The Founder Mindset

In this episode of The Founder Mindset, host Leah Sarich speaks with Catalina Vasquez, Co-Founder and COO of Nanostics. Catalina opens up about her unexpected journey into entrepreneurship, from working in labs in Colombia to moving to Canada and building a biotech company that is reshaping prostate cancer diagnosis.

She discusses the origin and evolution of Nanostics’ flagship product, ClarityDX Prostate, including the critical pivot from nanotechnology to machine learning. Catalina highlights the global impact of making accurate, affordable prostate cancer diagnostics widely accessible, the resilience needed to push through scientific setbacks, and how her team is building toward FDA approval and international partnerships.

Listeners will gain insight into the challenges of biotech entrepreneurship, the power of collaboration, and the profound personal growth that comes with leading a mission-driven company.

About Catalina Vasquez

Catalina Vasquez is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Nanostics, a Canadian biotech company transforming how prostate cancer is diagnosed. Originally trained as a microbiologist in Colombia, Catalina moved to Canada in 2007 and quickly built a career at the intersection of science and innovation. From her early work in Dr. John Lewis’s lab to leading clinical trials, she embraced challenges that eventually led her into entrepreneurship, a path she once thought she’d never pursue.

As COO of Nanostics, Catalina has been central to the development of ClarityDX Prostate, a diagnostic tool that uses machine learning to improve early detection of prostate cancer. She has helped guide the company through pivotal scientific and business decisions, international collaborations, and progress toward FDA approval. Passionate about mission-driven innovation, Catalina is committed to making life-saving diagnostics accessible worldwide while also mentoring and supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators.

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

• The Alberta Small Business Innovation and Research Initiative (ASBIRI) Program Guide

The Founder Mindset is Sponsored By:

• ATB
• API
• Artemis
• OCIF

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Contact Thin Air Labs: 

• Website: ThinAirLabs.ca
• LinkedIn: Thin Air Labs
• X: Thin Air Labs
• YouTube: Thin Air Labs

Contact Catalina Vasquez: 

• Website: Nanostics
• Linkedin: Catalina Vasquez

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In this candid and inspiring conversation, James Rockwood, the Founder and CEO of CapIntel, takes us on a journey from childhood career dreams to leading a fintech company that empowers over 20,000 financial advisors across North America. CapIntel helps wealth management professionals explain complex investment products with clarity and confidence, a mission rooted in James’ belief that trust and transparency are the cornerstones of impactful financial advising.

James dives into the personal and professional mindset shifts that propelled his company forward, especially during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. He recounts a “do or die” moment when funding was uncertain and contracts vanished overnight, yet strategic pivots and relentless focus on enterprise clients positioned CapIntel for explosive growth. James also reflects on building a high-performance culture in a remote-first world, sharing how a single shocking rule that “your best is not enough,” helps drive alignment and trust across a distributed team.

Topics include leadership development, startup resilience, enterprise sales, Founder wellness, and how meaning sustains motivation in times of uncertainty.

About James Rockwood

James Rockwood is the Founder and CEO of CapIntel, a fintech platform transforming how financial advisors communicate investment solutions to clients. With a background in accounting and investment banking, James left a traditional career path to pursue entrepreneurship, driven by a passion for leadership and impact. Under his leadership, CapIntel has grown into a trusted tool for financial institutions across Canada and the U.S., with a mission to build investor confidence and enhance the client experience in wealth management.

James is also deeply invested in company culture, advocating for intentional leadership and team-wide excellence. His philosophies on fitness, mental clarity, and building a meaningful career, influence both how he leads and how he lives.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• What You Do Is Who You Are by Ben Horowitz
• Achilles in Vietnam by Jonathan Shay

The Founder Mindset is Sponsored By:

• ATB
• API
• Artemis
• OCIF

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Contact Thin Air Labs: 

• Website: ThinAirLabs.ca
• LinkedIn: Thin Air Labs
• X: Thin Air Labs
• YouTube: Thin Air Labs

Contact James Rockwell: 

• Website: capintel.com
• LinkedIn: James Rockwood 

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In this episode of The Founder Mindset, host Leah Sarich sits down with Nivatha Balendra, Founder and CEO of Dispersa. What started as a high school science fair project exploring ways to clean oil spills grew into a clean tech company transforming food waste into sustainable biosurfactants. Today, Dispersa is pioneering alternatives to petroleum and palm-derived ingredients found in everyday products like cleaners, detergents, and even cosmetics.

