40 episodes

Start Canada podcast features interviews with start-up founders, innovators, and thought leaders from the heart of Canada who are challenging the status quo, scaling their business, and bringing new ideas to life! Tune in with host Margaux Miller to learn exactly how they did it - and get some great tips so you can to.



Bi-weekly interview style episodes focus on the tough questions of bringing a business idea to life, and point to resources and ways of thinking that have helped founders of Canadian startups. For more info and full show notes, visit: www.startpodcast.ca

Start Canada Podcast MAM Media

    • Technology
    • 5.0 • 27 Ratings

Start Canada podcast features interviews with start-up founders, innovators, and thought leaders from the heart of Canada who are challenging the status quo, scaling their business, and bringing new ideas to life! Tune in with host Margaux Miller to learn exactly how they did it - and get some great tips so you can to.



Bi-weekly interview style episodes focus on the tough questions of bringing a business idea to life, and point to resources and ways of thinking that have helped founders of Canadian startups. For more info and full show notes, visit: www.startpodcast.ca

    39 – From Selling His Snapchat Filter Co. – To a Fashion-First Social Platform Like Never Before w/ Chris Schmidt of Pluto Ventures

    39 – From Selling His Snapchat Filter Co. – To a Fashion-First Social Platform Like Never Before w/ Chris Schmidt of Pluto Ventures

    Meet Chris Schmidt, the original creator of Snapchat geo-filters and today, the CEO and Co-Founder of Pluto Ventures - a venture-backed artificial intelligence company that is leveraging the hyper-personalized online world and using our body dimensions to customize goods and services.







    Get in on the ground floor of their new fashion-first social platform that captures your body dimensional data, and then uses that information to enhance your shopping experience. (Think - no more matching your body type to the reviews section because AI does it for you - in a much more reliable way!)  AND the best part… Chris speaks for the first time ever - here on our show - about Pluto Ventures and how this new platform came to be over the last 3 years! 







    The founder, Chris Schmidt, is a pretty unique young guy. He started his first business at the age of ten. And right after university, he founded the world's first Snapchat filter company, Geofilter Studio.







    In case you didn’t realize who was behind all your first Snapchat filters - let me tell you more. Geofilter Studio exploded at an unprecedented rate of 24,000% and grew to 85 employees in the first year. They were the fastest-growing company in all of Canada in 2017 and became the largest filter producer in the world.  







    In this episode, CEO and Founder Chris Schmidt speaks about his innate entrepreneurial nature, how to build a strong workplace culture, and what it’s like to be creating modern - some may say millennial and even Gen Z - tech solutions. 







    So if you want to know what’s next in start-up tech, be sure to tune in to this episode of Start Canada Podcast with Chris Schidt - the founder of Geofilter Studio, Pluto Ventures, and more!







    Listen now online here, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or find us on most major podcast platforms. Prefer video? Watch now on YouTube HERE!







    In This Episode, You Will Learn:







    * 0:33 to 5:42 Get to know Chris Schmidt, multiple business founder* 5:43 to 11:00 Becoming a young leader* 12:10 to 18:09 Creating the biggest snap chat filter company - Geofilter Studios* 18:10 to 23:00 Selling a successful scale-up  * 23:01 to 25:20 SPEED ROUND* 27:19 to 30:10 Creating Pluto Ventures * 30:25 to 35:17 *Exclusive Announcement* What has Chris and Pluto Ventures been building for the last 3 years? Answer: Parallel (Teaser: they are using body dimensional data to customize your shopping experience!)* 35:18 to 38:55 Make money as an influencer on Parallel* 39:01 to 46:20 Behind the scenes of a disruptive start-up; Building without customers and building great company culture* 46:30 to 54:28 Funding and tips for starting a business* 54:30 to 57:00 What's next for Chris Schmidt







    Follow Our Guest – And Let Them Know What You Learned From This Episode:







    * https://www.pluto.ventures/ and https://www.joinparallel.io/* Instagram @ChrisSchmidt and @JoinParallel.io * Twitter @ChrisSchmidt and @PlutoVentures and @JoinParallel* LinkedIn @Schmidt-C and @PlutoVentures and a href="https:...

