The Hard Part with Evan McCann

Evan McCann

The Hard Part, hosted by Evan McCann, uncovers the stories, strategies, and playbooks of Canada’s most influential founders, investors, and leaders. While Canadian innovators often fly under the radar compared to their American peers, The Hard Part shines a spotlight on their impact, redefining Canada’s role in global entrepreneurship.

  1. 3天前

    Francois Lafortune from Diagram Ventures

    Francois Lafortune is the Co-Founder and CEO of Diagram Ventures. Francois is also a Managing Partner at Sagard and Chairman of the Board at Nesto. Diagram is a venture launchpad building the next generation of global companies based in Canada. They develop and incubate our own ideas, and find exceptional entrepreneurs and technologists to build companies with us. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 2:00 The Genesis of Diagram: A Venture Studio's Origin 05:23 Navigating the Idea Flow: From Concept to Execution 09:49 Criteria for Success: Understanding the Venture Creation Funnel 13:54 Leveraging Competitive Advantage: The Diagram Ecosystem 16:36 Finding the Right Founders: The CEO Search Process 21:14 Funding Dynamics: Balancing Ownership and Attracting Investors 24:37 Team Structure: Blending Operators and Investors 27:18 Navigating the Entrepreneurial Landscape 28:51 Identifying Market Opportunities 31:05 Learning from Experience 36:51 Signals of Success 39:35 Emerging Trends Beyond AI 41:04 Balancing Ideas and Execution 44:15 Transitioning from Hands-On to Hands-Off 46:41 Coping with Challenges in Entrepreneurship

    49 分钟

  2. 5天前

    Rishard Rameez from Zown

    Rishard Rameez is the Co-Founder and CEO of Zown. Zown is a buyer-first real estate platform operating in both Canada and the U.S., built to reward and empower people to reach their homeownership dreams faster. Through their model, buyers receive up to $25,000 toward their home purchase — funded through the commission Zown earns. There’s no repayment, and buyers keep full ownership from day one. Chapters 00:00 Podcast Introduction 2:00 The Spark of Innovation: A Reddit Post 04:43 Identifying the Gaps in Real Estate Services 11:16 Transforming Home Buying: The Financial Impact 13:23 Overcoming Traditional Barriers in Real Estate 14:46 Expanding Horizons: Geographic Growth and Market Dynamics 16:25 Understanding the Real Estate Commission Structure 20:30 Leveraging Technology for Scalability 23:12 Marketing Strategies in a Noisy Market 25:51 Navigating Market Dynamics and Economic Factors 30:23 Finding Purpose in Hard Times

    32 分钟

  3. 9月26日

    Michael Serbinis from League

    Michael Serbinis is the Founder and CEO of League. Founded in 2014, League is the leading healthcare consumer experience platform, reaching more than 40 million people around the world and delivering the highest level of personalization in the industry. Payers, providers, and consumer health partners build on League’s platform to deliver high-engagement healthcare solutions proven to improve health outcomes. League has raised $285 million in venture capital funding to date, powering the digital experiences for some of healthcare’s most trusted brands, including Highmark Health, Manulife, Medibank, and Shoppers Drug Mart. Chapters 00:00 Podcast Introduction 2:00 Getting Shit Done: The Core Philosophy 07:02 Healthcare Challenges: Access and Understanding 13:20 The Agentic Era: AI in Healthcare 19:30 Learning and Adapting: The Key to Success 22:23 Partnerships: Transforming Healthcare Together 26:18 League's Platform Approach: A New Era in Healthcare 31:49 Balancing Family and Business: A Personal Journey 36:18 Perseverance in Hard Times: Lessons Learned

