Launch AMA

Dive 'Beyond the Game' with Justin Wong, Cofounder of Battlefy, in this enlightening episode of Launch AMA, where gaming meets innovation at the crossroads of technology and esports entrepreneurship. Justin's journey from a passionate gamer to pioneering the esports platform Battlefy encapsulates the essence of innovation, strategic foresight, and entrepreneurial spirit. This dialogue spans the spectrum of Justin's experiences, offering insights into the burgeoning esports industry, the role of technology in elevating competitive gaming, and the nuances of building a tech startup in the fast-paced world of esports. Listeners will gain invaluable perspectives on the intersection of gaming, technology, and entrepreneurship, underscored by Justin's unique blend of cognitive science and business acumen. Whether you're an esports enthusiast, a budding entrepreneur, or simply intrigued by the fusion of technology and gaming, this episode promises a treasure trove of knowledge on driving success in the digital and competitive gaming arenas. Find out more at https://launch-ama.pinecast.co

Explore Kevin Kliman's journey from dentist to tech mogul in this 'Launch AMA' episode. Learn about Humi's impact on Canadian businesses, startup challenges, and venture capital insights. Key themes include entrepreneurship, business leadership, and strategic growth. Ideal for aspiring entrepreneurs and tech enthusiasts. Learn more about Humi: https://www.humi.ca/ Learn more about us at Launch: launchacademy.ca

Meet Alex Benjamin: An Entrepreneurial Powerhouse with Global Vision. Alex Benjamin is not just any entrepreneur; he's a testament to resilience, innovation, and the true spirit of global entrepreneurship. Through the twists and turns of the Start-Up Visa Program (SUV) in Canada, Alex not only built a successful business but did so with flair and determination.

Welcome to the AMA podcast episode featuring Darrell Kopke, Executive Director at Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) Vancouver, Adjunct Professor at UBC Sauder, and former General Manager at Lululemon. Join us as Darrell shares invaluable insights on entrepreneurship, social impact companies, and the transformative power of CDL. Discover Darrell's inspiring journey from Lululemon, where he emphasizes the importance of building a strong brand with a positive impact to attract and retain loyal customers. Learn how storytelling in marketing connects with customers on a deeper level and drives success. Unveil the philosophy of "stretchy pants" in entrepreneurship, embracing adaptability, innovation, and openness to change. Explore how successful entrepreneurs thrive in uncertainty, take calculated risks, and learn from their mistakes. Learn about the growing importance of social impact in businesses, particularly for younger consumers who prioritize companies addressing the climate crisis. Understand the essence of CDL as a mentorship program for pre-seed and seed ventures. Darrell clarifies that applicants can choose from different CDL sites and streams based on their technology and mentorship preferences without the need to physically relocate. Darrell's passion for entrepreneurship, innovation, and social impact shines through, making it an inspiring and informative listen for aspiring entrepreneurs and business leaders. Tune in to gain valuable knowledge and motivation to drive positive change in the business world. Are you a tech startup founder and want to get involved? Learn more about what we do at launchacademy.ca Find out more at https://launch-ama.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-cc5b6f for 40% off for 4 months, and support Launch AMA.

Tanis Jorge is a serial tech entrepreneur and a leading advisor on entrepreneurship and building successful co-founder partnerships. Her successes culminated with her most recent venture, Trulioo, which she co-founded in 2011. Trulioo is one of Vancouver's most successful startups to date! Today, Tanis is one of the go-to voices and experts on the co-founder relationship. Author of The Cofounder's Handbook and Founder of The Cofounder's Hub, her work focuses on how co-founders can function in an open, productive, and symbiotic way to ensure continued and long-term business success. Listen in to learn her tips and tricks to hire and expand an executive team and maintain a great co-founder relationship.

Today our guest is Reza Sanaie, who was the co-founder and CTO at Beanworks, an accounts payable (AP) automation company. His contribution led to Beanworks' CAD 106 million acquisition by global giant, Quadient, in 2021. The acquisition marks one of the largest tech exits for a Vancouver-based start-up. In this episode, Reza, currently Interim CTO at Craver Solutions and Launch mentor, talks about what it was like to have one of the largest tech exits in Vancouver, what mistakes brands make when talking to customers, and how companies can combine in-person and remote work for the best results.

