Podcasts about betakit

Today we are bringing you a great episode from our friends at Canardian! Sault Ste. Marie. Population 71,000. A place best known as the hometown of Roberta Bondar, the first woman in space, Treble Charger, and countless NHL players. Douglas Soltys, host of The BetaKit Podcast, joins the show (instead of going to therapy) to discuss the best pizza in town, being a 90s indie rock kid, destructive hockey teams, and WAY more.Listen to Douglas's podcast, The BetaKit Podcast, on your favourite podcast platform now!Find more from BetaKit here: https://betakit.com/Links:Home Slice: A Sault Pizza DocumentaryNorthern hockey association adopts rules of conduct for players during hotel staysJordan Nolan InstagramTurtles five feet across! Early animal oddities that made the Sault . . . er . . . famousFacebook: Idiots of Sault Ste MarieFacebook: Are We Dating The Same Guy? | Sudbury / North Bay / Sault Ste Marie OntarioCanardian is the flagship podcast of Pod the North, the newsletter for the Canadian podcasting ecosystem from Kattie Laur.Check out Pod the North at podthenorth.com and share your Canadian podcasting news!Follow Pod the North on Instagram @podthenorthEmail Kattie at podthenorth@substack.comThe Canardian theme song is by Mark Allin and Kattie Laur, mixed by Jordan White, with vocals including Shane Fester, Brad Cousins, Ben Cousins.The Canardian podcast artwork is by Brad Cousins and Kattie Laur. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“ Toronto Tech Week belongs to everyone. Toronto Tech Week is by definition a platform, and it succeeds or fails by the virtue of all the hosts and all of the ecosystem in Toronto wanting to participate.” Filling the summer event gap that Collision left in the city, Toronto Tech Week plans to host 10,000 people attending over 100 events this June. How did the ‘community-driven platform' come to be? How will it be different than other tech events? Toronto Tech Week founding partners and co-organizers Ameet Shah (Golden Ventures), Satish Kanwar (Good Future), and Mell Truong (Sage Consulting) join to tell the story. The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Float. Float helps Canadian companies manage spend, automate expenses, and now, convert FX at rates 90% lower than the banks. Sign up in minutes and learn why Canada counts on Float. Related Links: Local leaders launch Toronto Tech Week to accelerate city's ambitions Chamath Palihapitiya, Sanja Fidler among Homecoming headliners as Toronto Tech Week unveils event calendar BetaKit to launch “Most Ambitious” issue on June 23, 2025

“This is worth the pain of attempting to figure out how to do it. But attempting to figure out how to do it required us to basically rethink everything about that traditional outsourcing model.” SRTX founder and CEO Katherine Homuth explains how attempting to solve one problem with tights led her company to attempt solving for all problems related to modern North American textile manufacturing. The BetaKit Podcast is brought to you by the BetaKit Innovation Leaders program. Innovation Leaders are driving Canada's innovation economy forward. By partnering with BetaKit, you can help support the journalism that keeps Canada's tech sector in focus.  

“ I'm sure if there's one takeaway here is that we can all trust Enron to solve the world's energy problems.”  “With a mere human-sized egg.” A cleantech crisis? The end of VCCI? The rise of centaurs? FinTech IPOs? Quantum leaps? BetaKit reporters Madison McLauchlan and Josh Scott join to review 2024's biggest tech questions before offering a fresh set for 2025. The BetaKit Podcast is presented by The BetaKit Newsletter. Your inbox deserves better, and so do you. Stay informed on all things Canadian tech by signing up for The BetaKit Newsletter today.  

Is there an “appetizing upside” to Trump's win for Canada? Betakit's Douglas Soltys joins to consider the shifting perspectives in the Canadian tech scene, and why Justin Trudeau is no longer the “Tech Bro” Prime Minister. Host: Jesse BrownCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor)Guest: Douglas Soltys Further Reading on Our Website Sponsors: Douglas: Get two memory foam pillows with protectors, a luxurious cotton sheet set, and a waterproof mattress protector. PLUS save 50% off a premium accessory. Go to douglas.ca/canadalandAG1: Every week of November, AG1 will be running a special Black Friday offer for a free gift with your first subscription, in addition to the Welcome Kit with Vitamin D3+K2. Head to DrinkAG1.com/canadaland to start your holiday season off on a healthier note, while supplies last.oxio: Head over to canadaland.oxio.ca and use code CANADALAND for your first month free! If you value this podcast, Support us! You'll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You'll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch at our store, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you'll be a part of the solution to Canada's journalism crisis, you'll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody. You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Free For All Friday - Hour 1 Host Amanda Galbraith breaks down the biggest stories of the day with Canada's top newsmakers. On today's show: John Gradek, Faculty Lecturer and Area Coordinator in Supply Chain Management at McGill University on the Canada Post strike and what it means for you Marieke Walsh, Senior Political Reporter, The Globe and Mail on what Trump's cabinet appointees mean for Canada J. Paul Nadeau, Conflict Resolution expert and former hostage negotiator for Durham Regional Police on a recent crypto related kidnapping and the growing trend Eric Alper, Music Expert and Publicist, on the first night of the Eras Tour in Canada   Free For All Friday - Hour 2 Hosts from all over the country join the roundtable to discuss the five biggest stories of the week. This week's show features panelists Sabrina Grover, Sr Advisor, Spark Advocacy and NorthStar Public Affairs and Siri Agrell, CEO of Betakit and Former Advisor to John Tory and Kathleen Wynne. Topic 1: Canada Post workers go on strike Friday morning, disrupting deliveries – Is the government likely to intervene here, and should they? Do you have concerned about potential medium and long-term impacts? Is Canada Post becoming obsolete? Topic 2: Trump's appointees have criticized Trudeau, warned of border issues with Canada – What was your reaction to these choices? Do you have concerns about what they mean for Canada? How do you want to see the federal government prepare? Topic 3: The Taliban is there, Putin picked the venue — Canada at COP29: Are large climate conferences like these working? Is it time to get rid of these and try something else? Topic 4: Trump's transition team plans to kill Biden's EV tax credit, sources say: Should we take a beat on EV/emission caps given US or do we forge ahead? Topic 5: Toronto couple fights over Taylor Swift tickets in divorce settlement

“Regrettably, I don't think we're very good, to be honest, at collaborating with FinTechs, or collaborating with the private sector more broadly on solving for policy issues.” It's a podcast double feature this week, with two conversations offering a pulse check on financial innovation in Canada. First: Koho's Daniel Eberhard (CEO) and Peter Aceto (Chief Banking Officer) detail the process of becoming a licensed bank along with the benefits and risks. Second: leaders from Manzil (Mohamad Sawwaf) and Borrowell (Eva Wong) join the Department of Finance Canada's Julien Brazeau to discuss innovations focused on greater inclusion for Canada's underbanked. Recorded live at Elevate Festival. The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Uber Canada. Uber's driving positive change for riders, drivers, and communities across Toronto. Learn more about how Uber is moving Toronto forward. The BetaKit Podcast is also brought to you by The BetaKit Quiz, a new weekly challenge testing your knowledge of Canadian tech. Head to BetaKit.com/quiz every Friday, take the quiz, and see how well you score!

