Canadian Founder

Yisen Wang
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  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Biweekly

Canadian Founder uncovers the grit, strategy, and raw journeys behind the nation’s most remarkable companies and creators. Building the North, one story at a time.

Episodes

  1. Sep 19

    #2 SHOPIFY | Tobi Lütke

    How did a small snowboard store in Ottawa become a global commerce platform? In Episode 2 of Canadian Founder, we explore the story of Tobi Lütke and Shopify—from a young programmer in Germany to a reluctant CEO determined to make starting a business more possible. It began with Snowdevil, an online snowboard shop, and a frustrating discovery: the software Tobi needed did not exist in a form he wanted to use. So he built it. That solution became Shopify. We follow the people, decisions, and difficult lessons behind the company’s growth: the family support that helped keep it alive, the early pricing change that saved the business, and the developers, partners, and merchants who helped turn a store builder into an ecosystem. In this episode, we explore: How apprenticeship, gaming, and learning by doing shaped Tobi’s approach to business. Why Shopify stayed in Ottawa—and how its Canadian roots influenced the company. How payments, apps, and merchant services expanded Shopify’s role in commerce. What the pandemic boom and costly logistics expansion taught Shopify about focus. How AI fits into the company’s continuing effort to remove barriers for entrepreneurs. Along the way, we share five lessons about choosing your own path, staying close to the product, questioning conventional management, thinking globally, and becoming a lifelong learner. Explore where the story began: Snowdevil—the snowboard store behind Shopify. Follow Canadian Founder as we uncover more stories behind Canada’s remarkable founders and companies. Building the North, one story at a time.

    #2 SHOPIFY | Tobi Lütke

  2. Aug 7

    #1 ARC'TERYX | Dave Lane & Jeremy Guard

    What do a frustrated climber, a second-hand pizza oven, a 140-million-year-old fossil, and a multibillion-dollar global brand have in common? The answer is Arc’teryx. In the first episode of Canadian Founder, Yisen traces Arc’teryx from Dave Lane’s small North Vancouver workshop in 1989 to its emergence as one of the world’s most admired outdoor companies. Along the way, Jeremy Guard helps transform a better climbing harness into a larger ambition built around evolution, uncompromising design, and relentless experimentation. This narrative explores the Vapor harness, the Bora backpack, the near-company-breaking development of the Alpha SV, the unusual origin of the Archaeopteryx logo, and the systems that allowed Arc’teryx’s product culture to survive new leaders, multiple acquisitions, and extraordinary global growth. More than a company history, this is a case study in solving problems from firsthand experience, turning founder obsession into organizational capability, preserving manufacturing knowledge, maintaining focus as opportunities multiply, and building a reputation one difficult decision at a time. Canadian Founder uncovers the stories behind Canada’s most remarkable founders and companies—building the North, one story at a time.

    #1 ARC'TERYX | Dave Lane & Jeremy Guard
  • 2 Episodes

About

Canadian Founder uncovers the grit, strategy, and raw journeys behind the nation’s most remarkable companies and creators. Building the North, one story at a time.

Information

  • Creator
    Yisen Wang
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    2
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Yisen Wang
  • Show Website
    Canadian Founder

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