Flagship Podcast

On this week’s show, we spoke with Stephan Marois, Investment Director @ FSTQ. 

Stéphan Marois joined the Fonds de solidarité FSTQ in 2007 where he is now Portfolio Manager. While at the Fonds, he has worked in the information technologies, aerospace, transportation, recreational tourism and financial services sectors. Mr. Marois has gained extensive experience in investments while working for leading Québec corporations such as Bombardier, CAE and Hydro-Québec. His achievements include participating in numerous financing projects and arrangements in Canada and abroad. Mr. Marois currently serves on the boards of various organizations. Holder of an MBA with a concentration in International Business from McGill University, he is also a member of the Ordre des CPA du Québec. He has completed courses on securities, investment fund management and governance issues.

On the show, we spoke about: 

• What makes a good investor
• The importance of aligning a board of directors
• A strong market vs. a strong team
• Having a long term partner like FTQ
• Timing the exit
• Stéphan wrote a few brilliant articles on Linkedin

Stephan is one of the smartest investors I know. It was a joy learning from him on the show. I hope that you enjoy the conversation!

Let us know what you think. What types of guests would you like to see on the show?  What topics interest you the most? Send me your thoughts at [email protected]

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On this week’s show, we spoke with Awane Jones, Co-Founder & CEO @ Phenomena VR.

Awane is the CEO of Phenomena, a VC-backed VR Gaming company that develops original free-roam games in the VR eSport Arena platform for the location-based entertainment market.

In the past, he was the General Manager of Zone3, one of Canada’s largest producers of TV, VR & Film. Prior to that, he founded a company in 2009 that pioneered the AR and VR sector. He has raised over 4 million dollars throughout his startup career and had one acquisition and a successful exit. He is a bilingual keynote speaker and has presented at several international conferences including SXSW, C2, G20, etc.

His award-winning companies have built immersive experiences for a number of high-profile global brands such as Twitter, Universal Pictures (50 Shades of Grey Darker, and The Mummy).

These last 10 years of experience have led to the birth of Phenomena, the best eSport VR attraction for amusement parks, family entertainment centres, and theme parks. 

On the show, we spoke about: 

• How Awane got into VR so early
• Biggest misconceptions about VR
• How the Quest2 accelerated VR adoption
• Launching Phenomena and their long term ambition 
• Their goal of building esports in the metaverse 
• Lessons from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Awane is a true innovator in the VR space. If you want to understand the possibilities of this exciting technology, don’t miss this episode!

On this week’s show, we spoke with Louis-Felix Binette, Executive Director @ Main QC. 

Louis-Félix Binette is putting collaboration to productive use. As a creative strategist, he designs collaborative experiences that allow leaders to engage multiple stakeholders in their projects. After over ten years in strategic positions in the civil service, he decided in 2012 to focus his energy on the design and management of collaboration. He has helped well over a hundred clients leverage collective intelligence to define their strategy and achieve their goals.

He also plays an active role in stimulating participation, mobilization and collaboration among his fellow citizens. He acts as Executive Director and is a founding member of MAIN, Québec’s first network of business accelerators and incubators. He helped create the Montreal chapters of CreativeMornings and Fvckup Nights movements. He also sits on several boards including those of l’Institut du Nouveau Monde, short-film distributor Travelling and chairs the foundation of the Centre des auteurs dramatiques. He is an active philanthropist, notably in academia (HEC Montréal), arts & culture (Théâtre d'aujourd'hui) and international development (Haïti).

On the show, we spoke about: 

• Founding of Main and its mission of improving the incubator & accelerator ecosystem
• How Mintzberg inspired Main’s strategy
• The Art of Gathering, by Priya Parker
• A key report: Survol de l'écosystème startup (2020) — Key Findings available in English — & Incursion dans l'écosystème startup des régions du Québec (2021), on MAIN's website
• Connect with Louis-Felix on LinkedIn. MAIN on LinkedIn, Facebook & Twitter

I was so happy Louis-Felix took the time to chat. It was a fantastic conversation!

