Flagship Podcast

On this week’s show, we spoke with Annie-Claude Devriese, Managing Director @ Notman House. Annie-Claude Devriese has been the General Manager of Notman House for the past 3 years. Prior to that, she was in charge of the OSMO café (at Notman House) for almost 2 years. Over the past few years, she has contributed to making Notman House a dynamic and inclusive gathering place for Montreal's startup community, as well as a venue for various cultural and gastronomic events. Notman House is home to 235 startups that have raised over $1 billion in funding and are collectively worth close to $2.7 billion. Each year, Notman hosts over 400 workshops, hackathons, corporate offsites, and business networking events, with an average of 8,000 attendees.

On the show, we spoke about: 

• The impact from the pandemic on Notman House
• How Notman House has helped the startup community in the city
• Her goals post-pandemic and how it will impact the future of work 
• Her thoughts on the service industry and its future

Annie is leading the most important technology hub in the province (if not the country!). She shared some interesting insights into what it takes to build a startup ecosystem. 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 Pierre Jr Cliche, VP Engineering @ Infostrux Pierre is a proven leader combining technical and business acumen to achieve growth. He’s a mentor, advisor and speaker within the Quebec tech startup ecosystem. His expertise is focused around all things cloud technologies, rapid iterative cycles, digital transformation at scale and business development.

On the show, we spoke about: 

• How he got into angel investing
• Helping businesses move to the cloud
• How Snowflake works and its use cases
• Data strategy and context

I really enjoyed my conversation with Pierre. We geeked out on the cloud and investing. 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 Ara Ghougassian, Co-Founder @ Fluent. His website is beautiful and the product itself is even better. Every language platform on the planet focuses on teaching you a new language by using the same, worn-out methods. With Fluent, you're constantly learning words that you actually care about and want to use for your daily life. They are currently available in French as a Chrome Extension and plan on expanding to other languages in the near future. Ara did an incredible job of seeing a problem and then solving it. 

Fluent is a chrome extension that helps you practice new languages while you browse the web. We translate select English words on the websites you're already reading to a new language of your choice. 

On the show, we spoke about: 

• His entrepreneurial journey to co-founding Fluent 
• The concept of immersive learning 
• Why being privacy first matters 
• Competition in their space 
• Building an operating system for language learning

Ara has  infectious enthusiasm and energy. Even though they are just getting started, I wouldn’t bet against them. 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 Rodolphe Barrere, Co-Founder & CEO @ Potloc.

Listed on the 2021 Forbes’ Under 30 list of leaders to watch in the tech space, Rodolphe Barrere is the CEO and Co-Founder of Potloc, an innovative tech firm focused on new ways to extract consumer insights.

As a leader in Consumer Research who collaborates with world-class brands and researchers to help them make better-informed business decisions, Rodolphe is driving a new methodology that uses social networks and geotargeting technology to access the right respondents and extract accurate insights from any consumer group.

At Potloc, Rodolphe has raised $20M+ with Canadian and international VCs and manages four offices across Europe and North America. Rodolphe has worked for the LVMH Group in Paris and New York, holds a trilingual BBA in Marketing and Entrepreneurship from HEC Montreal, and is regularly invited as a guest speaker to share his expertise on Market Research and Entrepreneurship.

On the show, we spoke about: 

• The inception story of Potloc
• How they pivoted 5-6 times 
• Their business model focused on consumer insights 
• Blending data science and digital marketing
• His three principles: Team, Prioritization and Self-Improvement

Rodolphe is building something really special at Potloc and is completely dialed into his craft. 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 Mahalia Verna, Senior Director of Operations & Strategy @ ed Films.

Mahalia Verna is a growth & impact strategist and versatile producer with over 20 years’ experience. Most recently, she joined E.D. FILMS, an award-winning Montreal-based animation and tech studio, as their Senior Director of Operations and Strategy. Here, she plays a pivotal role in shaping the company’s business objectives, expanding its footprint and guarding its core values. As Senior Producer, she contributes to several projects that are currently on the studio’s production slate.

Passionate about gender equity, inclusion and belonging, and next generation talent, Mahalia is actively committed to making a difference. Her engagements include mentoring for Women in Communications and Technology, being a board member of the Canadian Independent Screen Fund for BPOC creatives, and acting President of the Board of Kids Code Jeunesse, an organization dedicated to encouraging digital literacy amongst girls and kids from underserved communities across Canada. Most recently, she joined the Board of Directors of The 7 Fingers Foundation and was named President of Xn Quebec’s Equity and Inclusion committee.

On the show, we spoke about: 

• Her parents voyage from Haiti 
• The importance of storytelling
• Striving for purpose and moral obligation
• The concept of “Return on purpose”
• The future of immersive storytelling 
• Empowering makers to create their own stories

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 Marina Pavlovic Rivas, Co-Founder and CEO @ Eli Health

She is also the co-founder of WiMLDS Montreal, a community of 1000+ people with the mission to support and promote gender minorities in machine learning and data science and the founder of Gradiant AI, a company that delivers artificial intelligence and analytics solutions to creative industries. Marina has also a large experience in Data Science, and has worked as Data Science Consultant for Radio Canada and BDC.

Eli’s long-term mission goes beyond fertility and contraception. Hormones are at the very root of transitions women experience from puberty to menopause. Yet, no solution allows for daily monitoring of the fluctuations of multiple hormones over many years. That lack of data led to women’s health needs being poorly understood and thus poorly addressed. Their technology has been thoughtfully engineered to overcome this. With the same product, Eli can tackle major unmet needs at all stages of women’s lives.