Douglas has been in media and PR for over two decades. He's the founder of Betakit Inc and has been running Betakit, Canada's TechCrunch, for nearly 10 years. He understands what startups need to do to leverage PR, and how PR can help startups hire, fundraise and sell.  On this episode, we get tactical and go deep on exactly when it makes sense to use PR and how founders can get the most from it.Why you should listenWhy you should treat PR like a subset of inbound marketingPR is all about telling the right stories to the right audiencesHow to conduct media profiling to find the right journalists in the right channels so you can get other people to write about youKeywordsPR, media strategies, startups, business goals, target audiences, media storytelling, marketing initiatives, traction, leads, stories, funding announcements, product launches, media profiling, channels, audiences, founder, pitch, media, framing, storytelling, target audience, channels, journalists, PR, origin story, company values, thought leadership, customer stories, employee storiesTimestamps:(00:00:00) Intro(00:05:19) The 101 of Media PR(00:06:04) Three Questions(00:08:40) An Operational Lens for Media Engagement(00:12:16) Understanding the Target Audience(00:19:55) Inbound Marketing(00:25:20) A Super Important Caveat(00:29:08) Roam Auto as an Example(00:34:00) The Right Channel(00:36:40) Treating Media Pitching Like Investor Pitching(00:43:04) Be Professionally Interested(00:44:49) Putting a Human Face on Your CompanySend me a message to let me know what you think!

In this episode, Matt Cohen sits down with Arati Sharma and Satish Kanwar, the powerhouse duo behind Good Future, a family office with a mission to support and grow the Canadian tech ecosystem. They discuss their journey from starting the digital design agency Jet Cooper to playing pivotal roles at Shopify, and now investing in the next generation of entrepreneurs. The conversation delves into their insights on building community, the importance of innovation, and their commitment to making a lasting impact on the Canadian tech scene.About Arati SharmaArati Sharma is a prominent entrepreneur, angel investor, and technology leader based in Toronto, Canada. She is the Co-Founder and President of Good Future, a family office focused on building and investing in companies that positively impact the world. Arati is also the Founding Partner of Backbone Angels, a collective of female investors dedicated to supporting women and non-binary founders, particularly those from underrepresented communities. Alongside her investing activities, Arati co-founded Ghlee, a skincare brand rooted in South Asian tradition, which has gained significant traction since its launch in 2019.Prior to her entrepreneurial ventures, Arati spent nearly a decade at Shopify, where she played a pivotal role in shaping the company's marketing strategy. She was the Director of Product Marketing, responsible for establishing and scaling the product marketing function as Shopify expanded its global reach. Arati also led the creation of Shopify's annual Unite conference, transforming it into a major event for the company's partners and developers. Her earlier roles at Shopify included leading offline, experiential, and community marketing, where she spearheaded initiatives like Shopify's first merchant roadshow and high-profile events such as Kylie Jenner's first pop-up shop.Before joining Shopify, Arati worked at Jet Cooper, a Toronto-based digital design agency, where she held various roles, including Communications & Strategy and Operations Manager. Her work at Jet Cooper involved developing the company's communication strategies, managing operations, and contributing to the firm's internal culture. Arati's early career also included leadership positions in student organizations, such as the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations and the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, where she honed her skills in advocacy and leadership.About Satish KanwarSatish Kanwar is a seasoned technology entrepreneur and business leader from Toronto, Canada. He is the Co-Founder of Good Future, a family office that invests in and operates businesses with a focus on positive-sum impact. In addition to his role at Good Future, Satish serves as the Board Chair of BetaKit, Canada's leading tech news publication, and holds board positions at Toronto Global and Delphia. His leadership and influence in the tech community have earned him recognition, including being named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 and Toronto Life's Most Influential lists.Satish spent a decade at Shopify, where he held various senior roles, most recently as Vice President of Corporate Development and Head of Product Acceleration. In this capacity, he oversaw over 30 strategic acquisitions, investments, and alliances, significantly contributing to Shopify's growth beyond online stores into multi-channel commerce. His earlier roles at Shopify included leading the company's product strategy for online stores, retail point of sale, and multi-channel platforms, establishing Shopify as a leader in global commerce technology.Before his tenure at Shopify, Satish co-founded Jet Cooper, a digital design studio based in Toronto that was acquired by Shopify in 2013. At Jet Cooper, Satish was instrumental in building the agency into a well-regarded design firm, which ultimately became Shopify's foundation in Toronto. Earlier in his career, Satish worked as a Marketing Manager at Microsoft Canada, where he developed his passion for technology and entrepreneurship. Satish is a graduate of the University of Toronto, where he earned his Bachelor of Business Administration.In this episode, we discuss:(00:34) Starting at Jet Cooper, the early days of Canadian tech(02:13) Meeting Satish and the mystique of Jet Cooper(03:03) The importance of community and design(04:51) How Jet Cooper cornered the market on design talent(07:03) The unexpected Shopify acquisition offer(09:42) Transitioning to Shopify and leading community initiatives(13:55) Building Shopify's multi-channel platform strategy(16:20) Leaving Shopify to pursue new creative ventures(18:47) The founding of Backbone Angels and supporting diverse founders(23:19) The mission of Good Future and supporting Canadian innovation(27:08) The vision behind Good Future and its unique approach(32:39) Balancing investments with building new ventures like Ghlee(33:13) Acquiring BetaKit to strengthen Canadian tech storytelling and why supporting media is crucial for the Canadian tech ecosystem(37:27) BetaKit's mission and avoiding paywalls to tell Canadian stories(42:01) Balancing personal and professional life while building together(44:41) How becoming a parents made them more empathetic leaders and taught them the importance of work-life balance(47:51) The biggest risk to Canadian tech is a lack of shared vision(50:07) The need for affordable living to foster Canadian innovation(53:01) Leaving a legacy as force multipliers for Canadian tech(53:38) The legacy they want to leaveFast Favorites:

“I think it's really important for Canadians to speak to their public officials and remind them that this is an important industry. They should be taking it seriously. They should be putting in the time to speak with industry and learn about it.” Live from the Blockchain Futurist Conference, award-winning BetaKit reporter Josh Scott moderates two important conversations: a year in review with Coinbase Canada CEO Lucas Matheson; and a Canadian Web3 regulation check-in with Dan Nuñez Cohen (Crypto.com), Kunal Bhasin (KPMG), Morva Rohani (Canadian Web3 Council), and Suzanne Lasrado (CIRO). The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Google Cloud: scale your startup faster and smarter with the Google Cloud credits, technical training, startup experts, curated resources, plus AI and Web3 specific benefits. Get up to $350k in cloud credits over two years, plus access to hands-on technical training, mentorship from startup experts, and connections with a thriving community. Visit startups.google.com/betakit to learn more and apply today!

Hussein Hallak is a seasoned entrepreneur, prolific advisor, and thought leader in the tech space with a career spanning over 25 years. He's the founder and CEO of Next Decentrum, a leading provider of business education in emerging technology, and the company behind Momentable, a discovery platform for art and culture. Hussein has developed over 20 startups, honing an extensive range of expertise and experience. In his previous role as Evangelist and General Manager at Launch Academy, he mentored and trained hundreds of entrepreneurs, helping it become one of North America's premier tech incubators with over 6,500 founders and 500 startups raising more than $1 billion. As an accomplished professional, Hussein has launched successful ventures like CreativeArab, the world's first and largest marketplace for Middle Eastern art, and The Content People, an award-winning content marketing agency with prominent clients such as Virgin Mobile, Pfizer, and Starbucks. Hussein's insights have been featured in publications like Business Insider, Forbes, BBC, BetaKit, Entrepreneur, DailyHive, Notable, CBC, CoinTelegraph, and South China Morning Post. He is an Oxford Blockchain Strategy Programme graduate and holds a BSc in Electronics Engineering. He is also a writer and speaker on startups, blockchain, leadership, and personal branding, recognized as one of Vancouver's top 30 tech influencers to follow in 2019. Beyond his professional commitments, Hallak is an advocate for art and culture, launching Momentable to help emerging artists reach a new generation of collectors. His passion led him to create Crypto Pharaohs, the first story-based pop culture digital collection inspired by ancient Egypt. A passionate advocate for tech, lean startups, design thinking, and decentralized innovation, Hallak tirelessly works to inspire entrepreneurship and foster innovation through connection, collaboration, and community. Hussein is a compelling speaker who regularly shares his knowledge and insights at conferences and events. His recent speaking engagements include presentations at the AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo, NFT NYC, Richmond Art Gallery, Emily Carr University of Art and Design, and the Building Business Capability conference. Hussein's unique blend of expertise, encompassing art, emerging tech, AI, blockchain, and more, makes him an exceptional guest for podcasts catering to art enthusiasts, art collectors, and NFT collectors, as well as VCs and angel investors. Don't miss the opportunity to have Hussein Hallak on your podcast to unravel the magic of combining art, tech, and entrepreneurship. Connect with Jon Dwoskin: Twitter: @jdwoskin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.dwoskin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejondwoskinexperience/ Website: https://jondwoskin.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondwoskin/ Email: jon@jondwoskin.com Get Jon's Book: The Think Big Movement: Grow your business big. Very Big!   Connect with Hussein Hallak: Website: https://www.momentable.art/ *E – explicit language may be used in this podcast.

Sault Ste. Marie. Population 71,000. A place best known as the hometown of Roberta Bondar, the first woman in space, Treble Charger, and countless NHL players. Douglas Soltys, host of The BetaKit Podcast, joins the show instead of going to therapy to discuss the best pizza in town, being a 90s indie rock kid, destructive hockey teams, and WAY more.Listen to Douglas's podcast, The BetaKit Podcast, on your favourite podcast platform now!Find more from BetaKit here: https://betakit.com/Links:Home Slice: A Sault Pizza DocumentaryNorthern hockey association adopts rules of conduct for players during hotel staysJordan Nolan InstagramTurtles five feet across! Early animal oddities that made the Sault . . . er . . . famousFacebook: Idiots of Sault Ste MarieFacebook: Are We Dating The Same Guy? | Sudbury / North Bay / Sault Ste Marie OntarioCanardian is the flagship podcast of Pod the North, the newsletter for the Canadian podcasting ecosystem from Kattie Laur.Check out Pod the North at podthenorth.com and share your Canadian podcasting news!Follow Pod the North on Instagram @podthenorthEmail Kattie at podthenorth@substack.comThe Canardian theme song is by Mark Allin and Kattie Laur, mixed by Jordan White, with vocals including Shane Fester, Brad Cousins, Ben Cousins.The Canardian podcast artwork is by Brad Cousins and Kattie Laur. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After weeks of uncertainty, Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has announced that her party will be tabling the Capital Gains Tax motion before the house rises for summer break. She also has said that regardless if it is passed into law, the 2024 budget has said it will come into effect on June 25th. Is that right, and is it really the hill the Liberals want to die on? To get answers to this and more, guest host Anthony Furey turns to the CEO of BetaKit, Siri Agrell who has a firm understanding of this motion, and who it will be effecting. SIRI AGRELL: Siri Agrell LinkedIn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top episode replay: Originally aired on May 10, 2020. One of Marketing Magazine's top 30 Under 30, Erin is an entrepreneur, marketer, former journalist, and startup advisor/investor. She is the co-founder and CEO at Willful, an online estate planning platform that makes it easy for Canadians to create a will in less than 20 minutes. Prior to Willful she held leadership roles at communications agency Eighty-Eight, startup publication BetaKit, and at Sprouter, which was acquired by Postmedia in 2011. Erin is a frequent speaker with Speakers' Spotlight, writes a column for the Financial Post, and is a tech commentator on CTV News. She has appeared in publications including The New York Times, Forbes, and CNN. During this episode of Made it Happen, Erin and I speak about her journey as an entrepreneur, being one of Marketing Magazines Top 30 Under 30, What to consider when starting a business, how to market your business and make your presence online know, building your personal brand, managing that work-life integration, tips for public speaking & getting retweeted by Oprah..twice. We also touch upon the current situation of COVID-19, how it has affected Willful, and what business owners can be doing right now to cope with the situation.

