Toronto

Using technology to improve the quality of life for pets, pet parents, and veterinary professionals globally

Mark Bordo is the co-founder and CEO of Toronto-based Vetster, a telemedicine service for pets. Taking his 20-plus years of experience as a tech entrepreneur and his own personal experience as a dog owner, Mark has developed a unique platform that is improving the quality of life for pets, pet parents, and veterinary professionals globally.


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The dangers of ransomware and ways to mitigate the risk

Today ransomware is becoming a massive problem for everyone, so we thought we would do a special feature on ransomware in business – the dangers and some ways to mitigate the risk.

It’s a difficult subject. Not surprisingly in the past 5 years there has been a renewed focus on how to overcome a problem that costs enterprises billions of dollars – and allows secrets to seep out. Today, we talk to Ed Dubrovsky, COO and Managing Partner at CYPFER. Ed has a tremendous knowledge base and for almost 30 years Ed Dubrovsky’s name has been synonymous with information security. He gives us some insightful thoughts on ransomware and how it is costing organizations billions of dollars. And he also has some suggestions on how to mitigate it.

Ed is a seasoned entrepreneur, executive & technical leader with over 29 years of experience building and growing technology companies with a deep technical acumen. Experience in managing over 4700 security incidents including ransomware, business email compromise, malicious insiders, extortion, executive protection, threat intelligence, and prevention/mitigation of risk associated to cyber-attacks.

He has deep experience in helping companies across all industries including military, defense, public and private sectors recover from cyber-attacks.

Ed has a keen interest in technology & cyber-security leadership, managing business growth under challenging conditions and constant change. Holder of Canadian secret II clearance.


This is a sponsored podcast by FileFlex, The #1 Zero Trust Data Access platform for Windows.

FileFlex manages the chaos of unstructured data and minimizes ransomware.

Learn more at https://fileflex.com/


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The Importance of Defining Success with Krista Halliday

Krista Halliday is a serial entrepreneur on a mission to disrupt the brand ecosystem as we know it. Leading by example, Krista is focused on creating and supporting better products and building better brands that are led with purpose, integrity, and prioritize social good.

Krista is passionate about educating the everyday Canadian on their vital role in this eco-system, to challenge the norms and demand better of brands and retailers by using our purchasing power as leverage.

A daughter of a single mother from humble beginnings, Krista quickly learned the value of hard work and started her first job at the young age of 12. After University, Krista forged her retail experience at household brands including Revlon, Holt Renfrew, Rexall and Jarden Home Brands where she acknowledged a white space in the market – a need for experienced consultation that would help US and European beauty brands navigate the unique Canadian retail landscape.

At just 28 years old, Krista started her first company, Global Edge Brands based in Toronto, and grew it to be Canada’s leading retail and brand consulting company that worked with renowned brands such as the Honest Company, Disney, Nurtibullet and more. Maneuvering this male-dominated industry as a young female executive was no easy feat, and fortified Krista’s dedication as a woman-in-leadership advocate and supporter.

Now based in Hamilton, Ontario – Krista’s latest venture, Ray Management Group, was designed with the intention to support and create products that are led with integrity and prioritize social good. The team at Ray Management Group is responsible for major brand entrances to key retailers including Kristin Ess Hair and Hey Humans to Shoppers Drug Mart, Hairtiage by Mindy McKnight to Walmart, and Drew Barrymore Flower Beauty at Loblaws.

A serial entrepreneur gaining speed in the Canadian marketplace, Krista has leveraged her leadership, innovation and business prowess to launch three additional businesses in the last 5 years, greatly supporting the local Hamilton economy – Little Sprouts Daycare, Nest Coworking, and retail shop Luv La Vie, two of which have been nominated and won Readers Choice Awards 3 years running. With much more on the horizon, Krista is one to watch. This year, she is also the recipient of Hamilton Business Link 40 under 40.


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Decarbonizing and electrification of buildings with carbon-free heat pumps

Belinda Gilbey is a woman entrepreneur, green building enthusiast and market leader in heat pump technology. Her graduation from the University of Ottawa with a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering kick started her successful professional journey that was fueled by her passion for clean technologies. For several years, she worked in sales and consulting helping commercial property owners, operators, and developers with their mechanical equipment needs, with a focus on improving efficiencies and reducing building energy consumption and operating expenses. While working in the solar and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) industries, she gradually developed a true passion for creating cost-effective decarbonization solutions for a better tomorrow, which brought her to co-found and become President of Bondi Energy. Since then, she’s been raising awareness on the positive effects that these technologies provide, not only from an environmental point of view but also from a cost reduction angle. Under Belinda’s guidance, Bondi is now aiming to decarbonize as many buildings as possible across North America. Belinda is co-founder of US-based Gigawatt Heat Pump Supply (2021), which sells efficient heat pump and electrification equipment for new-build and retrofit applications.

Aaron Graben is the co-founder and Vice President of Bondi Energy. Shortly after its inauguration in 2019, Bondi became a market leader in energy efficiency retrofits of multifamily and commercial buildings. Aaron, along with his partner Belinda, have accelerated the market uptake of heat pump technology across North America. Aaron’s background in commercial real estate gives him a unique understanding of how energy affects building values and their owner’s decision-making process.

