Invested in our New Reality

Tooting Canada’s horn within the international business community is a big job. Luckily, Niloo Boroun, Executive Director of the Consider Canada City Alliance, is here to do it, and do it well. On this episode of Invested in Our New Reality, host Shavonne Hasfal-McIntosh talks to Boroun about her work overseeing the CCCA and positioning Canada as the country of choice for global companies looking...

Italy comes to Canada on the latest episode of Invested in Our New Reality. Host Shavonne Hasfal-McIntosh welcomes Francesco Norante to the podcast. Norante is the President and Chairman of the Board of Leonardo Canada, a position he took over in 2018 after nine years with the company. Listen in as he offers a detailed account of the work his company is doing throughout Canada, and the world, and...

On this episode of Invested in our New Reality, host Shavonne Hasfal-McIntosh talks to Kari Simpson, Vice President of Product Management and Strategy, Contact Centre Products at Upland Software. Simpson-Anderson gives a first-hand account of the growth strategy InGenius Software employed leading up to their 26.4-million-dollar acquisition by Upland Software.

We’re back! Season 7 of the Invested in Our New Reality podcast kicks off with Jens-Michael Schaal, the Vice-President of Global Expansion for Invest Ottawa. Find out why Ottawa is such an attractive city for growing global companies. Schaal outlines the city’s key industries and benefits and introduces the newly launched online resource whyottawa.ca.

To close out Season Six of Invested in Our New Reality, Shavonne Hasfal-McIntosh chats with Aydin Mirzaee, CEO and co-founder of the Ottawa-based company Fellow. Fellow has created a tool designed to revolutionize meetings which recently secured $24M US in series-A funding and was also selected as one of the city’s top employers. Aydin joins the podcast to talk about the company’s remarkable succe...

Shavonne Hasfal-McIntosh chats with Nick Quain, Vice President of Venture Development at Invest Ottawa, where he leads all programming and support for start-up, early stage and scaling companies. Previously, Nick was co-founder and CEO at CellWand, a company which pioneered the use of abbreviated dialing codes in North America. Tune in to hear Nick talk about why he’s committed to supporting Ottaw...

Alida Burke is the Co-Founder of Growcer, a company that sells plug-and-play hydroponic systems that grow fresh produce year-round in any climate, with a focus on schools, universities, non-profits, and northern and Indigenous communities. COVID-19 has affected many things, including our relationship to food. Alida joins the podcast to chat about how Growcer is helping communities rebuild and re-t...

Shavonne Hasfal-McIntosh chats with Tunch Akkaya, an entrepreneur and former University of Ottawa Gee-Gees football player who runs his own innovative sports software company called GameStrat. Tunch shares how his software helps coaches around the world improve their team and player performance in real time and how they’re revolutionizing the use of video for coaches and their players.

Kirsi Maharaj is the Manager of People at Rewind, a company that builds apps that protect critical SaaS and cloud data. Kirsi joins Shavonne on the podcast to chat about the growing importance of human resources in the modern world, and how companies can strategically adapt to the future of work to cultivate increased mental and physical wellbeing of employees as well as foster equitable and inclu...

Debbie Owusu-Akyeeah is the Executive Director at the Canadian Centre for Gender & Sexual Diversity (CCGSD), a national 2SLBTQ+ organization that focuses on empowering gender and sexually diverse people through education, research, and advocacy. Debbie joins Shavonne on the podcast to chat about how Ottawa’s business community can create truly progressive, inclusive, and equitable workplaces that...

Don Liberty, GM at You.i TV (now WarnerMedia Ottawa), joins the podcast to chat about the company’s growth and what it means for the future of streaming. You.i TV, now WarnerMedia Ottawa, is an Ottawa-based technology company that prides itself on helping media companies build better streaming apps and enhance user experience. Having recently been acquired by WarnerMedia Ottawa, Don chats about th...

We’re turning the tables on our hardworking host, Shavonne Hasfal-McIntosh, for an extra special episode. Michael Tremblay, the President and CEO of Invest Ottawa, takes the mic for a one-on-one interview with Shavonne herself. We look back at the many Invested in Our New Reality milestones and guest highlights since its inception.

Mathias Ganzmann, Vice President of Manufacturing with Siemens Healthineers, talks about the company's planned expansion of its Ottawa, Ontario manufacturing facility. He explains what makes Ottawa the ideal place for such an expansion, what it will mean for the company and the local economy, as well as his hopes that some effects of the pandemic continue on in the future.

Lisa Aucoin is the CEO of Spring: Cheer, Dance & Tumbling an international instructional cheerleading company and choreography business. In this episode Lisa tells listeners about how her business’s transition to digital and adoption of creative and practical solutions helped them leap forward during COVID-19.

Hoppier, began in 2016 as a platform to provide healthy snacks to workplaces across North America but recently Hoppier reinvented its business model to account for unexpected changes in consumer behaviour brought on by COVID-19. In this episode Hoppier CEO, Cassy Aite, joins the podcast to chat about how his business was able to adapt during these unprecedented times.

This week’s guest is taking food delivery to the next level, literally. Mohammad Abu-Shaaban is the Technical Lead at JAMZ Drone Delivery, a food delivery service which aims to provide high-frequency fully autonomous delivery via drone drop off. In this episode Mohammad chats about how he will be working with Area X.O to test and validate the company’s very first 21st century solution.

Julie MacDonell is the Co-Founder and CEO of Heirlume, an online self-serve trademark search and registration service that prides itself on being “better than the best lawyer.” In this episode Julie shares her advice for underrepresented entrepreneurs, chats about her experience as a business owner, and provides advice on how to navigate the red tape when it comes to business.

In this episode Alexander Schmidt, VP of Marketing at the Canadian Bank Note Company (CBN), tells listeners about the strategy at the core of CBN’s almost 125 years of success. From global online immigration systems to lottery tickets, CBN is a leader in creating functional and customer-centric IT solutions. 

Jessica Lim, Owner of Hippie Mylk, started her business to fulfill a personal need. Living with severe allergies, Lim was struggling to find a plant-based milk alternative that aligned with her dietary restrictions. This led Lim to develop Hippie Mylk, which prides itself on being all-natural, locally made, and free from carrageenan, fillers, and synthetic additives. On this episode, Lim walks us...

Manny Otero, CTO at Turnstone Biologics, uses innovation and science to develop practical and pragmatic clinical research that results in breakthrough cancer technology. In this episode Otero tells listeners about the up-and-coming biopharmaceutical industry in Ottawa and makes the case for fostering biotechnology hubs in a growing tech city.

Dimple Thomas, Engineering Manager at Ericcson, discusses the importance of empathy, diversity, and inclusion when it comes to new tech.

David Bell, Author of Location Is (Still) Everything and Co-Founder of Idea Farm Ventures, breaks down the three crucial steps for future proofing any business. COVID-19 has meant more consumers are online and in turn more businesses are developing an online presence, but Bell explains why it’s often still critical to maintain a physical presence for consumers.

Access to capital is a major hurdle for female entrepreneurs. Capital Angel Network Chair and SheBoot Co-Founder, Jennifer Francis, is using her lifetime of expertise in STEM to help other women access the mentorship and funding they need to succeed. In this episode, she talks about SheBoot, an Ottawa-based 6-week entrepreneur bootcamp, that helps more women access the tools, network, and knowledg...

Brad Rollo is the CEO and Co-Founder of GoFor an Ottawa-based company that helps North American businesses of all sizes get their products into the hands of customers faster. GoFor delivers any package — no matter the size — locally within three hours. In addition to their speedy services, GoFor has also recently announced that they will be providing delivery services for COVID-19 vaccines across...