A START-UP IS BORN: THE STORY OF HELPFUL

THE NEWS IS BOTH DISCOURAGING AND ENCOURAGING for today’s would-be entrepreneurs. First the bad news: Nine out of 10 start-ups fail. But, on the really bright side, as technology continues to evolve, virtually everything is open to better ways of doing things. As a result, PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel advises would-be entrepreneurs to ask a simple but powerful question: What valuable company is nobody building?

Of course, answering that question requires a lot of hard work. Just ask Daniel Debow (Rotman JD/MBA ’00).

Back in 2007, Debow was at the office sorting through his mail when he saw an invitation to yet another high-tech conference. Instead of tossing it in his circular file, he took the time to read the details: MESH (‘Canada’s Web Conference’) was to be held in Toronto, and it was aimed at people who wanted to connect with others who ‘are as excited about the potential of digital technology as you are’.

As one of the founding executives of Workbrain — the workforce-management software company that had just been sold for $227 million to U.S.-based Infor Global Solutions — Debow certainly fit the profile. At the time, he was eager to meet top local talent to work with him on his next venture — so he signed up.

What he couldn’t have known in advance was that he would meet his future business partner at that conference.

Debow’s own appetite for entrepreneurship had been, gave him an opportunity to work with him on Workbrain, which he founded. Debow and fellow classmate (Rotman MBA ’00) wrote the initial business plan for Workbrain while they were still students.