Pitch Please

Innovating for inclusivity: inside a startup incubator for accessibility tech. We speak with Varun Chandak, the award-winning social entrepreneur, who is revolutionizing the disability innovation and inclusion space through his nonprofit, Access to Success. By creating Canada's first accelerator for accessibility startups and offering scholarships to MBA students with disabilities, Varun is working towards creating a world that enables everyone. This episode is filled with amazing and authentic learning moments for both Varun and Mike - tune in to this inspiring conversation on the Pitch Please Podcast. #EnableEveryone.

About Varun Chandak ((99+) Varun Chandak | LinkedIn)
Varun Chandak is an award-winning social entrepreneur working to support the development of future leaders with disabilities and assistive tech. As the founder of Access to Success, a Toronto-based not-for-profit, he launched Canada's first accelerator for accessibility startups, the world's first support program for MBA students with disabilities, and the world's first study on the state of disability inclusion in MBA programs. He also co-founded the Inclusive Innovation Network, a global coalition of disability tech accelerators, innovators and investors. For his work, Varun received the 2023 Changemakers award, the Tom Wilson Leadership in Disability award, and several other recognitions. Varun’s work stems from his lived experience with hearing loss and Erb’s palsy. He lives in Toronto with his wife and his hyperactive goldendoodle, Dash. 

About Access to Success (https://accesstosuccess.ca/)

Access to Success supports the development of future leaders with disabilities and assistive tech. It runs ATS Labs, Canada's first accelerator for accessibility startups, and the Access to Success Fellowship, which awards up to $90,000 in annual scholarships to MBA students with disabilities. By building a pipeline of future leaders with disabilities supported by innovative new assistive tech, Access to Success aims to #EnableEveryone. 

Get in Touch with Access to Success

• Website: https://accesstosuccess.ca/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accesstosuccess-org/
• Email: [email protected] 

Want to Help? 

• If you are an innovator, investor or advocate in the disability innovation and inclusion space, please reach out! Access to Success is always looking for like-minded people and organizations, and Varun and his team would love to speak with you.

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Sustainable and affordable access to technology! In this episode, we're thrilled to have Kelly Bergeron, a tech professional and community placemaker from Cornwall, Ontario. Kelly is known for her passion for using technology and community-building strategies to create positive change, and today she'll be discussing her latest project, Poptronic Rentals. Poptronic Rentals is a Canadian company that offers high-end Virtual Reality (VR) technology for events and businesses. They specialize in providing custom-built VR experiences and on-site technical support, ensuring a seamless experience for their clients. Tune in to hear Kelly's fascinating story and learn how Poptronic Rentals is changing the game in the VR rental space.

About Belly Bergeron ((99+) Kelly Bergeron | LinkedIn)
Kelly Bergeron is a tech professional and community placemaker based in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. She has spent several years working in the tech industry, leveraging her skills to create innovative solutions that help businesses streamline their operations, improve their customer engagement, and enhance their overall performance. She has worked with companies like Salesforce in San Francisco and as a Coach and Curriculum Developer for various STEAM programs across North America. 
 
 Aside from her tech work, Kelly started a community placemaking program called experienCity. She works with local organizations and government bodies to help create more vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable public spaces that foster a sense of community and promote social interaction. 
 
Kelly is known for her passion for using technology and community-building strategies to create positive change in Cornwall and beyond. She is committed to promoting innovation, diversity, and equity in all her work and is always looking for new ways to make a difference in her community.

About Poptronic (https://www.poptronic.ca/)

Poptronic Rentals is a Canadian company that provides Virtual Reality (VR) rental services for events and businesses. They specialize in offering high-end VR technology, such as the HTC Vive and Meta Quest 2, along with custom-built VR experiences for events and corporate clients.
 
Poptronic Rentals has a range of VR equipment and packages available for rent, including VR headsets, controllers, and tracking systems, as well as VR-ready computers and laptops. They also offer on-site setup and technical support for events, ensuring a seamless VR experience for their clients. 

Get in Touch with Poptronic

• Website: www.poptronic.ca
• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/poptronic/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/poptroniccanada
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/poptroniccanada
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poptroniccanada/

Want to Help? 

• If your organization is looking to try VR and don't know where to start, we can help you deliver high-quality, virtual, organization-wide experiences. Please reach out to us at [email protected]!