Bondi Energy Corp (Bondi) is a turnkey project management firm specializing in decarbonizing and electrification of multi-residential and commercial buildings with energy efficient, carbon-free heat pumps.


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Seafood that is changing consumers’ perception of the category

As Scout’s CEO and co-founder, Adam Bent leads the team toward bringing Scout’s mission to life – to make deliciously crafted seafood that changes how consumers perceive and experience the category.

Adam joined Scout in 2018 with a passion for sustainability, product innovation, and brand experience. Brand founder and acclaimed Chef Charlotte Langley tapped Adam to help transform Scout from her side hustle into the rapidly emerging omni-channel brand that it is today. Under Adam’s leadership, Scout doubled its annual revenue from 2020 to 2021, expanded beyond its Canadian headquarters into the United States, and raised a total of $4 million USD to date.

Previous to Scout, Adam was a technology entrepreneur building VC-backed businesses as the co-founder of thisopenspace (2016-2018) and Uppercase (2016-2018). No stranger to the food industry, Adam also served as the Vice President at Provender (2014-2015), a TechStars backed online marketplace that addressed inefficiencies in local food delivery to the wholesale industry. Adam was the Canadian manager for Urbanspoon (2012-2013) before its acquisition and is a partner at Prairie Boy Organic Bakery (2015 – present) in Toronto, Canada.

The food-tech entrepreneur turned seafood expert is a founding member of the SeafoodCollab, an industry group of emerging seafood CPG brands that are committed to a regenerative ocean food system and increased consumer engagement within sustainable seafood. Adam also sits on the board of directors for the Gulf of Georgia Cannery, a national historic site representing the historical significance of Canada’s west coast fishing industry.


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From law, to the circus, to estate settlement – a wild entrepreneurial story!

Davide Pisanu is a graduate of McGill University’s Faculty of Law, Davide has over 10 years of legal experience with Davis Polk & Wardell and Canada’s Department of Justice under his belt. He then transferred into the financial sector by working as an advisor to institutional investors and asset managers with McKinsey & Company, before taking on the role of SVP at Cirque du Soleil, where he managed the resident show division and affiliated businesses before becoming part of the ClearEstate founding team.


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Changing the planet, one grass-roots movement at a time

Teresa de Grosbois (say “de-Grow-bwah”) based in Costa Rica. Teresa is on a mission to change the planet, one grass-roots movement at a time. She is the #1 international bestselling author of ‘Mass Influence – The Habits of the Highly Influential’, which has been on the bestseller lists in 7 countries since 2015.

A 4x international bestselling author, Teresa teaches marketing courses around the globe to business leaders and entrepreneurs on how to create massively successful word of mouth campaigns. Teresa heads the international Evolutionary Business Council, a membership-based organization which empowers change-makers to create profitable, impactful businesses that have a lasting and transformational impact on the individuals that they serve.


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Tenacity is Important as a Startup Founder

Maximilian Birner, CEO and Co-founder of Boxhub, on the exponential growth in demand for shipping containers across Canada and the US. Boxhub is a digital marketplace that facilitates fast and easy buying and selling of intermodal containers for shipping, upcycling and repurposing for affordable housing, storage, retail, hospitality, logistics, or personal use. A graduate of LSE and UAL, Maximilian Birner is the Co-Founder & CEO of Boxhub. Max has had a varied career, starting off as an analyst at an asset management firm focused on ETFs, then co-founding two companies. Max also acted as an Ambassador in Europe for Founders Pledge, a global community of entrepreneurs and investors who have committed to leveraging their success for social good, helping them grow to 1,200 members in 30 countries. All this experience and altruism helped Max to conceptualise and create Boxhub alongside partner Philip Skov in 2019. The company is headquartered in Toronto and currently operates exclusively in North America.


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Invest in yourself to become an entrepreneur

Vanessa Iarocci CPA, CA, is an authentic and energetic leader known for her passion for education and innovation, which she brings to her role as CEO and co-owner at Brain Power! Vanessa earned her Bachelor of Commerce, CPA designation and was selected to complete a post-graduate certificate in innovation at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Following this, Vanessa spent over two decades in increasingly senior positions at PwC and TD Bank Financial Group. She then honed her entrepreneurial skills as the CEO of a national school apparel company, where she led an innovative turnaround and growth strategy. Drawing on her 20 years of experience at some of the world’s leading firms and as a CEO, Vanessa has already lead instruction in exciting new courses at Brain Power that expose students to cutting edge business and investing concepts, including preparing them for the prestigious Wharton Investment Competition.


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To build a business successfully surround yourself with people who are smarter than you and let your ego go by the wayside

A fourth-generation entrepreneur and an iconic Canadian brand, Gillian Stein tells us what it takes to be the fourth generation to continue Henry’s success and speaks out about mental illness.

It’s clear that people truly do like a physical shopping experience. The important part is embracing both. The digital experience is a really important part of the customer shopping journey. So you need to make sure that you’re digital. But you also have to be physical, and for Henry’s the key is: what’s the value proposition?

We have setup the Henry’s Foundation in support of mental health. Our healthcare system is really not set up for mental health care. It’s a real challenge right now. When it comes to mental health, talk to somebody. The most important thing is to start talking.


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