“I deeply want to solve the challenges in education. I think what we have is a current educational system is really not working.” Mobius Math Club co-founder Steven Woods (ex-Eloqua, Oracle, and Benevity) explains how video games are actually a great educational tool, and why taking venture capital won't help him scale. Presented by Mastercard Canada: watch Mastercard Canada's Darrell MacMullin and BetaKit's Douglas Soltys explore emerging tech's impact on the future of financial innovation in a BetaKit Live fireside conversation.

"We are so back." BetaKit reporter Josh Scott joins to play the most dangerous game: trying to beat his boss in identifying the biggest tech questions that will define 2024. With no answers given, no tech question is off the table. Sponsored by the Master of Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship (MEIE) Program at Toronto Metropolitan University. Learn how MEIE can help accelerate your career or bring your startup idea to life. Recorded at CreatorClub.  

Hussein Hallak is a seasoned entrepreneur, prolific advisor, and thought leader in the tech space with a career spanning over 25 years. He's the founder and CEO of Next Decentrum, a leading provider of business education in emerging technology, and the company behind Momentable, a discovery platform for art and culture. Hussein has developed over 20 startups, honing an extensive range of expertise and experience. In his previous role as Evangelist and General Manager at Launch Academy, he mentored and trained hundreds of entrepreneurs, helping it become one of North America's premier tech incubators with over 6,500 founders and 500 startups raising more than $1 billion. As an accomplished professional, Hussein has launched successful ventures like CreativeArab, the world's first and largest marketplace for Middle Eastern art, and The Content People, an award-winning content marketing agency with prominent clients such as Virgin Mobile, Pfizer, and Starbucks. Hussein's insights have been featured in publications like Business Insider, Forbes, BBC, BetaKit, Entrepreneur, DailyHive, Notable, CBC, CoinTelegraph, and South China Morning Post. He is an Oxford Blockchain Strategy Programme graduate and holds a BSc in Electronics Engineering. He is also a writer and speaker on startups, blockchain, leadership, and personal branding, recognized as one of Vancouver's top 30 tech influencers to follow in 2019. Beyond his professional commitments, Hallak is an advocate for art and culture, launching Momentable to help emerging artists reach a new generation of collectors. His passion led him to create Crypto Pharaohs, the first story-based pop culture digital collection inspired by ancient Egypt. A passionate advocate for tech, lean startups, design thinking, and decentralized innovation, Hallak tirelessly works to inspire entrepreneurship and foster innovation through connection, collaboration, and community. What you will learn Discover why it's so critical to adopt a growth mindset as an entrepreneur Learn why quality relationships trump quantity of relationships in the business world Find out why genuine networking is so powerful Hussein shares his thoughts on the role of AI in the creative world The challenges & opportunities faced by creators in the digital age Why consistent practice is crucial in the creative process Discover why adapting to the changing digital landscape is essential Plus loads more!

Kelly is joined by Douglas Soltys, EIC at BetaKit.

In today's episode Amanda is joined by her friend Kattie Laur. Kattie produces award-winning, independent and branded podcasts from her cozy, pink, home studio in Brantford, Ontario. She's been a freelance producer for clients like BetaKit, Noelle Floyd, Vocal Fry Studios and CANADALAND's Wag the Doug. Since 2018, alongside travel writer Erin Hynes, Kattie has also been making Alpaca My Bags (recently rebranded to Curious Tourism), an indie podcast about making travel better for people and the planet. Kattie also writes about Canadian podcasts and the ecosystem as a whole on her Substack, Pod the North, which is her attempt to uplift the Canadian podcast ecosystem and foster community in what she feels is a fractured space.   Looking for more of The Liquid Courage Podcast? Instagram: @liquidcouragepodcast TikTok: @liquidcouragepodcast YouTube Video Episodes & more! Reach out at www.liquidcouragepodcast.com   Host - Amanda Pereira: IG @hotcoldspicy Guest on this episode – Kattie Laur IG @podkatt_ / Twitter @podkatt   Click here to submit a prompt for “Never Have I Ever”   Thanks to Flying Monkeys Brewery for supplying the delicious beverages for this series! Drink featured in this episode: Tangerine Fuzz Machine Hard Seltzer   The music used in this episode is thanks to HookSounds. Check them out for your projects too! www.hooksounds.com

"Unfortunately, there's a long history over the last decade that I tend to lean into controversies around any event that we're holding anywhere in the world, especially four weeks out, because the volume of tickets that are booked locally is highest in the final weeks." BetaKit's one-on-one interview with Web Summit CEO Paddy Cosgrave on the eve of Collison 2023 after the tech conference announced a (one-year) return to Toronto for 2024. Sponsored by Goodlawyer, your one-stop-shop for all your corporate, commercial, and IP legal needs.

Shaking up the format this week by focusing on what's happening in the world. We welcome back Mark McQueen to dive into what's been going on in the world with a lively discussion. Hope you enjoy!A word from our sponsor:The team at Ripple is always focused on helping our founders and portfolio companies find the best partners to work with within the tech and venture capital ecosystem. And that is why we are so excited to announce our partnership with the incredible team at Torys LLP. When it comes to legal support and advice, the team at Torys is the best in class. Torys is a storied Canadian law firm with offices in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Halifax and New York City. Torys has been around since its founding in 1941.They have always worked closely with players across the emerging startup ecosystem in all aspects of the creation, acquisition and commercialization of businesses. They help founders determine when and how much to fundraise, how to achieve the right economic structure, how to think about board and control issues and how to successfully navigate different stages of growth. They are also advisors to VC funds, strategic investors, private equity funds and other institutional investors on fund formation and shareholder arrangements to buyouts and other exits.In fact, Torys recently acted as counsel to Maverix PE on the transformative $260M  Miovision Technologies growth funding with an advisory team that included Dany Assaf, Konata Lake and Max Schwartz-Labell on that investment.So whether you are negotiating a new business arrangement or developing a new service offering, Torys helps clients seize new opportunities and build creative, market-leading business models in this fast-paced world we live in every day space.Visit torys.com to learn more.Topics we cover:(01:59) BetaKit's reporting on the Collision Conference asking for more government support(11:35) BDC report on Government spending in Canada(18:58) The banking environment in Canada for small businesses in the wake of SVB(25:29) How carbon taxes are impacting Canadians in this inflationary market (Mark's post for further reading)(32:02) The PGA Tour/LIV golf merger This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com

"I don't necessarily know if the government understands what an innovation strategy is." Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI) president Ben Bergen joins to answer listener-submitted questions about: the Canada Innovation Corporation, open banking, SR&ED reform, and why the feds are so behind on so many innovation files. Warning: listening to this podcast could be hazardous to your health while playing any "innovation policy" drinking games. Sponsored by Goodlawyer, your one-stop shop for all your corporate, commercial, and IP legal needs.

