The Founder Mindset (Leah Search)
Explore every episode of The Founder Mindset
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| 03 Sep 2024 | S02 Trailer: The Founder Mindset | 00:03:45 | |
Welcome to Season Two of The Founder Mindset! Veteran broadcaster Leah Sarich hosts all-new intimate conversations with groundbreaking founders about the truths of entrepreneurship. Founders get asked about traditional business stuff like product market fit and revenue all the time, but Leah digs into what we really want to know: what is it actually like to be a founder? Why do it? What sacrifices does it require? Is it worth the challenge? This season Leah talks with Nuha Siddiqui of Erthos, Dr. William Cherniak of Rocket Doctor, Megan Leslie of NanoTess, Nic Beique of Helcim and more to find out why they do what they do. Tune in to The Founder Mindset as brilliant founders share their personal wins, losses, and dreams with Leah Sarich. -- Contact Thin Air Labs: -- Transcript Leah Sarich: [00:00:01] Hello and welcome to Season Two of The Founder Mindset, brought to you by ATB. We're so glad you're back to hear more from founders who, despite all the odds, are building companies that will have an incredible impact on the world, just like our first season. And we're not going to be talking about traditional businessy stuff in this podcast. Instead, we're digging deep into what it's really like to be an entrepreneur. The human experience of building a business from that first big idea. I mean, what's it like to see a future that others don't? How does it feel to keep going when everybody else says you shouldn't? And why take the risk? We're going to get candid here. I was a broadcaster for over 20 years, so I've interviewed thousands of people, and I like to get to the heart of it. And I can tell you founders love to share these stories. They get asked all the time about product market fit and their business models and revenue and all that stuff, but rarely about how it feels to do this very hard work. Nuha Siddiqui: [00:00:59] There's one story that helps communicate the impact of this, but I actually got married the same day I closed my first round of funding. So I literally signed legal papers five minutes before I walked down the aisle. So anytime anyone asks me what is the balance? I usually say that and it sums up everything for me. Nic Beique: [00:01:22] You start making a list of like, what's the problem we're trying to solve and who can help us solve it and who knows who. And then you just lose any fear of conflict or rejection or anything, and you just pick up the phone or start sending out emails and then one thing leads to another and you start exploring, and I think you just do. Jenn Hunter: [00:01:42] It's all personal to me. It's my baby. Like, I've sacrificed so much personally for this. And this has afforded me so much personally as well. And so the blend to me is just, it's just my time. And, you know, whatever is the highest priority in the moment gets my time. Megan Leslie: [00:01:58] I am teaching my new emerging leaders leadership skills, and I'm delegating leadership responsibilities to new leaders. And watching them, hearing their comments, hearing their questions, and seeing their growth, all of a sudden I was transported back in time to say that was me. And now look at where I am and how a problem that they're tackling feels like it's a Goliath of a problem. It's so simple, but it's only simple because it's not a f-ing first time for me anymore. Dr. William Cherniak: [00:02:31] I'm fortunate I get to work with one of my brothers. Leah Sarich: [00:02:34] That's cool. Dr. William Cherniak: [00:02:35] Yeah. Leah Sarich: [00:02:35] Or is it because, you know, sometimes siblings. Dr. William Cherniak: [00:02:38] Know we have our moments, but we've come to a balance over the last few years. Chenny Xia: [00:02:42] It's more like what it doesn't affect? It impacts your friendships and the people you choose to be in relationship with. Even the partner that you choose to have in life as well, because it's a 24/7 thing, which comes with a lot of challenges. It's this crazy roller coaster, some high ups and a lot of low lows. Leah Sarich: [00:03:07] Yeah, we're gonna have some great conversations here on The Founder Mindset, because ultimately there's so much for all of us to learn from these founders. So please subscribe now, share the episodes, and thanks for listening as we hear from the founders building what's next. | |||
| 12 Sep 2023 | Alex Todorovic - Arbor (Bonus Content) | 01:07:29 | |
“If you want to hear about an entrepreneur act like an entrepreneur, be honest about what it’s like to be an entrepreneur, this is the one I’d pick out. He’s just laid it bare as a young inexperienced entrepreneur who’s struggled and had some success and continues to fight the fight, it’s a really special episode.” — James Lochrie on Arbor CEO Alex Todorovic In this episode of The Founder Mindset, Alex Todorovic, Co-founder and CEO of Arbor chats with Leah about:
BONUS CONTENT At the end of the episode, Leah gets reaction to her conversation with Alex from James Lochrie, Managing Partner of Thin Air Labs which invested in Arbor. Find out what James relates to in Alex as a young man focused on a better future. Learn more about Alex’s humility and ability to iterate which resonated with James, and why James has so much confidence in the team Alex has built.
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| 26 Sep 2023 | Darcy Tuer - ZayZoon (Bonus Content) | 00:55:20 | |
“This is a guy, an accidental entrepreneur, with a low risk tolerance - a guy who stumbled into entrepreneurship because someone opened a door for him, and now he talks about it like a north star. He’s got it.” —James Lochrie on ZayZoon CEO Darcy Tuer In this episode of The Founder Mindset, Darcy Tuer, Co-founder and CEO of ZayZoon, chats with Leah about:
BONUS CONTENT At the end of the episode, Leah gets reaction to her conversation with Darcy from James Lochrie, Managing Partner of Thin Air Labs. Hear how James deeply respects Darcy’s desire to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives, how he shares Darcy’s low risk tolerance and love of problem-solving as risk mitigation. And learn more about James and Darcy’s love of the Calgary innovation ecosystem.
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| 19 Sep 2023 | Nicole Janssen - AltaML (Bonus Content) | 00:55:43 | |
“She believes in a future we can’t see. She believes in challenging herself and creating autonomy for herself. She wants fulfillment that only she can deliver as an entrepreneur to herself” — James Lochrie on AltaML Co-CEO Nicole Janssen In this episode of The Founder Mindset, Nicole Janssen, Co-founder and Co-CEO of AltaML chats with Leah about:
BONUS CONTENT At the end of the episode, Leah gets reaction to her conversation with Nicole from James Lochrie, Managing Partner of Thin Air Labs. Find out why James thinks Nicole is the ultimate professional, how he deeply admires her ability to create trust with her candor and why he thinks more entrepreneurs should take on a leadership role like Nicole has to educate and inspire stakeholders in their sectors.
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| 30 May 2023 | Alex Todorovic - Arbor | 00:53:13 | |
In this episode of The Founder Mindset, Alex Todorovic, Co-founder and CEO of Arbor chats with Leah about:
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| 01 Aug 2023 | Season 1 Wrap-Up | 00:01:22 | |
Well that's a wrap on this miniseries and WOW what a response. You know what this means? We're going to do more episodes! Stay subscribed to this podcast because in the fall we'll re-release these episodes with reaction from our Managing Partner James Lochrie... find out why he invested in some of the founders we spoke to, and what he's inspired by and relates to in the others. And we’re starting work on the next series. If you’re a founder or you know of one who should be featured in an upcoming episode let us know! Thank you so much for listening to The Founder Mindset and for your curiosity about these founders in the Alberta innovation ecosystem building globally competitive companies. We look forward to sharing with you more episodes celebrating founders as they #BuildWhatsNext. | |||
| 04 Oct 2023 | Erik Westblom - Provision (Bonus Content) | 01:06:44 | |
“Through and through, one of the most competitive entrepreneurs that we’ve invested in, and that’s saying a lot because the bar is pretty high for the competitive average for our entrepreneurs, yea this guy, he will not quit.” —James Lochrie on Provision CEO Erik Westblom
BONUS CONTENT At the end of the episode, Leah gets reaction to her conversation with Erik from James Lochrie, Managing Partner of Thin Air Labs which invested in Provision. Hear how James relates to Erik’s candid truths about the impact entrepreneurship can have on families. Find out what James has learned about processing the stress of being a founder, and how that’s helped him become a better investor and mentor to founders like Erik. And hear what led James to offer a rare investment on the spot into Provision. ... | |||
| 11 Jul 2023 | Breanne Everett - Orpyx | 00:48:17 | |
In this episode of The Founder Mindset, Dr. Breanne Everett, Founder and CEO of Orpyx, chats with Leah about:
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| 10 Sep 2024 | S02|01: Unlocking Sustainable Solutions: A Journey with Nuha Siddiqui | 00:35:39 | |
In this episode of The Founder Mindset, Leah Sarich sits down with Nuha Siddiqui, the visionary Co-Founder and CEO of Erthos, a climate technology company redefining the building blocks of plastics. Nuha delves into her unexpected journey into entrepreneurship, the pivotal role of Enactus in shaping her path, and the relentless drive to solve the global plastic crisis. With candid insights, she shares the highs and lows of raising millions in funding, the challenges of being a young woman in STEM, and the importance of resilience and purpose in her mission. Nuha discusses Erthos' groundbreaking work in creating bio-based alternatives to plastics, collaborating with global brands, and the significance of scalability in combating the plastic crisis. She emphasizes the value of being receptive to diverse ideas and not always being the smartest person in the room. This episode also explores Nuha’s thoughts on the impact of women in STEM and entrepreneurship, as well as her vision for a sustainable future where Erthos leads the way in systemic change. About Nuha Siddiqui Nuha Siddiqui is a visionary entrepreneur and the Co-Founder of Erthos, a pioneering company revolutionizing the plastic industry with sustainable material solutions. With a strong background in entrepreneurship and an unwavering passion for sustainability, Nuha has led her team to create a significant impact by collaborating with diverse experts and partners. Her innovative leadership style, which emphasizes humility, creativity, and team growth, has positioned Erthos at the forefront of systemic change in sustainability. Nuha’s dedication to solving global challenges and her ability to inspire and support her team makes her a trailblazer in the field, driving the future of sustainable innovation. Resources discussed in this episode: -- Contact Thin Air Labs: Contact Nuha Siddiqui:
-- Transcript Nuha 00:02 Sometimes you can go into a very, very dark hole, and I have had those times as well, right? When you're hearing everybody tell you that it's not possible, but I think for me, what's always helped is centering myself to the purpose and why we're doing it. It's not about me, it's not about my Co-Founders, it's about the greater purpose that we're working towards. Leah 00:25 Hi, thanks for being here and welcome to Season Two of The Founder Mindset, brought to you by ATB. I'm Leah Sarich, your host, and I'm super excited to talk to more Founders about the human experience of being an entrepreneur. In this podcast, we're digging into what it really feels like to build a company from nothing. I was a broadcaster for over 20 years. So, I've interviewed thousands of people, but entrepreneurs, not that many. And yet they have the best stories. They're solving big problems, and they're creating incredible impact. But it is hard work. So, why would they do this? Let's find out. Leah 01:12 Joining me today is Nuha Siddiqui, Co-Founder and CEO of Erthos, a climate technology company reimagining the building blocks of plastics to accelerate the worldwide adoption of sustainable materials. Nuha, good morning. Thanks for being here. Nuha 01:26 Good morning. It's great to be here. Leah 01:28 I love this conversation that we're going to have. I'm just so excited to learn more about you and your company and what you've done, and it's just extraordinary. So, thank you in advance for doing this and for telling us your story. Nuha 01:39 Of course, I'm excited to dive in. It's not every day I get to have these conversations. So, I appreciate you. Leah 01:47 Wonderful. Let's go back in time, shall we? How did you actually come to being an entrepreneur? Nuha 01:53 I think I never imagined this for myself. So, first of all, I never thought that I would be an entrepreneur. If I think back to my childhood, my upbringing, I think I've always been instilled to want to create an impact and serve my community in some way. My parents always made sure that that was core to the way that we were brought up, and we grew up in different parts of the world, and were always exposed to different communities, and sort of built that network. But it wasn't until I was in university, I was at the University of Toronto. I was studying business. I was in business school, and as an immigrant family, stability was very important for us, and so I did join Business School, initially to become an accountant, which is probably the opposite of what an entrepreneur is, but I was just so wildly inspired by my community, again at University of Toronto, and I was a part of an organization called Enactus. And at that time, I never even knew what social entrepreneurship meant. I didn't know what social impact meant. And it felt like there was this world that existed, that brought together business and actually trying to create scalable, meaningful products and solutions alongside the impact part of who I was. And so, I'd say that Enactus was one of the key reasons why I even pursued this journey and thought of myself as an entrepreneur, which I think I would have never imagined myself to be at the time. Leah 03:28 Wow, so you started this company while you were still a student. Nuha 03:32 Yes, I was in my second year of university, so I was 20. Leah 03:36 Unbelievable. That's amazing. How did you have the confidence, or even the audacity to think I'm just gonna do this? Nuha 03:45 I love saying confidence now, but I think at the time, it was just a little bit of being naive and hopeful and optimistic. And I think that's what you really do need when you're an entrepreneur. You have to be so wildly optimistic about a future that doesn't exist, and you have to want to change that and create that. And so, I think a part of me was just thinking about the problem itself and how it inspired me, and how it was so big, and that was challenging and bold, but it was also just we needed to solve it. We needed to find a way to fix the problem of the plastic crisis. And so I think that's what kept me going, and keeps me going even today. Leah 04:23 Amazing. But you know what I always talk about on this podcast, specifically with entrepreneurs, is, you know, lots of people have great ideas or are motivated to change the world, but very few actually do it. And you had did it. And in fact, if I'm not mistaken, as soon as you went out there to raise money, you raised, like, $7 million. Nuha 04:46 Yes. I mean, I wouldn't say it happened overnight, for sure. But you know, it took a lot of learning, of growth, of self-reflection and really challenging myself too, and my team. And you have to not want to give up. And that resilience is what shapes every company, right, every success story that we see today. And yeah, it was quite the journey for me, and very grateful to have gone through that as well, because that itself is part of the journey. Leah 05:15 Absolutely, it is the journey. So, what was it like for you, being a younger woman going out there and raising money and saying, This is the company I've got, and I'm building this, and I'm going to tackle this huge problem. Nuha 05:30 Yeah, and, you know, I think I probably had everything going against me, right? I was younger. I, of course, I'm a young woman. I don't come from decades of years of experience, and I don't have a wealthy network of family and friends to raise around or anything like that. I knew that that was what I had against me, and I think being aware of that and knowing that we would have to prove ourselves 10 times harder than anyone else, and just knowing that that would drive us forward was really important, and it was really difficult at first. I got many, many rejections. No one wanted to invest in us. No one even wanted to join our team. It was hard to hire. It was very, very difficult. But I think over time, what really stood out to me is that it was really important to just prove that we had the ability to learn and grow. We knew that we didn't have all the answers, but we were willing to actually go out and find them. That was a key part of how we proved ourselves to investors, is showing them how we could actually learn and grow and move very quickly. And so sometimes it would take a rejection, it would take a no from an investor to then just say, Okay, why are you saying no? Tell me why you're rejecting me, and then going out and doing the work to prove why that was not true, and actually coming back to them a month later. And so, you kind of have to be okay with that rejection and have the courage and no ego to go back and just say, You know what? We tried. We tried to actually solve that. We tried to fix it. Now, will you invest? And sometimes they'll say no again, and then you'll have to go back, and it's a whole cycle, but it truly was important to do in those early stages when we didn't have anything else to kind of prove for our capabilities. Leah 07:24 No kidding, but you know, there's people that would hear those no's over and over again and then say, okay, you know what? It's too hard, or okay, this isn't gonna work. I can't do it, but you didn’t do that. Nuha 07:34 Yeah, I mean, sometimes you can go into a very, dark hole, and I have had those times as well, right? When you're hearing everybody tell you that it's not possible. But I think for me, what's always helped is centring myself to the purpose and why we're doing it. It's not about me, it's not about my Co-Founders, it's about the greater purpose that we're working towards. And I don't care how many no's we get, this is real, and this is a problem that we have to fix. And so if it's not me, then then who? And just working towards that, it's always been, always been important. Leah 08:14 Wow. That's amazing. Well, let's talk about this solution. Tell me about Erthos, what it is and what you hope to achieve. Nuha 08:20 Yes, so we're a biomaterials company, and we have a strong belief in the power of bio-based alternatives to plastics, and we feel as if this can truly change the trajectory that we're on with the climate crisis, with the plastic crisis. Everybody is aware of plastic pollution in our planet, and we know that there's solutions out there. But A. we don't want to accept a soggy paper straw solution, because that's not okay. And B. a lot of the technologies that we're seeing, even within the alternative space, are not scaling as quickly as we need it to be. And so at Erthos, our goal is to actually accelerate the use and the adoption of bio-based alternatives for plastics, and work directly with the world's largest brands to help normalize these materials and actually standardize them for scale. We don't have a lot of time. We really don't, and at this point, we've seen so many CPGs and companies come out with their 2025 targets and 2030 targets, and that's tomorrow. That's very, very soon. And if we don't actually reduce our carbon footprint, eliminate the waste that we're seeing in our planet, we're actually not going to be able to reverse the current state that we're in. And so that's that's what we're working on at Erthos. We are a material science company at our core. So, our team consists of some of the world's brilliant scientists and engineers who've been inventing incredible materials, but we also have been collecting really interesting insights and data on these ingredients and how to unlock them in new ways with AI and so, that's what the future looks like for us. Leah 10:01 That's incredible. Can you walk me through so our listeners can understand, like, how that would actually be applied? Some of that, maybe a few case studies, things like that? Nuha 10:11 Yeah, so we work with brands who are creating and selling everyday products like a shampoo bottle or, you know, even food packaging and a lot of these materials are plastic. And so what we do is we reimagine these plastic materials with a bio-based source and a bio-based ingredient instead. And our materials themselves are better footprints, so they have a lower carbon footprint. They take less energy and water to create, but they're ultimately also designed to be fully compostable or recyclable in different cases. The way our technology is applied is that we work directly with these brands and help them reimagine this product, and within six months, which is very rapid in science timeframes, we're able to design a brand new, novel material that replaces that plastic and ultimately fits into their current systems, their manufacturing, and their global supply chain. Leah 11:13 Wow. So, these big companies then aren't like having to build new manufacturing capabilities. You're working with what they already have. Nuha 11:19 Exactly and that's part of our approach, is that we don't actually feel as if there's a one size fits all, especially within this space, and it's really important for us to tailor these solutions to the end product, like a shampoo bottle or to the brand supply chains, because that's what maximizes scale and what maximizes the adoption of these materials long term. Leah 11:43 No kidding, let's talk a little bit about that scale. Because when you talk about being a global company, that is what's required, isn't it, this scalability? So, talk a little bit about how you're going to be able to do that. Nuha 11:55 Yeah, I think for us, it's all about partnerships and making sure that our technology is built in a way that it can be scalable across different industries and different regions. We always built Erthos knowing that we wanted it to be a global company. We hated the idea of building a product or solution that would be so niche that would only be in one state, in California. We really wanted to make sure that we were building the solution for mass scale, because a lot of the communities that are impacted by the plastic crisis are not just here next door to us. They're across the world and they're they're seeing the impact of this firsthand. Our tech today, and the pivot that we made earlier this year was with that in mind and actually giving everybody access to our technology in a much more transparent way. So, in the past, we never actually talked about our ingredients, we never talked about the science. But now we've actually just launched Erthos Studio and our AI platform ZYA, for everyone to access and be able to use for their brands and for their products as well. Leah 13:02 Amazing. Let's talk a little bit about that pivot. Because, you know, as companies scale, startups often have to do a big pivot like that, and sometimes you're not really sure, like how this is going to go. It can be quite unnerving to say the least. Talk about the pivot experience for Erthos. Nuha 13:16 Yeah, we've had multiple pivots, like most