Let us know what you think. What types of guests would you like to see on the show?  What topics interest you the most? Send me your thoughts at [email protected]

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On this week’s show, we spoke with Emmanuelle Coppinger, Managing Director @ Front Row Ventures

Emmanuelle (Manue) is passionate about new technologies and the ability of startups to improve society. She mentors and sits on the advisory boards of different early-stage startups. Manue is also a community leader. She built the Canadian chapter and has been the Ambassador for Canada of Women in AI (WAI), a non-profit do-tank whose mission is to increase female representation and participation in AI. She spent the last 2+ years at Next AI Montreal as the Director of Ventures, mainly in charge of co-building the program from scratch, startups recruitment, portfolio management, and founders growth. Before that, she founded a travel accessories brand that she ran for 8 years and a non-profit to help promote blood platelets donation towards students. Manue holds an MBA from ESSEC Business School (Paris) and started her career in auditing in France, followed by 3 years in investment banking in Australia. As Managing Director of Front Row Ventures, she will practice her demonstrated passion for mentoring, community building, and venture investments. Manue’s vision for FRV is to make it THE foundational platform to build the next generation of Canadian tech talent. When she’s not pitching to investors or mentoring Canada’s next generation of entrepreneurs and investors, Manue loves to spend some time with her friends & family, travel, cook, and build DIY furniture.

On the show, we spoke about: 

• Front Row’s mission to help student founders
• Their proprietary deal flow
• Screening 800 companies per year 
• Impact investing within her portfolio
• The principles she talks about with her founders

Emmanuelle is a mission driven fund manager. She just started at Front Row and is poised to make a big impact. I hope that you enjoy the conversation!

Let us know what you think. What types of guests would you like to see on the show?  What topics interest you the most? Send me your thoughts at [email protected]

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On this week’s show, we spoke with Martin Aubut, CMO @ nesto. 

Martin Aubut is a marketing executive, e-commerce specialist and business transformation leader, with 20+ years of experience. He is known for transforming and growing organizations toward consumer centricity by leveraging data, digital capabilities and brand building. He is now acting as Chief Marketing Officer at nesto, which is one of the fastest growing Canada fintech companies. With technology, nesto seamlessly offers the best suited mortgage options so that Canadians can secure the best mortgage and save thousands in interest - no negotiation needed. He is leading all functions of the integrated marketing team to Establish nesto as No 1 Brand in Digital Mortgage Solution, enabling fast growth in a sustainable way. Martin Aubut was former Vice-President Marketing and E-commerce at COGECO Connexion, one of the Largest Canadian Telecoms. Martin is viewed as a growth engine, driving business objectives without compromising on team engagement and talent development into an Agile environment.

On the show, we spoke about: 

• Going back to the startup life
• The keys to mastering a digital transformation
• nesto’s ambition of being #1 in Canada 
• nesto’s new ad campaign
• The new book he’s writing

Martin is one of the best operators I know. He shared some great insights about growth and customer centricity. I hope that you enjoy the conversation!

Let us know what you think. What types of guests would you like to see on the show?  What topics interest you the most? Send me your thoughts at [email protected]

On this week’s show, we spoke with Elizabeth Henry, CEO @ Adviso

Marketing professional for almost 20 years, she came on-board with new media and, accordingly, had the opportunity to contribute to the digital shift undergone by a number of companies. Since then, she’s aimed to push the limits of traditional approaches, increase her understanding of the consumer, measure and optimize as part of an ongoing quest to create impactful and meaningful customer experiences and communications. During her seven years tenure in agencies: (Sid Lee, Saint-Jacques Vallée Y&R, Adviso) where she fulfilled the duties of Account Director, Interactive Strategist and Senior Digital Producer, she developed strategies, managed brand image and lead teams towards the delivery of several major campaigns, projects, some of which were recognized at the Boomerangs, CMA, MIA, DMA awards.

On the show, we spoke about: 

• The evolution of digital
• Taking over as CEO at Adviso and the transition 
• Being considering a business partner from their customers
• The threat and opportunity of internalization 
• The war for talent 
• Being a adaptive culture
• Their five year growth strategy 

I had a blast meeting Elizabeth and learning about her vision for Adviso. I hope that you enjoy today’s conversation!

On this week’s show, we spoke with JF Coté, CEO @ Sharethrough.

With over 20 years’ experience in business, JF is an experienced leader and a born innovator: co-founder of district m, he is the chief architect of the company’s corporate strategy and provides leadership to sales and partnership initiatives. Awarded with EY's Entrepreneur of the Year in the Emerging Entrepreneur category, and recognized at the Arista Gala as Young Entrepreneur, JF is recognized in the industry and the market as a leader.