"We have industrialized grift in a way that is kind of unprecedented in human history."   Canadian YouTuber Dan Olson (Folding Ideas) explains his battle against internet grifts, how his career changed after a viral video on NFTs, why Bill C-11 is a "legislative mess" and the future is a dead mall.   Sponsored by Goodlawyer.

"Once Apple showed up, BlackBerry had to do everything right and get on it on the double. And they did everything wrong." "And for whatever reason we thought, oh, there's something to this story that feels funny to us." Losing the Signal co-author Sean Silcoff and BlackBerry producer and co-writer Matthew Miller join to discuss Canada's former tech darling ahead of the forthcoming major motion picture release. Sponsored by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. Read the Deal Points Report: Venture Capital Financings.

"The goal here is not that Canada is the largest market for AI in the world—it's never going to be that. But if we make it the most willing to try new solutions, or to work with startups, that's where we might have an opportunity." Clément Bourgogne, Chief Operating Officer at Scale AI, joins to discuss Canada's limitations and opportunities when it comes to AI, and why his organization is more focused on supply chains than generative AI. Sponsored by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. Read the Deal Points Report: Venture Capital Financings.

The tables have turned on our host Matt Cohen who was recently a guest on the BetaKit podcast and had a spirited discussion about the recent meltdown of RenoRun. BetaKit features weekly podcasts discussing Canadian technology news and global startup news from a Canadian perspective and it was an honour to be a guest on the show. You can listen to the whole episode where Matt shares the history of Ripple Ventures and a lot more here.From BetaKit's post:BetaKit has reported this year on LPs unable to honour capital calls, leaving Canadian VCs to pull out or renegotiate deals with Canadian startups—one of those startups being Montréal-based RenoRun, which recently filed for creditor protection after failing to raise four different rounds to keep the company alive (along with a few other Hail Mary attempts). Most recently, the Globe and Mail reported that Toronto-based Clearco is looking to raise $20 million USD at a $200 million USD valuation—one-tenth of what it was at its height (BetaKit can confirm we've heard the same numbers).You know things are bad when pension-backed VCs like OMERS Ventures' Laura Lenz are trying to encourage downtrodden founders by tweeting that her firm is still investing.This week we also welcome back John Ruffolo to break down the big tech news.Follow Matt Cohen and Tank Talks here!Podcast production support provided by Agentbee.ai This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com

"We're seeing way more women found new technology companies in the market than we did five years ago. By a magnitude—like three times. It's substantial."   Michelle Scarborough, Managing Partner of Thrive Venture Fund, explains the origins of BDC's $500 million commitment to women-led startups and funds, and the progress she's seen since 2017.

"We are in the midst of a new technological payola." Our Lady Peace's Raine Maida and Senator Colin Deacon join for a frank discussion about Big Tech's leverage over Canadian content as Parliament looks to pass new regulations in Bill C-11 and Bill C-18.

"This whole thing with ChatGPT is just history replaying itself. We need to stop viewing tech and innovation as a veritable silver bullet for all the world's problems and instead understand that it can actually scale inequities at warp speed." Feminuity co-founder and CEO Dr. Sarah Saska walks through the current relationship between DEI and tech, before tracking the dangers of biased data and bad faith users on generative AI. Sponsored by ventureLAB and Invest Ottawa.    

In this episode you will learn:Elizabeth shares the story of how she got into entrepreneurship and subsequently a VCWhat is the fund strategy of Hustle fund?According to Elizabeth, why is the speed of execution so important for the success of a startup?Having made more than 700 investments in startups, how does Elizabeth rate herself as a VC? What does it take for a VC to get into the top 1% echelon?What are some of the processes that Hustle Fund has in place to make investments and portfolio support faster and efficient?How does she manage her time as a VC?How can founders manage their risk during tough times like we are experiencing now?What does Elizabeth mean when she says that startups are a ‘multi-turn game'?Why do customer acquisition costs (CAC) almost always go up for a startup?AboutElizabeth Yin is a co-founder and General Partner at Hustle Fund, a pre-seed fund for software entrepreneurs. Previously, Elizabeth was a partner at 500 Startups where she invested in seed-stage companies and ran the Mountain View accelerator. In a prior life, Elizabeth co-founded and ran an adtech company called LaunchBit (acq 2014). Elizabeth has a BSEE from Stanford and an MBA from MIT Sloan.Elizabeth has reviewed over 20k startup pitches from around the world in the last few years and has helped numerous portfolio founders raise hundreds of millions of dollars. Her work and writing on startup fundraising have been featured in numerous publications including TechCrunch, Forbes, Huffington Post, BetaKit, and more.

"When you have a washout like we just had, you're really left with core fundamental value, and that's what people are building now." Satraj Bambra, Partner at Round13's Digital Asset Fund, joins for a wide-ranging discussion on the state of Web3, NFTs, cryptocurrency, the blockchain and...Roblox? Sponsored by AWS.

"The very heart of the bill, and the heart of the law, you wouldn't know what exactly it's applying to." Data governance and AI risk management expert Carole Piovesan joins to discuss the future of AI regulation, privacy, and Bill C-27 before it hits committee. Sponsored by AWS.

“FTX and its collapse is just the icing on the shitty cake that has been crypto this year.” BetaKit's Meagan Simpson and Josh Scott join to unpack the year in tech and offer a few predictions as to what might come in 2023. Sponsored by AWS.

“There was kind of an ‘aha' moment last May. And it triggered a conversation that I believe was really frank on both sides.” CVCA CEO Kim Furlong joins to discuss the comments she made in May about the future of VCCI, the potential renewal of that program, selling its value to policymakers, and what Canadian venture will look like in 2023. Sponsored by AWS.

