The Unlikely Innovators

On this week's episode, Mike and Steve welcomed Sheri Tingey, founder and lead designer for Alpacka Raft . Sheri talked about how she got her start in the outdoor industry by making custom ski clothing. After changing the fashion of ski wear, Sheri went from the slopes to the water, making garments for rafting and then eventually designing and building her own boats. And, with ski season arou...

On this week’s episode, Mike and Steve chatted with Peter Cowan, CEO of Intellectual Property Ontario (IPON). Peter talked about his unlikely journey from mechanical engineering to intellectual property, the state of commercialization and IP development in Ontario, and how IPON will work with the province’s post-secondary institutions to help commercialize IP.

On this week’s episode, Mike and Steve welcomed Raed Kadri, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Business Development and Head of the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN). Raed talked about growing up in an automotive family, the automotive and mobility sector in Ontario, and the work being done by OVIN and the government of Ontario to cement the province’s leadership in the future of the...

On this week’s episode, Mike and Steve welcomed Kate Withers Hess, Co-founder and Director of Partnerships at Functionland . Kate talked about her journey from studying plant physiology to working with technology companies and founding her own tech start-up. She also gave the guys an introduction to decentralized computing and storage and even taught them some Web3 terms. 

On this week’s episode, Mike and Steve welcomed Ashley Kirwan, President and CEO of Orix Geoscience . Ashley talked about her journey into geology, co-founding a company, her approach to selecting clients, and how Orix continues to place a premium on developing a positive workplace culture.

On this week’s episode, Mike and Steve chatted with Gordon McCauley, President and CEO of adMare BioInnovations . Gordon talked about his journey from studying political science to working in life science, the current state of the biotech and bioinnovation in Canada, and if our country has what it takes to be a global leader in life sciences.

On this week’s episode, Mike and Steve chatted with Stewart Reynolds, but you might know him better as Brittlestar . Stewart talked about his early career, his meteoric rise on social media, the keys to making a viral video, and his creative process for creating online content. Stewart, who is also known as the Internet’s favourite dad, even shared some parenting advice.

On this week’s episode, Mike and Steve welcomed Dr. Emily Zarka , ASU’s official “monster expert” and host of "Monstrum" on PBS’s Storied channel on YouTube. Emily talked about the underlying importance of monster tales, some of her favourite monsters, and what Halloween costume she is most afraid.

On this week’s episode, Mike and Steve welcomed Tom Pederson, former NHL player and owner of Green Biscuit . Tom talked about his NHL career, life after hockey, and founding and scaling a business. Tom also talked about the time Wayne Gretzky wanted to kill him.

On this week’s episode, Mike and Steve welcomed Cate Murray, President and CEO of Stem Cell Network. Cate talked about her career path, the state of regenerative medicine research in Canada, and how she uses her science communication background to combat misinformation about stem cell and regenerative medicine.

On this week's episode, Mike and Steve welcomed Medha Parlikar, co-founder and CTO of CasperLabs. After talking about her journey from studying biology to creating and delivering software products, Medha explained blockchain and NFTs to the guys. Medha also talked about the applicability of blockchain to other sectors such as natural resources, her martial arts background, and what the future hold...

On this week’s episode, Mike and Steve welcomed Dave Salmoni, famed animal trainer, entertainer, and television producer. Dave talked about his journey from studying zoology to being in front of the camera, surviving animal attacks, navigating the late night TV circuit, and pursuing your passion.

On this week's episode, Mike and Steve welcomed Manjit Minhas, co-founder and co-owner of the Minhas Brewery, Distillery, and Winery. Manjit talked about how she got into the brewing and distilling world from engineering, her journey onto CBC's Dragon's Den , and the key to a successful pitch. 

On this week’s episode, Mike and Steve welcomed Christyn Cianfarani, President and CEO of the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI). Christyn talked about her career path, how CADSI and its annual event, CANSEC, has evolved under her watch, and how she continues to blaze a trail for women in the sector.

The second season of The Unlikely Innovators starts now! On this episode, Mike and Steve welcomed Ashley Larose, CEO of Science North , Northern Ontario's original science centre. Ashley talked about visiting Science North as a kid, how she got her start in the organization as a "Bluecoat," and what the future holds for the popular science centre. After reminiscing about some of their favourite ex...

On this week’s episode, hosts Mike and Steve welcomed Emily Calandrelli, host and co-executive producer of the hit Netflix show Emily’s Wonder Lab. Emily spoke about the importance of science communication, transitioning to TV work, Emily’s Wonder Lab, working with Bill Nye, and her forthcoming science experiment book. Emily also talked about the prospect of space mining and the work she is curren...

On this week’s episode, Mike and Steve welcomed Eric Blondeel, co-founder and CEO of Samos Insurance, a new digital insurance product, backed by Berkley Insurance, that offers protection for accidental death during planned surgical procedures. Eric talked about how the company came to be, transitioning from the lab to the boardroom, and the state of the insurtech startup landscape in Canada.

On this week’s episode, Mike and Steve welcomed Gurdeep Pandher, who is known for spreading joy with his Bhangra dance videos from the Yukon. Gurdeep talked about growing up in a Punjab farming village, the origins of Bhangra dancing, how he sees his videos as more of a social service than entertainment, and how he overcomes technological challenges to connect with the world from his off-grid cabi...

On this week’s episode, Mike and Steve welcomed Dr. Monique Golden, Technical Lead for XPRIZE’s Rapid Reskilling Prize , a 30-month competition that aims to rapidly train 25,000 American workers to learn new skills via novel training solutions to obtain living wage jobs in growing industries. Monique talked about the ambitious goals of that competition and how XPRIZE uses large-scale global incent...

On this week’s episode, which officially marks the one-year anniversary of The Unlikely Innovators, Mike and Steve welcomed Danielle Brewin Graham, co-founder of The Firehood and Managing Partner of Phoenix Fire, an angel fund focused on investing in women entrepreneurs. Danielle talked about her journey from studying history to working in venture capital, creating the Fierce Founders program - th...

On this week’s episode, Mike and Steve welcomed Kyle Haapala, Lead Product Designer at Boston-based startup Spoiler Alert, which works to reduce waste by helping food and CPG companies sell excess and short-dated inventory. Kyle talked about graphic design, remote work, his role at Spoiler Alert, and founding Charged, a Sudbury-based not for profit that brings in expert speakers to connect technol...

On this week's episode, Mike and Steve welcomed Flavio Volpe, President of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association (APMA) , Canada’s national association representing OEM producers of parts, equipment, tools, technology and services for the worldwide automotive industry. Flavio talked about his career path from working in government to now leading the APMA. Flavio also talked about the oppo...

On this week’s episode, Mike and Steve welcomed Captain Dale Dye. Following a distinguished military career, which included 31 combat operations in Vietnam, Captain Dye founded Warriors Inc. with the goal of helping Hollywood make war movies more realistic and improve screen portrayals of military men and women. Over the past three decades, Captain Dye has worked on more than 50 movies and TV show...

On this week’s episode, Mike and Steve welcomed Doris Hiam-Galvez, Senior Advisor at Hatch. Doris talked about her career running Hatch Peru and Hatch Europe and how she created new and innovative opportunities around the world. As Chair of the CIM Convention 2022, happening this week in Vancouver, Doris also talked about this year’s conference and some of the things that delegates can expect to t...

On this week’s episode, Mike and Steve welcomed Cutis VanWalleghem, co-founder and CEO of Hydrostor , a long-duration energy storage solution provider. Curtis talked about Hydrostor’s innovative technology and how the company is enabling the energy transition.