Flagship Podcast

On this week’s show, we spoke with Thibaud Marechal, VP Growth @ Kn0x

Thibaud is currently VP Growth at KNØX, a Bitcoin custodian designed for institutions backed by investors such as Fidelity and Initialized Capital. 

Previously, he was Head of Platform at Real Ventures, a $330M early-stage VC in Canada (investor in Blockstream, 1confirmation, Bitaccess, Breather, Element AI, Mindbridge and League). Ran FounderFuel, Canada's most active venture accelerator (80+ deals including Bus.com, Transit and Sonder), investing $100k per company. 

In 2015, he co-founded & led the McGill X-1 Accelerator to bring medical, engineering and computer lab research to market with a shoe-string budget.

On the show, we spoke about:

• Launching McGill X+1 
• His time spent at Real Ventures and helping launch their crypto practice 
• Decentralized vs. centralized finance 
• Scarcity of trust in organizations
• His active Twitter presence

Thibaud is the smartest person I know in the crypto space. Even though we don’t always share the same opinion, I love debating him. 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 Mark Sherman, Founder & CEO @ Media Experts. Mark Sherman is the founder, and Chief Executive Officer of Media Experts. He has guided the agency from its creation in 1981 to its current position as Canada’s largest independent media services company.

A recognized leader in the Canadian advertising community, Mark is regarded by agencies and customers alike as a strategic advertising thinker, and by the media selling community as a relentless negotiator. His approach to media, coupled with a unique techno-acumen, has also earned Mark the reputation of media futurist.

Mark has instilled in the Media Experts team a “customer first philosophy”. He has bred a group of media professionals who go far beyond the conventional to create effective media solutions for our customers designed to build their businesses and maximize customers’ return on their advertising investments.

On the show, we spoke about:

• His first job in radio
• Launching Media Experts
• Their not-so secret competitive advantage
• Competing on a global stage
• The importance of giving back

Mark has been a mentor and a person I’ve always looked up to. I’m thrilled that he accepted to sit down for the interview. 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 Julien Smith, Co-Founder & Chairman @ Breather. Julien has spent the past 10 years riding waves of technology as they have grown in importance. This ability to read trends, alongside his ability to express ideas clearly, have allowed him to work with some of the most important names on the web. He has created work that has reached over a million people, in several languages, and made several million dollars in the process for individuals and groups.

His current venture, Breather, is an on-demand space company he built from the ground up starting in 2012. It has been covered by CNN, Fast Company (twice), TechCrunch, The Verge, and a ton of other publications, all unanimously positive. They have raised over $73M USD from some of the best investors in the world, and they are growing fast.

As Breather's CEO, he was responsible for hiring world-class talent, raising funds, directing strategy, finding locations, building partnerships and much more.

Prior to this, he was a New York Times bestselling author of business and marketing books. He and his co-author were among to the first to write books about social media as a phenomenon.

On the show, we spoke about:

• How he went from being a thought leader to a founder
• Writing about social media in early days
• Getting the idea and launching Breather
  Deciding to resign as CEO
• The importance of storytelling

I’ve admired Julien for a long time and was thrilled to have him on the show. 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 Brie Code, CEO & Creative Director @ Tru Luv.

Brie Code is the CEO and creative director of TRU LUV, a Toronto-based studio that makes AI companions. Their companions are built on a framework of deepening friendship, not increasing challenge or complexity, to help people relax and grow. They think they are a key part of the future of interactivity. TRU LUV’s first companion, #SelfCare, is one of Apple’s Best of 2018 Trends of the Year selections. 

On the show, we spoke about:

• How Brie got into gaming 
• Her journey in self-discovery and finding her next move
• The concept of tend and befriend
• Focusing on psychological growth

I was blown away by Brie’s philosophy and approach in her startup. She’s a great entrepreneur and seems to be just getting started. I really 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 Jay Hébert, Co-Founder & Partner @ Elevent

Jay has always been driven by his curiosity, his love of people and his passion to overcome challenges. When he was 21, his boss walked out just months before their main event. In a panic, he was asked to replace him. He did – for another five years. Soon after, another challenge came knocking: he landed a job at the marketing communications company, Cossette, to help lead their still-growing sponsorship division. He not only survived but excelled. And the experience propelled him to where he is today: over 15 years of experience in marketing communications and co-founder of the next-generation sponsorship agency, Elevent. He has successfully crafted alliance marketing initiatives, held leading roles at major institutions, like BMO Financial Group, developed high-visibility sponsorship programs for the Olympics, and built and managed prestigious partnerships for international and national corporations alike, including General Motors, Group, Saputo, TELUS and many others.

