Tech

Don’t be afraid to fail

Alex Clark discovered his natural talent for programming at a young age, crafting his first video game code at age 12. By 27, he became Chief Technology Officer at Navio Systems Inc.

Alex later started Bit Stew Systems which helped companies within the industrial internet efficiently manage and analyze data from interconnected devices before being sold to GE in 2016.

In 2020, Alex created Quantum Pigeon, Inc. (QP), a platform allowing creators to monetize content, community, and access. By nurturing a direct relationship built on authenticity, QP empowers creators to own their audience and earn a meaningful income. QP’s ultimate aspiration is to become the premier social media platform for creators and influencers seeking to monetize and authentically engage.

Alex’s strong passion, enthusiasm, expertise, and relentless drive for innovation is what powers his entrepreneurial journey.


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Inspiring imaginations that will change the world

At the core of Ken Merkel‘s work lies a profound mission—to inspire imaginations that will change the world. As Founder of Unlimit and SciFiHive, Ken empowers individuals and organizations to uncover remarkable opportunities they never imagined possible on their own. Now more than ever, we need to rally together to create a better future. Using a pioneering approach – known as the SciFiHive, participants of all ages and places can explore, get excited, imagine, storytell and prototype solutions. If you are clear on the problem you want to solve, you can participate in, sponsor or lead local, regional or global sprint with engaged experts and enthusiasts.

In today’s podcast, Ken Merkel will provide insights on his story, what exponential growth is, the magic of a sprint process – what makes it unique, what results you can expect, use cases, and how you can get engaged to imagine then build your future.


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Revolutionizing the way you sell homes

Jason Hardy is the Co-Founder & CEO of the leading real estate e-commerce software, Ownly. Jason has spent the previous 17 years serving the real estate development sector in both Canada and the United States. An industry thought leader and speaker, Jason previously held the position of President / Managing Partner at Chatterson, a boutique real estate marketing firm headquartered in Calgary, Canada. Jason is an instructor of Real Estate Marketing at the Haskayne School of Business’ Real Estate MBA program at the University of Calgary and holds the role of Executive Director of the Real Estate Development Institute of Canada. Jason also sits on the Management Advisory Committee (MAC) and Proptech Advisory Committee at the Haskayne School of Business and serves as Committee Chair at the Westman Centre for Real Estate Studies.


Get the low-cost insurance protection you need from Canada’s small business insurance experts! For a free business insurance quote visit https://zensurance.com/save35


Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on FacebookInstagramLinkedIn and Twitter.

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Driving small business productivity through data and technology: In conversation with Mark Hickman

As country leader for Sage in Canada, Mark helps to empower Canadian businesses by simplifying workflows to break down barriers and achieve growth. With more than 20 years of experience at the executive management and leadership-levels, where he consistently grew revenues at leading organizations, Mark brings a wealth of knowledge essential to successfully navigate the channel, partner, and SMB landscapes in Canada. As a leader, Mark looks to empower colleagues, partners, and customers to seek out solutions through creativity and innovation. To learn more about the technology delivering insights to Canadian business owners to make work and money flow, visit https://sage.com/en-ca

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markhickman72

Sage: https://www.sage.com/en-ca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sagesoftware.canada/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sage_Canada

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeatsage/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sage-software/


Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on FacebookInstagramLinkedIn and Twitter.

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Building a real estate empire one property at a time

Bob Dhillon is the Founder, President & CEO of Mainstreet Equity Corp, based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Mainstreet is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:MEQ). As of Q1 2023, assets were valued at close to CDN$3B and MEQ reported its 23rd year of consistent, year-over-year, double-digit returns through its continued organic growth.

Year-to-date holdings currently consist of 16,802+ apartments across western Canada (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Winnipeg, Manitoba). Along with its healthy balance sheet success, Mainstreet is a strong and proud champion of affordable housing.

In 2018, Bob gifted CDN$10M to the University of Lethbridge towards the creation of the Dhillon School of Business (DSB). Bob’s strong belief that education and entrepreneurship are the engines of national prosperity, along with his strong desire to give back to the province that provided him with so many opportunities, motivated his decision to make this substantial and transformative contribution. One of the primary areas of study at DSB is a world-class research and emerging technologies. Bob is also very proud of the fact that DSB was the first post-secondary institution in Canada to mandate an indigenous studies course requirement.

Bob is also the owner of National Payments, a Visa and MasterCard-approved merchant-processing business in the financial services sector.


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The best thing about being an entrepreneur is the freedom and the unlimited ceiling it gives you

Cahill Camden is the CEO of Digital Vision Media Group, an agency that helps web3 and technology companies optimize for growth. As the Fractional CMO for Coinberry and Blockchain Foundry, he helped guide both companies to successful 8-figure exits in 2022. He is currently focused on launching his latest startup Press Jockey – a tool that sorts 1,000s of press requests each week, to help businesses get up to 5x more press, with 90% less effort. He’s also a Forbes contributor and a bestselling author.


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Entrepreneurship is like sports…you can always improve and always have that constant push and competitiveness

For four years, Konrad Wasiela played in the CFL, playing cornerback for the B.C. Lions, Saskatchewan Roughriders and Montreal Alouettes. From there he worked as an adviser for a localization service, called APlus Translations, translating video games for major game studios, including EA Sports, into more than 40 languages. When he was in Poland he went to the Intel Extreme Masters professional gaming competition and was amazed it was a serious sporting event. He was back where he felt comfortable. The result is ESE Entertainment, a media and technology company focused on providing anything a game studio would need to promote, enhance and sell its games to the world. Since 2019, the company has grown from Wasiela’s core group of friends to 150 employees worldwide.


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How brands can build safe connections with their target consumers

Jason Williams is the CEO of Kidoz (TSXV:KIDZ), the largest COPPA and GDPR-compliant mobile advertising network that safely reaches hundreds of millions of kids, teens, and families every month.

Through his deep understanding of tech strategy, marketing, enterprise sales, and business development, Jason has grown the Kidoz team by 300 percent since 2018, expanded the business from 10 to over 60 different countries, and brought more than 3,000 apps into the Kidoz ad network. Since becoming CEO in 2019, Jason has built a unique global culture, managing staff in 11 different countries across 14 time zones.

Growing up in Vancouver, Jason’s passion for technology began in the early days of the Pacific Northwest startup scene. Through his many years of dedication, he’s built Kidoz into its successful business today, working with leading companies like Lego, Mattel, and Disney that insist on absolute data privacy when advertising to minors. Jason helped shape the Kidoz strategy ensuring the Company is a critical part of the global AdTech marketplace.

In addition to his role as CEO, Jason lends his expertise as a guest lecturer at Cass Business School and University College London. Jason has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Victoria and a Masters of Business Administration specializing in strategic marketing from the University of Warwick.


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A passion for taking care of her community

Lourdes Juan is a Calgary-based entrepreneur and Urban planner, with a Masters in Environmental Design, who has founded a diverse array of organizations including Hive Developments, Soma Spa, Knead Technologies, Leftovers and Fresh Routes.

As a daughter of immigrants, Lourdes’ parents instilled in her a passion for taking care of her community. This has been a driving force behind her tireless work to solve problems including by creating two non-profit organizations that address dignified food access and newly founded a tech company to redirect food surplus. Lourdes’ community advocacy is vast and also includes serving on numerous local and national boards related to urban planning and design, development appeals, affordable housing, impact investment and business leadership.

Lourdes is a mom to a one-year-old son who inspires her to continue to work towards building a brighter future for Calgary.


Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on FacebookInstagramLinkedIn and Twitter.

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