companies. I think that this one was truly a response to the urgency of this challenge, and the fact that, you know, eight years ago, when we started this problem existed, but it wasn't at the scale that it is even today. And I think it was part us just being frustrated at the fact that we know that we can accelerate this. And we know that we can actually solve some of these big problems, but if it took actually releasing our technology and opening up access to this technology to actually accelerate it, then that was what we needed to do. And so the Erthos Studio pivot was really based off of that, and I think it was the best time to do it for us because we have spent several years in R and D and actually understanding these challenges, getting down to the root of it, to understand what's required. And we built our own materials, and we've invented some incredible materials that can now be accessed for our clients. And so in some ways, yes, it's a pivot, but I hate using the word pivot because it sometimes feels as if it's a drastic change, whereas this really felt like a natural response to what was needed today in the market. Leah 14:30 Wow, that's amazing. That's incredible. So, how many employees are you now? Nuha 14:34 We are 23. Leah 14:37 And they're from all over, aren't they? Nuha 14:39 They are, yes. So, we have an incredible team. Everyone is based in Canada but comes from very different backgrounds and different disciplines. The diversity of our team is truly our superpower. And I always say this, and I never change my answer, because our team is incredible. Leah 14:57 That's amazing. Am I right, that you have finished your series A? Nuha 15:01 We closed our round last year. So, it's been, it's been a year now. Leah 15:07 Wow, that's incredible. Is it 11 million? Am I right? Nuha 15:09 We raised 6.5 million this last round. Leah 15:14 That's incredible. So, incredible work. Tell me a little bit about what it's like being a young entrepreneur. I know you made the Forbes 30 under 30 list, by the way, congratulations. That's very exciting. How does it feel to be in that company, you know, in that magazine, on that list? Nuha 15:33 it was definitely something Kritika and I always thought about, we never thought, you know, it would happen, but it's just such an honour to be a part of that list, but I think it's just us on that list, but it really is our team that deserves that recognition. You know, we get recognized for the work that we're doing, but we would not be where we are today if we didn't have the support of our investors, our partners, our families, our team. It truly takes a village. It feels incredible. But, you know, we still have a lot of work to do, so Kritika and I usually just get back right to work. We shake each other's hands, usually whenever we have some sort of win, a very formal business handshake, and then we go straight back to work. So, that's usually how we work. Leah 16:19 I hear this over and over again on this podcast, like, you have to be really conscious about celebrating the wins, because really, you're just heads down. You just want to keep going, like, what's next? Nuha 16:27 Exactly. You're either in a constant state of euphoria or just completely scared and just everything is falling apart. So, there really is no middle ground. Leah 16:40 Let's talk a little bit about that roller coaster of emotions, if you will. What's it like to be so high and then so low? Nuha 16:50 It's a lot. It takes a lot. It's draining at times, of course, but it's also what makes it really fun and keeps everything very interesting every single day. And you know, I think I've tried to make sure that I have some sort of balance and even some of the wins, trying to celebrate them, but it's hard to celebrate sometimes when you know that there's so many other things going on. So, I think for me, I've just tried to be mindful of actually taking the time to celebrate some of those wins. Because, yeah, the highs are the highs, and they're incredible, and you kind of have to take in that moment sometimes too. Leah 17:29 Absolutely. Leah 17:30 The Founder Mindset is brought to you by ATB Financial. In the fast-paced world of tech, your banking needs evolve, as quickly as your industry. Whether you're just starting out, or aiming to reach new heights, ATB Financial is dedicated to supporting tech companies every step of the way. Partner with ATB Financial for a banking solution that grows with your business. Leah 17:54 Let's talk a little bit about your personal life, if you don't mind. Like, what does it look like to be an entrepreneur? How does that affect your personal life? Nuha 18:03 It doesn't allow for much of a personal life in a lot of situations. It's been a journey in that world as well for me. I've spent my entire 20s, which is a core part of, you know, everyone's life, building Erthos, and it's been hard, of course, to balance everything. I have an incredible partner, family that supported me throughout this journey. But of course, it's a lot of compromise. You do have to make a ton of sacrifices when you're doing this at the age that I'm in, at any age, to be honest, but yeah, it's a different decade. My 20s have been a different decade than I thought it would be, but I'm super grateful for having an incredible partner and kind of support to do that. And there's one story, I mean, that kind of helps communicate the impact of this, but I actually got married the same day I closed my first round of funding, so I literally signed legal papers five minutes before I walked out the aisle. So, I anytime anyone asks me, what is the balance? I usually say that, and it sums up everything for me. Leah 19:22 That is unbelievable. You're signing papers like two minutes before you have to walk down the aisle. Nuha 19:26 Yes. And I wish I was exaggerating, but it was the same hour that we did that. Leah 19:38 Oh my gosh. That is unbelievable, but it also strikes me as almost a classic sort of entrepreneur story. Every entrepreneur's got a crazy story like that. That is unbelievable. That's making me giggle all the way. So, your partner must be an extraordinary person. Nuha 19:52 Incredible, like I think, to actually be okay with that on my wedding day, takes an incredible person. So, yes. Leah 20:01 Awe, that's incredible. Well, I'm happy for you, and I'm happy to hear that this is hilarious, because, you know, I'm reflecting on that not being an entrepreneur myself. Like, that's kind of nuts, actually. Like, there's not a lot of people that would be okay with that, you know, whether, you know, as the partner or as the entrepreneur themselves, they might just like, what am I doing? This is insane. Nuha 20:21 I know, I know it is. It is completely insane. But you know, that is the life that I have chosen. Leah 20:30 That's amazing. Let's talk a little bit more too about, you touched on this briefly when it came to celebrating the small wins. But is there a way that you consciously make an effort to fill up your own personal tank so that you can keep pushing ahead and taking the next challenge on? Nuha 20:46 Yeah, you know, I've thought about this, and I feel like I'm always looking for something, and I wish I had something specific, but for me, what I found is just finding little things within all of the craziness, because it's hard to commit to something completely, right? Like, you know, thinking about something that'll take hours out of my week, and trying to commit to that is really hard at this state, and that's just me being super honest. But what's helped is just finding those little moments, whether it's, you know, when I'm travelling constantly for work, and just taking 30 minutes to just put on my air pods and walk this new city that I'm in and not know anything or anyone, and kind of just like take that moment in. But I also love just reflecting, journaling whenever I can, as well, and, of course, spending time with my family. I love baking. I'm a huge baker, and I like sketching, so things that are really just ways for me to feel like I'm just letting myself be more creative and kind of have no rules, and just kind of do what makes me happy, but I'm still looking for ways to keep myself sane. It's not always easy, but yeah, that's what I've been doing. Leah 22:01 Amazing. Good for you. I love that that is a creative outlet for you, the baking and the sketching, you know, that's lovely. But I think actually, and I've talked about this before, being an entrepreneur is actually very creative. You know, you're really creative. It's the creative approach to the problem-solving, I think that really leads to really unique results. Nuha 22:19 Yeah, a lot of entrepreneurs, you have to be creative just the way that you think and what you're doing. But yeah, for me, it's balancing that out with something else that just unlocks a different part of my brain sometimes. Which is important, I think. Leah 22:35 Absolutely. Wonderful. Let's talk a little about your leadership style. I'm very curious about what that looks like for you. I would imagine being a younger entrepreneur that you have developed and gathered a multi-generational team. What's it like to lead that team? Nuha 22:50 It's always been about bringing together the best of the best team, and knowing that you're not the smartest person in the room sometimes is always really important. Especially when I'm trying to recruit some of the most incredible people who come from different experiences and expertise, and bringing them on as a partner and bringing them on as a team member. We have an incredible setup for our team where everyone truly is collaborative. And you know, it doesn't matter what your background is and how many years of experience that you've had, when you come into a room and we're talking through, you know, a problem or something that we're working on for the project, everyone's opinions and thoughts are equal, and I think that that's always really key for us. But I continue to be very inspired by everyone on our team. And for me, it's just making sure that I can support everyone in their growth and their journey. Because for them, they're also joining a company at a very exciting time, but also not choosing a corporate job, right? And they're choosing to come work here and choosing to spend their career building out this company, and so it's really important for them to feel like they're part of that growth and journey. And that's just the way that I hope we continue to build the company too. Leah 24:13 Amazing. How did you learn to appreciate that diversity of thought? How did you learn to be receptive and open to all the ideas in the room and know that it's good for me not to be the smartest person in the room all the time? How did you get to that place? Nuha 24:30 It was core to how we started the company as well, because we were trying to go up against the plastic industry, being students at the University of Toronto, and I think it was always just making sure we were humbling ourselves to know that we had a lot to learn, and if we wanted to actually solve this problem, we needed to put ourselves in a setting where people would talk to us and actually communicate some of their challenges. And I think that that approach and just that perspective we had was always core to how we built our products, too. When we couldn't figure out, you know, the right business model, instead of giving up on it, just because we were these Canadian students that were not plastic experts, we booked one-way tickets to Asia, and we literally lived in China, trying to work with plastic manufacturers to just have them tell us what's wrong and have them educate us on what's wrong so that we could build a solution that actually made sense. And I think that those are the key moments that inspired us early on, and I think it continues to be what we try to make sure the team is also incorporating in just the way we operate. Leah 25:46 Wow, so you just jumped on a plane and went to Asia and tried to figure out this problem. Nuha 25:51 Yes, when we couldn't