On this episode, Immad Akhund, CEO & Founder at Mercury and Jon Fry, CEO & Founder at Lendflow discuss the key components of the FinTech ecosystem and how to embed FinTech into your products to drive exponential growth.   Want the key to unlocking the next unicorn?   Today more and more companies are embedding FinTech (banking, payments, lending, insurance, etc.) into their products not only to drive growth and revenue but also to stay competitive.   For example, Starbucks has the second most used payments application in the United States and they're not a bank.   This episode is moderated by Douglas Soltys of BetaKit.   Specifically, they discuss:   - Why every SaaS company will eventually become a FinTech company. - How to determine how many users will convert into your FinTech product offering. - How to build trust through transparency. - The recommended starting point for companies to take on FinTech systems. - Why Jon chose lending as the sweet spot for Lendflow. - Hidden costs that companies should look out for when embedding FinTech.   Learn more at https://tractionconf.io   Learn more about Mercury at https://mercury.com/   Learn more about Lendflow at https://www.lendflow.com/   #startup #innovation #fintech   This episode is brought to you by:   Zendesk makes it easier to support your customers with customer service, engagement, and sales CRM solutions. Qualifying early-stage startups can get 6 months free of Zendesk Suite and Zendesk Sales CRM. Go to zendesk.com/startups to apply now.   Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don't get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.   Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca    Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at ContentAllies.com

“If this is the environment we're in today, what should we do?” Aleeza Hashmi (Bessemer), Michelle Yu (Georgian), and Laura Lenz (OMERS) join BetaKit senior editor Meagan Simpson for a conversation about why the beginning of 2023 will be just as hard for startups to fundraise in. Recorded live at SAAS NORTH on the BetaKit Keynote Stage. Sponsored by Caravel Law.

"There was a bit of ego raising." "I think it has been a disaster." "I read BetaKit for the truth." Canadian tech luminaries try to make sense of a crazy year in this compilation of interviews recorded live at SAAS NORTH. Featuring: Laura Lenz (OMERS Ventures), Leo Lax (L-SPARK), Louis Têtu (Coveo), Ria Bhavnani (Shopify), Peter Housley (Unbounce), Natalie Archibald (Clio), and Sean Silcoff (Globe & Mail). Sponsored by Caravel Law.

In this weeks episode, I speak with Nadia Ladak, Founder of Marlow. Nadia Ladak (she/her) is passionate about contributing to the start-up ecosystem and inspiring the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders. She is the founder of Marlow, a menstrual health brand that has created the first-ever lubricated tampon delivered through a direct-to-consumer subscription model. Beyond the product, the team is taking a community-driven approach to reduce the stigma around menstrual health through education and conversations. The brand has been featured in a variety of publications including Global News, Betakit, Canadian Living, The Kit, FemTech Insider, Vancouver Sun, and more. Nadia led the team's fundraising strategy and raised a $500,000 pre-seed round and obtained $100,000 in non-dilutive grants. She is a Canadian delegate at the upcoming G20 Young Entrepreneur Alliance summit where she will contribute to international policy regarding entrepreneurship and is also the Ontario representative on the Startup Canada Women Advocacy Network where she participates in government roundtables to advocate for female founders. Prior to Marlow, Nadia worked at KPMG in management consulting and at TELUS Digital in digital strategy. She graduated from the Ivey Business School as an Ivey Scholar (top 10% of her class) and was recently recognized as one of Canada's Top 30 under 30 leaders by Bay Street Bull. Nadia is committed to giving back to her community through her role as a fundraising catalyst at Holland Bloorview Children's Hospital and as a mentor for the Junior Achievement Company Program where she provides weekly coaching to high school students as they operate their own small businesses. In her spare time, you can find her backcountry camping, curled up with a good book, or trying new restaurants!In this episode we discuss:How they found a gap to create a lubricated tampon businessWhy mensuration is not a niche market How she built a business with 3 friends from UniversityHow their company raised $500K for the development of their brandWhat the future looks like for women's health and menstruation How menstrual leave in work places are becoming a way of the future If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, review and share it with a friend who you think might enjoy it too!HostLindsay Dent, Founder & Creative Director of Pink Crown Creative @_lindsaydent & @pinkcrowncreativeEmail lindsay@pinkcrowncreative.com for sponsor opportunities, guest appearances or collaborations.GuestNadia Ladak, Founder of Marlow.Connect with Nadia:WebsiteTikTokInstagramEpisode References20% off any purchase with promo code HAVEYOUMETHERYET Episode ResourcesWe are listed as one of the Top 5 Canadian Women in Business Podcasts - read the full list here.ArtworkRD DesignMusic"Happy Days" by scottholmesmusic.comLet's get social!Instagram: @haveyoumetheryetpodcast

“This is the rise and fall of a company that had hundreds of millions of dollars to play with and nothing left to say about it.” Globe and Mail reporter Josh O'Kane joins to discuss his new book, Sideways: The City Google Couldn't Buy, along with BetaKit senior editor Meagan Simpson. Sponsored by SAAS NORTH.

"Shopify Pay still uses Stripe and they have some crazy scale." Immad Akhund (CEO, Mercury) and Jon Fry (CEO, Lendflow) join BetaKit's Douglas Soltys onstage to discuss how startups can embed FinTech into their products, increase revenue, and avoid the hidden icebergs. Recorded live at Traction Conference 2022. Sponsored by Linebox and Thinksound.

Aaron sits down with William Johnson, the creator of Vancouver Tech Journal, to discuss technology, business and leadership. Specifically, the two explore technological innovations taking place in the health and agriculture sector. They also talk William being brought into a family in Canada from an orphanage in Kingston. William is a Vancouver-based writer who's contributed to local, regional and national publications. He is currently general manager of the Vancouver Tech Journal, which was recently named the top newsletter for technology news in Vancouver by the Georgia Straight. With a focus on business and technology, William's writing has been featured in outlets including Billboard, BCBusiness, Maclean's, The Globe & Mail, Daily Hive, BetaKit, Ottawa Magazine, and University Affairs. In addition, William has been a speaker on communications and innovation at events like the #BCTECHSummit, Uniting the Prairies, TechVancouver, Marketing Connect, and BC AMA's Vision conference. William previously combined his editorial work with full-time in-house jobs, most recently as director of marketing and communications at Innovate BC and head of communications at the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association. He is actively engaged in the B.C. business community, currently serving in volunteer roles with the BrainStation and the Business Council of B.C. William also studied political science at Carleton University and public relations at the University of Toronto. He is active on Twitter @notionport. You're invited to subscribe at www.vantechjournal.com Subscribe on Substack: https://aaronpete.substack.com/ Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7jl39CsCYhImbLevAF6aTe?si=dc4479f225ff440b Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/bigger-than-me-podcast/id1517645921 Listen on Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xMDc3MjYyLnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiA8JKF2tT0AhUPmp4KHR2rAPkQ9sEGegQIARAC