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Are you a restaurant owner struggling to keep up with the post-pandemic challenges while also trying to grow your business? Look no further than Dyne, the B2B SaaS platform that uses AI to drive revenue and marketing for restaurants. In this episode of Pitch Please, co-founders Arnav Mishra and Parsa Riahi discuss how their initially competitive relationship blossomed into a partnership to empower local economies with tools, data and support. Dyne has already helped over 750 restaurants in 6 cities, creating their "Dine-In" dataset that automates marketing, drives insights with AI, and has generated $15M in additional revenue for their customers. If that's not interesting enough, Dyne isn't just about profits - they're also committed to promoting community engagement, food security, and sustainability. Get ready to hear one of our most interesting discussions yet!

About The Dyne Team
Arnav Mishra and Parsa Riahi are the cofounders of Dyne. At first, they couldn’t stand each other, always competing against one another in hackathons and case competitions. Eventually, the realized that their complimentary skillsets, with Arnav being a seasoned entrepreneur with his first exit at age 17 - and Parsa one of Canada’s youngest published machine learning researchers, made them the perfect dynamic duo. From winning initial case competitions together, they founded Dyne together, in order to help restaurants scale using predictive analytics and automated marketing to alleviate the struggles of the pandemic while promoting community engagement, food security, and sustainability. That’s when they met Mani Panahandeh, who led Dyne’s operations from BC to the east coast across Ontario and soon Quebec, along with 20 other team members, who are all devoted to Dyne’s central mission of empowering local economies with big data analytics while connecting people over the love of food.

About Paula Gamble

Paula Gamble is currently the Founders Hub Startup Program Lead at Microsoft Canada. She loves to connect with and learn from founders, incubators, and startup communities across the country. Paula gets great energy from discovering each of the unique ways startups choose to drive innovation and impact in their industries. She brings insight into technical and go-to-market partnership and collaboration opportunities, and has deep passion for building connections across startups, venture capital, and enterprise spaces across Canada

About Dyne (https://www.dyneapp.ca/)
Dyne is a B2B SaaS for restaurants that uses AI to drive their revenue and marketing. We seamlessly collect data from every step in the restaurant lifecycle across 750+ clients in 6 cities, a community app of 21000 users, and dozens of integrations from customer satisfaction to foot-traffic to build our “Dine-In” Dataset that automates marketing, drives insights with AI, and which has created $15M in additional revenue for our customers.

Get in Touch with Dyne

• Get Started today at: https://www.dyneapp.ca/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dyneyvr/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dyne.yvr/ 
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DyneWithUs 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dyneyvr 
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoC7EZZGxmR7so_XKT9mSzQ 
• Email: [email protected] 

Want to Help? 

• Investor? Dyne is not funding yet but are open to discussions with prospective investors to lead their 2024 Series A
• Are you a restaurant or franchise? Dyne is looking for customers in the B2B Food service and Hospitality sectors who want to leverage insights and automation to grow their businesses

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We speak with Vincent, a seasoned entrepreneur and tech innovator in the SaaS, e-commerce, retail, and food space. Vincent shares his journey from co-founding Orckestra to his current venture, 7dish, a platform for discovering, sharing, and rating healthy meal planning recipes. Learn about the diverse collection of recipes from various cuisines and cooking styles that the platform offers, with tools to simplify your grocery trips. Discover how Vincent's entrepreneurial spirit drives his mission to help families improve their health and quality of life at home through 7dish. Tune in to find out more about the platform's unique features, including a smart shopping solution to help users search for recipes based on ingredients and dietary restrictions.

About Vincent Trepanier ((99+) Vincent Trepanier | LinkedIn)
Entrepreneur at heart, Vincent is a builder and tech innovator in the SaaS, e-commerce, retail, and food space. He has a B. Eng degree from McGill in Computer Engineering and is a seasoned executive with extensive experience in technology and SaaS products, strategy, enterprise sales and channels development.

After spending several years working with large consultancies such as Accenture and CGI, Vincent co-founded Orckestra in 2006. Over the past 15 years, Vincent has led and grown the company as an executive vice-president to become a great omnichannel commerce platform and services organization. Orckestra was acquired by MDF Commerce in 2017.

Vincent is currently working on a new venture, 7dish, which will offer a meal planning and smart shopping solution to help families improve their health and quality of life at home. Nevertheless, her goal is to create a fresh, easy-to-use tool that will provide people with physical disabilities (like her younger brother) with a backup plan for quickly accessing qualified attendants, so everyone can get the help they need wherever and whenever they want.

About 7dish (https://www.7dish.com/)

7dish is a platform for users to discover, share, and rate various healthy meal planning recipes. It features a diverse collection of recipes from various cuisines and cooking styles with tools to simplify your grocery trips. The website allows users to search for recipes based on ingredients, dietary restrictions, and more, making it a great resource for food enthusiasts and home cooks.

