Eric Brass didn't hate his job in asset management. He had a terrific boss, wonderful colleagues, and the pay was great! But six years before, on an exchange trip to Guadalajara, Mexico, Eric fell in love with premium tequila. So much so that it planted a seed that ultimately led him to create a world-class Tequila brand.

In this episode, Brass revisits The Entrepreneur Podcast and talks about his ongoing journey with Tequila Tromba and shares some exciting updates on his latest venture that is supporting sustainability in Agave cultivation.

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Quantumshift 2008 alum and founder of Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Dr Connie Clerici.

Some founders don't have "entrepreneur" as part of their plan. They slowly evolve into one.

That's what Chris Barnard shared with students at Ivy's New Venture project. After a slew of jobs, including investing money for other companies, Barnard wondered, 'why not invest in his own venture?'

That venture became Points.com, one of the earliest loyalty programs in the world. 

Barnard, his co-founder, Rob McLean, and Points.com, would go on to weather a series of world-changing storms, including the dotcom bubble , 9/11, and the War on Terror, before settling into cruising altitude.

Barnard would go on to take Points.com public, and in 2022, the venture was acquired for half a billion dollars.

In this episode, Barnard speaks with Ivey faculty member Eric Janssen about his incredible journey of building a startup in tumultuous times, the importance of travel, and how to navigate technological change as entrepreneurs.

This season of The Entrepreneur Podcast is packed with discussions that range from instructional to aspirational: From stories of founders who’ve built incredible brands and placed themselves in the history of Canadian entrepreneurship to the mental and legal building blocks that are integral to launching a career in entrepreneurship.

The new season of The Entrepreneur Podcast launches on November 18th.

To ensure you never miss an episode, subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player or visit entrepreneurship.uwo.ca/podcast. 

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Dr. Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Founder of Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

Kevin Sullivan has a storied history as a founder and investor in Canada’s modern entrepreneurship story.

An early backer of Blackberry, Sullivan was part of GMP Capital from its inception and went on to serve as its President and CEO. In 1995, He co-founded one of Canada’s leading independent investment dealers, GMP Securities LP.

In this episode, Sullivan shares stories from his 30-year-long career, discusses changes in the investment landscape, and answers difficult questions on what the future holds for entrepreneurs and investors in Canada.

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

The global video game industry is a behemoth that is worth more than the music, television, and film industries put together. That’s not bad for a sector that was considered niche before the 2000s.

As the former President of Digital Extremes, Michael Schmalz had a front-row seat to these seismic changes. The London, Ontario-based game studio started by his brother, James, rose to prominence with international hit games like Warframe and Unreal. 

With a background in business and technology, Schmalz was able to ride the waves of uncertainty and opportunity to build a thriving company that not only delivered iconic games but also shaped the way the industry managed projects and people.

In this episode, Schmalz gives us a window into the gaming industry, its history, and what lies ahead.

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

Entrepreneurship is often viewed as a discipline within business and that makes sense. Entrepreneurs are dealing with finances, crunching numbers, raising money, and balancing payroll.

But Entrepreneurship is more than business. It’s an art.

Entrepreneurs build products, services, companies, and brands that carry a piece of who they are. It’s a form of expression that reflects who they are; just like a painting that gives a window into the innermost thoughts of the painter.

On this episode, we talk to two founders who embrace both titles and have joined their love for music and business, to create an international music act that might be on your party playlist. 

Andrew Fedyk and Joe Depace are Loud Luxury, a Canadian DJ Duo that rose to fame through their 2017 releases "Body" and a remix of the Martin Garrix and Dua Lipa single "Scared to Be Lonely".

In this episode, I sat down with Andrew and Joe to discuss their story of how a business and political science major at Western University ended up selling-out dance clubs across the world.

This summer season of The Entrepreneur Podcast kicks off with international DJ duo, Loud Luxury, talking about their origins, partnership, and the intersection of art and business.

We speak to Michael Schmalz, former President of Digital Extremes, on how a Canadian gaming studio, based in London Ontario impacted the global gaming industry. Then, we explore the future of entrepreneurship and investing in Canada with legendary founder and investor, Kevin Sullivan.

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Quantumshift 2008 alum, Connie Clerici and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group. To ensure you never miss an episode. Subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player or visit entrepreneurship.uwo.ca/podcast.

A Technology sector deal maker, entrepreneur, diversity advocate, and community builder. These are some of the terms that describe Mona Sabet.

A Silicon Valley veteran, Sabet combined her expertise in engineering, law, and business to forge an impressive career that has included 100s of tech deals and nearly 50 acquisitions.

Sabet served as Chief Corp Strategy Officer for UserTesting and played a pivotal role in the company’s acquisition in 2022 for 1.3 billion. Most recently, she co-authored Sail to Scale, which examines common mistakes made by entrepreneurs from start-up to exit.

In this wide-ranging discussion, we cover Sabet’s entrepreneurial journey from Canada to California, and uncover insights from her latest book. 

Google, Microsoft, Twitter and The Weather Network, Rory Capern has really done it all. But while he has built a career with some of the most exciting brands around, the art of the possible keeps drawing him back to the world of entrepreneurship.

An alum from Ivey’s HBA and MBA programs, Capern currently serves as the Chief Operations Officer at Redbrick, a B-Corp Certified firm that has built and acquired an impressive portfolio of companies to inspire innovation, encourage sustainable business, and support digital entrepreneurs.

In this fascinating discussion, Capern walks us through his career between start-ups and the world’s largest tech corporations, the importance of mentorship, and how his people-centric view of business has shaped his career.

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

A pioneer, and legend in the banking industry, Arkadi Kuhlmann first introduced the world to direct banking when he founded ING DIRECT Canada in 1996 and ING U.S. in 2000. As Chairman, President & CEO, Kuhlmann created the largest savings bank in the U.S., with more than $88 billion in deposits and 8 million customers. Since then, Kuhlmann has gone on to launch six startups in the banking sector.

A painter, poet, and prolific author, Kuhlmann has gained a reputation for putting together effective teams through his focus on culture and leadership.

In this episode, we explore his illustrious career, lessons learned, and the new challenges he is tackling in today’s business environment.

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.