Float or Founder: Toronto Startup Business Stories

Float or Founder is launching season two in June 2020! We can't wait to bring you more stories from startup founders and entrepreneurs in Toronto, Canada. Beyond that, we're expanding our guests to include executives, venture capitalists, and other great people that make this city shine. See why Toronto is one of the best places to launch your new startup and build your own entrepreneurial journey here.

Visit our website at floatorfounder.com for more information on our guests, our hosts, and our partners that help make our podcast possible. 

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What's it really like to go through an acquisition/merger? What about an aqui-hire? Farhan Thawar shares his experience going through an acquisition not once, but twice! Find out how the process goes, if it's anything like it is on TV, and what it's like to be part of the Canadian tech ecosystem.

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We're back with another #movethedial minisode! Jesse Draper of Halogen Ventures, a firm that invests in co-ed led, early stage consumer technology companies. Jesse discusses the importance of diversity on a team, in a product, and what Halogen looks for in a company they want to invest in!

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Michelle McBane takes us through her experience as a VC in Toronto and what you can do to standout when pitching investors. She provides a ton of actionable advice surrounding your pitch deck, founding team, and company. Whether you dream of securing a big investment or becoming a VC yourself, Michelle has insights for you!

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Prashant Shukla and Devon Leichtman take us into Origin Ventures - their VC firm based in Chicago. They provide resources to all their investments and believe it's important to support the founders and their companies from origin to exit. Hear why they're excited about investing in the Canadian tech scene, the type of companies they're looking for, and how best to impress.

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Eva Lau of Two Small Fish Ventures shares her journey in the Toronto tech scene and supporting burgeoning startups as a VC. We sat down with Eva at #movethedial this past November in Toronto. She discusses the importance of diversity and inclusion early on in products to find product market fit.

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Joanne Fedeyko of Connection Silicon Valley discusses differences between startups, funding, and opportunities in Canada versus Silicon Valley and how she bridges those gaps.

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We've all had managers who just didn't quite know how to... manage. Melissa and Jonathan Nightingale of Raw Signal Group take us on their career paths in tech in SF all the way to promoting proper management training to the Toronto ecosystem. Learn how they encourage companies to implement proper management techniques, co-authored a book together, and so much more.

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On this special #movethedial minisode, we speak with Dr. Sarah Saska of Feminuity about diversity and inclusion. 

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The fashion industry is a challenging one to be in. Shane Vitaly goes deep into building his punk jewelry brand from scratch and everything that entails. From factory mishaps to building a brick-and-mortar Toronto store from scratch to starting another jewelry brand with a new target audience. There are many different aspects to building a successful fashion brand and if you've ever thought of entering this industry, Shane's podcast is one to listen to.

Shane talks to us about being on Dragon's Den and being offered a deal from Arlene Dickinson and Bruce Croxon. His team of dedicated individuals help him market the business as he travels between countries, discovering new trends and managing quality control. Shane shares what it takes to build brick-and-mortar shops, managing e-commerce, and creating jewelry for often-ignored markets.

Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)