On the show, we spoke about: 

• Her interest in data analysis
• The idea behind Eli Health 
• Hormone monitoring and its potential applications
• Her vision behind Eli Health and its huge market

Marina is an up and coming entrepreneur. I’m super excited to see her build Eli Health. I hope that you enjoy the conversation!

Let us know what you think. What types of guests would 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 Jacques Perreault, Senior Partner @ Brightspark Ventures. 

Over the past 20 years, Jacques has been actively involved in the financing of Canadian technology companies. He played a leading role in the development and growth of the technology subsidiary of the Caisse de dépôt et de placement du Québec (formerly known as Sofinov), one of the largest venture capital organizations dedicated to the financing of Canadian technology businesses.

Jacques is a proven investment professional with experience in developing quality deal flow, building relationships and supporting companies in their development toward their growth plan and/or liquidity event. His broad expertise in technology financing and his network of local and international contacts are major assets. 

On the show, we spoke about: 

• Working with the next generation of operators 
• Brightspark’s investment thesis 
• How they expanded possibilities for retail investors 
• Why he doesn’t invest in crypto (yet)
• Investing in non-obvious areas

Jacques is the quintessential investing professional. He has an incredible track record and was  nice enough to share many insights during our conversation. 

Let us know what you think. What types of guests would 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 Déborah Cherenfant, President @ JCCM
Entrepreneur at heart, Déborah Cherenfant is the founder of the creative studio Atelier Coloré and of the feminine business blog Mots D'Elles. Her work, her leadership and her creativity have been recognized on numerous occasions, notably with the Woman of Distinction Award in Entrepreneurship and the title of the best business blog in Canada. TEDx speaker, Déborah regularly shares her ideas on the representation of women and diversity in business during her conferences in Quebec and internationally, or in her articles on various platforms.

Very involved in the business community, Deborah is a member of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, president of Compagnie F, administrator of the KANPE Foundation, Humanov.is and co-founder of BiAS. An entrepreneurial expert, particularly female, she has put her strategic skills to good use in several organizations, supporting them in the facilitation, creation of content and management of projects intended for entrepreneurs.

In 2018, she was appointed to the Quebec Council on the Status of Women, and in 2019, chosen as laureate of Black History Month as well as speaker at Plurielles, the first agency for women's voices. In 2020, Déborah Cherenfant becomes President of the Young Chamber of Commerce of Montreal - JCCM, founded in 1931, bringing together nearly 1,600 members, including nearly 150 volunteers, making her the largest young chamber in the world.

On the show, we spoke about: 

• Who inspired her
• Studying and promoting female entrepreneurship 
• Her role at the Junior Chamber of Commerce
• The fund that the JCCM launched
• How the  Chamber is impacted and thinking about the future of work for the city 
• What does diversity actually mean and what is needed

Deborah is an inspirational leader and has an amazing positive energy. I hope that you enjoy the conversation!

Let us know what you think. What types of guests would 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 Francois Arbour, CEO @ Design Stripe

François Arbour started coding at the age of 6 and launched his first business when he was 19 years old. With over 10 years of experience in advertising, he collaborated with brands like Cirque Du Soleil, Adidas and Red Bull to name a few.

He is the founder of Premiumbeat, a company he ran for over 10 years before it was sold to Shutterstock in 2015 and for whom he worked as a VP Products for two years.

He is now an investor for 60+ companies and multiple VC funds. François is also an active advisor to multiple founders. More recently, he co-founded Nolk (e-commerce/DTC aggregator) and he is the founder/CEO of DesignStripe (Design Assets & Tools).

On the show, we spoke about: 

• His new company, Design Stripe and the vision behind it 
• Being a leader during the pandemic and how it benefited his startup 
• The application of management principles he’s learned like collaboration and transparency
• The new angel group he started, Angels of Many

I learn so much every time I speak with François. I’m grateful for the time he took and lessons he shared. I hope that you enjoy the conversation!

Let us know what you think. What types of guests would 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 Mary-Anne Carignan, President, Clinical Division @ Purkinje. Mary-Anne has broad international experience working in global firms such as Philip Morris, part of the Kraft and Nabisco family of companies, where she was the first woman promoted to International Budget. Her experience spans 25 years and in areas such as Trade Finance, Corporate Finance and Business Transformation. She has lived and worked in Lausanne, Switzerland; Zagreb, Croatia; Antwerp, Belgium and her home, New York City. She was the first woman Vice-President hired by the US based medical software firm Purkinje when she was named head of Canadian Operations in 2007; and later became President in 2011. Mary-Anne sits on the board of the American Chamber of Commerce in Canada and works with volunteer associations such as the Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada. In 2010, she was appointed to the Advisory Board for Small and Medium Enterprise by the then Canadian Minister of International Trade, Peter Van Loan.

The Montreal company is at the heart of the processes for implementing the hospital information system (HIS) in the Quebec health network. The company works with the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM) on the exchange of health data between the systems of the province's health institutions.

On the show, we spoke about: 

• Starting as an entrepreneur at an early age
• Focusing on people which implies taking care of clients that are in health care
• Challenging yourself to get to another level
• Thinking strategically 
• The importance of customer centricity

It was a blast talking with Mary-Anne. She shared some amazing leadership principles, I know I’ll be referring back to this episode back constantly. I hope that you enjoy the conversation!

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

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