Get in Touch with 7dish

• Website: https://www.7dish.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/7dish
• Email: [email protected]

Want to Help? 

• Become a first adopter! https://www.7dish.com

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In this episode of Pitch Please, we sit down with Will MacLaughlin, the CEO of Formify. Will shares his journey of how he went from working in the aerospace industry to starting his own company and developing a tailor-made gaming mouse. He talks about the struggles and triumphs of creating a new product and the Kickstarter launch. Will also dives into the features of the gaming mouse and how it stands out in the crowded gaming peripheral market. He shares some insights on the future of custo and how Formify plans to stay ahead of the curve.

Listen in as Will shares his passion for gaming and how he is using technology to enhance the gaming experience for players everywhere. This episode is a must-listen for gamers, entrepreneurs, and anyone interested in the tech industry.

About Will MacLaughlin ((99+) Will MacLaughlin | LinkedIn) Will has a background in Aerospace Engineering from Ryerson University which prior management experience owning small companies. Over the past 3 years with a team, he has been developing formify, a company that builds high-performance custom-shaped gaming mice.

About Formify (Tailor-Made Gaming Mouse | Formify) Formify is a Canadian company that designs and manufactures gaming peripherals, specifically a tailor-made gaming mouse. They are focused on providing high-performance and customizable gaming mouse to enhance the gaming experience for players. They use cutting-edge technology to ensure that their products are of the highest quality and meet the needs of gamers of all skill levels. Formify also provides software to customize the mouse fitment. They are also working on launching their product via Kickstarter.

Get in Touch with Formify

· https://www.formify.ca/

Want to Help?
Join the kickstarter! Seen via the website https://www.formify.ca/

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We welcome Rand Abou Ras, the founder of uCast, a cutting-edge platform revolutionizing the podcast advertising market. Rand shares her inspiring career journey, from working with startups to building a successful company from the ground up. Discover the challenges and triumphs she faced along the way and learn about the unique value proposition of uCast, which helps podcasters and advertisers connect and target the right audience. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from a seasoned entrepreneur and discover the innovation behind uCast!

About Rand Abou Ras ((99+) 🎙 Rand Abou Ras | LinkedIn)

Rand Abou Ras, is a UX/UI designer and the co-founder & CEO of uCast - an online marketplace for Podcasters and Advertisers to launch profitable Ad campaigns in minutes. She earned her BComm  at Ryerson University majoring in Entrepreneurship & Strategy and spent her short career working with over 40 tech startups at world-renowned incubators such as the DMZ, SDZ, and others. Rand decided to pursue her dream of building a tech startup after graduating during the pandemic and saw the struggles that many creators were facing. This is when her and her co-founder started building uCast. A couple of things about me. Her passion for improving the podcasting space comes from being a Podcaster herself discussing topics that are important to Generation Z.

About uCast (Where Brands Meet Podasts | uCast)

uCast is a next-generation podcast advertising platform that connects advertisers with podcasters in a more effective and efficient way. Our platform allows advertisers to target their ads to the right audience, and podcasters to monetize their content. uCast’s cutting-edge technology and data-driven approach helps both parties achieve their goals and grow their businesses. With uCast, advertisers can be sure that their ads are reaching the right listeners at the right time, while podcasters can have peace of mind knowing that they are monetizing their content in a way that aligns with their values. Whether you're an advertiser looking to connect with a new audience, or a podcaster looking to monetize your content, uCast is the solution you've been looking for.

Get in Touch
Website: Where Brands Meet Podasts | uCast

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An inspiring conversation with Shannon Ferguson, CEO of FanSaves. As a seasoned entrepreneur with a background in sports and marketing, Shannon shares her journey from marketing to founding FanSaves. Discover the challenges she faced building a successful company and the innovation that sets FanSaves apart. The mobile app connects fans with local businesses, letting them save money and support their favorite teams and events. Learn how FanSaves revolutionizes the way fans engage with their communities. Tune in for an insightful conversation with Shannon and find out what motivates her to keep going. Don't miss this episode of Pitch Please!
 

About Shannon Ferguson

Shannon currently leads the growing team at tech startup FanSaves, as Co-Founder & CEO. With over 18 years of marketing and sponsorship experience, she paired her creativity and digital skills with her love of entrepreneurship in 2017 to co-found FanSaves; a digital couponing platform that connects fans to offers from sponsors of their favourite sports teams and events.
 