In this episode, you will meet Ali Adab, Chief Content Officer at SoleSavy, an end-to-end sneaker platform where he oversees Marketing & Content, drives Web3 and NFT strategy and leads strategic business development initiatives. Ali has built, led and grown ventures at the intersection of entertainment and technology for nearly two decades, helping both startups and enterprises find success in the explosive creator economy, and now shares his vision on growth in the digital age. Listen to his advice on growing your brand over social media and finding your niche, audience, and digital content creators to partner with.

Vik Kambli is a SaaS, digital media and eCommerce operator with 20+ years of experience. He provisions advisory services and capital to technology companies through Diaspora Ventures. Most recently, he was the Chief Marketing Officer at Clearly, a D2C division of EssilorLuxottica. Previously, Vik served on the Canadian executive team of Facebook/Instagram as Head of Western Canada, where he built the commercial business and team in the region. He led the retail, eCommerce, SaaS, FinTech, tourism, and education verticals during his tenure. Before Facebook, he led Strategy at Mobify and was VP of Marketing and Strategy at Monexa. In this episode, Vik explains two jobs that your marketing needs to do, why most startups die, and what marketing strategy the company should choose if it plans to expand into the North American market.

David Abbey and Maria Osipova are CEO and CMO of Penny AI, a global leader in data-driven social commerce enablement. In this episode, they share what helped the company to raise $27 million in the Series B after 62 “no's” from investors. They'll also talk about what is the most effective approach to building a network when fundraising, and how Penny AI enables thousands of small businesses scale sales through AI.

Amit Klein has worked with a wide variety of startups and international brands to bring new products to market, find early traction and scale growth. He is currently helping people change their relationship with alcohol as the Co-Founder and CPO at Monument. Previously he was head of product at Nexar in Tel Aviv and co-founded a product studio which was acquired by Samsung. In this episode, Amit talks about Monument's story, building startups in New York, and the power of community. Find Amit on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amitjklein/ Connect with us online! Twitter: https://twitter.com/launchacademyhq LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/launchacademyhq/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/launchacademyhq/

Charles Ilya Krempeaux is the CEO at Railtown and Sparkscience. He has over 25 years of professional experience in tech and has created more than a dozen startups. Some of these startups are now well-known and valued close to $1 billion. Others ended up being sold to the largest well-known, top 100, companies in the world. He talks about the history of Vancouver tech, starting from the early 90s to web3 nowadays, and his long-term journey in tech. Find Charles on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesiliyakrempeaux/?originalSubdomain=ca Connect with us online! Twitter: https://twitter.com/launchacademyhq LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/launchacademyhq/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/launchacademyhq/

Sanket Chauhan is the Co-founder of Dots, the command center for communities, helping automate tasks and understand member insights. He shares how he left McKinsey to work on his first project, what it's like to build a team with friends and colleagues, how to start an online community and which mistakes to avoid.  Find Sanket on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanketchauhan/ Connect with us online! Twitter: https://twitter.com/launchacademyhq LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/launchacademyhq/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/launchacademyhq/

Khurram Virani is the Co-founder & Chief Education Officer of Lighthouse Labs, one of Canada's first coding bootcamps. In this episode, he talks about what it's like being a pioneer in the field, his personal journey back to education, and how they utilized Launch Academy as their accelerator. Find Khurram Virani on LinkedIn. Connect with us online! Twitter: https://twitter.com/launchacademyhq LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/launchacademyhq/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/launchacademyhq/

Raymond Luk joins us for Launch Ask Me Anything. Raymond Luk is the founder of Hockeystick, a matchmaking system for startups and funders; Flow Ventures, a financial consultancy for startups; Year One Labs, an early-stage micro-VC fund, and others. He is passionate about entrepreneurship and removing barriers to raising capital through technology. Raymond is also the author of Pitching a Leap of Faith, a free ebook on how to pitch. He also hosts 'Pitch Lab', an online webinar where entrepreneurs practice their pitches and gain valuable feedback from others. Find Raymond Luk on LinkedIn. Connect with us online! Twitter: https://twitter.com/launchacademyhq LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/launchacademyhq/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/launchacademyhq/

Launch's VP of Programs Sam Chan interviews Lloyed Lobo on what he thinks makes a great startup network. Lloyed Lobo is the Co-founder of Boast.AI, a fintech platform that automates access to billions in R&D tax credits and government funding to help innovative companies fuel their growth. He also co-chairs Traction, a non-profit community of +100k innovators where leaders from the fastest growing companies share learnings on building, growing, and scaling companies via weekly webinars, regular meetups, and conferences. Lloyed has been covered in Forbes, TechCrunch, Fox Business, SF Biz Journals, and VentureBeat. He has also been featured on reputed podcasts including Entrepreneurs on Fire, Marketing School, Mixergy, SaaStr, 1Mby1M, Business Infrastructure Podcast, Martech Podcast, Minority Report, Leveling Up, and Rocketship.fm. Connect with us online! Twitter: https://twitter.com/launchacademyhq LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/launchacademyhq/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/launchacademyhq/

