We’re trading silicon for shiitake with Stephanie Lipp, co‑founder of MycoFutures. The biomaterials startup is turning mushroom mycelium into a fully biodegradable alternative to leather.

Think handbags that sprout from a lab, not a feedlot. Stephanie and her partner Leo Gillis grow mycelium sheets that rival leather for strength and feel, while slashing water, energy, and chemical use.

Stephanie joined us from Montreal to talk about how MycoFutures got started and how the startup is working to break through barriers on its road to commercialization.

Special guest host: Mohammed Kamla

What if your Wi-Fi could do more than just connect your devices?

For Taj Manku, co-founder and CEO of Cognitive Systems, a personal caregiving challenge sparked a professional breakthrough. When his aging parents experienced medical emergencies, Manku found himself navigating the emotional and logistical weight of caregiving while raising a family and running a fast-growing tech company in Waterloo.

That experience led to Caregiver by Cognitive, an eldercare solution powered by WiFi Motion, software that turns ambient Wi-Fi signals into a passive way to monitor movement in the home, with no cameras, no microphones and no extra effort from aging loved ones.

In this episode of Tech About Town, Taj joins us to share how his team built a privacy-first tool that helps families worry less, the challenges of elder tech adoption, and why Waterloo continues to be the perfect home base for Cognitive’s global impact.

00:42 — Introducing Dr. Taj Manku and the idea of Wi-Fi-powered caregiving

03:01 —The origin of Cognitive Systems

06:40 — From fall-detecting pendants to smart plugs: why ambient Wi-Fi wins

07:28 — “Rise & Shine,” Last-Motion alerts and inactivity notifications

10:17 — Privacy first: starting tough conversations with ageing parents

13:38 — How (and why) Caregiver stays separate from 911 call-centres

15:03 — Two parents, one home: what the system can—and can’t—see

16:24 — Ageing in place with dignity while families “worry less”

17:54 — In-home-care adoption: pricing, installation and industry response

20:00 — Branding shift: B2B roots vs. B2C ambitions

23:31 — Building the “Caregiver by Cognitive” brand with partners

25:44 — Why Waterloo Region is still the perfect global HQ

28:34 — Wrap-up, show notes and where to learn more about Communitech

What do plush toys and tech startups have in common? If you ask Landon Brett, the answer is everything.

Landon is the CEO of Makeship, one of Canada’s fastest-growing creator economy companies. Makeship launched in 2018 with just $8,000 and a bold idea: help online creators bring their characters to life through limited-edition plush toys. Today, Makeship has grown into a global business with over 65 employees and more than $20 million paid out to creators, without taking on a dime of outside funding.

In this episode, Landon joins us to talk about Makeship’s journey from its Kitchener roots to the global stage, the power of fan communities, and how his team is building trust at scale with creators big and small. Plus, he shares what it takes to scale, why being scrappy still matters, and how Makeship plans to hit $100 million in annual revenue in the next three years.

00:00 – What do plushies and startups have in common?

01:47 – From $8K to crowdfunded success

06:15 – Superfans know their stitching

09:20 – The road to $100M

13:50 – Platforms shift, creators adapt

18:30 – Tariffs, transparency, and trust

23:35 – Leading through chaos

27:40 – Plushie wishlist and career tips

Visit makeship.com to learn more about the company (and get yourself some plushies). Need help getting your startup off the ground? Visit communitech.ca to learn how we can help!

When a personal health scare revealed the limits of existing diagnostic tools, scientist and entrepreneur Shalini Gupta saw an opportunity to build something better.

On this episode of Tech About Town, Shalini shares how that moment led to the creation of Asima Health, a startup focused on same-day, blood-based cancer screening.

She talks about the challenges of launching a biotech company as a solo founder in Canada, how her research background enabled a breakthrough in early detection and why she's focused on making cancer monitoring more accessible for survivors.

From Velocity to the FDA, it’s a conversation about perseverance, precision and purpose.

• 0:04 — Intro and why preventative health matters

• 1:51 — Shalini’s health scare and how it inspired Asima Health

• 3:33 — Turning academic research into commercial technology

• 8:56 — How the test works across multiple cancer types

• 11:57 — Why she’s focused on cancer survivors as a market entry point

• 16:48 — Navigating U.S. vs. Canadian healthcare systems

• 19:15 — Shalini’s journey as an immigrant founder and personal sacrifices

• 21:38 — Building a team in Kitchener and the support of Velocity and Communitech

• 23:51 — Virtual Fierce Founders experience and the power of mentorship

• 26:20 — Advice she’d give herself before starting the company

What got you here won’t get you there. In this episode of Tech About Town, we sit down with Communitech Growth Coach Dave Litwiller to talk about scaling your team, leadership and markets. 

From the art of delegation without abdication to navigating global expansion in unpredictable times, Dave shares real-world insights on how founders can grow without losing grip. Plus, we get into startup Darwinism, job title inflation and the big question every founder should be asking before going international.

Dave was nice enough to share his show notes with us (and you), too!

3:06 – Dave on scale-up stage companies and growing leadership teams

4:50 – Coaching founders to delegate without abdicating

7:25 – Founders, boards and power dynamics

11:03 – When to bring in new C-level leaders

13:04 – Structuring leadership teams in scaling tech companies

14:26 – Title inflation vs. functional leadership

17:47 – Founder-CEO identity and adapting with company growth

21:31 – Real stories: navigating transitions in early-stage startups

24:17 – Global expansion: founder concerns in uncertain times

25:10 – Hardware vs. SaaS: Who’s affected by global market shifts

27:59 – Testing new markets: opportunistic vs. strategic expansion

32:11 – The one thing many scaling founders overlook

He's six weeks into the job, and Communitech's new CEO, Sheldon McCormick, has some thoughts.