figure it out here, we had to go where we would get answers. And I think that the curiosity of it all, but also just the drive of wanting to figure out the problem. And I think if we went in there with the, you know, persona of knowing everything or trying to challenge others in this space, or maybe make other plastic manufacturers feel bad for what they were doing, we would have never gotten the insights and the very valuable information that we did from them at the time. And so I think that that was really a core part of how we made the initial pivot to the company we're at today. Leah 26:31 Incredible. I would imagine too, it bolsters some of your confidence in what you're doing as you are boots on the ground, learning what you need to learn, to make the decisions you need to make. Nuha 26:41 Yeah, exactly. I think we're now experts in this space because of those early, you know, early days of being on the ground and putting ourself in that position. Leah 26:53 Absolutely. Talk to me a little bit about how you think of some of the great, big, massive players that are in this space that I'm sure are watching what you're doing, or might someday be watching what you're doing. How do you think about some of those big players watching and looking and lurking over your shoulder? Nuha 27:13 I say, Let's chat. I think that Erthos Studio and the pivot we made was essentially our call to action for the entire industry. We no longer see anyone as a competitor. We see everybody as a potential partner in this solution that we're building. And it's been incredible to see some of that response, because previously, some of the companies that we would have never ever tried to talk to or communicate with, are now becoming really great strategic partners for us to help accelerate this. So, I think now is the time where we can really bring together a lot of key players to make the moves that we want to make. And I'm excited about it. I'm excited to see these big companies now paying attention to Erthos. Leah 28:04 That's so exciting. It's a little bit scary. I mean, I'm just, I'm like, I'm just trying to get my head around that, like I would be maybe a little bit scared of these big companies coming in and having a look. But are you scared? Nuha 28:18 No, I'm not. Maybe I should be? You’re making me think about this now. Leah 28:23 Oh no, no, no, carry on as you were. Leah 28:27 No, I'm really not scared. I think that it's so exciting. And again, if you asked me this question maybe a couple of years ago, I would have said yes, but I do feel like we've brought the company to a place where we can have these conversations, and we can genuinely add value to companies in a whole new way. So, I'm not scared, but maybe ask me again next year and I'll change my answer. Nuha 28:53 I really hope I didn't influence you that way. I think, I admire your courage and your audacity. I think it's incredible. I love it. Let's talk a little bit about what you truly love about being an entrepreneur. You touched on it a little bit, but I have a feeling that you really like the problem-solving. But I'm sure there's many things. Let's talk about it. What do you really love about being a Founder and an entrepreneur? Nuha 29:13 I love that I am inspired every day by the people around me and the problem that we're solving for. I love that it's hard. I love that it's challenging me in a whole new way. And I think just knowing how much I've learned from this journey is really incredible. And I couldn't have imagined, you know, having that same experience or impact, and I feel very grateful and privileged to be in this position. I love when we can change someone's mind for the better. That is the most satisfying feeling is when you know that the work that you're doing has genuinely changed someone's mindset on sustainability, the future and our planet, and knowing that we can have even that small impact or influence in some of these legacy companies and these legacy leaders and executives is probably the best feeling in the world. And yeah, just seeing my team grow and the company make the impact that it is so gratifying for me. Leah 30:27 No kidding, that's amazing. So, let's talk a little bit more about that impact that you want to make. When you think of Erthos, when you think of the planet, and you think of what you're wanting to do, how do you think of creating impact? Nuha 30:42 For us, it's so closely tied to the impact that we make on a planetary level. So, of course, our business and growth in our business just ties directly to that. Ultimately, we want to change the trajectory of the plastic crisis. We know that we're not there, and if we continue to be on the path that we're on, we have no future like there is, it's truly do or die in that situation, right? And so I think, for me, impact is being able to actually be a reason why a large brand is completely shifting away from plastic and using a more sustainable product. And for everyone, whether it's you or me or our team or anyone, to actually go into a market or to any of the everyday locations that they go and to see a material that genuinely is better for the planet, and for that to be because of us, and I think that that's the impact that we want to make, is normalizing it and creating a future where sustainability is the norm and not just an exception. Leah 31:52 I love it. Do you have any thoughts around impact when it comes to women in STEM and women in entrepreneurship at all? Nuha 31:58 We have so much work to do when it comes to that, and that's what I hope. You know, personally, those are things that really motivate me, and I hope that that will be a part of what inspires another young woman, or, you know, just inspires women in STEM and women in entrepreneurship to continue to build big businesses and big impact solutions, because the world needs it, and I think that we don't often see women leading that, and we have a lot of work to do there, but I hope that we'll be in a better place, you know, a few years from now. We're almost there, but yeah. Leah 32:40 Well, you are definitely part of the inspiration, that's for sure. All right, as we start to wrap up this conversation, I always like to end on a couple of similar questions. You are the Founder of Erthos, and you're writing the story for your company. How do you hope it goes? Nuha 32:54 I think it comes back to the impact. So, the impact for us, and we want to be the reason why everyday plastics are reimagined to truly inspire systemic change, long-lasting change, and we hope that Erthos is at the forefront of that, and leading the way, and inspiring brands and manufacturers and everyday consumers to really see that as a solution for the long run. Leah 33:23 Amazing, and then, if you think of yourself as a Founder, as an entrepreneur, how do you hope your own story goes? Nuha 33:31 That one's harder to answer. You know, it's a work in progress. Right now, I think for me, being able to be tied to the impact of my company, but also just the impact of the world that I'm in, which is climate tech and entrepreneurship, but also making sure that at the end of the day, I'm just a good human and I can maintain my community, my relationships, which are so important to me, and continue to serve my planet and my community in a way that's truly meaningful. So, regardless of Erthos that is my purpose in life, and will continue to be my purpose in life. Leah 34:16 Wonderful. Nuha, thank you for this conversation. Leah 34:20 Thank you. Thanks. Leah. Leah 34:31 As the lead investor in Thin Air Labs Fund One, Sandstone Asset Management believes in building the commons through innovative Founders who are creating meaningful positive impact, both locally and globally. Sandstone is doing just that by backing the next generation of emerging entrepreneurs. Picture this, a Founder's startup goes from idea to international impact supported by strategic investors who believed in their vision. That's the power of Sandstone's approach. Sandstone doesn't just manage wealth, they cultivate it, supporting Founders at all stages. Visit sandstoneam.com to learn how sandstone builds legacies that last. Leah 35:14 The Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund finds, fuels, and fosters opportunities in sectors like aerospace, agribusiness and tech, creating a resilient and diverse economy, attracting world class talent, and solidifying Calgary as a launch pad for innovators. Discover more at www.opportunitycalgary.com | |||
| 05 Sep 2023 | Alice Reimer - Fillip (Bonus Content) | 00:56:14 | |
“You could hear it in her voice: I’ve been trained for this, I’m battle ready, I’ve got the scars, I’ve got my team beside me and I’ve already got my plan. Let’s go do it, it’s just waiting for us, let’s go take the hill.” — James Lochrie on Fillip CEO Alice Reimer In this episode of The Founder Mindset, Alice Reimer, CEO of Fillip chats with Leah about:
BONUS CONTENT At the end of the episode, Leah gets reaction to her conversation with Alice from James Lochrie, Managing Partner of Thin Air Labs which invested in Fillip. Find out what James respects about Alice as a founder, why he thinks her description of herself as a “hustler” is apt and learn more about why he decided to invest in her company.
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| 05 Sep 2023 | Season 1 Re-Release - Trailer | 00:02:44 | |
Welcome to the re-release of The Founder Mindset Season One! If you’re ready to nerd out on startups and founders, you’ll want to listen to each conversation host, Leah Sarich, has with the featured founder. Then, stick around for reaction to the episode from James Lochrie.
James is an investor, tech entrepreneur and mentor. You can learn about him in his own episode of The Founder Mindset, James Lochrie 101.
And if you’re new to all this, well, even if you’re not, get ready to be inspired. Hear from the founders themselves about how it feels to build a company from nothing, then get the investor perspective. How do you decide who to invest in? What makes you take the risk? It’s all here.
Enjoy! And thanks for listening to The Founder Mindset.
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| 24 Sep 2024 | S02|02: Surviving the Entrepreneurial Roller Coaster with Nic Beique | 00:42:18 | |
In this episode of The Founder Mindset, we sit down with Nic Beique, Founder and CEO of Helcim, a payments company making waves in Canada and the U.S. Nic takes us on his entrepreneurial journey, from his early days of building websites at just 15 years old to overcoming obstacles like losing a key business partner. Nic guides us through the trials and tribulations entrepreneurs battle and why he wouldn't have it any other way. Nic also shares his perspective on balancing work and family life, how he manages personal well-being amid the demands of running a company, and why he believes small businesses deserve better treatment from financial institutions. His approach to leadership, growth, and navigating the emotional rollercoaster of entrepreneurship will inspire anyone looking to start or scale their business. About Nic Beique Nic Beique is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Helcim, a payments company that makes getting paid faster, easier, and more affordable for businesses. Nic was the lead developer on the company's first software launch, Helcim Commerce. His recognitions for his contributions to the payment industry and tech economy in Calgary include winning the technology category as the EY Entrepreneur of the Year - Prairie region in 2018 and as a member of the Avenue Calgary Top 40 Under 40 Class of 2019. Resources discussed in this episode: — Contact Thin Air Labs: Contact Nic Beique:
— Transcript Nic 00:02 You start making a list of like, what's problem we're trying to solve, and who can help us solve it, and who knows who. And then you just lose any fear of conflict or rejection or anything, and you just pick up the phone or start sending out emails and then one thing leads to another, and you start exploring. And I think you just do.