Michael Lazar is a Partner at McKinsey & Company where he provides management consulting services to the firm's clients, with a focus on strategy, growth, and transformation for clients in the tech and public sectors. Outside of work, he has spent time building the NFT space and looking at how traditional brands can use Web3 to deliver on community engagement and value creation. Find Michael on LinkedIn.

Episode Notes Do you have questions about the Vancouver tech ecosystem? Fundraising in the Americas? An insight what industries established advisors and investors are looking into? In addition to being a long-time friend of Launch Academy, Bernd Petak is an investment partner and co-founder at Northmark Ventures, a VC firm investing in tech-driven growth companies throughout the Americas. Bernd is a multi-time startup founder and CEO, CFO, COO in a number of companies ranging from FinTech to gaming, SaaS and many more. Not only is he a former software engineer, Bernd is also an active advisor and mentor for companies of all sizes. Bernd will be answering all your questions on these topics and more during this session. Bernd Petak's Twitter and LinkedIn

Serial entrepreneur and investor Shafin Diamond Tejani joined us recently for our ‘Ask Me Anything' session. As the CEO of Victory Square Technologies (VST), Tejani has pioneered a unique venture-build model to support startup growth — offering not just funding, but his unique expertise and leadership advice. Tejani has won numerous awards including Prime Minister's Volunteer Award, EY's Tech Entrepreneur of the Year, Person of the Year by BC Tech Association & Canadian Angel Investor of the Year. In this AMA session, Tejani shared his entrepreneurial journey and answered questions from Launch's Maple Program members about venture capital, funding, public markets, and Web3. Twitter & LinkedIn: @shafindiamond

Ganesh is the CEO of Covalent, which is a Blockchain company that started out at Launch Academy a few years ago. Ganesh and Covalent are on a mission to solve the data infrastructure problems preventing the blockchain industry from growing and becoming widely adopted. Some of their biggest milestones lately: a billion-dollar valuation and the recent launch of their DAO. Social Media: Twitter: @gane5h @Covalent_HQ Follow Launch Academy on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram for more start-up content.

Networking expert, J. Kelly Hoey is the author of Build Your Dream Network: Forging Powerful Relationships In A Hyper-Connected World (Tarcher Perigee/Penguin Random House) and hosts the Build Your Dream Network podcast. A frequent speaker and source for networking insights, she has been lauded from Forbes (“1 of 5 Women Changing the World of VC/Entrepreneurship”) to Fast Company (“1 of the 25 Smartest Women On Twitter”) to Business Insider (“1 of the 100 Most Influential Tech Women On Twitter”) and Inc. (1 of “10 Most Well-Connected People in New York City's Startup Scene”). Empowering A Billion Women By 2020 included her on their list of the “100 Most Influential Global Leaders Empowering Women Worldwide”. Not bad for a former corporate lawyer. She's a LP investor in two emerging tech funds, advisor to New Zealand Trade & Enterprise, and can frequently be found on Twitter @jkhoey. Connect w/Kelly Hoey Follow Launch Academy on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram for more start-up content.

Tony Blank is the Director of Agora for Startups (a public company in the States well know for their audio technology – they run the technology behind ClubHouse). Prior to Agora, Tony led the startup programs at Twilio and Sendgrid. He has a lot of experience in developers programs and on how to create meaningful relationships with Tech Giants. Tony is deeply rooted in the startup ecosystem and has delivered hundreds of workshops, mentor sessions, and speaking engagements to help startups grow. Connect w/Tony Blank Follow Launch Academy on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram for more start-up content.