Nivatha shares how her personal journey as a cancer survivor fueled her commitment to healthier, non-toxic solutions, and what it took to pivot her company during the pandemic from oil and gas to cleaning products. She also reflects on raising more than $14 million in funding, scaling from lab experiments to commercial production, and cultivating a strong company culture focused on impact, values, and wellbeing.

This inspiring conversation highlights the resilience, vision, and passion it takes to turn a spark of an idea into a business making real environmental and social impact.

About Nivatha Balendra

Nivatha Balendra is the Founder and CEO of Dispersa, a Canadian clean tech startup that converts food waste into natural, biodegradable biosurfactants. Her journey began as a 17-year-old student investigating sustainable ways to clean up oil spills after the Lac-Mégantic disaster.

Her work has earned her recognition on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list and the Governor General’s Innovation Award. As a cancer survivor, she is deeply motivated to create healthier, more sustainable alternatives for everyday products. Today, she leads a growing team at Dispersa dedicated to advancing clean tech innovation and building sustainable impact at scale.

The Founder Mindset is Sponsored By:

• ATB
• API
• Artemis
• OCIF

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Contact Thin Air Labs: 

• Website: ThinAirLabs.ca
• LinkedIn: Thin Air Labs
• X: Thin Air Labs
• YouTube: Thin Air Labs

Contact Nivatha Balendra: 

• Website: Dispersa
• Linkedin: Nivatha Balendra

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In this episode of The Founder Mindset, Leah speaks with Remi Schmaltz, serial Founder and CEO of Brilliant Harvest, an AI-powered help desk for farm equipment dealers. From a childhood of deal-brokering snowmobile trades at 13, to selling his last company to TELUS, Remi’s journey is a study in entrepreneurial instinct, deep industry knowledge, and building lasting relationships. He shares how his latest company was born during recovery from a river rafting concussion and how Brilliant Harvest is helping dealers and farmers streamline repairs through custom-built knowledge bases.

Remi also reflects on the impact of burnout, the value of a strong board, and his approach to mentorship and early-stage investing through Koan Capital. You’ll hear what it really takes to build scalable AgTech, why hiring for cultural fit matters, and how startup culture must remain symbiotic to thrive.

About Remi Schmaltz

Remi Schmaltz is the Founder and CEO of Brilliant Harvest, a Calgary-based startup building AI-driven customer experience platforms for equipment dealers. A third-time Founder with a deep background in agriculture and technology, Remi previously led Decisive Farming, which was acquired by TELUS in 2019. He’s also the Founder of Koan Capital, an early-stage venture fund focused on AgTech, and an active mentor and investor across the Canadian startup ecosystem.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Creative Destruction Lab (CDL)
• Thrive Agrifood Accelerator
• Swagger & Sweat: A Start-up Capital Boot Camp (Shawn Abbot - Contributor)
• Koan Capital
  
   

The Founder Mindset is Sponsored By:

• ATB
• API
• Artemis
• OCIF

—

Contact Thin Air Labs: 

• Website: ThinAirLabs.ca
• LinkedIn: Thin Air Labs
• X: Thin Air Labs
• YouTube: Thin Air Labs

Contact Remi Schmaltz: 

• Website: Brilliant Harvest
• LinkedIn: Brilliant Harvest
• LinkedIn: Remi Schmaltz

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In this episode of The Founder Mindset, host Leah Sarich speaks with Erin Bury, Co-founder and CEO of Willful, an online estate planning platform. Erin shares her journey from journalism school to entrepreneurship, explaining how her husband Kevin's family tragedy became the spark for launching Willful. Erin opens up about the mindset shift that helped her believe she could found a company, even without a legal or technical background.

Erin and Leah discuss the common misconceptions around entrepreneurship, the importance of resilience and resourcefulness, and why estate planning is about more than just legal documents—it's about peace of mind and living with intention. Erin also talks about building Willful alongside building her family, how she prioritizes wellness, and why legacy, impact, and flexibility matter more than chasing unicorn status.