Leah 00:22 Hi, thanks for being here, and welcome to Season Two of The Founder Mindset, brought to you by ATB. I'm Leah Sarich, your host, and I'm super excited to talk to more Founders about the human experience of being an entrepreneur. In this podcast, we're digging into what it really feels like to build a company from nothing. I was a broadcaster for over 20 years. So, I've interviewed thousands of people, but entrepreneurs, not that many. And yet, they have the best stories. They're solving big problems and they're creating incredible impact. But it is hard work. So, why would they do this? Let's find out.
Leah 01:12 Joining me in the studio today is Nic Beique, founder and CEO of Helcim, a payments company that helps Canadian and American businesses accept credit cards at affordable and transparent rates. Hey, Nic.
Nic 01:25 Hey, thanks for having me.
Leah 01:26 Thank you so much for being here. It's so great to have you in the studio, too.
Nic 01:29 Yeah, I got a tour of the Thin Air Labs that was pretty exciting. Leah 01:32 Pretty cool, right? Nic 01:34 It's cool to see just all these startups in Calgary, like, you know, trying to find their space, and then some of them growing into bigger ones, and it's exciting.
Leah 01:42 It really is exciting. It's so fun to see them right there and then see them grow up and mature and go out and leave the nest. It's wonderful.
Nic 01:49 If you think ten years ago, when I got into my first startup, there was so little in Calgary to the point where you would say, Oh, I'm gonna go in tech, or I'm gonna do my IT company and my tech company, or whatever was the case. People would look at you funny, like, it's like, no, you graduated, and then you went to oil and gas, and you got a good job starting, and that's what you did. And there's anything else, like, just made no sense.
Leah 02:11 Right? And I know this because I worked in television in this city for 20 years, and, you know, once I discovered the tech sector, I was like, Wait a second, guys, how come we didn't have these people on our show like all the time. They have the best stories. And I phoned up all my friends at all the other TV stations, and I was like, Did you guys know about this? And they were like, No. And I'm like, me either. So, I agree with you. I completely agree with you that it's really a sector that's coming alive right now.
Nic 02:36 Yeah, I remember looking up; this is about, probably, eight years ago, or something about what new stories were made from, like Alberta media on any kind of tech story. And we found three, like, literally three. And there was one on the smart board, like the smart. Like an OG Calgary company, yeah. There's one on Solium, which became Chairworks, yeah. And there was one on, like, the early rise of Benevity. And I was like, that was it? There's just, like–
Leah 03:03 Only the ones that became the unicorns, right? Yeah, well, we'll just have to create some more then.
Nic 03:07 Yeah, I think one thing that Calgary, or just Alberta, needs is that we don't have our own kind of media. And when I say media could be more newsletters or podcasts, or there isn't enough of it, that is kind of homegrown. Because if you think about it, like, you know, Silicon Valley, they have TechCrunch, they have, you know, like The Verge, they have so many things that surround that there's a bit of a self-serving element. It gets to amplify the stories of their homegrown industry, right? And even in Canada, you have maybe, like, BetaKit, but that's very Toronto-based, and we kind of get scrum the crumbs here, right? But Alberta really hasn't, you know, and it's good to see podcasts like this because we need, yeah, more local media that talks about local tech because, if not, like, you know, nobody's going to do it for us, right? We need to do, put a spotlight on these companies.
Leah 03:55 Agreed. I mean, that's one of the main reasons why we started a podcast like this and why Thin Air Labs hired a former journalist, you know, and created a role called head of story, right? So, we know we need that. So, yeah, thank you again for doing it, and that's why we're here today. So, why don't we go right back to the beginning? Ah, when did you first figure out that you wanted to be an entrepreneur? It started really early for you, didn't it?
Nic 04:16 Yeah. I mean, I was probably my first kind of start, I was 15 years old, and I started making websites. So, this is, like, the late 90s. I'm aging myself, but it was, like, at the time, everybody thought they needed a website. It was kind of like the.com bubble and down to things that we kind of take for granted now, but like, you would go, I would get my haircut at my barber, and then, you know, we get talking, and I would say, I make websites. He's like, Oh, well, can you make a website for me? I'll pay you a couple of 100 bucks, right? And you're like, Okay. And then the local gym and the local computer store. One of my first clients was I walked into those that are kind of Calgary based, they'll know, Memory Express Computer store, right? Yeah. I walked in; there was one location. I went up to one of the brothers or the owner, and I was like, your website is terrible. You have no e-commerce, and I'd love to build your website. And they actually hired me as a job, and this was in high school, so I kind of moved my classes around. I worked there in the afternoons for eight bucks an hour, and I started coding their website. So, that's kind of how I got my entrepreneurial bug.
Leah 05:20 Yeah, but I need to, like, pull on a string there, like, you walked into the store and was like, Hey, your website sucks. Let me fix it for you. Where did you get the moxie to do something like that?
Nic 05:30 I don't know. I just, I'm still fairly introverted, but I had enough confidence about, you know, the websites I was building, and it was a story I really liked, and I put the two and two together, and just, I don't know, I just got the guts to say it, and, you know, work there for, you know, during a period of time in high school, and then realized, like, ultimately, I like doing it on my own more, and kind of spun off. And that was probably the official forming of my first company, which was called Blue Sphere Graphics. I don't know why. Don't ask a 15-year-old, like, how they came up with a business name, but and that was a web design company, and that's really. I love the fact I fell in love with just being an entrepreneur and being able to, like, have that success, and at a time being so young, yet, you know, more established, you know, real business people, real small businesses owners, saying, Yeah, I'll write you a check if you do this for me. And I thought that was so cool. And it just kind of evolved into it. And I fell in love with just working for myself because I just felt like I could deliver on things, I had control, and something clicks where you just start thinking, like, I'll never work for anybody else, I'll just do this thing.
Leah 06:40 And then you touched on it briefly. But what is it that you love about just being your own boss and, you know, not having to report to anybody?
Nic 06:47 I think there's a couple of elements. There's just an element of control for better, for worse. It's funny, because, in one way, you have less control because you're kind of, you're hunting day to day to be able to feed yourself. And you know, you would think like a corporate structure where you get a, you know, a job, and work through a corporate ladder like would give you more or at least a clearer path, but you just feeling completely in control is a big thing. And the other thing was probably a little bit of a streak of anti-authority. I've never done well in school. I always skipped class. I always want to do my own thing. I really always struggle when somebody told me what to do. I just wanted to do it my way. And, you know, you mix those things together. And I think it's common. I think I think people look up to entrepreneurship, and yeah, because, I mean, you see the big success stories, and the hard work, and the impact it can make. But I think that the commonality, I think, with most entrepreneurs is that it doesn't feel like a choice for better or for worse. They're just geared in a certain way where they wouldn't be able to be effective. I admire somebody that can build a big, beautiful career in a, you know, in a fortune 500 like, I don't think I have what it takes to do that. So, I think it's just more about like being wired a certain way. And it's not about being better or worse. It's just being wired differently.
Leah 08:08 Right. It's not better or worse; it's just different. Yeah, to your point, having interviewed, you know, many Founders now, there is a common theme that runs through them, and you're right. I think they often say that phrase; I'm just wired a little differently.
Nic 08:21 You think about entrepreneurship; it takes so many no's it takes, like, if it was obvious, somebody else would be doing it, and half the time, the ideas, or more than half the time, the ideas turn out to be terrible. And then you have to try something else. You know, I had a lot of false starts before, ultimately, before I found Helcim. But you have to have something in you that just that is kind of like screaming against what actually makes sense. And then sometimes it all, everything lines up, and it makes sense. And then it makes sense in retrospective, but.
Leah 08:54 Right. I loved what you said there, that if it was easy, somebody else would be doing it. But that takes a lot of courage then to have this vision and just keep going. When, to your point, everybody's saying, no, no, no, I don't see it.
Nic 09:07 I appreciate saying courage. But I ultimately don't necessarily think that it's what's the driving factor. I think it's survival. You see a lot of entrepreneurs in immigrants, and I don't think necessarily comes from a place of like, going around, like, moving to a different country, and going through that experience is extremely courageous. But I don't think that like the choice of entrepreneurship came from a place of courage. I think it comes from a place of survival and just needing to just find a way to either find financial security and do something that you know, or just finding a way to prove yourself. But I think it comes from, like, survival, in the sense of, like, needing to do what you were meant to do. Or, like, you know, because if you come here when you've got what you see in a lot of immigrants, so they might have been very qualified from where they came from, they come here, and everything is reset. And then you're given two options, which is just like, do a career, potentially, that is, like, you're much over qualified to do, and unfortunately, the system isn't letting you step into what you're trained to do, or just step into something where you're just going to be in charge yourself, and you don't need anybody's permission, and that's what kind of ends up happening.
Leah 10:13 It does. It absolutely does. Okay. So, we've talked a little bit about sort of your first company, but how did you get to Helcim?