Dan Burgar is a cheerleader and innovator who has helped Vancouver become a global powerhouse in VR/AR/Metaverse. Dan is the co-founder and CEO of the Frontier Collective, a coalition of leaders in tech, culture, and community driving forward the development and support of Web3, the metaverse, VR/AR, climate tech, AI, and eSports. Furthermore, Dan  serves as the president of the Vancouver VR/AR Association, an organization with a mission to make Vancouver/BC a world leading hub for growing and scaling VR/AR companies  Nominated as one of 2021's LinkedIn Top Voices: Technology & Innovation, BIV's Top Forty Under 40, and named as a BC500 leader, Dan has written for and offered tech insights to publications including TechCrunch, Betakit, VR Scout, DailyHive, and BC Business. Dan has curated events and spoken at venues around the globe including Web Summit, SXSW, and the TED Conference. Dan also advises and mentors many fast-growing startups and entrepreneurs with an emphasis on diversity.

Justin Gordon (@justingordon212) talks with Elizabeth Yin (@dunkhippo33), Co-Founder and General Partner at Hustle Fund, a VC fund that invests in pre-seed software startups. Hustle Fund is often the first check into a startup or in the first round of funding. Beyond the usual criteria that VCs typically look for, they prioritize founders' speed of execution above all else. Per their name, they also make a fast decision after speaking with a company.Elizabeth is a tech entrepreneur turned startup investor. Her mission for the next 30-40 years is to democratize wealth through entrepreneurship. She also blogs about how to raise early stage capital. Previously, Elizabeth was a partner at 500 Startups where she invested in seed stage companies and ran the Mountain View accelerator. In a prior life, Elizabeth co-founded and ran an adtech company called LaunchBit (acq 2014). Elizabeth has a BSEE from Stanford and an MBA from MIT Sloan.Elizabeth has reviewed over 20k startup pitches from around the world in the last few years and has helped numerous portfolio founders raise hundreds of millions of dollars. Her work and writing on startup fundraising has been featured in numerous publications including TechCrunch, Forbes, Huffington Post, BetaKit, and more.Website: Hustle FundLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/elizabethyin/Twitter: @dunkhippo33Elizabeth's Website: https://elizabethyin.com/ Show Notes: The transition from founder to investor and why Elizabeth doesn't actually see herself as a VC The variety of ways Hustle Fund is supporting founders and investors beyond investing capital Behind the scenes of developing Camp Hustle How Angel Squad came about and the power of angel investing communities Elizabeth's perspective on crowdfunding How Hustle Fund provides value and stands out in a crowded industry Becoming widely known for her Twitter threads What Hustle Fund looks for in their potential investments How they evaluate founders in emerging markets Lessons from raising a second fund Their fund strategy and portfolio construction What's next for Hustle Fund More about the show:The Vitalize Podcast, a show by Vitalize Venture Capital (a seed-stage venture capital firm and pre-seed 300+ member angel community open to everyone), dives deep into the world of startup investing and the future of work.Hosted by Justin Gordon, the Director of Marketing at Vitalize Venture Capital, The Vitalize Podcast includes two main series. The Angel Investing series features interviews with a variety of angel investors and VCs around the world. The goal? To help develop the next generation of amazing investors. The Future of Work series takes a look at the founders and investors shaping the new world of work, including insights from our team here at Vitalize Venture Capital. More about us:Vitalize Venture Capital was formed in 2017 as a $16M seed-stage venture fund and now includes both a fund as well as an angel investing community investing in the future of work. Vitalize has offices in Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.The Vitalize Team:Gale - https://twitter.com/galeforceVCCaroline - https://twitter.com/carolinecasson_Justin - https://twitter.com/justingordon212Vitalize Angels, our angel investing community open to everyone:https://vitalize.vc/vitalizeangels/

In this HRchat episode, we discuss ways to find, hire, and retain top tech talent from around the world. Our returning guest is Ilya Brotzky, CEO and CoFounder of VanHack, a global platform for tech talent looking to get hired anywhere and work from anywhere.Questions Include:Why are software developers and other tech talents so hard to attract and recruit at the moment?Why should firms in Canada and the US look globally to secure top tech talent? What did the pandemic do to widen the available talent pool for hiring companies?VanHack has helped hire around 1500 software developers and I understand that the average tenure of a hire facilitated by VanHack has risen to 2.9 years. What can recruiters do to find and attract talent who'll stay and grow with the company?What are the most common challenges in remote hiring?  How can we overcome them?You and I have both emigrated. For those positions that still require relocation, what are the typical anxieties of candidates? Slowly but surely companies are moving to more diverse, gender-inclusive hiring practices - what have you been observing with some of the companies you've been working with? You have a couple of recruiting fairs and events coming up in 2022. Can you run through them with me and what candidates and hiring companies can expect? More About IlyaFeatured in Fast Company, BC Business, Betakit, and elsewhere, Ilya leads a team of around 80 employees from 13 countries with the mission of creating a borderless world for tech talent through jobs. He holds a Bachelors of Applied Economics from Cornell University and has helped raise over $100,000 for a variety of charities in Africa and South America.More About VanHackVanHack helps candidates find remote jobs, relocation jobs, or a combination of the two. This allows companies to hire amazing senior and diverse talent and more quickly.Check out, and register for, upcoming job fairs by VanHack here. We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast, and Iceni Media Inc. 

