The Hard Part with Evan McCann

Samuel Witherspoon is the Co-Founder and CEO of ANVIL . ANVIL is a Mission First organization. They work with defence, public safety, law enforcement, and national security organizations to accelerate mission-critical decision making with analytical tools, automations, and game-changing machine learning capabilities. Takeaways - The Genesis of Anvil: From LegalTech to DefenseTech - Navigating the...

Simon Leroux is the Founder and CEO of Optionality . Optionality is the AI-powered co-pilot designed to help M&A advisors, corporate finance teams, consultants, accountants, and Private Equity investors discover, qualify, and close more deals — faster. Chapters - The Journey of a Repeat Founder - Understanding M&A from a Founder's Perspective - Value Creation: Beyond the Numbers - The...

Andrew Graham is the Co-Founder and CEO of Borrowell . Trusted by 1 in 10 Canadians, Borrowell provides over 3 million members with comprehensive credit monitoring and personalized insights. Their innovative services, including Credit Builder and rent reporting, help consumers build credit so they can unlock access to a wider range of financial products at more competitive rates. Takeaways - Under...

Mike Silagadze is the Founder and CEO of EtherFi . EtherFi is a decentralized non-custodial ETH staking protocol. It is the only staking protocol that allows stakers to retain control of their keys while delegating validator operations to node operators. Takeaways - Building and Exiting Top Hat - Why EdTech is a Challenging Space to Build - From Hedge Fund to EtherFi as a Platform - Understanding...

Roger Kirkness is the Founder and CEO of Convictional . Convictional is the infrastructure that powers decisions at the world's most ambitious companies. Takeaways - The Value of Y Combinator Programs - Modern Dropship Acquisition and Company Pivot - Ask The Question: What Happens if it Works? - Tobi's AI Memo - AI in the Workplace: Opportunities and Challenges - CEOs Using ChatGPT and Claude to M...

Yoseph West is the Co-Founder and CEO of Relay . Relay is the business banking and money management platform that puts small businesses in complete control of their cash flow. To check out open roles at Relay,  visit relayfi.com/careers . Takewaways - Why It Takes 10 Years to Build Anything Meaningful - Targeting the US Market - Understanding SMB Needs - Always Be Willing To Jump On a Plane - Why...

Matt Loszak is the Co-Founder and CEO of Aalo Atomics . Aalo builds mass-manufactured nuclear plants that will power anything from a data center to a city. Their mission is to achieve 3¢ / kWh electricity.  Their first product will be the Aalo Pod, a 50 MWe power plant purpose-built for data centers. They have raised $35M so far. Chapters - Matt's Founder Journey and Early Interest in Nuclear...

Oban MacTavish is the Co-Founder and CEO of Spade . Spade is the only transaction data enrichment solution backed by real data. They leverage their vast first-party data network to bring instant clarity and context to every purchase and payment—with precisely matched merchant, category, and geolocation details that empower you to build the next generation of financial technology. Chapters - Oban's...

Rob Fraser is the Founder and CEO of Outway . Outway is The Only Socks™ you'll ever need. - Reflecting on Two Years of Change Since our First Episode - Personal Growth and Business Resilience - Evolving Role of the Entrepreneur - Strategic Growth and Long-Term Vision - Channel Expansion and Market Strategy - Innovating Within the Sock Industry - The Impact of AI on Business Discovery - The Rap...

The Friday Show Episode 3! 2:26 - Burhan from Rondah AI 17:46 - Ruslan from Float 48:51 - Jake from Pilgrim 1:11:00 - Fahd from Roach Capital + Studio 535 1:26:10 - Vedant from Opennote

Sheetal Jaitly is the CEO of TribalScale . TribalScale builds digital products and transform businesses. They help the world’s largest enterprises and best entrepreneurs identify strategic opportunities to build, design, and release cutting-edge technology solutions to benefit their customers. Takeaways - Xtreme Labs Experience and Mafia - Navigating Digital Transformation and AI - Building a Succ...

Aydin Mirzaee is the Co-Founder and CEO of Fellow . Fellow.app is an all-in-one AI meeting assistant designed for remote and hybrid teams, offering transcription, summaries, and action item tracking. It streamlines meetings with collaborative agendas and integrations, helping teams work smarter and faster. Takeaways - Being the First Canadian on Facebook - The Story of Bok - Aydin's First Vent...