Nic 10:19 It's through the web design. So, you know, as we were getting more clients and starting to become a little bit more successful, at least, you know what success looks like for a 16-18-year-old? Leah 10:29 I can't believe that. Nic 10:31 This is before the Shopify days, and we started doing a lot more e-commerce websites. So, people come to us say, hey, I want to kind of sell something online. Is whether it's a service and I need somebody to program it. So, then got into more. I'm a self-taught programmer, so we started more into the coding side of things, and programming back ends, and setting up e-commerce from scratch. And then came the question of payments. So, they're like, Okay, now I gotta plug in payment acceptance. At the time, there's essentially PayPal already, but it already but it already had the reputation it has today, which was terrible, and the only kind of real other option was, like, going to one of the big banks, like Desjardins, and that was, you know, a very, not so pleasant experience to go through so and, you know, so that the gear started turning, going, is there something here? Is this something that we could get into? And ultimately, that started to, there's kind of two versions of Helcim. There's the Helcim that people see today, which really launched in 2020, and I kept the name primarily because we still had some good five-star reviews piggyback on that. But it's a new business. But there's the old Helcim I had started over a decade ago, which got into reselling payment services and trying to blend that with e-commerce. And kind of took a lot of like left turns and right turns trying to make it work. But the seed of it was web design, e-commerce, the payment friction and going, Hey, maybe we could do something better than the banks.
Leah 11:53 But this is what I always like to explore with Founders, is that, you know, a lot of people can still get to that conclusion, huh? There's something here that needs to be fixed, or I've got an idea for this, but they don't move on it; they don't act on it. Or even if they do, they don't have any idea or the perseverance or resilience that it takes to keep moving on it. Talk a little bit about how you overcame all of that.
Nic 12:15 I'll still lean on the survival. I mean, it's just like trying to make rent. I had to move in back in my parents a few times, because I couldn't afford it, but you've got something in your mind is like, I got to figure this out. I want to figure out this opportunity. And then I think you fall into almost like an entrepreneurial trap. And I say that it sounds negative, but I think it's both where you go down this path. And what's amazing about entrepreneurship is that you develop all of these skills, right, yet they are not transferable very well on a resume. So, you end up going like, Well, okay, now I'm 25, you know, I've got this business that's, you know, it's got some success, some not at least, I can pay some basic bills. If you have those dark moments going, like everybody has those, like, you know, do I keep going? Is this where I want to, you know, is this the success I really wanted? Is this, you know, am I actually going to be able to scale this thing? Is this a good idea or a bad idea? But then you go like, Well, what else am I going to do? Like, my resume is getting less and less applicable to, like, actually finding a job. And that's probably not true, you know, you can probably spin it. Leah 13:19 You probably spin it. Nic 13:20 You can probably spin it, but in your head, you just kind of going like, well, I can't do anything else. I gotta figure this out. And I think there's also just a for some of us, there's a determination of, like I, you know, ultimately, wanting to prove to yourself in the world that like you can be the success that you have in your head. And then so you just keep going and going and going. So, I think I still go back to, I don't think I don't fit as much courage as survival.
Leah 13:41 As for survival, I like that too. You said this vision that you have in your head of what you want it to be. Are you there yet?
Nic 13:49 We're getting closer. Leah 13:50 That's exciting. Nic 13:51 The thing with our companies, you know, we started in payments. We were essentially a reseller for the banks. It's the best way I like to describe it is like think about being like an insurance broker and not the insurance company, right? So, like, you can build yourself a nice business. You can be successful as a broker, but you're never really in control, back to that control thing, you know? You're never, ultimately, like you are in the shadow of the insurance company, saying that analogy, right? And for us, we were in the shadow of a bank, and we built ourselves, you know, a good business, and it was growing, and we got up to about 30 people and like staff on hand and 6000 clients, that felt like a small success, but we ultimately were thought like we could do something so drastically different, so much better for the small business customers that we service, but we got to get out of the shadow of the bank, and that took years. It took years and years and years because, ultimately the banks in the payments world and then the financial world are still the ones in control. You know, even if you think about all the, doesn't matter any kind of FinTech, if you think about like Neo banks or anything like that, there's always a bank in the background that has to sponsor them, right? You can't get away with it. So, ultimately we knew that we had to go build those relationships and convince/find a partner that would kind of let us do it on our own. It took many years, many hitting my head against the wall. I literally said to our bank partner at some point in exasperation, look, you've got new comments like square and stripe that are essentially like Godzillas in the streets, you know, flipping downtown upside down and like, yes, you might create, if you give us this license, you might create a monster out of us. But at least but at least we'll be your monster. Leah 15:23 Right. And how do they respond to that? Nic 15:25 Something clicked, finally, because they said yes at some point. And then we went down this, this crazy journey, which ultimately kind of launched Helcim of what you see, it in 2020, and to go back to your question, yeah, we think we're a whole lot closer at delivering on that mission, that promise, than we ever were. But it's, it was quite a, you know, twisty road to get there.
Leah 15:43 I bet. Let's explore the twisty in a minute. But give me the Helcim 101, where are you today? Where are you at?
Nic 15:49 We service 10s of 1000s of customers across Canada and the US, primarily small businesses. And, you know, the word small business kind of gets used a lot. And what does it mean? We really focus on kind of two groups. So, we have, like, traditional, we call it kind of traditional small business. Think about like vets, and dentists, and accountants, and auto-mechanics like, you know, like the kind of traditional business that is typically serviced by a bank. And then now we're standing here servicing a more to like the startups and tech-enabled businesses, and we're starting to partner with those as well. We have 160 staff, Calgary-based, and we're starting to, like our launch in 2020, we're starting to grow really quickly. So, we did our Series A investment in 2022, we just did our Series B in 2024, and, yeah, it's exciting. Everything feels on fire and exciting all at once. But that's part of the journey.
Leah 16:38 It is part of the journey. How does it feel when you're at this stage, and you look back, and you go, Wow, I can't believe we've gotten this far.
Nic 16:47 You never have, at least I never have. Leah 16:47 Is that right? Nic 16:49 I probably need to look back and appreciate more. But, like, you are so, so determined on the next step four, and it's 1000 little steps, and you're just like, it's so hard to, like, look up. I wonder if, whether it's through whatever's the next kind of giant milestones, whether it's like, you know, I'd love to go IPO, for example, maybe it's moments like that where you just kind of like, have a moment of realization, but even then, you're probably just focusing on the next step forward that I don't know, I don't know when the Oh, look at what's been built, kind of moment appears.
17:21 Wow, I mean, there are so many things I want to ask you about, but let's go back to when you were just a teenager, and you're building your business, and you've got this line of sight into something that maybe is going to be even bigger. You were so young at the time. Explain to me what it was like being that young and being the boss even. What was that like?
Nic 17:39 Yeah. I mean, I'm sure it was a terrible boss because there's like, so little management training. I think the biggest thing was, you know, because we're in FinTech, because we're in finance, there was the try and convince our customers that they could entrust with their money. That was very challenging, especially when it gets better because, you know, you convince one, then you leverage the hell of this customer to say, like, hey, you know Jane over here. Trust me. Let's go to Bob, and hopefully, he can trust me because Jane trusted me, and now Jane and Bob trust me. Okay, maybe Robert can, you know, so it's kind of, so, I think there's that piece, and over time, you get bigger and bigger, and that helps and convincing a bank or any kind of like financial partner to go like, I mean, we ultimately end up partnering with a with an American bank, and most of our partnerships have, even though we service both Canada and the US, unfortunately, Canadian banks never open a door. We just, they would just, like, slam the door on her. And I, on one side, I kind of understand, like, you know, you're you're 24 years old, and you look like a punk, and nobody wants to, like, open the the door for you. But on the other side, I think that something I admired more on the US kind of ecosystem, in general, is that they are just more risk-forward as a culture. And I think that that's part of how we limit ourselves in Canada, is that we don't we're so slow to open doors. And there's especially that kind of the incumbents and them, those kind of monopolies and analogies, like they need to do a better job at fostering ultimately, you know, like, you know, we still have to give a portion of our revenues back to our partner bank. That's how these kind of structures work, right? And it's an American bank that's benefiting from that because they open a door. And it could have been money that's going back to a Canadian scene. It's not. And so there's, yeah.
Leah 19:15 They have some work to do, for sure. Yeah, I also think about the cultural aspect of it too, like, you know, Americans, maybe yet, to your point, what you said with their less risk averse, you know, and there's that sort of fear in Canada still, and I wonder if that will change over time. What do you think?
Nic 19:32 I think we need to as a nation. We launched our services in Canada, and when we were about to launch in the US, we had this fear of, like, will they want to do business with the Canuck, and the reaction was so different. It actually surprised us because I think this is a bit of a stereotype, but I think Canadians, in general, are so much more risk-averse that, you know, convincing them to switch from, like, yeah, they hate their bank, their bank has a bad contract, bad fees, about everything, yet they're just like, oh, but, you know, I don't know. I kind of, I kind of, I kind of trust it, or I, you know, versus, first of all, what was different is that you there is none of that loyalty to the big incumbent banks in the US, like, nobody's like, loyal to or at least nobody like, you know, at the majority, you don't see this default loyalty from consumers and businesses in the states towards like City Bank or Bank of America. Like, they don't think that way, right? They're like, you know, you got a good reputation, you got the right rates. Let's do business-like, it's just the doors open so much easier. It's a different mindset. And I think there's so many wonderful things about our country in terms of, like, the foundation of it, the safety net, in terms of our social programs, the stem concentration, the education. Like we have so many good, we are a smart, clever nation, and there are so many good things that could be or more good things that could be happening for us. But we just play it too safe. Toby, the founder of Shopify, said recently, you know, it's like Canada's the country that goes for bronze. And, I mean, that hits hard. I'm sure there's a lot of entrepreneurs on this podcast that go like, wow, that's not, you know, it's like, I get it. But I do think this is a nugget of truth in there that we need to kind of get out of our shell more and flex what we've got.