On this episode of Tech About Town, we've got Sheldon in the studio with hosts Alex Kinsella and Rosie Del Campo to talk about what startups need, what the community needs, and what the 27-year-old organization needs to do differently to help tech companies start, grow and succeed.

Tune in and get to know our new CEO and what's on the horizon for the Waterloo Region tech ecosystem.

This episode is brought to you by Communitech and Elevate IP.

3:21 – Sheldon talks about his first impressions, learning the ropes, and balancing founder instincts with listening.

6:02 – How Communitech’s legacy influenced Sheldon’s decision to take the role.

8:08 – What founders are saying. Sheldon reflects on conversations with founders about economic uncertainty, AI, and Communitech’s role.

12:38 – Discussion on how AI is impacting founders—and where Communitech can help.

14:27 – Why Sheldon took the job. Sheldon talks about bringing founder empathy to the role and becoming a trusted partner.

18:10 – Rebuilding community. Sheldon and Alex talk about COVID’s impact and how Communitech can help reconnect the ecosystem.

19:47 – Why Waterloo? Sheldon shares how his family—and a few of his wife's bridesmaids—brought him to the region.

21:43 – Local favourites rapid fire. Arabella, Public, JLB, Lucero, and date night go-tos.

24:04 – What needs to change? They discuss legacy programs and how Communitech needs to evolve beyond just being “a place.”

29:43 – Acting like a startup. Why Communitech needs to move faster, stay current, and focus on what founders actually need.

32:09 – Back to basics and the power of proximity. Sheldon talks about returning to more in-person interaction and using community as a competitive advantage.

34:42 – Elevate IP Minute. Alexis Conrad shares a cautionary tale of IP lost at 30,000 feet.

What if two of the four gas pumps at a gas station were out of order, but no one told you until you pulled in? That’s the reality for many electric vehicle (EV) drivers today, and Jennifer Buchanan and Andrea Curry are on a mission to change it. 

In this episode of Tech About Town, the Clockwork co-founders break down the messy truth behind EV charger reliability, the business case for fixing it, and how their software helps operators keep chargers up and running to keep EVs moving.
Plus, they unveil their bold new metric—the Clockwork Charge Score, a Rotten Tomatoes-style rating for EV chargers that could transform how we charge, plan road trips, and even spend public infrastructure dollars.

If you've ever hesitated to go electric, this episode just might flip the switch.

Is SEO really dead—or just evolving (again)? In this episode, Alex and guest host Alison Piel sit down with freelance content strategist Tim Peckover to talk AI, LLMs, and why the rumours of SEO’s demise are (still) greatly exaggerated. 

From early days at Clearpath to leading content at Smile.io, Tim shares how AI is changing the game for content creation, and why you shouldn’t be afraid to use em dashes.

Whether you're a founder, marketer, or just wondering why your blog post from 2016 still ranks, this one's for you.

Stick around to learn the one test Tim swears by to make sure your content’s actually worth reading.

00:47 – Tim Peckover’s path from sales to content marketing

04:30 – How writing a blog turned into a full-time career

07:55 – Why content is more than just blog posts (and why it matters)

10:24 – Did ChatGPT kill SEO? Spoiler: No. But here’s what changed

12:09 – The great M-dash debate and AI’s copywriting quirks

16:07 – Can AI replace your SEO specialist? Tim says: kind of

18:52 – Top tools for solo founders and small startup marketing

23:19 – Backlinks in the age of AI and how to earn them

26:05 – What schema is (and what LLMs care about instead)

27:50 – Tim’s top 3 SEO best practices for content that actually ranks

30:57 – “The Bill Test” – a simple way to keep your content honest

33:12 – Wrapping up: why great content still needs a human touch

When a loved one faces a health crisis, language barriers and medical jargon can make an already stressful situation even harder.

Seun Adetunji, founder and CEO of MedInclude, knows this firsthand — and she’s building the solution. In this episode, Seun shares her journey from caregiver to healthtech innovator, how MedInclude is simplifying healthcare communication, and why working with healthcare providers was key to their success.

Plus, hear how a pilot with Grand River Hospital is opening doors to even bigger opportunities — including emergency services.

If you’ve ever wondered how tech can bridge real-world gaps, this is the episode you don’t want to miss.

On this episode of Tech About Town, we welcome JP Eskander, CEO and founder of Sifio Health, and Stacy Sobering from Communitech to discuss how AI-driven scheduling and workflow optimization can reduce surgery wait times and improve hospital efficiency. 

They explore the barriers to innovation in healthcare, the impact of COVID-19 on tech adoption, and why Canada is an ideal testbed for new solutions. Plus, hear how startups like Sifio Health are navigating the complex healthcare landscape to bring real change. Stacy Sobering also shares how programs like Fast Track Health are connecting Canadian innovators with customers across the country and around the world.

You can also catch JP’s pitch from The Fast Track Health Showcase here.

00:20 – The buzz at the Fast Track Health Showcase
02:09 – What is Sifio Health? AI-driven hospital optimization
03:17 – Real-world hospital inefficiencies and the impact on patient care
04:58 – The challenge of integrating healthcare data systems

06:18 – Why healthcare innovation faces barriers
08:55 – How AI-driven scheduling improves patient outcomes
10:40 – How COVID-19 accelerated tech adoption in healthcare

12:19 – The surprising cost vs. revenue model difference in Canadian and US healthcare
14:03 – Why Canada is an ideal testbed for healthcare innovation
15:19 – The role of Fast Track Health in supporting startups like Sifio Health
18:01 – Can AI help design the hospitals of the future?

20:18 – How hospital referrals impact patient wait times

21:36 – The ongoing need for tech-driven solutions in healthcare