Startup Canada

Bhargavi Varma is the Founder of Brown Girl Angels, a global collective of South Asian women angel investors, venture capitalists and founders. Too often we only celebrate the latest milestone, project or our most recent success metric, but on this show we know there is so much more to the journey.

This series is hosted by Mallory Rowan and powered by CIBC Business Banking. Learn more about CIBC’s Women Entrepreneurs Hub. 

Want more from Bhargavi? Listen to her podcast Brown Girls, Money Moves

Tune in to this mini epiosde as we chatted with Barb Stegemann before she took the stage as our Startup Canada Halifax Tour keynote speaker. Barb Stegemann launched The 7 Virtues from her garage on a Visa card, armed only with a dream to help communities in war ridden nations rebuild. Today, The 7 Virtues is an award winning social enterprise and the only Canadian perfume brand sold at Sephora, now available in over 2,100 stores worldwide across 19 countries. It is also the only B Corp certified perfume brand at Sephora, committed to paying employees a livable wage and leaving a better footprint on the planet.

Warren Thompson is the Founder of Ollo Metrics. Warren shares insights on building scalable, autonomous businesses, the importance of measurement in marketing, and how authenticity helps strategy.

Hunter Scharfe if the CEO of Juno Industries. Hunter discusses Canada’s defence technology sector, the importance of passion in entrepreneurship, and the strategic opportunities in national defence innovation.

Learn more about Canada’s first Defence Industrial Strategy 

Lily Bond shares her inspiring journey from starting Spyce Girlz Seasonings at age 13 to overcoming legal challenges and rebranding. Tune in to hear about authentic branding, product innovation, mentorship, and giving back in entrepreneurship.

In 1990, Sandra made history as Canada’s first female infantry officer. Today, Sandra is the Founder and President of the Pepper Pod, a nonprofit supporting women veterans. Discover how her personal experiences, leadership qualities, and strategic funding have shaped a transformative space for healing, community, and empowerment.

This series is hosted by Mallory Rowan and powered by CIBC Business Banking. Learn more about CIBC’s Women Entrepreneurs Hub. 

Andrew Cordssen-David if the co-founder and CEO of Headfirst. Andrew emphasizes the importance of passion in entrepreneurship, the challenges of funding and product development, and the role of accelerators in supporting startups.

It’s not just about LEGO. Jenn Just has created products that adults were missing and can now collect and love. Jenn Just is The Brick Chick, this conversation covers Brick Chick’s business model, the importance of authenticity, navigating cross-border logistics, and embracing neurodiversity as a strength in entrepreneurship.

Shop custom LEGO at The Brick Chick

Kathy Tran-Riese is the Founder of Kay Tran Eyewear. In this episode, Kathy shares her journey of creating stylish and inclusive eyewear designed specifically for individuals with low nose bridges. She discusses the importance of embracing niche markets, the challenges of launching a product, and the evolution of her business.

Connie Lo is the co-founder of Three Ships Beauty. Like many founders, there are moments along the way that are pivotal. In this episode, Connie shares her journey of starting a clean beauty brand with $4,000, the significance of trust, communication and shared values with your co-founder and what they decided to do when their holidays sales were threatened by a major supply chain challenge.

This series is hosted by Mallory Rowan and powered by CIBC Business Banking. Learn more about CIBC’s Women Entrepreneurs Hub.