Startupville

Dan talks with Katherine Regnier, Co-founder & CEO of Coconut Software and Ryan Quiring, Co-founder & CEO of SafetyTek Software.

It takes a village to raise a startup.

Building a startup is a marathon, not a sprint, and it’s so important for founders to surround themselves with the right people to help push them through it all.

Whether it is getting advice from an experienced veteran, commiserating over shared struggles with other founders, or having those closest to you keeping you grounded as you think you’ve reached your limit.

Nobody has ever built a successful startup alone. It comes in many shapes and sizes, and we all need to find our village to keep us moving forward.

Dan talks with Jacqueline Cook, Chief Strategy Officer with Vendasta, and Conrad Neufeldt, Co-founder & CEO of Kasper.

Smaller cities have something of a little sibling syndrome. Can they get over their inferiority complex and play in the big leagues? It can take years for startup founders from off the beaten path to realize their potential and the hidden potential of a diamond in the rough. And there’s nothing like a good surprise to catch the eyes of talent and investment. Can big things come in small packages?

Dan interviews Jeff Dyck of Mentor, a Siemens Company, and Jordan Dutchak of the tech incubator Co.Labs. Mentor (formerly Solido) was the largest tech acquisition in the history of their home province when they were acquired by one of the world's largest tech companies. Co.Labs is the provinces first tech incubator, taking startups from 1 to 1000. In this episode, they discuss the chicken and egg problem that all unestablished tech hubs face, and how Saskatoon is fighting the odds to build a vibrant, meaningful tech ecosystem thanks to continued involvement from the established veterans and small upstarts in the region.

Startupville is hosted by Dan Gold, formerly of The Economist Group in London, UK and some of the world's largest media campaigns. Dan interviews successful small-city tech founders on what it’s like to start and grow a tech startup in a smaller center away from the major hubs like Silicon Valley and Toronto. At Startupville, we challenge the notion that the next big thing can only be made in Silicon Valley.