Continuing our series on funding, I sat down with Bruce Croxon from Dragon's Den and Round 13 Capital to talk about his perspective on the state of funding. Bruce was an entrepreneur in his own right: in the late 1980s he and a partner built Lavalife,...
Read MoreAll January, I've been talking with experts about various ways to fund your company as you grow. Angels and Venture Capital aren't the only ways you can fund and grow your company, though. Recently, I spoke with Roger Chabra ofRHO Ventures and Extreme Startups about his...
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Some people just HAVE to create. These people create art, entertainment, provocative writing, or businesses. This week, I spoke to Baratunde Thurston, who has managed to do all of that and more. Many know Baratunde from his role as Director of Digital for The Onion, where...
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In January, we looked at different ways to fund a start up. We talked to people on all sides of this subject, from investors, to governmental agencies, to founders who funded in unique ways. For those who are interested in Angel investment or a VC round,...
Read MoreI first saw Robbie Whiting in 2012 at South by Southwest, where he gave a daring presentation on the death of the advertising agency model. At the time, he was Director of Creative Technology at Duncan/Channon, an agency which has applied a unique approach to...
Read MoreMy company, Shyndyg, is a bootstrapped start-up, and we've always noticed when we tell people we're bootstrapped, the reaction is almost one of pity. It's not always an option for every company, but there are distinct advantages to being a bootstrapped start-up: freedom, the ability...
Read More2013-04-02-closeupMakePerfumeNotWarpic.jpg This week, I spoke with an entrepreneur who has achieved the Canadian Dream. In 2010, Barb Stegemann walked onto a soundstage on the 10th floor of the CBC building in Toronto to pitch her business: a perfume company which sourced its ingredients from Afghanistan. It...
Read MoreMost industries have been completely transformed by the internet. Where at one point, you needed to "know a guy" to get the best plumber or brakes specialist, there are now sites like Homestars and Gigpark. If you needed to reach out to a huge company...
Read MoreThere is a very real issue facing funded companies getting to the next level in their growth. Sometimes, companies who are reaching a successful peak do so just as they are in need of another round of funding. Where do you go? Angel investors are...
Read MoreThere are those who are at home in a start-up environment, and those who are ONLY at home in a start-up environment. I met Richard Penner when we were both working for a company which, when we joined, employed about 70 people, and during our...
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