Vancouver

Dhruv Sood headshot
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Creating Sustainable Meal Kits Using Reusable Cooler Bags

Environment, Food & Drink 00:16:03

With a lifelong interest in building things and solving problems, Dhruv Sood tried a lot of different work after completing his studies in Finance and Logistics at the University of British Columbia. He worked a variety of jobs, from part-time security guard to equity research associate, but has now found his home as Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Fresh Prep, a meal kit and prepared food delivery service.

Starting off as a small retail location in Vancouver, Fresh Prep now delivers straight to homes across BC and Alberta. Fresh Prep sources local ingredients wherever possible to help busy people create world-class dinners in under 30 minutes.

Since its inception in 2015, Fresh Prep’s goal has been to become the most sustainable meal kit in Canada. To accomplish this, all Fresh Prep orders come to your door in reusable cooler bags. Meals are packed in compostable paper bags or in reusable Zero Waste Kits (an industry first), and kept cool with reusable and recyclable ice packs. Anysoft plastics are returned by customers in the reusable cooler bags for responsible recycling through a partnership with Urban Impact Recycling. Fresh Prep is also the only meal kit company in Canada to be a Certified B Corporation, prioritizing people and planet over profits.

Dhruv is a recipient of BC Business’ 2018 30 Under 30 awards. When Dhruv isn’t working on Fresh Prep, he enjoys playing tennis and making up diets for himself that don’t make it past day one.

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Shone Anstey headshot
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Why the Lightning Network is key to scaling bitcoin trading

Business, Economics, Finance, Tech 00:42:22

Shone Anstey brings 20 years of experience in building complex technologies and software within search, analytics, and data centre operations. Engaged with cryptocurrency since 2012, Shone has acted as technology lead for an industrial Bitcoin mine and Bitcoin mining pool, and is a Certified Cryptocurrency Investigator. Shone is the CEO and Co-founder of LQwD, the first publicly traded, pure play, purpose-built bitcoin company that’s focused on solutions that power the growth of the Bitcoin Lightning Network.

In this podcast, we highlight three key ideas:

  1. Why Bitcoin is like the ‘reserve currency’ of cryptocurrencies
  2. The Lightning Network – what is it and why it is important to scaling cryptocurrency trading
  3. Like E-mail was the first use case of the internet, transaction exchanges are the first use case of cryptocurrency…and there is so much more to come!

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

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Drior Etcion headshot
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How The PIVOT Project Helps Canadian SMEs Future Proof Their Business for a Changing World

Business, Coaching & Consulting, Starting A Business 00:21:40

Led out of McGill University, The PIVOT Project is an action research project that uses social media to bring small business owners across Canada together to share their climate action goals, struggles and achievements and shift Canadian perspectives on our country’s green future.

We will be interviewing PIVOT participants over the next few months. We love this kind of initiative. In this interview we talk with Drior Etcion an Associate Professor at McGill and one of the drivers of the initiative.

PIVOT is an action-research project that amplifies the action of small business owners across Canada as they transition to the low-carbon economy. PIVOT harnesses the power of stories to document the growing movement of SMEs that are future-proofing their businesses and setting themselves up for success in a changing world.

PIVOT is spearheaded by the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill but is collaborating with many other departments including biology, informational science as well as external stakeholders like the National Film Board of Canada The project is funded by the McGill Sustainability Systems Initiative.

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

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Caterina Papadakos headshot
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What makes SVB a unique capital partner for Canadians

Business, Economics, Finance 00:43:30

Caterina Papadakos leads the Technology Banking efforts in Western Canada, building new relationships and managing the bank’s portfolio in the region. She thrives on serving energetic entrepreneurs who are challenging the status quo and disrupting traditional industries, and she’s dedicated to providing them with the strategic capital, advice and connections they need to scale and compete globally.