In This Episode: Today we're joined by founders Michelle and Ravina who started FLIK off of an idea in their dorm room. We learn about the hardships of being a female founder, how to prepare for acquisition and what being a humble leader is all about. These two truly embody servant leadership and are making waves in the female entrepreneur space. FLIK's Blurb: FLIK is a platform & community hub connecting female founders/leaders and female learners across the world via meaningful career experiences. Founders get helping hands on their businesses and build a network of powerful leaders. Mentees build projects in startups to gain career-relevant experience, skills training, mentorship, and peer learning. Michelle Kwok Michelle is a born and raised Vancouverite - medical science student turned social entrepreneur. She is now the Head of Community Growth at Scale, building the go-to platform and community that helps global professionals accelerate their career success through a personalized journey of guided sprints and 1:1 coaching. Prior to Scale, she co-founded FLIK (weareflik.com), a platform connecting female leaders and learners across the world via meaningful career experiences, which was recently acquired by Rumor Avenue. She now serves as a partner at Rumor Avenue as well as a part-time Chief of Staff where she continues to work with the FLIK community of 10,000+ women globally. She has been recognized as BC Business' 30 Under 30, YWCA's Young Woman of Distinction, a Conversationalist GenZ Honoree, and has been featured in publications like Forbes, BetaKit, The Hustle, and Women of Influence. Ravina Anand Ravina Anand is a social-tech entrepreneur and was previously the Co-Founder & COO of FLIK (acquired). In a hyper globalized world, Ravina aims to advance women's economic participation and help women from remote and underserved communities. Her myriad of interests in technology, global health governance, and socio political philosophy, has led to a culmination of recognitions including the Diana Award, Top 30 Under 30, Top 50 Canadian Business Leaders, Asian Power List, and the MU President's Medal. Resources: FLIK Website --- // SUPPORT THE SHOW // Become a member Donate to the show // COURSES // Apply to join the Woman's Wisdom™ Accelerator to be in community with women living and working in flow Have Pain Free Periods with the Period Secrets™ Course Free Career Design Masterclass // LINKS // Looking for a coach? Let's work together! - 1:1 Coaching With Kalyna Buy Lead. Merch to support grassroots charities and get great loungewear // SOCIAL // Connect with Kalyna on Instagram Connect on LinkedIn Connect on Facebook Subscribe to Get Updates on New Episodes --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kalyna/support

"What is your vibe right now about Canadian tech?" Co-hosts Douglas Soltys and Rob Kenedi are joined by BetaKit associate editor Meagan Simpson to answer listener questions submitted LIVE during a special Twitter Spaces AMA edition of the BetaKit Podcast. Sponsored by Pocketed.

Erin Bury is the co-founder and CEO at Willful, an online estate planning platform that makes it easy for Canadians to create a will in less than 20 minutes. We talk about setting up a will in less than 20 minutes, how Kevin (her husband) “recruited” her for Willful, what's it like to work with her partner, why becoming an entrepreneur makes you a horrible employee, detaching self worth from net worth, feeling guilty when not productive, becoming a mother, dogs, the eMyth, Antartica, and more. At Willful she's responsible for driving the company's mission to make it easier for Canadians to prepare for and deal with death in a digital age. She previously spent 6 years as Managing Director at a Toronto-based creative communications agency that works with clients including Lyft, Telus, and Sony Pictures Television. She has also held senior roles at startup publication BetaKit and startup Sprouter, which was acquired by Postmedia in 2011. Erin is a frequent speaker with Speakers' Spotlight, and she has appeared in publications including The New York Times, Forbes, and CNN, and was named one of Marketing Magazine's top 30 Under 30 marketers. She is a board member at Save the Children Canada, and the co-chair of the #Tech4SickKids advisory council for SickKids. She is also an advisor to startups including Quill and Pawzy. Her claim to fame is being retweeted by Oprah - twice.

Today my guest is Elizabeth Yin, co-founder and General Partner at Hustle Fund, a pre-seed fund for software entrepreneurs. Previously, Elizabeth was a partner at 500 Startups where she invested in seed-stage companies and ran the Mountain View acceleration program. Prior to that, after leaving Google, Elizabeth co-founded and ran an ad tech company called LaunchBit, which was acquired in 2014 by BySellAds. Elizabeth has a BSEE from Stanford and an MBA from MIT Sloan. Elizabeth has reviewed over 20k startup pitches from around the world in the last few years and has helped numerous portfolio founders raise hundreds of millions of dollars. Her work and writing on startup fundraising have been featured in numerous publications including TechCrunch, Forbes, Huffington Post, BetaKit, and more. Welcome Elizabeth to the Inevitable Podcast! Here are the main topics from today's conversation: Elizabeth's experience growing up in Silicon Valley and her first contact with the "startup world" helping her best friend's cousin: Tony Hsieh, former CEO of Zappos. She also shares how Tony inspired her and those around him; How her time at Google teached her about politics at big techs and inspired her to become a founder at LaunchBit. And also, is this the path for most engineers at big tech?; Yin's journey on founding her own startup prior to the Lean Startup movement (without knowing how to raise money or even market a product), how learning from mistakes was a key part of that process, and the details around the exit; The path to the VC world (something she didn't expected) as a result of being a builder and wanting to find a bigger purpose, and also her vision on the acceleration scene for startups; What investor should look for on founders (and why most VCs get it wrong) and how investor can really be helpful and relevant for startups; The story behind fundraising for Hustle Fund VC and why it's a full-time job for the founders (no side projects here); Money is a commodity. Why should a founder looking to raise funds work with you? Elizabeth shares her unique view on that; And why we need to look beyond unconscious biases when analysing businesses and founders looking for investment.

As a ninth grader, Elizabeth Yin's best friend asked if she wanted to help out her cousin Tony with a project over winter break. With nothing else going on, she agreed and found herself putting up tables and chairs in an office for recent college graduate Tony Hsieh as he began his startup Link Exchange. Elizabeth tells us about her professional journey and the ripple of impact that brief, random encounter had on her life. Using Elizabeth's relationship with Tony as an example, we discuss the how small actions of leaders can leave a lasting ripple of impact. Elizabeth is now a co-founder and General Partner at Hustle Fund, a pre-seed fund for software entrepreneurs. Previously, Elizabeth was a partner at 500 Startups where she invested in seed stage companies and ran the Mountain View accelerator. Elizabeth has reviewed over 20k startup pitches from around the world in the last few years and has helped numerous portfolio founders raise hundreds of millions of dollars. Her work and writing on startup fundraising has been featured in numerous publications including TechCrunch, Forbes, Huffington Post, BetaKit, and more. Check her out at elizabethyin.com

Before you take off...Want to see future episode highlights? You can add me on Linkedin here.Episode Description“Don't chase the investor, chase the customer. You'll have a more compelling story to tell”.Key talking points: Why entrepreneurs need to chase a business model and then investment, not the other way around How Vanhack started as a company before becoming a marketplace How Iliya changed his “be a nice guy” mentality About IlyaIlya Brotzky is the CEO and Co-Founder of VanHack. He is building a company that promises the fastest way to hire tech talent. Today, employers can access a community of 200,000+ highly-qualified tech professionals from 100+ countries - the largest such community in the world! He has several articles on Forbes, Betakit & The Globe & Mail, he's very active on Linkedin, with a network of 32,500 followers and raised very little money, around 120k - Ilya Brotzky. Great to have you on - welcome!