About Erin Bury

Named one of The Globe & Mail’s Changemakers in 2025, Erin Bury is an entrepreneur, startup advisor, and a former marketer and technology journalist. Erin is the Co-Founder and CEO at online estate planning platform Willful, where she drives the company’s mission to ensure every Canadian has a will. Erin is also a columnist at The Globe and Mail, where she writes about parenting and personal finance. She is also a board member for Save the Children Canada. She lives in Prince Edward County, Ontario with her husband and two young daughters.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Willful
• Ownright (formerly Doormat)
• The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
• Upside Foundation

The Founder Mindset is Sponsored By:

• ATB
• API
• Artemis
• OCIF

—

Contact Thin Air Labs: 

• Website: ThinAirLabs.ca
• LinkedIn: Thin Air Labs
• X: Thin Air Labs
• YouTube: Thin Air Labs

Contact Erin Bury: 

• Website: Willful
• Linkedin: Erin Bury

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In this conversation, Leah Sarich welcomes Hanif Joshaghani, Co-Founder and CEO of Symend, a Calgary-based FinTech using behavioral science and AI to improve customer engagement. Hanif shares how his entrepreneurial roots trace back to hustling in high school, his time in investment banking, and the vision that led him to launch Symend.

Hanif discusses the challenges of scaling, including mistakes in senior hiring, the hard reset that followed, and the lessons he learned about Founder-led sales, firing quickly, and trusting instincts. He also speaks candidly about the personal toll of entrepreneurship, the role of fitness and family, and how his life experiences inspired his mission to help people facing financial struggles.

The conversation touches on resilience, impact, philanthropy, and Hanif’s hope to leave a legacy not just through Symend, but also through giving back to the Alberta and Canadian ecosystems that supported his journey.

About Hanif Joshaghani

Hanif Joshaghani is the Co-Founder and CEO of Symend, a FinTech company that applies behavioral science and AI to help large enterprises personalize customer engagement and improve financial outcomes. Born into a family of immigrants who arrived in Canada with nothing, Hanif’s early entrepreneurial drive included hustling in high school and working with his father to sell cars.

Before Symend, he worked in hedge funds, corporate finance, and founded multiple startups. Hanif is known for his resilience, relentless work ethic, and passion for solving complex problems. Beyond Symend, he contributes to philanthropic initiatives, mentors entrepreneurs, and serves on boards including the Alberta Children’s Hospital Endowment and the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Website: Symend

The Founder Mindset is Sponsored By:

• ATB
• API
• Artemis
• OCIF

—

Contact Thin Air Labs: 

• Website: ThinAirLabs.ca
• LinkedIn: Thin Air Labs
• X: Thin Air Labs
• YouTube: Thin Air Labs

Contact Hanif Joshaghani

• Linkedin: Hanif Joshaghani

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In this episode, Joella Almeida of MedEssist reveals how a simple realization that patient questions are a sign of trust, sparked her journey to radically shift the role of pharmacies. What began with late nights coding Shopify sites evolved into a tech platform that now supports over 650 pharmacies across North America. MedEssist is not just digitizing healthcare, it’s changing how and where people access it.

Joella walks us through her origin story, the early startup grind (complete with garbage bags and pharmacy backrooms) and a pivotal COVID-era moment when her five-person team matched 30,000 patients with vaccines. She opens up about burnout, purpose, and why MedEssist’s true mission is to make “pharmacies” obsolete by helping them evolve into pharmacist-led clinics. Topics include regulatory roadblocks, startup culture, healthcare equity, and what it means to grow as a Founder while staying rooted in meaningful human impact.

About Joella Almeida

Joella Almeida is the Co-Founder and CEO of MedEssist, a platform that empowers community pharmacies to operate as pharmacist-led health clinics. With a background in ecommerce and a passion for democratizing access to care, Joella has grown MedEssist from a grassroots effort into a vital healthcare technology provider used by over 650 pharmacies in Canada and the U.S.

Joella is a champion for collaborative care and believes strongly in breaking down traditional hierarchies in healthcare. Her work reflects a deep understanding of both human connection and scalable systems design. She is driven by a desire to help healthcare practitioners, especially pharmacists, step into their full potential as front-line care providers.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Mars 101
• Alberta Pharmacist Prescribing Scope

The Founder Mindset is Sponsored By:

• ATB
• API
• Artemis
• OCIF

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Contact Thin Air Labs: 

• Website: ThinAirLabs.ca
• LinkedIn: Thin Air Labs
• X: Thin Air Labs
• YouTube: Thin Air Labs

Contact Joella Almeida: 

• Website: MedEssist
• Linkedin: MedEssist
• LinkedIn: Joella Almeida
• Instagram: MedEssist
• Twitter: MedEssist
• Facebook: MedEssist

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In this episode, we talk with Benjamin Alarie, Co-Founder and CEO of Blue J, about his unusual journey from academia into entrepreneurship. Ben shares how a curriculum reform project at the University of Toronto Law School sparked his vision for a tool that could massively accelerate tax research. That idea became Blue J, an AI platform now used by thousands of firms across North America and the UK to cut research time from hours to seconds.