He holds an executive MBA from UQAM and a bachelor’s degree in commerce with a specialization in Finance from University of Ottawa. JF is a CPA by training and serves as a member of multiple boards to support kids in their education and sports activities.

Before Sharethrough, JF shared his expertise with multiple companies in different industries such as Pratt & Whitney (Aerospace), PricewaterhouseCoopers (Investment Banking) and Yellow Pages (Media), for which he co-founded the digital media division, Mediative.

On the show, we spoke about: 

• Launching DistrictM and building one of the largest exchanges in the world
• Pivoting their business model 
• The acquisition of Sharethrough and building their M&A competency 
• Acceleration during the pandemic
• Having to forego going public for the time being
• His thoughts on a cookieless world and how they will capitalize on it

JF is a world class entrepreneur right in my backyard and I’m happy that he took the time. I hope that you enjoy the conversation!

Let us know what you think. What types of guests would you like to see on the show?  What topics interest you the most? Send me your thoughts at [email protected]

On this week’s show, we spoke with Phil G. Joseph, Creator @ Rep Matters.   

Phil is a young changemaker intent on leveraging technology and venture capital to create a better future for all. As a trilingual Haitian-Canadian-American who has lived and worked in Canada, the USA, and China, he is skilled at reaching across cultural and language barriers in order to identify pain points, and create innovative solutions to address them. 

Phil is the creator and host of Rep Matters, an interview series that highlights Black entrepreneurs and investors in the tech ecosystem, with the goal of increasing accessibility to those spaces for future leaders. The series was launched in partnership with Real Ventures, one of Canada's most active early-stage VC firms, where he also works as an investment associate. 

His background and passion for healthcare also keeps him well connected to his community. As a board member of the Black Health Alliance, Phil helps this community-led registered charity work to improve the health and well-being of Black communities across Canada. In addition, he volunteers as a mentor and coach for the Red Rush Basketball Leadership program.

On the show, we spoke about: 

• How he quit sports to join venture capital 
• The importance of diversity of thought
• His vision behind Rep Matters
• Building a community and creating a big impact 
• Advice to people that want to help but don’t know how to start

Phil is a mensch. I admire his accomplishments so early into his career. I can’t wait to have him back on the show. I hope that you enjoy the conversation!

Let us know what you think. What types of guests would you like to see on the show?  What topics interest you the most? Send me your thoughts at [email protected]

On this week’s show, we spoke with Janet Bannister, Managing Partner @ Real Ventures. 

Since her first entrepreneurial venture as a teenager, Janet has used her boundless energy and focus to build and shape companies. Part of the Real Ventures team since 2014, she has led investments in over a dozen companies and works actively to help them accelerate growth and create meaningful impact. Janet’s experience as a founder, and her work with industry leaders like Procter & Gamble, McKinsey & Co. and eBay, have given her great insight and practical knowledge, which she passes on to the teams she mentors. Given her background transforming eBay from a Collectibles to a Mainstream marketplace and launching and growing Kijiji into one of the most visited websites in Canada, Janet primarily works with entrepreneurs in marketplaces, fintech, future of work, and AI in enterprise settings. A dynamic, high energy person, Janet has also competed internationally in triathlons and loves spending time in nature and with her family.

On this week’s show, we spoke with Tima Gros, Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer @ Impak Finance and Paul Allard, Co-Founder & CEO @ Impak Finance. 

Paul is a serial tech entrepreneur with a track record of achieving business results, through leadership, management, innovative problem solving, networking, financial engineering and M&A.

He successfully led & managed multi-disciplinary teams in the UK, France, Canada, Mexico, USA. He has experience in various aspects of business: Finance, M&A, Sales, Marketing in industries such as Software, Marketing and Entertainment.

Tima is the co-founder and Chief Happiness Officer at Impak Finance. Impak is a Canadian and French start-up that has built impak IS², an impact assessment and scoring solution based on leading international standards, notably the Impact Management Project and the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

On the show, we spoke about: 

• How they came up with the idea of impak finance 
• Moving from a financial economy to an impact economy 
• The concept of impact weighted accounting 
• Matching external and internal values 
• How their scoring system measures is useful for investors 

This was a very timely conversation and I’m grateful that Paul and Tima took the time. Their mission is inspiring and they are only just getting started. I hope that you enjoy the conversation!

Let us know what you think. What types of guests would you like to see on the show?  What topics interest you the most? Send me your thoughts at [email protected]

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