 Shannon is also a TV & Podcast Host, a public speaker, and a mentor. As a woman in Sports Tech, she is committed to using her voice to encourage people from underrepresented groups to follow their dreams and have an impact in industries where they are traditionally the minority.  She has been featured in Forbes and was a 2021 Young Leaders of the America's Initiative fellow. FanSaves won the 2021 Best Ottawa Business Award for Best Leaders for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and in 2022, Shannon was a Forty Under 40 recipient in Canada's National Capital Region and Ottawa’s WBN Businesswoman of the Year (Emerging Entrepreneur). Most recently, she was named a 2023 Business Elite 40 Under 40 for North America.

About FanSaves
FanSaves is a digital platform that offers fans, discounts and deals from sponsors of their favorite sports teams and organizations!  FanSaves provides our partners with unlimited digital sponsorship inventory that is trackable through our backend dashboard. The platform also gives our partners a new turn-key perk that can be added to their membership benefits. Most importantly, FanSaves is fully integratable into team websites and mobile apps allowing our partners to drive fan traffic back to their own digital assets all year round where fans can engage with team partners.  We are currently working with over 60 organizations across North America featuring discounts and deals from over 850 national and local brands.

Get in Touch or Connect with FanSaves

[email protected]
www.fansaves.com
www.linkedin.com/in/shannonferguson12
www.instagram.com/shanferg12
www.linkedin.com/company/fansaves
www.instagram.com/fansaves

 Want to Help?

Sign up and get free access to thousands of deals at fansaves.com

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We chat with Emma Brown, CEO and co-founder of Whimble Care. Emma's passion for accessible and affordable healthcare has led to the creation of a community-based platform enables people with physical disabilities to request on-demand attendant services, no matter when unexpected issues arise. With Whimble Care, you can receive quality care from the comfort of your own home. Emma shares her experience as a female entrepreneur in the healthcare industry and the challenges she faced building Whimble Care. Tune in to hear the positive impact the platform has had on its users, exciting growth and partnerships, and Emma's vision for the future of virtual care. Don't miss this inspiring episode of Pitch Please!

About Emma Brown ((99+) Emma Brown | LinkedIn)
Emma Brown is the founder of Whimble Care Inc., a care-tech startup based in Ottawa. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from McGill University, a Master’s degree in Science Communication from Imperial College London, and a Graduate diploma in Philanthropy and Non-profit Leadership from Carleton University. Despite these many years of education, she was still deeply mistaken in thinking that launching an app would be easy.

Nevertheless, her goal is to create a fresh, easy-to-use tool that will provide people with physical disabilities (like her younger brother) with a backup plan for quickly accessing qualified attendants, so everyone can get the help they need wherever and whenever they want.

About Whimble (https://whimble.ca/)
Our community-based platform enables people with physical disabilities to request on-demand attendant services, so that no matter when unexpected issues arise, you can get the help you need to get back to what matters.

Get in Touch or Connected with Whimble

• www.whimble.ca
• https://twitter.com/WhimbleCare
• https://www.instagram.com/whimble_care/
• [email protected]

Want to Help? Whimble is eager to connect with:

1. Other marketplace founders who have solved chicken or the egg dilemma (bonus points if in health care space!)

2. Advisors from home care industry, including personal care attendants, administrators and policymakers

3. Any employers or event organizers who would be interested in participating in customer discovery interviews for our forthcoming services offerings.
 

Other Resources Mentioned in the Show

Build a strong brand name with https://eatmywords.com/

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Join AdMass CEO Yuri Kaplan on the Pitch Please Podcast! Discover how his innovative platform is revolutionizing ad tech with AI and machine learning. Hear about his career journey and challenges as a startup founder. With AdMass, businesses create personalized ad campaigns and leverage customer advocacy. Tune in for Yuri's vision of advertising and marketing technology's future, and how AdMass democratizes the influencer industry. Don't miss this exciting episode of Pitch Please!

About Yuri Kaplan (https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuri-kaplan/)
Yuri Kaplan is the Founder & CEO of AdMass, a platform that is redefining the influencer marketing industry. Leveraging over a decade of experience in web development, e-commerce and social media management, Yuri created AdMass to increase authenticity and democratize the influencer industry. AdMass incentivizes customers to post about their purchase in a brand safe way as a means for driving customer loyalty, leveraging the innate trust of friend and family networks. AdMass uses AI to automatically verify posts against brand requirements, delivering 100x more content 100x faster and giving us the unique advantage of being able to turn any consumer into a brand advocate. Having recently completed a case study for Banana Boat, large brands are catching on to the power of leveraging consumer advocacy through AdMass.

About AdMass (https://admass.io/)

AdMass is the fastest and most cost-efficient solution to build a network of brand advocates who will increase sales and build trust in your brand.

Learn More or Start Using AdMass: Turn Customers Into Brand Advocates - AdMass

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