77 episodes

Discover the untold stories behind the fundraise, founder journey, and more!

Learn how Founders got their ideas off the ground, raised money, and even grew their respected organizations into billion-dollar companies. Join the TechTO and various guests as we lead candid conversations with founders, their partners, teams, and those who have supported them along the way.

Mini Series to check out:

Perfecting the Pitch, Three Comma Club, Founders and Funding, TechTO's Rocketships List, Newsmaker Insights, and The Founders Journey

TechTO's Founder Series | The Untold Stories of the Founder Journey TechTO.org

    • Business

Discover the untold stories behind the fundraise, founder journey, and more!

Learn how Founders got their ideas off the ground, raised money, and even grew their respected organizations into billion-dollar companies. Join the TechTO and various guests as we lead candid conversations with founders, their partners, teams, and those who have supported them along the way.

Mini Series to check out:

Perfecting the Pitch, Three Comma Club, Founders and Funding, TechTO's Rocketships List, Newsmaker Insights, and The Founders Journey

    The Founders Journey (LIVE) ft. Justin Bailie of Rose Rocket

    The Founders Journey (LIVE) ft. Justin Bailie of Rose Rocket

    In this special LIVE episode of the Founders Journey series, we sat down with Justin Bailie, Co-Founder of Rose Rocket to chat about his humbling entrepreneurship journey.



    In today's episode, Justin doesn't sugar coat anything, and shares his authentic challenges and important lessons learned that every Founder or aspiring Founder can take inspiration from.



    Like and subscribe to the Founders Journey so you never miss an episode as it drops.







    #TechTO #FounderStories #Startups #Advice

    • 18 min
    The Founders Journey ft. Christian Weedbrook of Xanadu

    The Founders Journey ft. Christian Weedbrook of Xanadu

    Welcome to TechTO's Founders Journey Series. Today's episode is hosted by Alexandra Reilly, Head of Marketing at TechTO

    In this series, we talk with the founders of emerging Canadian tech start-ups and learn about their journey to building their current businesses.

    Today’s guest is Christian Weedbrook, CEO and Co-Founder of Xanadu. What is Xanadu you might ask? Take a listen and find out.





    Aside from AI and Quantum Computing, in this episode, we also chat about:



    - Coming to Toronto to build a business (and his love of the ecosystem)

    - How AI (and its speed of iteration) is impacting Xanadu and their progression in the space

    - Where he sees Xanadu making the biggest impact

    - Raising a large fundraising round in a tough market (and what he wants other founders to know)

    - The trials and tribulations of entrepreneurship (he’s not sugar coating anything)

    - Finding the right team to help you scale and build







    You can also connect with Christian via email at christian@xanadu.ai

    • 26 min
    The Founders Journey ft. Kevin Kliman of Humi

    The Founders Journey ft. Kevin Kliman of Humi

    Welcome to TechTO's Founders Journey Series.

    In this series, we talk with the founders of emerging Canadian tech start-ups and learn about their journey to building their current businesses.

    Today’s guest is Kevin Kliman, CEO and Co-Founder of Humi. Humi is helping companies manage HR and the people side of their businesses, better.



    In this episode, we also chat about:



    - Kevin's unique beginnings

    - His pivot from dentistry to entrepreneurship

    - Building a team

    - Understanding the dynamic needs of people

    - His inspiration for creating Humi

    - The future of the business and HR in general





    To keep up with content like this and learn about new content that's dropping every week, subscribe to the TechTO Newsletter and get it right to your inbox: www.techto.org/newsletter



    Share this episode with a friend and don't forget to leave us a rating and let us know who we should interview next!

    • 30 min
    The Founders Journey ft. Tate Hackert of ZayZoon

    The Founders Journey ft. Tate Hackert of ZayZoon

    Welcome to TechTO's Founders Journey Series.

    In this series, we talk with the founders of emerging Canadian tech start-ups and learn about their journey to building their current businesses.

    Today’s guest is Tate Hackert, President and Founder of ZayZoon. ZayZoon is helping companies win with employees by improving their financial well-being. Tate discusses his Founders journey, how he built ZayZoon, and tips for beating imposter syndrome as a Founder.



    In this episode, we also chat about:



    - Tate’s Background and Early Entrepreneurial Experience

    - Tips for Dealing with Imposter Syndrome

    - Formation of ZayZoon

    - Early Business Ideation

    - Connecting with Mentors

    - Balancing Analysis and Action

    - Employee Wellness at ZayZoon

    - Go-to-Market Strategy for ZayZoon

    - Learning from Metrics and Adjustments

    - The Importance of Ongoing Fine-Tuning and Product Optimization



    To keep up with content like this and learn about new content that's dropping every week, subscribe to the TechTO Newsletter and get it right to your inbox: www.techto.org/newsletter



    Share this episode with a friend and don't forget to leave us a rating and let us know who we should interview next!

    • 46 min
    The Founders Journey (LIVE) ft. Hussein Fazal of Super

    The Founders Journey (LIVE) ft. Hussein Fazal of Super

    Welcome to the newest season of TechTO's Founders Journey Series.

    In this series, we talk with the founders of emerging Canadian tech start-ups and learn about their journey to building their current businesses.

    Today’s guest is Hussein Fazal, Co-Founder and CEO of Super.



    On this special live episode of the Founders Journey, Hussein joined Alex Norman to discuss the dramatic growth and impressive reputation of Super and how they grew their customer base.



    Here's what you can expect:


    (0:00) Intro's
    (01:52) What was the insight that led you to become a founder?
    (2:57) What was the idea behind AdParlor?
    (5:00) Why did you exit?
    (6:05) What was your biggest lesson learned as a first time founder?
    (7:12) How did you know it was the right time to start Super?
    (9:24) What was the idea behind Super?
    (12:27) Why did you choose to fundraise the second time around?
    (13:45) What is your current traction?
    (14:39) How did you transition from travel to fintech?
    (16:25) What are the benefits and challenges building for lower middle class customers?
    (19:42) Snap was founded in Toronto but seems to have a strong presence in SF, why?
    (22:27) Audience Q&A

    Learn more about Super: https://www.super.com/

    Have any follow-up questions for Hussein or the Super team? Email alex@techto.org and we'll include them for a follow-up podcast!

    • 29 min
    The Founders Journey ft. Darren Huston of BlackPines

    The Founders Journey ft. Darren Huston of BlackPines

    Welcome to TechTO's Founders Journey Series.

    In this series, we talk with the founders of emerging Canadian tech start-ups and learn about their journey to building their current businesses.

    Today’s guest is Darren Huston, a well-known leader in tech and the current Founder and CEO at BlackPines Capital Partners.



    On this episode of the Founder's Journey, Darren joined us to chat through his unique beginnings and early years at Starbucks and Microsoft. He also shared some inspiring leadership advice from his years of CEO experience and shared more insight from his time at places like Booking.com and Priceline Group.



    He might be the most interesting man in tech. And he is opening up to our audience about his career and sharing valuable takeaways for everyone.



    To keep up with content like this and learn about new content that's dropping every week, subscribe to the TechTO Newsletter and get it right to your inbox: www.techto.org/newsletter



    Share this episode with a friend and don't forget to leave us a rating and let us know who we should interview next!

    • 40 min

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