Caterina has been an active member of the local tech scene for more than a decade; before joining SVB in 2020, she served as a Director at Espresso Capital, where she led venture debt financing for tech companies in Western Canada. In this role, she also managed existing client and partner relationships and opened new US markets for the firm. Earlier in her career, Caterina served as a Director for the Technology and Innovation group at BMO, where she launched the bank’s technology lending program in British Columbia. She has also held roles at Trade and Invest BC, where she helped businesses in the province develop their export and foreign investment strategies. Caterina holds a B.A. in political science from the University of Victoria and an MBA from the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business.

In her free time, Caterina volunteers as a member of the CARE Canada Vancouver Council, which supports projects in developing countries that help lift women and girls and their families out of poverty and crisis.

Caterina lives in Vancouver with her husband and son. Together, they enjoy taking advantage of everything the area has to offer — whether snowboarding in the mountains, stand-up paddle boarding on local waters or simply trekking on foot through the great outdoors. Further afield, Caterina and her family love experiencing the culture, food and landscape of global destinations; their most recent adventures include trips to Japan and South Africa’s Kalahari Desert.

The Silicon Valley Bank team in Canada can help you take your next step. Find out more about the bank that has nearly 40 years of global experience supporting venture-backed tech and life science companies and their investors. We’re in Canada to help leading innovators reach the next stage, faster. Visit www.svb.com/canada/connect. Silicon Valley bank, helping you move your bold ideas forward, fast.

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

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Nicole McLaren headshot
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Canada‘s rich and diverse Indigenous economy is on the rise

Business, General, Indigenous, Retail 0:22:00

Nicole McLaren is a multi-award-winning Métis entrepreneur from British Columbia and Saskatchewan. Her extensive knowledge of industry supply chains and economic development coupled with a passion for supporting fellow Indigenous entrepreneurs allowed her to transform a small book club into Raven Reads, the world’s first Indigenous subscription box.

Through her hard work and ambition, Raven Reads has grown exponentially, with thousands of subscribers across Canada, the US, and Europe. Once a sole proprietor, curating and packaging boxes in her garage, Nicole now manages an elite team and operations out of their Kamloops warehouse and distribution centre.

Nicole is the recipient of Startup Canada’s National Indigenous Business of the Year (2018) and the BC Achievement Foundation’s Indigenous Business of the Year (2020). She was also a finalist in the Small Business BC’s Premier’s People’s Award (2021) and the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade’s Business Resilience Regional Export Plan of the Year (2020).

Through the incredible success of Raven Reads, Nicole has invested over $250,000 back into the Indigenous economy, and donated over $2,000 to literacy programs for Indigenous children and youth. She is the Founder and Chair of the Indigenous Women’s Business Network, an organization that she created to provide coaching and mentoring to other Indigenous women business owners.

Nicole holds two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Saskatchewan, and will complete her Masters of Business Administration in 2023 from the University of Illinois’ Gies School of Business. She currently resides in Logan Lake, BC with her husband and two young children.

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

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Kieran Macleod headshot
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What if we could end paralysis?

Business, Health and Wellness, Tech 00:41:50

Sparked by a paralyzing bike crash in Phuket, Kieran Macleod has joined forces with friends in the blockchain ecosystem to source funds for a Robotic ExoSkeleton. This will allow Kieran to regain a level of functionality you can only imagine: from being stuck in a wheelchair every day and walking 2-3 hours per year, to near-full personal autonomy again!

Together, Kieran and his friends’ massively transformative purpose is to Enable Augmented Human Purpose. And, their moonshot is to support 1 million people with mobility issues transform their lives to a better future. Introducing ExOSkeletons to people experiencing paralysis in communities in Canada and around the world would:

  • Help people with paralysis experience first-hand the next-generation technology that can transform their lives to a better future;
  • Save billions of dollars in public healthcare spending;
  • Fast-track the adoption of ExOSkeleton and related technologies so ‘access’ takes on a whole new meaning

Kieran invites you to make an impact – start by sharing your ‘ideas’ for ambassadors, manufacturers, health professionals, health product distributors and community leaders that would love to see the adoption of ExOSkeletons happen!

The Silicon Valley Bank team in Canada can help you take your next step. Find out more about the bank that has nearly 40 years of global experience supporting venture-backed tech and life science companies and their investors. We’re in Canada to help leading innovators reach the next stage, faster. Visit www.svb.com/canada/connect. Silicon Valley bank, helping you move your bold ideas forward, fast.