Episode Notes Greg Gunn is CEO and Co-founder of Commit, a professional network for Startup Engineers. His passion to help software developers led to the creation of Commit in which they provide a collaborative community that provides them tools, resources and connections to help them build their future. Prior to Commit, Greg was an EIR at Inovia. He was the first business executive at Hootsuite where he launched Hootsuite Enterprise. In this episode, Greg will be answering all your questions about his journey as an entrepreneur, fundraising, early-stage hiring, creating a company culture, building a community and more. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gunnr/

Interview with Rob Goehring Rob is a serial entrepreneur with over 20 years' experience founding and running private and public software and hardware companies in telecom, marketing, financial services and artificial intelligence. He is currently the CEO of Think Technologies, a developer of cutting edge AI solutions for enterprise risk management and prediction. Previously, he was CEO of RewardStream, a leader in referral and loyalty marketing (acquired by Buyapowa Ltd.) He was also the Chief Marketing Officer of TIO Networks (TNC.V acquired by PayPal) and the co-founder of Contigo Systems, an award-winning telematics company (acquired by Vecima Networks). Rob has an MBA from Simon Fraser University in Marketing and MIS, is an advisor to technology growth companies, and speaks on marketing technology trends. Rob is also the founding director of the AI Chief Executive Council for the BC Technology Industry Association. Connect w/Rob Goehring Follow Launch Academy on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram for more start-up content.e

Interview with Kelsey Gernert Kelsey went from running her own Juice Company to running a 4000+ partnership networks at Hubspot. Follow her journey on how she overcame being new to the tech industry, her best tips on how to do cold reach, when to say no to a sale, and her thesis on why customer retention is more important than ever. Connect w/ Kelsey Gernert Follow Launch Academy on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram for more start-up content.

Interview with Kevin Ho Hear from Kevin and learn how WIshpond grew to a 100+ company while competing with 800 pound gorillas in the same industry. Learn how to develop a sales team, carving out your product niche, knowing when to pivot, and building long tail marketing strategies. Connect w/ Kevin Ho Follow Launch Academy on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram for more start-up content.

Interview with Michael Wei Michael Wei (Since the recording, is now a Senior Sales Development Manager at Galvanize) shares quick tips about how businesses should be thinking about sales, deeper dives into how involved founders need to be in sales development, and how to hire your first SDR (Sales Development Representative). If you're struggling with sales, this is the episode for you. Connect w/ Michael Wei Follow Launch Academy on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram for more start-up content.

Interview w/ Ian MacKinnon Ian MacKinnnon (Co-founder of Later.com) leaves no rock unturned as he gives his thoughts on a couple of burning questions startups have about initial traction, why he thinks your app shouldn't be on Android (until you absolutely have to) and why Native > React Native. Connect w/ Ian MacKinnon Follow Launch Academy on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram for more start-up content.

Interview with Caroline Lewko Known in the industry as 'the connector', Caroline Lewko talks about how tech communities in different places can be completely different, and yet the same. She also talks about how life has become different in a world where conferences are now online and no longer live, and how to grow your network in these trying times. Connect w/ Caroline Lewko Follow Launch Academy on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram for more start-up content.

Interview with Jason Bailey Jason Bailey, one of the OG's of the Vancouver Tech Ecosystem joins Sam to talk about his startup journey, from growing up in a trailer park to building multiple multi-million dollar businesses, and his drive to keep 'beating his own high score'. Follow Launch Academy on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram for more start-up content.

Interview with Aidan Hornsby Sam is joined by podcasting guru, Aidan Hornsby, co-founder of DoubleUp and Supercast, who shares his journey becoming a start up founder, the differences in doing business with different cultures, and finally, how marketing has changed and podcasting needs to become part of the strategy. Connect with Aidan Hornsby. Follow Launch Academy on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram for more start-up content.

Interview with Bernd Petak Bernd Petak, Investment Partner and Co-founder at Northmark Ventures joins Sam to talk about building multiple companies around the world. They also dissect different strategies to build a global company and discuss why Vancouver is still his choice of residence. Finally, they dive deep into Northmark's investment strategies and the best way to pitch to Bernd himself. Bernd Petak is a longtime friend of Launch Academy, and joins Launch AMA as it's first ever guest. Bernd is a former software engineer, ex-consulting partner with Deloitte, and multi-time company founder, CEO, COO and CFO. Bernd is investment partner and co-founder at Northmark Ventures, a high value-added venture capital firm investing throughout the Americas and focused specifically on advanced technology, SaaS and Fintech businesses. Bernd is an active advisor, mentor and board director. In Canada, Bernd acts as board chair for Beanworks Solutions and is also a corporate director for Screenscape Networks and Proskida. Finally , he is also a board observer for Redwood Markets of Houston, Texas. In this episode, Bernd talks about the difference between the ecosystems in Vancouver and New York, having a sound global strategy, a bit of history about the Vancouver Tech ecosystem, and his personal investment strategies.