    • 57 min
    38 – Starting a Social Enterprise and Leading With Love w/ Amy Tung of I Am Love

    38 – Starting a Social Enterprise and Leading With Love w/ Amy Tung of I Am Love

    Meet Amy Tung, Founder of I Am Love - a social enterprise that is constantly thinking of new and innovative ways to help our community thrive. Launched in 2018, the primary premise of I Am Love was to create jewelry with meaning, created by youth and sold to raise funds for local charities. On top of that, they’ve helped many organizations to build, execute, and accelerate their fundraising success.







    Amy’s calling has always been around reaching out and supporting others, including smaller local charities who lack the necessary funding. Spreading love was always her goal. And the organization was growing rapidly - until it came to a screeching halt in 2020. 







    Now their focus has changed to helping the community at a grassroots level. Taking note of the many vulnerable people - and women specifically - who lost their sources of income during the pandemic, they have pivoted from a fundraising-first model, toward providing more support from the ground up. They now work to create employment opportunities and skill building in the post-covid-19 job market, for women facing barriers. 







    In this episode, CEO and Founder Amy Tung speaks about her personal journey starting a social enterprise, pivoting due to Covid-19, and how her community minded focus led to genuine personal growth. 







    If you are curious about what it’s like to start a social enterprise, or have simply been dying to get to know Amy Tung, don’t miss this episode of Start Canada Podcast with the founder of I Am Love!







    Listen now online here, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or find us on most major podcast platforms. Prefer video? Watch now on YouTube HERE! 







    In This Episode, You Will Learn:







    * 0:33 to 6:54 Get to know Amy Tung and I Am Love* 6:55 to 12:45 Going all in as a social enterprise * 12:50 to 15:30 How the Pandemic led to new support* 15:31 to 19:25 Combating the stigma of mental health* 19:26 to 23:35 Empowering women with work * 23:40 to 26:40 What is love?* 26:45 to 29:15 The power of being curious * 29:16 to 32:30 Evaluating your relationship to money * 32:40 to 35:00 SPEED ROUND* 35:01 to 44:10 Feedback and networking with the right people* 44:11 to 47:44 Getting started and staying intentional* 48:45 to 53:55 Learning to accept praise and the entrepreneurship journey* 54:30 What's next for I Am Love and Amy Tung 







    Follow Our Guest – And Let Them Know What You Learned From This Episode:







    * iamloveproject.ca and xoxoiamlove.com * Facebook @XOXOiamlove and @AmyJTung* Instagram @iam_love_project and @amy_tung_* LinkedIn @AmyTung







    Follow Start Canada Podcast – And Share What You Learned From This Episode:







    * Facebook: @StartCanadaPodcast* Instagram: @StartCanadaPodcast* LinkedIn: @StartCanadaPodcast* Twitter: @MargauxAMiller* YouTube: a href="https://www.youtube.

    • 57 min
    37 – Business, Balance, and BIPOC Beauty Brands w/ Felicita Ovadje of Felicheeta Artistry

    37 – Business, Balance, and BIPOC Beauty Brands w/ Felicita Ovadje of Felicheeta Artistry

    Meet Felicita Ovadje - a practicing attorney and freelance makeup artist. With an eye for excellence, she identified a gap for products designed for people of color in the North American beauty industry and decided to be that change. Founded in 2014, Felicita launched Felicheeta Artistry - pivoting in 2020 to become both an ecommerce and a brick and mortar space for customers to find makeup brands owned by people of color, created for women of all skin tones.  







    Felicita is passionate about the success of Immigrants and persons of Colour; she is focused on  playing her part by creating a one-of-a-kind retail store promoting BIPOC brands in a safe space. Her dream is to have a store in every city in North America.







    In this episode, Felicita Ovadje speaks about the evolution of beauty products for people of color, about balancing her passions, and provides great tips (both legal and otherwise!) of things to consider when starting a business. 







    If these topics call out to you, then don’t miss this episode of Start Canada Podcast with the COO and founder of Felicheeta Artistry. 







    Listen now online here, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or find us on most major podcast platforms. Prefer video? Watch now on YouTube HERE! 







