Often the startup community attaches itself to buzzwords. We all know them. Growth hacker, lean, gamification, pivot, MVP, viral, ninja, disruptive, etc. I, and you, have been guilty of using them. These terms are not bad by nature and most have real meaning behind them. However, often they start becoming ubiquitous terms that lose their meaning and are sensualized by those using them. I have a new one to add to the list – Hustler. Click to continue »
I have been neglecting this blog way too long and it is time to get back in to it. I had a nice reminder by someone today who mentioned that I haven’t updated it for a while. Having one reader was enough encouragement to put a post together!
This is going to be a short one, but answers the question I probably get asked the most by people, specifically entrepreneurs. What does a VC look for in a startup to make an investment? Click to continue »
This is probably one of the most common phrases you hear from venture capitalists. It has become the de facto phrase from an investor that really isn’t interested in your startup, but wants to let you down easy. I make a conscious effort to avoid taking this backdoor, but I know that I have been guilty of it as well. Click to continue »
There has been a lot of discussion recently on the changing landscape of venture funding and what it is leading to. I thought that it would be worth digging into this a bit and, as most of the discussion and data is from the United States, put a Canadian spin on it as well. Click to continue »
I recently shared an article on Twitter that I picked up from a friend south of the border. I was surprised to receive a bunch of negative feedback from my tweet! The article was about turning tech off on vacation. This hit home as I just returned from traveling for 10 days with my family. I realize that this is not the sort of topic I normally write about here, but it is near to me as it is probably the topic my wife and I *discuss* more than any other in regards to my work. Click to continue »
You may have already heard the news – Canada is getting a new tech accelerator. I am extremely excited to be working with the team behind GrowLab and the amazing group of mentors, investors and supporters who have committed to building something pretty sweet here in Canada. I have had the opportunity to work with Boris (previously my boss!), Debbie, Jason and Leonard in the past and have a tremendous amount of respect them. But, enough about the news, lets talk accelerators. Click to continue »
I had the extreme privilege to head east last week and join up with my iNovia teammates to lend a hand in hosting Accelerate Montreal with the C100. What a phenomenal couple of days! Many C100 members were up from south of the border and the three headliners – Brad Feld, Howard Lindzon and Dave McClure – did not disappoint. Click to continue »
Time and time again I get the privilege of meeting very early-stage entrepreneurs who fall victim to the myth that advisors add significant value to their company. Bull. In fact, I would argue that they devalue your company and here is why.
As my colleague at iNovia, Karam, so adeptly quoted Paul Graham:
“An advisor is just somebody who doesn’t believe in you or your idea enough to invest in it.”
I was deeply moved yesterday when I read Vivek Wadhwa’s post A Better Formula for Economic Growth: Connecting Smart Risk Takers. He directly dispels the theory of clusters, research parks, university tech commercialization programs and every other top-down approach to create innovation and entrepreneurship. I highly recommend you check it out.
I completely agree with this notion and started thinking about what entrepreneurship really is and how to build a striving tech eco-system in a given area. Click to continue »
Welcome! I am a VC at iNovia Capital and enjoy blogging about startups entrepreneurship and life. My primary startup is at home with my wife in the form of 4 young kids. Being Canadian it is not surprising that I love all things hockey.
I recently shared an article on Twitter that I picked up from a friend south of the border. I was surprised to receive a bunch of negative feedback from my 
You may have already heard the news – 