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

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Alison Taylor headshot
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How being a Canadian company is a huge advantage

Business, Health and Wellness, Tech 00:26:43

Alison Taylor is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Jane, an online platform for healthcare practitioners that delivers a unified approach to online booking, charting, scheduling, video services and payments. Alison, who is based in Vancouver, built Jane with her Co-Founder and Co-CEO Trevor Johnston after running her own practice and finding that she needed an all-in-one solution for her practice’s needs. Now, Jane helps thousands of practitioners across the world with the business side of their practice, so they can focus on what they do best — helping their clients. Alison’s company has gotten here by pushing the envelope and challenging tech industry norms. Jane doesn’t have a sales team, in fact, Alison calls herself the antithesis of sales, and lets the product speak for itself.

The Silicon Valley Bank team in Canada can help you take your next step. Find out more about the bank that has nearly 40 years of global experience supporting venture-backed tech and life science companies and their investors. We’re in Canada to help leading innovators reach the next stage, faster. Visit www.svb.com/canada/connect. Silicon Valley bank, helping you move your bold ideas forward, fast.

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

Want to stay up-to-date on the latest #entrepreneur podcasts and news? Subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter

Tessa May Marr headshot
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There is no such thing as a social media expert

Communications, Marketing & Advertising, Tech 00:19:47

Tessa May Marr is an entrepreneur at heart and proud to lead a 100 percent virtual social media marketing agency of exceptionally talented and relentless Social Media Managers! Her company, Marr Media Group works with B2B and B2C brands to build custom social strategies, paid social advertising, influencer marketing and fully outsourced social media management. They plug right into each client’s marketing team to augment and amplify all marketing efforts, making them even more effective, creating more connections and achieving desired results and outcomes. Tessa is a pioneer in her leadership style, with a strong focus on work/life balance, empathy, and a whole-human approach. She has developed unique practices throughout the years of building and leading a remote, creative team and breathes new life into the agency format.

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

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Alex Brueckmann headshot
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Learn how to get your head around strategy

Business, Coaching & Consulting, Communications 00:26:16

A globally active strategist, executive coach, and board advisor, Alex Brueckmann partners with corporate leaders, entrepreneurs, and (small) business owners. He coaches them on designing intentional strategies with measurable impact, and on shaping cohesive teams able to implement strategy faster and more successfully (http://www.brueckmann.ca/).

Alex Brueckmann has been in the trenches as a strategy manager for a global media company, and later as a management consultant. His academic background is in General Management with degrees from EBS University (Germany) and Universidad ORT (Uruguay), as well as certificates from INSEAD (France) and Harvard Business School (USA). Today, he lives in Vancouver, Canada.

Clients include industry leaders in healthcare, finance, tech, engineering, and retail, as well as high-growth / late-stage startups, not-for-profits, and (E)NGOs. They value Alex’s hands-on approach of combining the strategic side of business and the human aspect of transformation.

This podcast is brought to you by Schneider Electric. Supporting Canadian businesses with innovative energy management and automation solutions. Schneider Electric…your digital partner for Sustainability and Efficiency. Click here to learn more.

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

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Courtney Watkins headshot
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Second-hand fashion is growing 15 times faster than ever before!

Business, Fashion & Garments, Retail 0:20:26

From her earliest memories of playing dress-up in her mother’s closet, Courtney Watkins has always loved fashion and finding creative ways to showcase her style for less. She got her start in fashion pursuing a degree in Merchandise Marketing in Los Angeles. From working as a celeb stylist to a trend forecaster, she ran and scaled a Saw Mill to start her entrepreneurial journey. She then went on to create a company that values sustainability, interpersonal relationships and luxury fashion. Watkins has nearly a decade of experience running Canada’s fastest-growing luxury e-commerce + retail resale boutique, Mine & Yours, based in Vancouver BC.

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

Want to stay up-to-date on the latest #entrepreneur podcasts and news? Subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter

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