Startup Canada Podcast

Nerissa is the President and CEO of the Black Business Association of BC where she champions initiatives to support entrepreneurs and small businesses.  After a twenty year career with the federal government, combined with her own experience as an entrepreneur, Nerissa brings a unique perspective on tackling challenges.  Nerissa stays connected to her community as a director with the Barbados Cultural Association of British Columbia, allowing  her to drive the community forward with a business focused lens, helping to build economic strength and sustainability.  “My wish is that we don’t have to have separate programs in order to meet the needs and break the barriers of systemic racism that is plaguing policies and institutions.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Scotiabank, we talk to Nerissa Allen about why spotlighting founders is important, and how the Black Business Association of BC supports Black entrepreneurs to help them scale. The post Spotlighting and Scaling Black Businesses with Nerissa Allen first appeared on Startup Canada.

Stephany Lapierre is the Founder and CEO  of Tealbook, a supplier data solution to unify systems, empower people and optimize suppliers across industries and teams. Stephany is a highly coveted supply chain thought leader and one of the most influential minds in emerging data technologies.  She has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Women in Supply Chain and Tealbook has been named a Top 50 company to watch by Spend Matters and won the Cool Vendor Award by Gartner. Prior to Tealbook, Stephany spent 10 years building a successful strategic sourcing and procurement consulting firm focusing on large-scale sourcing optimization projects.  It is Stephany’s mission to deliver a ‘Trusted Source of Supplier Data’ to an ever-growing eProcurement space. Currently, Tealbook is the only Big Data company that provides a self-enriching and self-maintaining mechanism to improve enterprise supplier data. ‘Entrepreneurship is about having ideas that you can’t shake.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Scotiabank, Stephany Lapierre shares how TealBook works (and why it works), and why focusing on operation and execution excellence matters for a company’s confidence and growth. The post Data Backed Systems for Supplier Diversity with Stephany Lapierre first appeared on Startup Canada.

Serese Selanders, CEO of SolusGuard, discusses creating champions for her safety solutions. She shares insights on navigating the startup world, securing government contracts, and empowering women entrepreneurs. Learn about her journey from the banking industry to entrepreneurship.

Carmen Sandor is the founder and CEO of Green Owl Vodka, one of the only female owned and led spirits sold at the LCBO. Green Owl is Canada’s first sipping vodka infused with green tea extract from Japan.  Carmen started her career as a reporter for CTV News and TSN. She then switched gears and started working at RPIA as a Vice President on their Client Portfolio Management team, a Toronto-based investment management firm and was the youngest person to be promoted to Vice President at the firm. Last May, she honed in on her financial industry expertise, her entrepreneurial spirit and her passion for clean ingredients to launch Green Owl Vodka.  Carmen graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism and Sociology, and was a former professional tennis player and captain of the Penn State varsity women’s tennis team.   “It was challenging to get into the LCBO, however getting consumers comfortable with our product, a new kind of product, has been more challenging.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Scotiabank, Carmen Sandor shares what the largest challenges have been while developing and growing Green Owl Vodka.  The post In Good Taste: Understanding Your Customers with Carmen Sandor first appeared on Startup Canada.

Joella Hogan will proudly tell you she is loving life in the heart of the Yukon. Based in Mayo Yukon, Joella is the Founder and CEO of The Yukon Soaps Company where she creates handcrafted soaps, shampoo bars, essential oil blends, salves, lotions and more. For Joella and those around her, Yukon Soaps Company is about more than soap, it is an earth connecting hub. Joella partners with Indigenous beadwork artists, plant knowledge holders, and includes local youth and elders to gather wild botanicals, participate in language learning classes and even employs them to support her at farmers markets.  Joella is proud to come from a long line of strong and vibrant Indigenous women, who were teachers, healers, social advocates and cultural leaders and through her work she is committed to embodying their special talents and elements of rich Indigenous culture.  As an active advocate for her First Nation and a dedicated community builder, Joella is a professional heritage worker and brings Northern Tutchone culture to the forefront of life in the Yukon.  “When you are given cultural knowledge and teachings, you also have a responsibility to pass it on. And that is what I do with my team.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Scotiabank, Joella Hogan shares her journey of building the Yukon Soaps Company and also the values that have allowed her to grow and thrive. The post Upholding Traditions and Culture through Business with Joella Hogan first appeared on Startup Canada.

