school looks a little different in 2020 for most people. Jason Field is the Founder and CEO of Brainstation, an education centre for digital skills. He discusses how they switched to online education during COVID-19 and how they could reach additional markets due to the online switch. They offer 400 instructors - not a small team by any mea…

Trigger Warning: Discussions of racism, George Floyd, police brutality, racism in the workplace. Dr. Leeno Karumanchery is the co-founder and Head of Behavioural Sciences at MESH Diversity. MESH fully integrated anti-racism tool. He is a doctor of sociology and discusses the first class and professor that inspired him to pursue anti-racist work as …

When you face a personal pain point, what's the first thing you think to do? Alyssa Atkins of Lilia decided to turn her personal pain point into a business. Lilia is a personal online concierge that gives you clarity and confidence in options about egg security and storage - and celebration! She talks about her time in Y Combinator as it switched t…

Jay Rosenzweig of Rosenzweig & Company talks to us about recruiting - in a pandemic and out. He also provides insights on how you can offer your skills to achieve what you want in your career and try new paths. Fun fact: he does songwriting on the side! Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)…

David Lloyd recorded this episode with Joel Lessem in mid-2019 but never had the opportunity to publish it... until now! David Lloyd takes over the Float or Founder podcast to discuss the "grind" it takes to run a tech startup and turn it into a solid company. David comes from an extensive background in the tech industry in Toronto and is currently…

Timing is everything - or so we're told. Neel Lukka delves into why timing is so important for the success of a company. He talks about the different businesses he's built, his experience in Y Com, and what he's up to now! Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)بقلم samantha@metaranx.com (Float or Founder)

Martha Switzer is the co-founder and CEO of Sprout. Sprout enables businesses to reward their employees for healthy behaviour. She talks about wellness, how COVID-19 impacted wellness initiatives, and why she built a company around wellness and health in the workplace. Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)…

Mark Ang, co-founder and CEO, of Second Closet joins us this week. He discusses the unscalable early days of creating their storage company and how they grinded through those challenges. If you're curious on what goes on behind-the-scenes of early day startups, Mark has incredible insights into what him and his co-founders faced! Support the show (…

Nunzio Presta runs a business of helping you sell your business with the company he is the CEO of, BizOn. He takes us through the selling process, the best way to approach selling your business, how to buy a business, why people sell, and so much more. He provides really interesting insights into operating this type of marketplace and how it began.…

Marsha Druker of F*ckupNights talks to us about building a community and what it takes to really form a meaningful one. In light of COVID, she talks about taking a community that typically met in-person to a virtual one. Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)بقلم samantha@metaranx.com (Float or Founder)

Starting a new business anywhere is a challenge - but especially if you need a physical space to operate in. Dr. Bryan Gelman runs Yonge & St. Clair Veterinary Hospital. He delved into the tricky world of Toronto commercial real estate, navigating a property sale, and turning the place into his ideal veterinary practice. Dr. Gelman truly values his…

Back in April 2020, Techstars Global Startup Weekend COVID-19 Online CANADA took place. People from across the country joined this hackathon-style weekend virtually to help accomplish goals surrounding COVID-19. Float or Founder offered a podcast episode as a prize and from there, this special edition episode was created! In this episode, you'll me…

Eric Vardon now operates Morphio.ai, an artificial intelligence company for digital marketers. This all grew from his many years operating a digital agency. Eric discusses marketing during COVID and beyond. Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)بقلم samantha@metaranx.com (Float or Founder)

Shrad Rao built Wagepoint from a unique perspective: seeing a strategic alignment between a product all businesses need and a desire to modernize an older industry. He took on payroll, alongside his co-founders, and they have helped small businesses handle their payroll needs in a modern way. Shrad's company has always been remote-first and he shar…

Launching a marketplace can be difficult in the best times. How are Kate Dickson and Sarah Hartkorn, co-founders of Primped handling their bring-beauty-to-you app during COVID? If you need advice on managing a marketplace during challenging times, tune in! 🎙️ These former finance professionals discuss how they started the company together and how t…

Jodi Kovitz, founder of #MoveTheDial takes us through the challenges her organization faced during COVID-19 and how she turned these experiences into new projects to lead. Now, Jodi has published her book Go Out Of Your Way and her podcast Joyful Sundays went live on June 14th 2020. We had a lot of fun catching up with Jodi and discuss how you can …

"At some point, you have to ask for it." Colin Hennigar is the VP of Major Gifts of SickKids Foundation. He talks about fundraising tips for non-profits and startups alike, whether during COVID-19 or not. Colin goes in-depth about how their foundation keeps investors up-to-date on where their charity goes. He shares how the charitable and giving ac…

Float or Founder is launching season two in June 2020! We can't wait to bring you more stories from startup founders and entrepreneurs in Toronto, Canada. Beyond that, we're expanding our guests to include executives, venture capitalists, and other great people that make this city shine. See why Toronto is one of the best places to launch your new …