On the show, we spoke about:

• How he got started in the marketing world
• How the “show must go on” in the world of sponsorships
• Launching his own agency but not having a master plan
• Avoiding a conflict of interest in his business model
• The importance of cause marketing

Jay was authentic and honest in this interview. 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 JP Chauvet, President @ Lightspeed

JP Chauvet has been President since 2016. Having joined in the role of Chief Revenue Officer in 2012. He became a member of the board of directors in 2013.

Prior to joining Lightspeed, JP Chauvet held various leadership positions at Atex Group across Europe and Asia where his last role was CEO, EMEA. Prior to Joining Atex, JP Chauvet was the VP, Sales and Marketing of Nstein Technologies and from 2000 to 2005, he was the VP, Sales and Marketing of IXIASOFT Technologies Inc.

JP Chauvet also serves on the boards of directors of Coveo Solutions Inc., a provider of AI-based search technologies, and Alaya Care Inc., a cloud-based home care software solutions provider.

On the show, we spoke about:

• Understanding the value of a customer
• Building a high performance culture
• Retail is the new black
• Lightspeed’s remaining opportunity (hint: it’s massive)
• How his role has evolved over time

JP is one of the most impressive tech executives I know. He shared some great unconventional wisdom. I hope that you enjoy the episode!

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 Lafortune, Founder and CEO @ Diagram. Francois Lafortune is an entrepreneur and investor with fifteen years experience in building businesses in the financial technology sector. He is the co-founder and CEO of Diagram Ventures, a $85m venture builder that co-founds technology companies pursuing transformative innovation in the financial, insurance and healthcare sectors. Francois is also a Partner of Portag3 Ventures, he is a member of the Board of Directors of Hydro-Québec, he sits on Minister of Finance Bill Morneau’s advisory committee on Open Banking; and he is a member of the AMF’s Technological Innovation advisory committee.

Prior to founding Diagram, he co-led the Canadian Business Technology practice at McKinsey & Company. Francois holds an engineering degree from McGill University and an MBA from Stanford GSB.

On the show, we spoke about:

• How he started companies at the age of 13
• What he learned in consulting
• The idea behind Diagram and building a Fintech ecosystem
• Validating ideas quickly and prototyping
• Working with incumbents and disruptors

François is in the empire building business and Diagram is already creating world-class businesses. 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 Sylvain Carle, Partner @ Real Ventures

Sylvain Carle has spent the last two decades living and breathing emerging technologies. Though he didn’t study computer science, Sylvain has been tinkering with computers for years, and spent most of his career as a startup entrepreneur at the confluence of media, technology and networks. A self-proclaimed nerd, socialist and pragmatist, Sylvain believes in technology as a means to change the world, and loves investing in ideas and people to transform industries. Before joining Real Ventures in 2014, Sylvain was CTO and co-founder at Messagia, Interstructure, Praized and Needium, and also worked as Senior Developer Advocate at Twitter in San Francisco. As a Real Ventures pre-seed partner, Sylvain plays a key role in nurturing the local tech ecosystem, and also works closely with their portfolio companies.

On the show, we spoke about:

• Being a self-learner
• The concept of failure
• Working for Twitter pre-IPO
• Real Venture’s Orbit Fund and Front Row Ventures
• Fostering a community and ecosystem
• The concept of “Conscious Leadership” and impact investing

Sylvain was very generous with his time. I learned a ton from spending time with him. 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 Laurent Simon, Full Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation @ HEC Montreal. Laurent Simon is a professor in the Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at HEC Montréal. He created and teaches a master’s-level course on innovation management and received an award for pedagogical excellence in 2005. His research focuses mainly on innovation-minded projects, knowledge management and how creativity is managed in various settings. He is the co-founder and co-director of Mosaic, HEC Montréal’s creativity and innovation hub focusing on research, knowledge transfer and dissemination. He is regularly called on by private, public and parapublic organizations to provide his insight into these topics.

On the show, we spoke about:

• Creativity in the video game industry
• Can creativity be taught?
• How universities need to reinvent themselves
• The innovation value chain
• The summer school on management of creativity – Mosaic which be co-founded

Laurent is an incredibly interesting professor and shared some great insights about creativity. 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 Claudine Labelle, Founder and President @ FitSpirit. Claudine is a social entrepreneur and former elite athlete who founded FitSpirit to encourage a generation of teenage girls to take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing. With the support of prominent partners, she is spearheading far-sighted efforts to promote physical activity and healthy eating. The impact has been major: to date, FitSpirit has reached more than 150,000 young women in Quebec and Ontario. In addition to achieving success for FitSpirit, Claudine’s hard work and energy have earned her numerous awards and recognition from her peers in the philanthropic and social enterprise communities.

On the show, we spoke about:

• Finding her passion to help teenage girls
• Being a competitor in the cycling world
• Her non-profit’s mission and the impact they create
• How they partner with the corporate world

It was the first time I met Claudine and she was a true inspiration. She approaches her non-profit like a business and shared some great insights.

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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