    In This Episode, You Will Learn:







    * 0:33 to 9:44 Meet Felicita Ovadje of Felicheeta Artistry* 9:45 to 12:40 Growing up with overachievers * 12:40 to 17:42 Finding balance in life and business* 17:43 to 22:10 Learning from loss * 18:50 to 22:10 Defining your brand* 23:20 to 29:23 Relationships with BIPOC makeup brands* 35:08 to 37:00 SPEED ROUND* 37:01 to 44:36 Big Goals and Being Grateful * 44:37 to 49:40 Opening a brick and mortar store vs ecommerce only* 49:41 to 55:25 Tips to starting a business* 55:26 to 58:22 Makeup tips - Keep lipstick off your mask







    Follow Our Guest – And Let Them Know What You Learned From This Episode:







    * FelicheetaArtistry.com* Facebook @FelicheetaArtistry* Instagram @FelicheetaArtistry * YouTube @FelicheetaArtistryInc







    Find Your Start – Episode Resources Mentioned by Our Guest:







    * Dark Shugar wigs and brand FA carries * Felicheeta Artistry store at Grant Park Mall  







    Follow Start Canada Podcast – And Share What You Learned From This Episode:







    * Facebook: @StartCanadaPodcast* Instagram: @StartCanadaPodcast* LinkedIn: @StartCanadaPodcast* Twitter: @MargauxAMiller* YouTube: @StartCanadaPodcast







    Start Canada Podcast is supported by:







    * Scotiabank* Manitoba Technology Accelerator * a href="http://techmani...

    • 59 min
    36 – Exceptional Content and User Experience w/ Ben Buckwold of ESL Library

    36 – Exceptional Content and User Experience w/ Ben Buckwold of ESL Library

    Meet Ben Buckwold, CEO and Founder of ESL Library - a company empowering language teachers to teach their best class, with exceptional content and a custom platform used by language teachers in more than 10,000 schools around the world.



    In this episode of Start Canada Podcast, Ben speaks about being the first ESL learning app in the world, knowing when to pivot, and the importance of building great content. From the staff side, we get tips for building a great team, remote morale boosting, and the positive people effects of giving back to the community.



    If you are building an online resource based business, or you want to pivot to one, be sure to tune in to this episode of Start Canada Podcast with the founder of ESL Library!



    If you prefer video format, watch now on YouTube or take us with you as you go by Subscribing Now wherever you get your podcasts.

    • 53 min
    35 – Take Your Social Media to the Next Level w/ Social Media Expert David Dang

    35 – Take Your Social Media to the Next Level w/ Social Media Expert David Dang

    Meet David Dang, Social Media and Digital Marketing Expert whose Instagram business page EntrepreneurshipFacts has over 2.2M followers.



    In this episode, we cover how to use social media to kick start a business or test a new idea, how to build an audience on Instagram, and how to stay motivated and on track. If you are ready to take your social media to the next level, be sure to catch this episode of Start Canada Podcast with David Dang!



    If you prefer video format, watch now on YouTube or take us with you as you go by Subscribing Now wherever you get your podcasts.

    • 54 min
    34 – Finding Friends and Building Business w/ Katie Hartle of FriendMatch

    34 – Finding Friends and Building Business w/ Katie Hartle of FriendMatch

    Meet Katie Hartle, Founder and CEO of FriendMatch - a unique company that is exactly as it sounds - think online dating but strictly for platonic friendships instead. In a time where loneliness is at an all-time high, Katie has built a community over 100 countries to help tackle just this, answering the question "How to Make Friends" for more than 5 million people - and counting.



    In this episode, we cover the human side of business, how to build a lean start-up, tips for growing a community, and so much more. If you have an idea you believe in - be sure to catch this episode to be inspired to get started today!



    If you prefer video format, watch now on YouTube OR take us with you as you go by Subscribing Now wherever you get your podcasts.

    • 56 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
27 Ratings

27 Ratings

M3 Matt J ,

Inspiration and Innovation in a Podcast

Margaux is such an energetic host that keeps you interested throughout the episodes like few others!

If you’re a budding entrepreneur, or are looking for inspiration to get something started, look no further! START!!

w0rkie ,

Time to Start!

Disruption and innovation are all around us, but it’s easy to lose sight of prairie success stories, and instead focus on those coming out of larger centres. Margaux and her guests bring these local stories to life, focusing on how these innovators got their start, and how they continue to grow and be successful in an ever-changing landscape. A perfect podcast for those looking to start their own disruptions, or those simply interested in how local innovators are bringing their big ideas to the big stage!

bliving204 ,

Listen up!

Wow. So informative, thought provoking and captivating. Great promotion of local businesses.

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