Jonathan Shaanan is the Managing Director of Circle K Ventures . Established in 2020, Circle K Ventures invests in startup companies that are developing and deploying solutions that enhance the experience in our stores while providing team members with the tools and resources that free them up to focus on our guests. Takeaways - From Banking to Venture Capital: A Journey - The Birth of Circle K Ve...

Eldon Sprickerhoff is the Founder of eSentire . eSentire is the Authority in Managed Detection and Response, protecting the critical data and applications of 2000+ organizations in 80+ countries, representing 35 industries from known and unknown cyber threats. Eldon is also an author of Committed: Startup Survival Tips and Uncommon Sense for First-Time Tech Founders and a Strategic Advisor at Cale...

The Friday Show Episode 2! 12:10 - Arsham from Ribbon 25:30 - Sean from Bold Bar 37:30 - Xander Chin 50:00 - Antonio from Trails and Bagelhacks

Hassan Ismail is the Co-Founder and CEO of West Tek . West Tek is building the next generation of data and software infrastructure to seamlessly connect traditionally disconnected human systems. Takeaways - The Genesis of a Defense Tech Startup - Autonomous versus Human Systems - Navigating the Conservative Defense Industry - Where Canada Is Investing in Defense - The Human Element in Warfare - Wh...

Richard Waines is an Investor at DCVC Bio . DCVC Bio invests in early-stage, deep-tech life science companies that are leveraging computational approaches, including AI and automation, to transform existing technologies and accelerate the development of new ones.  Chapters/Takeaways 03:19 → Journey into Biotech Investing 11:53 → DCVC Bio's Focus and Investment Strategy 16:19 → Exploring Platfo...

Brent Pretty is the Co-Founder and CEO of Retellio . Retellio is an AI briefing tool for leaders who can't listen to every call. It takes all your company's customer calls, finds the moments that matter, and turns them into easy-to-digest podcasts. Takeaways - Dropping Out of High School - Working at Verafin - Learnings and Insights from Verafin - Innovating with AI - Creating a Hive Mind...

The first episode of The Friday Show! 00:00 - Intro to The Friday Show Format 01:57 - X Content Rundown 08:38 - Connor Turland from Ceedar 18:57 - Alexander Stratmoen on Socratica Symposium 27:55 - Owen Brakes from Steinmetz 37:03 - Rahul Gudise from Gale 48:00 - Jack Xu from Proception 55:14 - Adam Cohen from Weave 57:00 - Jay Alammar from Cohere on Command A

Laura Mock is the Director of Cultivator . Launched in 2019, Cultivator powered by Conexus (Cultivator) was built to create an innovation hub that provided the programming, resources, mentorship, funding, and space for founders to accelerate the growth of local tech startups in Regina. Cultivator aims to foster 250 companies with annual recurring revenue of at least a million dollars by 2050. Take...

Braden Ream is the Co-Founder and CEO of Voiceflow . Voiceflow is the collaborative platform to build custom AI Agents. It is the fastest way to build powerful chat and voice agents for customer support and beyond. Takeaways - Braden's first venture Flare - How Voiceflow started as a children's story bedtime app on Alexa called Fable - Pivot to Voiceflow - Building a Platform: Community an...

Renée Touzin is the President and CEO of GIRO . GIRO Inc. is a leading maker of optimization software for the public transport and postal industries. Launched in 1979 as an offshoot from a university project in operations research, the company now employs more than 600+ skilled and expert staff. Its specialized software solutions enjoy a worldwide reputation. Takeaways - The Founding Story of Giro...

Josh Domingues is the Founder & Executive Chairman of Flashfood . Flashfood is on a mission to feed families, not landfills. Their app connects shoppers with fresh produce, meat and other groceries at up to 50% off. By partnering with retailers across North America, they offer nutritious staples at affordable prices and reduce the amount of food going to landfills. Takeaways - Josh's Conne...

Michael Buhr is the Executive Director of the C100 . Michael is a seasoned technology executive with over 30 years of experience in Silicon Valley and is the Executive Director of C100, a 350+ member association of Canadian tech veterans, many with Silicon Valley roots, dedicated to helping Canadian entrepreneurs build and scale globally impactful companies. C100's programs - for early- and gr...

Meti Basiri is the Co-Founder and CEO of ApplyBoard . ApplyBoard's mission is to empower students worldwide to unlock opportunities for the best education. With their innovative platform and expert team, they simplify the journey—from exploration and application to enrollment—helping thousands of students achieve their dreams of studying abroad. Takeaways - ApplyBoard's First Round of Inve...