We explore the challenges of introducing AI into a highly traditional, expertise-driven profession, the reactions from seasoned tax professionals, and how younger generations are adopting the technology as a career accelerator. Ben also discusses the pivotal decision to pivot Blue J’s product development after the launch of ChatGPT, leading to a new version capable of answering virtually any tax research question.

Beyond business, Ben shares how meditation, family projects like hiking the Bruce Trail, and a deep sense of alignment between his personal and professional life fuel his ability to operate at a high level. We wrap with a look at his upcoming book, Super Justice, and his vision for how AI can help create fairer, more efficient, and more human-centered legal systems.

About Ben Alarie

Benjamin Alarie is the Co-Founder and CEO of Blue J, an AI-powered tax research platform used by accounting and law firms worldwide. A law professor at the University of Toronto, Ben is also a former Supreme Court of Canada law clerk and holds degrees from Yale Law School and the University of Toronto. His academic work focuses on law, economics, and tax policy, and he has authored several books, including The Legal Singularity. His latest work, Super Justice, explores how AI can shape fairer, more efficient legal systems.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Blue J: https://www.bluej.com
• The Legal Singularity by Benjamin Alarie and Abdi Aidid
• Super Justice (forthcoming, Oxford University Press)

The Founder Mindset is Sponsored By:

1. ATB
2. API
3. Artemis
4. OCIF

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Contact Thin Air Labs: 

• Website: ThinAirLabs.ca
• LinkedIn: Thin Air Labs
• X: Thin Air Labs
• YouTube: Thin Air Labs

Contact Ben Alarie: 

• Website: https://www.bluej.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benalarie

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These are honest, revealing conversations about what it truly takes to create something meaningful. If you want to understand the Founder experience from the inside out, listen now.

The Founder Mindset is Sponsored By:

• ATB
• API
• Artemis
• OCIF

—

Contact Thin Air Labs: 

• Website: ThinAirLabs.ca
• LinkedIn: Thin Air Labs
• X: Thin Air Labs
• YouTube: Thin Air Labs

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this bonus episode, Leah sits down with Dr. Christy Lane, Co-Founder of Flora, an InsurTech company revolutionizing fertility insurance and women’s health discussions. Dr. Lane shares her entrepreneurial journey, from her early research in wearable technology at the University of Michigan to founding Vivametrica, a health data analytics company later acquired by TELUS. 

Inspired by her own experience with infertility, she launched Flora in 2021 to provide an affordable insurance option for women aged 20-34 seeking insurance to offset the financial burden of future infertility treatments, should they be necessary. Flora is filling a critical gap in financial planning for reproductive health and providing women with a community to discuss their health needs and concerns, and find support.

Dr. Lane discusses the challenges of launching an insurance startup, from securing industry partnerships to navigating regulatory hurdles. She highlights the importance of community and education in normalizing conversations around fertility, as well as Flora’s plans to expand support to men and families. With $2 million in funding secured, Flora is on a mission to make fertility care more accessible and financially feasible. Tune in to hear Dr. Lane’s inspiring insights on resilience, innovation, and the future of fertility insurance.

About Dr. Christy Lane

Christy is a global insurtech, analytics, and digital health expert. She is the Co-Founder of Flora, the first direct-to-consumer insurance solution for fertility and women's health. She also founded and exited Vivametrica, an insurtech focused on lifestyle-based underwriting and engagement. Christy founded the Stanford Wearable Health Lab. She is a Venture Partner at IA Capital and was a “Female Founders of Insurtech” winner and awarded “Top 20 Women in Tech.”

While there is a lot of innovation in insurance, there remains a looming gap in products focused on women’s health and fertility. Flora represents positive impact insurance, starting with customers early in their fertility journey with the opportunity to have a huge impact on quality of life.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Highline Beta
• Daughter Creative

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Contact Thin Air Labs: 

• Website: ThinAirLabs.ca
• LinkedIn: Thin Air Labs
• X: Thin Air Labs
• YouTube: Thin Air Labs

Contact Dr. Christy Lane: 

• Website: heyflora.co
• Linkedin: ChristyLane

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