Leah 21:16 Flex it. Yeah, because it's pretty special. Yeah. Leah 21:16 The Founder mindset is brought to you by ATB Financial. In the fast-paced world of tech your banking needs evolve. As quickly as your industry, whether you're just starting out or aiming to reach new heights, ATB Financial is dedicated to supporting tech companies every step of the way. Partner with ATB Financial for a banking solution that grows with your business. Leah 21:45 Let's talk a little bit now about what it's like to be you managing a company when you've got, what did you say? 150-160 employees now, yeah. How is that different than when you're a 25-year-old punk?
Nic 21:58 I mean, everybody warned me at like the 100, you know, 80 to 100 employee mark. That's when everything when everything changes. And it's definitely it; you can't know everybody's names. Communication becomes super important. That's, you know, I think some of the growing pains we' had been going through, or are around, like management layers. And you realize that, like at 20 people, at even at 50 people, the way that you manage, the way that you set the culture can really kind of influence the whole company, but a certain point, it's absolutely you’re one or two layers down from you that are actually setting the expectations of culture and performance and expectations and everything. And unless you really invest into that, it just doesn't quite materialize to what you want it to be. So, we've kind of realized that we've been investing more heavily into it. It's difficult. I think some people really thrive in a smaller company. Some people, like, you know, kind of the entrepreneurs I talk to are, like, at a certain size, I just want to sell. That's not wrong, but I think others, like, I mean, I did the small business thing for a long time, and now I'm just, like, eager to learn more, and even, you know, I'd love to go public and really create Helcim into that one of the kind of anchor tech tenants of the city, kind of like what Shopify did in, you know, for Toronto and Ottawa. And then people go, Well, you don't want to be a publicly traded CEO. That sounds awful. And I'm like, there's pros and cons to everything, but I'm just ready to learn the next steps of that journey, not stay stale.
Leah 23:21 Yeah, you don't strike me as one that would be like just plateauing. Yeah, you're climbing, always. Nic 23:24 That's the goal. Leah 23:25 That's the goal. Exciting, but being an entrepreneur, of course, has a lot of demands on you and your time. I'm really curious about how you manage being an entrepreneur and an aggressive builder with having a family life.
Nic 23:40 That's a tricky, loaded conversation. I have a newborn, you know, eight weeks old.
Leah 23:45 Eight weeks old. Congratulations.
Nic 23:48 It's an amazing amount of love and chaos all at once. Leah 23:49 Isn't it? Nic 23:50 I'm a believer that you can have it all. You just can't have it all at once. And I don't know if you've ever heard about The Four Burners Theory. So, it's essentially about, like, I'm a big believer in, like, compromise and trade-offs because I don't think you can all have it all at once. And The Four Burner Theory is essentially, you only have think about, like, a stove, stove top, right? With four burners, right? And it's like, one of them is family, one of them is friends, one of them is health, and one of them is professional success. And you only have so much gas. You cannot run all those things at the same time. And you really have to make the choices of, like, how are you throttling those burners? It can get a little bit drastic in terms of, like, if you want to be good at something, you got to turn off one. If you want to be great at something, you got to turn off two, right? That gets a little bit cringy. So, let me be more towards, like, the modulation of what that means, but ultimately it's tricky. I mean, you have to make choices in terms of, for me, you know, the financial success and the business success and what I want to create, and the impact I want to make for the city, and for myself, and for this company, and for small customers, is super important, and it's a huge part of my drive. And I don't have many friends because of that, and that's one of the burners that, you know, unfortunately, kind of goes, right. And even when it comes to, like, personal time or anything like that, like, I'm a believer in having not, like, a non, no compromise. One thing that you're willing to, like, say, like, you know, and for me, it's sleep, which is super, like some people, it's working out. Some people, it's, you know, time with watching a movie, or whatever is you're kind of like, you're no compromise. For me, it's sleep. So, I've had to do and that's harder with. Leah 25:28 I was going to say and how does that work with a newborn? Nic 25:31 But it's like, what else am I willing to sacrifice and compromise on and turn off and really like, you know, and just going like, okay, my priorities are spending time with my wife and my newborn son, spending as much as I can into the business, and seeing if I can get a little bit of the, you know, sleep in there, and everything else kind of goes out the window. And you know, is that I think a lot of people would kind of not find that the ideal for themselves. But, you know, I don't see it as a forever thing. I see it as, you know, I want to hit a certain level. And hopefully it's kind of, it's ultimate delayed gratification, right? So, it's like you just, you know, I used to joke about, like, freedom 30 and then freedom 35, now I’m almost 40. So, it's, maybe it's freedom 45 is what I'm aiming for, but it's just like making that choice of, like, I'm gonna have to make a whole lot of compromises in a lot of aspects of my life because I want the entrepreneurial burner to burn so hot, and hopefully I'm in a position later in life that I can shift those burners and enjoy the fruits of that labour.
Leah 26:36 It sounds like you've been very mindful of those four burners that you're very aware of what this looks like when you have to throttle it. It's not something that you just sort of forget about. It sounds like you're mindful of it like that. You might, like, think of those four burners every day.
Nic 26:50 If you don't have your eyes open going into this thing, it's just gonna, like, smack you so like, because, I mean, it's so demanding, it's such a that you know, at least you know being aware of, like, knowing what you want and knowing what the trade-offs are, and knowing where you need to compromise, knowing where you need to ask for compromises from others. And it helps at least, you know, being aware of, it helps navigate the roller coaster and the emotions of it also.
Leah 27:16 Let's talk about those roller coaster of emotions. I mean, I hear it all the time when, when they're in the chair, there. It is so many super, super highs and super, super lows. Would you agree?
Nic 27:26 It’s interesting that and how fast it switches. So, you can start the day feeling like you're the king of the world and like, maybe you got a big contract, or you got, you know, some like huge news on something, and end the day with, like, feeling like you are terrible at what you're doing, and it's all falling apart. And like it happens, you know, daily, weekly, monthly, it's the highs are highs, the lows are lows. I know that's cliche, but that's like, certainly part of it. And I wish I was, you know, one thing I'm trying to work on this year more is, like, celebrating the small things more because you just, they kind of help you even out a bit. But yeah, it's definitely a roller coaster.
Leah 28:06 You know, I hear this, and as a non-entrepreneur, I'm thinking to myself, like, why would you do this to yourself? But it sounds like for you, you had no other choice.
Nic 28:15 Yeah, I mean, or at least in my head, I had no other. Or at least it feels like now, without getting a little bit too kooky, but it feels a little bit like Manifest Destiny, in terms of like you're doing what you were supposed to do, even if it's a, you know, crazy journey, and there's just, you know, moments of near-death or anything like that, like it's just you just like you feel like you're like, this is my path.
Leah 28:38 Okay, so how do you negotiate those near-death moments when you're right down at the bottom?
Nic 28:43 I'll give you one like we had just like two years ago. We had just closed our Series A, top of the world again, yeah, like, Oh my God, look, I you know, this is a huge milestone, first time bringing in institutional investors. And two weeks after closing our Series A, we've been working on a physical product called our smart terminal, which is, you know, allowing more established businesses to accept payments. And you kind of see those at the countertop with big, bright screen and, and we've been working with this manufacturer in Hong Kong, and it's been like it was, you know, a million dollar plus investment and kind of putting everything together. We're about to put in a big manufacturing ortho with them two weeks after the close, and then they ghost us, and we're just like, what's going on? This is an established company. There's others in the space using them like, what's going on, and then we get a notice, like an official legal notice, saying that they've just been acquired by one of our competitors, Stripe, and they're turning us off. It was one of those moments where you go from a crazy high to a crazy low. Hadn't even had my first board meeting yet. First time having a board meeting, a board, and the first thing I need to do is, like, set up an emergency board meeting and saying, like, we just lost our manufacturer. Stripe kicked us out. That was definitely a low. And then you're kind of going into, you kind of have to get, you know, you kind of, like. You know, gonna curl up in a ball for about 24 hours, and then you get out of it, and you're like, kay, we're we gotta go everywhere in the world to find who else can help us with that. And you go through this whole journey, and ultimately, it was a multi year journey. We ended up finding an amazing partner out of Taiwan that, ultimately we think worked out better. But yeah, it's just that's, those are the roller coasters that you're riding. It's also a reminder that you're trying to take on banks. You're trying to take on huge, you know, tech startups, like some of the biggest names in not just in payments, but the biggest names in tech, like Square and Stripe and PayPal, like, they're just, they're monsters, right? And they've got, you know, they've got really big feet with really big toes, and they can crush your toes. Those are the moments that test you. Of like, how determined are you? And how much do you believe in your mission, and how much do you believe there's a space for you in this market to really decide, like, do you keep going?
Leah 30:58 What does it feel like when you're curled up in that ball on the floor for 24 hours?
Nic 31:01 Everybody story looks shiny on the outside, right? You see success stories, and then you just assume that it was just all kind of success. Leah 31:11 Sure, easy, yeah. Nic 31:13 And I think that there are some circumstances like, we look at the lotteries, you know, you look at Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook, and that's what entrepreneurs are. Like, that's the lottery. Not to take away from his efforts and everything. But it just, you know, that's not a clear example. But I think in those moments, those kind of, like, you know, near-death entrepreneurial experiences, like, you start questioning every like, the imposter syndrome kicks in hard, right? You're like, am I? Am I terrible negotiator? Am I terrible at business? Am I terrible this? Am I like, am I, you know, am I just kidding myself, you know, like that absolutely runs through your head. And I would say to, you know, any entrepreneurs listening to this like, it's just like, you are not alone. It's just even the ones that find more success; everybody is going through that pretty continuously. And I think that's a fun part about entrepreneurs talking to other entrepreneurs. And you kind of start sharing some of those, like, you know, f-up stories, near-death stories and everything, and you're like, oh, okay, maybe it's messy everywhere.