    41 分钟

  4. 9月25日

    Nicholas Chepesiuk from Qualifacts

    Nicholas Chepesiuk is the VP of Innovation at Qualifacts. Nicholas was the Founder & CEO of OnCall Health, which was acquired by Qualifacts in 2022. Chapters 00:00 Podcast Introduction 2:00 Foundational Experiences in Early Roles 07:21 Telehealth Surge: Impact of the Pandemic 12:53 Post-Acquisition Insights and Growth Strategies 18:06 Trends and Opportunities in Healthcare 23:19 Building a Strong Company Culture 28:21 Personal Resilience and Coping Mechanisms

    38 分钟

  5. 9月19日

    Derrick Emsley from tentree and veritree

    Derrick Emsley is the Co-Founder of tentree and veritree. Chapters 00:00 Podcast Introduction 2:00 The Genesis of Tentree 05:04 Lessons Learned in Entrepreneurship 07:36 Transitioning to Veritree 09:07 Navigating the Climate Tech Landscape 12:07 Project Selection and Impact 14:52 Building Partnerships and Verification 17:37 The Importance of Trees 20:24 Consumer Behavior and Local Impact 23:12 Trends in Sustainability 25:52 Metrics and ROI in Sustainability 28:38 Learning and Growth as a Founder 31:26 Team Dynamics and Culture 34:09 The Role of Impact in Business 37:01 Technology in Tracking Projects 39:52 Overcoming Challenges in Entrepreneurship

    41 分钟

  6. 9月17日

    Chloe Liang from Cocasa

    Chloe Liang is the Co-Founder of Cocasa. Cocasa is revolutionizing travel and property ownership by allowing members to buy equity in luxurious holiday homes from €39,000/10% share. Chapters 00:00 Podcast Introduction 2:00 From Banking to Founding: Chloe's Journey 10:31 Identifying the Problem: Cocasa's Mission 21:08 Understanding the Cocasa Model 35:25 Navigating Challenges as a Founder 40:06 Engagement and Community Building

    40 分钟

  7. 9月15日

    Kyle Norton from Owner

    Kyle Norton is the Chief Revenue Officer at Owner. Chapters 0:00 Podcast Intro 2:00 Evaluating Companies: The Key Factors 07:38 Building a Revenue Team: Initial Steps and Strategies 11:39 Quality Over Quantity: The Importance of Revenue Quality 15:49 AI in Sales: Internal and External Impacts 20:42 Navigating the Changing Landscape of Outbound Sales 26:58 Hiring for Success: Qualities in Sales Roles 33:15 The Hybrid Work Debate: In-Person vs Remote 38:47 Geographic Strategy: Where to Position Sales Reps 44:09 Continuous Learning: The Benefits of Advisory Roles 47:20 Resilience in Sales: Maintaining Drive Through Challenges 52:31 Introduction to the Hard Part Podcast 52:31 Engagement and Community Building

    53 分钟

  8. 9月10日

    Benjamin Bergen from Council of Canadian Innovators

    Benjamin Bergen is the President at Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI). CCI is a member-based organization reshaping how governments across Canada think about innovation policy and supporting homegrown scale-ups to drive prosperity. Chapters 00:00 Podcast Introduction 2:45 Reflecting on a Decade of CCI's Impact 05:32 Understanding the Shifts in Innovation Policy 08:10 The Importance of Effective Government Policies 11:16 Building Stronger Industry-Government Relationships 13:37 Navigating National Sovereignty in a Global Economy 16:44 The Role of Government Procurement in Innovation 25:10 Navigating Government Contracts and Policy Advocacy 29:23 Capital Investment and Government's Role 32:24 Tax Competitiveness and Brain Drain 34:25 CCI's Mandate to Innovate 36:02 Navigating Federal and Provincial Regulations 38:29 Intellectual Property in the Innovation Economy 42:08 Engagement Between Government and Industry 44:07 Finding Purpose in Challenging Times

    48 分钟
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关于

The Hard Part, hosted by Evan McCann, uncovers the stories, strategies, and playbooks of Canada’s most influential founders, investors, and leaders. While Canadian innovators often fly under the radar compared to their American peers, The Hard Part shines a spotlight on their impact, redefining Canada’s role in global entrepreneurship.

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