What's it really like to go through an acquisition/merger? What about an aqui-hire? Farhan Thawar shares his experience going through an acquisition not once, but twice! Find out how the process goes, if it's anything like it is on TV, and what it's like to be part of the Canadian tech ecosystem. Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/par…

We're back with another #movethedial minisode! Jesse Draper of Halogen Ventures, a firm that invests in co-ed led, early stage consumer technology companies. Jesse discusses the importance of diversity on a team, in a product, and what Halogen looks for in a company they want to invest in! Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)…

Michelle McBane takes us through her experience as a VC in Toronto and what you can do to standout when pitching investors. She provides a ton of actionable advice surrounding your pitch deck, founding team, and company. Whether you dream of securing a big investment or becoming a VC yourself, Michelle has insights for you! Support the show (https:…

Prashant Shukla and Devon Leichtman take us into Origin Ventures - their VC firm based in Chicago. They provide resources to all their investments and believe it's important to support the founders and their companies from origin to exit. Hear why they're excited about investing in the Canadian tech scene, the type of companies they're looking for,…

Eva Lau of Two Small Fish Ventures shares her journey in the Toronto tech scene and supporting burgeoning startups as a VC. We sat down with Eva at #movethedial this past November in Toronto. She discusses the importance of diversity and inclusion early on in products to find product market fit. Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/part…

Joanne Fedeyko of Connection Silicon Valley discusses differences between startups, funding, and opportunities in Canada versus Silicon Valley and how she bridges those gaps. Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)بقلم samantha@metaranx.com (Float or Founder)

We've all had managers who just didn't quite know how to... manage. Melissa and Jonathan Nightingale of Raw Signal Group take us on their career paths in tech in SF all the way to promoting proper management training to the Toronto ecosystem. Learn how they encourage companies to implement proper management techniques, co-authored a book together, …

On this special #movethedial minisode, we speak with Dr. Sarah Saska of Feminuity about diversity and inclusion. Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)بقلم samantha@metaranx.com (Float or Founder)

The fashion industry is a challenging one to be in. Shane Vitaly goes deep into building his punk jewelry brand from scratch and everything that entails. From factory mishaps to building a brick-and-mortar Toronto store from scratch to starting another jewelry brand with a new target audience. There are many different aspects to building a successf…

People always tells you to create a business idea out of a personal pain point. Have you ever been running a company and been frustrated by an industry pain point and decided to solve that? That's exactly what Mark Graham of commonsku did. During his days running Rightsleeve, he faced challenges and needed a workflow management platform. That workf…

Quick: what happens when some bad news gets released about your company? Do you react or not? When you have good news - how do you spread the word? All these questions and more are answered by the amazing Jodi Echakowitz of Boulevard PR. Jodi has led her PR agency for the past 18 years. She has incredible insight into running a successful B2B PR fi…

Carolyn Plater and Stephanie Kersta have years of experience in the healthcare and addiction field. They saw a trend of people only seeking help once their lives had crumbled and their stress was too much to manage. They wanted to provide a proactive solution. Out of that, Hoame was born. Hoame is a meditation studio downtown with a variety of room…

Derek Hopfner, Shane Murphy, and their CTO, Travis Houlette, met years ago while living in Calgary and playing punk rock music. Years later they would create their first business and shortly after, come up with the idea for Founded. Derek and Shane are subject matter experts in the legal profession who saw a gap for small business owners looking fo…

Jodi Kovitz started #movethedial with a mission: elevate all women-identified folks in technology. Change the stats for all women-identified individuals in executive and founder roles. Finally, and most important, see the day where her daughter's gender is not a determinant in her success. Jodi openly shares about women in tech, STEM in the educati…

How do you rebrand death into something a bit more sexy? Erin Bury and Kevin Oulds discuss the process of making wills and estate planning something that people want to partake in and invest in. From Kevin's early stage business, to rediscovering what customers needed, to becoming what Willful is today, Erin and Kevin share it all. This husband-and…

"Something I always suggest to founders is if you can solve one of your own problems then that's really interesting." Rebranding takes a lot of work. If you've ever pursued this difficult project at work, you know how much work and how many people are involved in the process. Juno College is the newly rebranded HackerYou and the rebrand has been wi…

Shannon and Kris share all about the rollercoaster of entrepreneurship and being startup founders. They know the importance of continuing to push through to where things are really starting to ramp up. Both of these amazing co-founders share how they are supporting diversity in sports and sport tech through highlighting female founders and rural st…

“There is so much doubt to overcome that can only be overcome by continuing to prove yourself.” How do you retain good employees, prevent burnout, take unused vacation days off the balance sheet? Adopt a wellness program that gets over 80% opt in that provides employer-matched vacation savings. Erica Pearson is the founder and CEO of Vacation Fund.…

Justin Thouin is the co-founder and CEO of LowestRates.ca, a platform that allows you to compare insurance, mortgage, and other rates in Canada. Justin started off as the "Chief Everything Officer" and shares the process of letting go of tasks as the company grew. He knows how difficult entrepreneurship is and the time you need to dedicate to build…