Leah 32:15 I mean, that's one of the reasons why I love this podcast, not to toot my own horn, but just because I get to talk to Founders about those moments and how did you move through it? So, I've got to ask you, so you're curled up in the ball, it's 24 hours later, how did you go? Okay, let's lose the imposter syndrome and just keep moving forward. What was happening for you?
Nic 32:35 Now, entrepreneurs will recognize this. You just you start making a list of like, what's the problem we're trying to solve, and who can help us solve it, and who knows who. And then you just lose any fear of conflict or rejection or anything, and you just pick up the phone or start sending out emails and then one thing leads to another, and you start exploring. And I think you just do.
Leah 32:57 You just do. And does the doing help with the emotional impact of it, because I'm imagining, like, emotionally, that’s got to hurt?
Nic 33:04 I think it allows you to feel a little bit more in control you have, whatever little control you have, right? And I think ultimately, I remember seeing a Twitter about, like, you know, the thing about this modern kind of information-based economy and this, you know, technology that we build right it's kind of like, it's a lot of like, if you just hit the right keys on the keyboard in the right order, enough, then you win at the end. It's just like thinking about and what I like about that is that like thinking about, like, ultimately, like, as long as we're breathing, as long as we have the means to keep going, there's a path. You just have to keep trying.
Leah 33:41 Wow. And thank you for saying, you know you're not alone out there to all the other Founders listening to this that are just a little bit farther behind. It's so true. Okay, so we're jumping back to present day now, and you've talked a little bit about how sleep is really important to you. But are there other things that you do to really fill up your own personal tank, to stay well and keep going?
Nic 34:02 Probably not as much as I would want to. I, you know, I find ways to to kind of get a workout in, and that helps with, like, the anxiety, and it helps with the sleep. Then spending time with my wife and my son now is probably the best way that I get and kind of rejuvenate. But I've always been somebody that's willing to sacrifice a lot, and in the end, I love my work. I genuinely, like, that doesn’t mean I love every day, but I genuinely, I feel very fortunate to do what I do, and so that, like, it doesn't matter if you throw me a marketing problem or a supply chain problem or whatever it is, like, Oh, cool. I get to type on the keyboard and come up with a plan and interact with people, and if you have a general love of business, and I think that's what, you know, kind of going a little into payments. On the surface, people like, oh, payment sounds boring, right? You're like, you know, if you're at a cocktail I don't know the last time I was at a cocktail party. But if people ask about, like, what do you do? Payments? On the surface, that sounds boring, but what I love about it is that if you have a love of business, you get a front-row seat into so many companies and the way that they operate. You know, we service everything from a restaurant, to a brewery, to a tire manufacturer, to an embassy, to a theatre, to like everything, and to dentists, everything in between, right? Like, and if you love business, you really get to explore an amazing range of just like, how the world, or how the economic heartbeat works, and payments gives us a front-row seat. And then so, like that love, I think, is part of the reason I'm in this industry, and ultimately that love of business in general, allows you to just take on the next challenge and be like, Oh, this. I just find every topic interesting and good because, like, every day seems to be like, I'm tackling a different topic.
Leah 35:57 Right. That's so interesting. So, that leads nicely into this notion of impact. At Thin Air Labs, we talk about creating meaningful human impact, and impact comes a lot, comes up a lot in these conversations. When you think about creating impact, what does that mean for you at Helcim?
Nic 36:13 Yeah, it's a good question. I look, I'm not going to pretend that like there's so many startups that work, you know, in health-tech or clean-tech, or in charitable givings or so on, that I think could more directly link what they do to, like, a positive impact in the world. I process credit cards like it's not as thrilling on the surface, but I mean, we do, like, you know, our missions to be the world's most loved payments company. That's a bit of an oxymoron because nobody loves their payments. But we really mean it. We think that, like, I think that can came from falling in love with small businesses and the ones that gave me a shot, and, like, seeing how poorly they are treated to this day by some of the big names I mentioned, and going like, yeah, we can do better. And that seems like a righteous kind of like mission because ultimately, small businesses account for, you know, 90 plus percent of employment and our economy, and they deserve a shot. So, I think that keeps us, and when we have people join, when we say, like, you know, working non-stop is really demanding, and you really have to find behind the job, why are you here? Some people are here because they love the culture that we've created, and we love working with super kind of talented, dense people. Some people are here because, you know, they come from a small business background, or their parents came from a small business background, and they wanted to have that impact, and they believe in the mission, right? Some people are at our company because they love the idea of building and having that impact in Calgary, in terms of that the tech ecosystem that we're building, and being part of something big, and ultimately, you know, for me, it's probably a combination of of all of those things. But, you know, you gotta anchor when you're part of a startup, you gotta anchor yourself to, like, one of those things, because there's gonna be some, like, hair on fire moments, and you go like, wow, I can make better money somewhere else. Why am I here? And it's like, well, you know, outside of the stock options, there has to be a reason that that keeps you driven.
Leah 38:06 I totally understand that, Nic. I hear what you're saying about the link to the life science companies, for example. That's that's a direct, easy-sight line to the impact. But yeah, when you think of those small business owners and the impact they're creating and the impact that you're having on them, that's huge.
Nic 38:21 And I think, ultimately, like, you know, it's cliche, but we think they deserve better. They don't deserve, you know, three year contracts and hidden fees and terrible customer service and banks that take them for granted. That's, you know, on one side, we're very fortunate because we get to sell a service that is a must-have. You know, small businesses will turn off their lights before they turn off their payment machine because they need to get paid. But on the other side, we also get to compete with a lot of D players in this space. You know, a lot of a lot of like old school banks that have taken it for granted. So, you know, we love kind of coming in, being like they deserve better. We can do better, and our competitors aren't trying that hard. So.
Leah 39:06 You like shaking it up. He's got a huge grin on his face right now, just for the record. Okay, so when we think about wrapping this up, you're the Founder, and you're writing the story for Helcim and for your company. How do you hope the story goes?
Nic 39:20 Ultimately, I mentioned a few times we'd love to take the company public when we get to the right size, and for a number of reasons, it's not; I don't see my public as like as an exit. Sure, it brings liquidity, and that's that's nice for everyone involved, investors and stakeholders and employees and, but ultimately, I see it. You know, going public brings you into the public conversation the way that private companies typically don't, right? I think so. Also, you become part of the public discourse. You become, you know, like and also.
Leah 39:50 Why is that important?
Nic 39:51 I think, I mean, there's the kind of very selfish element of that, which is, like, brand awareness. But I also think that, like, it helps put the city that you're working, you know, in and that you love, and I really do love Calgary, on the map. And I think that ultimately success would be, you know, we grow the company to this size where it's a meaningful player in the Canadian Space, the US space. And then when people think of, like, oh, what's tech in Calgary? It's like, Helcim. Just like Shopify was able to do that for Toronto. And I think they were kind of like the, really, like the really kind of big beacon for that city. And I think we could do that right here in Calgary, and that would be just a stepping stone to just build world domination while helping our small business customers.
Leah 40:33 I love it. I love it. And then, as a Founder, you're a Founder of this incredible company. How do you hope your personal story goes?
Nic 40:41 I mean, I'd love to build, continue to build a team that just that talent density and that that kind of the drive for excellence that ultimately is able to go and spin off into all of their own adventures and just help build the ecosystem into, you know, what it can be.
Leah 41:01 Nic, thank you for this conversation.
Nic 41:02 Thanks for having me.
Leah 41:11 As the lead investor in Thin Air Labs - Fund One, Sandstone Asset Management believes in building the commons through innovative founders who are creating meaningful, positive impact, both locally and globally. Sandstone is doing just that by backing the next generation of emerging entrepreneurs. Picture this: a founder start-up goes from idea to international impact supported by strategic investors who believed in their vision. That's the power of Sandstone's approach. Sandstone doesn't just manage wealth; they cultivate it, supporting founders at all stages. Visit sandstoneam.com to learn how sandstone builds legacies that last. Calgary is a city of innovative companies ideas and talent. The Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund is investing in Calgary's future by finding, fueling, and fostering innovation to build a diverse and resilient economy. Find out more at opportunitycalgary.com | |||
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| 16 May 2023 | The Founder Mindset - Trailer | 00:01:49 | |
Season one of this podcast will explore "why would you do this?!" How does one become an entrepreneur, why do they take the risk, how do they cope with negativity, how do they remain resilient, what motivates them and what kind of impact do they want to create in the world? Hear from founders like Alice Reimer of Fillip, Darcy Tuer of ZayZoon and Alex Todorovic of Arbor and more. The Founder Mindset is hosted by Leah Sarich, a former broadcaster now trying to understand technology and innovation. New episodes are released every 2 weeks. | |||
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| 03 Oct 2023 | Breanne Everett - Orpyx (Bonus Content) | 01:04:05 | |
“It’s been 13 years… and the way she talks about the future, the way that she talks about how the opportunity has never been greater, she’s never been more excited… It’s easy to understand why we’d make an investment in a person like this.” —James Lochrie on Orpyx CEO Breanne Everett
In this episode of The Founder Mindset, Dr. Breanne Everett, Founder and CEO of Orpyx, chats with Leah about:
BONUS CONTENT At the end of the episode, Leah gets reaction to her conversation with Breanne from James Lochrie, Managing Partner of Thin Air Labs which invested in Orpyx. Learn more about how James deeply admires Breanne’s growth as a leader, her emotional resilience and her drive to create meaningful human impact with her company.
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| 25 Jul 2023 | Erik Westblom - Provision | 00:50:02 | |
In this episode of The Founder Mindset, Erik Westblom, Co-founder and CEO of Provision, chats with Leah about:
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