Isaac Olowolafe Jr. is an entrepreneur, business owner, and philanthropist. He is the founder of BKR Capital (formerly Black Innovation Capital), a venture capital company that focuses on startups led by diverse founders. Isaac established The Dream Legacy Foundation – a philanthropic organization serving as a diversity and inclusion thought leader advocating for the millions of talented Black Citizens and historically underrepresented communities. Isaac also established The Dream Maker Realty/Olowolafe Family Scholarship Award at the University of Toronto, the largest endowment for African Studies in any Canadian university. “For the Black community to thrive and become economic leaders, we need three things: strong institutional relationships, more small businesses, and home ownership.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Scotiabank, we talk to Isaac Olowolafe about his journey, how real estate can be a tool for community building, and the future of Black innovation.  The post Real Estate & Investment: Creating Your Own Access with Isaac Olowolafe first appeared on Startup Canada.

Mona-Lisa is the Director of Futurpreneur Canada’s Black Entrepreneur Startup Program. A lawyer by trade, she also gained experience in entrepreneurship, human resources and economic development through her diverse career.  Very involved in her community, she is the President of the Women’s Young Chamber of Commerce of Québec and sits on multiple other boards. A proud ambassador of the importance of inclusive governance, she is also involved with different organizations promoting diversity, equity and inclusion. ‘We looked into these barriers and we were able to put numbers to the barriers and issues we already knew existed.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Scotiabank, Mona Lisa shares the key pairings that are essential to Futurpreneur’s programs and why young entrepreneurs need them. The post Lasting Impact for Young Entrepreneurs with Mona Lisa Prosper first appeared on Startup Canada.

Victor Beausoleil, CEO of Intuit Consulting and advocate for youth justice, discusses community microlending, challenges in supporting youth reintegration, promoting inclusion through social economy, social finance for equitable growth, and building strong communities through fatherhood. He empowers underrepresented communities in community building and social innovation.

Award-winning entrepreneur Janelle Hinds discusses supporting youth in skill-building and career development through her non-profit Helping Hands. Topics include empowering youth entrepreneurs, reflections on an accelerator program, youth marketing, diversity and inclusion in entrepreneurship, work-life balance, and creating positive change.

Angie Schick is Executive Director and oversees the delivery of all programs at New Ventures BC. She’s been supporting technology startups for over ten years and loves working with entrepreneurs. She has worked in the technology sector for over 15 years as a project manager, strategic communicator and market researcher. Previously, she led teams and oversaw game development at Radical Entertainment. Angie holds a Master’s of Arts in Communication from SFU, where she specialized in technology & society. Mike Wood is the co-founder of TrafficDriven Technologies, a company using an artificial intelligence-powered, dealer-fuelled auction platform for buying, selling, and trading cars. He has decades of experience in all aspects of automotive retail and leasing, including growing new market opportunities, entrepreneurship, building teams, and fostering innovation. He is the past president, National Vehicle Leasing Association. Mike is also the winner of New Ventures BC’s 21st annual tech startup competition.  “I always tell entrepreneurs, find the support organization that is the best fit for you.”  In this week’s episode of the #StartupPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and Scotiabank, we talk to two guest, Angie Schick and Mike Wood about how New Ventures BC’s tech competition impacted Mike’s journey and why it exists to support entrepreneurs. The post Recognizing Disruption in Old Industries with Angie Schick and Mike Wood first appeared on Startup Canada.