Upwardli’s Post

“We think the future of our industry is making products that work together so the value of doing something with Wealthsimple gets better as you trust us with more business.” Hear more on this week’s episode of The Startup CEO Show ft. our CEO and co-founder, Michael Katchen.

About 10 years ago, Paul Bien, Anna Sheu and I reached out to Michael Katchen to ask him about disruptive innovation for a Deloitte report we were writing (URL below: The Age of Disruption). Even back in 2014, he was sounding the alarm over Canada’s productivity challenges and referenced the book he talks about at the end of the podcast below, Why Mexicans Don’t Drink Molson. In short, we as Canadians need more entrepreneurs and business leaders that strive for Gold as global leaders in our industries. More entrepreneurship means more high growth businesses means more GDP and a higher economic standard of living for all Canadians. It’s a bit of a full circle moment now for me at Purpose Unlimited where with Advisor Solutions by Purpose and Driven were actively creating more successful and growth-oriented entrepreneurs in wealth management and SMB industries. I hope Mike’s message and Deloitte’s long standing views on Canada’s lagging productivity continue to be a primary focus for Canadians. If you’re an investment advisor looking to be a part of the solution and become you’re own entrepreneur and CEO as a true independent, that’s exactly what I and the industry-leading team of entrepreneurs at Purpose can help you with. Deloitte’s The Age of Disruption report: https://lnkd.in/gx-G79Tw Why Mexicans Don’t Drink Molson by Andrea Mandel-Campbell: https://lnkd.in/gMmeG6eu

The co-founder of Cohere went from idea to a $5.5B valuation in 5 years. He’s living every founder's dream—but, as he told me, it doesn’t feel that way: “Emotionally… it's really stressful. It's gonna be really stressful. And regardless of what's actually going on, the emotional valence will be the same.” “Every challenge you're facing is the hardest challenge you've faced so far." "When we were a six person company, the stakes felt just as high as now— as a several hundred person company, customers all over the world, offices everywhere.” I remember when I was a founder, I'd wake up with my heart pounding out of my chest. Are we going to lose a customer? Are we going to find more funding? Are we going to survive? I often felt like if we could just raise more money, higher another exec, fix our latest product issue— then my problems would go away. Maybe things would get easier. Turns out even $1B in funding, a world-leading AI model, and all the execs you want don’t make things easier. I asked Nick what advice he’d give himself if he could go back in time: "You gotta chill out, you gotta figure out how to handle it, figure out how to let the stress evaporate sometimes. Figure out how to connect, be in the moment … and not be thinking about it constantly.” “Because it won't get easier.” Funny enough he also added: “It's advice that I know if somebody told me in the first year, I would've ignored.” The reality is startups aren’t just hard; they’re emotionally taxing. Just know even the rocket ships feel like roller coasters from the inside. You’re often one employee, one customer or one investor away from success— and failure. It’s what you sign up for. And the more hype you build, the bigger the unicorn you chase, the more this is amplified. /// Listen to the full episode with Nick Frosst from Cohere on The Product Market Fit Show #startups #venturecapital #founders

Transitioning away from founder-led sales is difficult. I know that firsthand. My Co-Founder Finbar Dalton recently sat down with Stephen Pendrell for our #TalentAgnostic podcast to discuss how early stage startups can build their first sales teams. He has a background working in sales leadership positions at both larger organisations like eBay and GWI, as well as high growth tech companies, including early stage startups like Adbrain and Cint. Here's a clip discussing the importance of consistency of habit and discipline when it comes to sales. Full version in the comments below. #CRO #founderledsales #salesconsistency

Navigating the fast-paced world of startups requires a masterful elevator pitch, and crafting one is an art form itself. 🎨✨ In my latest video, I delve into the nuances of creating a pitch that not only captures attention but also opens doors to meaningful conversations. Discover the balance between being informative and engaging, without sounding like you're reciting an overcooked tagline (no, we're not the "Uber for avocados"). 🥑 For all the founders out there looking to elevate their pitch game, check out our latest episode, link in the comments! #StartupAdvice #ElevatorPitch #Founders #InvestorPitch #StartupStrategy

Navigating the fast-paced world of startups requires a masterful elevator pitch, and crafting one is an art form itself. 🎨✨ In my latest video, I delve into the nuances of creating a pitch that not only captures attention but also opens doors to meaningful conversations. Discover the balance between being informative and engaging, without sounding like you're reciting an overcooked tagline (no, we're not the "Uber for avocados"). 🥑 For all the founders out there looking to elevate their pitch game, check out our latest episode, link in the comments! #StartupAdvice #ElevatorPitch #Founders #InvestorPitch #StartupStrategy

🎙 Navigating the generative AI boom as a startup founder? Whether you're bootstrapping, a solopreneur, or assembling your founding team, insights from industry leaders can be game-changing. You won’t want to miss my recent episode with Mariane Bekker, CEO at Women Founders Bay. She shared a wealth of information, advice, and wisdom for startup founders. Some highlights: 💡 The B2B industry is one of the most promising areas for investments. 💡 Build a thriving startup culture, stay on top of fast-paced innovation, and most importantly, “MOVE FAST, FAIL FAST.” 💡 Qualities, technical skills, adaptability, and perseverance are what investors look for in founders and their founding teams. 💡 Advice for bootstrapping founders: Calculate your runway, and in Mariane’s words, “Let’s say you have an idea; instead of spending three to six months building that idea and then releasing it, figure out a way to build your MVP in six weeks.” There’s more… check out the link in the comments to dive into the full episode. Let me know what you think in the comments.

We’ve hit a major milestone. 🎉 Today marks the 100th episode of #StartupSuccess! We are beyond thrilled and deeply grateful to our incredible listeners and guests. 💙 To celebrate, we have two exceptional guests in studio: Peter Reinhardt, CEO and co-founder of Charm Industrial (and the former co-founder/CEO of Segment), and Jeff Burkland, CEO and founder of Burkland. Peter and Jeff take us behind the scenes of Segment, the hugely successful startup that was acquired by Twilio for $3.2 billion in 2020. They recount their time working together at Segment, where Jeff came on board early as the fractional CFO. Jeff and Peter candidly discuss: ▶️ How Peter overcame the early stage challenges that almost ended Segment ▶️ The struggle to find product-market fit ▶️ Jeff’s take on what makes a great fundraising pitch (and why Peter is a natural) ▶️ The pricing model that was a game-changer for Segment Finally, Peter touches on his latest venture Charm Industrial, a carbon removal technology startup that raised $100 million last year and has a long list of renowned US companies as customers. 💥 🎧 Tune in for practical advice, insightful stories, and real-world lessons learned from their startup experiences. Whether you're in the early stages of your startup or looking to scale, this episode is packed with valuable takeaways! #StartupGrowth #FractionalCFO #ProductMarketFit #StartupAdvice

Owners: The operational decisions you make during good times can make or break your business during the bad times. In our latest episode, Brian Lyman, COO, of MOVES shares the secret to building confidence early on in your startup. Listen here: https://hubs.ly/Q02lhwLZ0

Hey everyone! I’m excited to announce a brand new episode of Startup Equity Matters! 🎙 I had a great interview with Adam S., founder of levy. What a way to start the week! ✨ Adam discussed being efficient with your equity and the importance of outsourcing operations for startup success. Here are things you don’t want to miss from our conversation: • Adam emphasized the importance of being efficient with your startup and funding to raise less rounds and achieve better valuations. By outsourcing operations, founders can focus more on product development, go-to-market strategies, and other things that ultimately create more value from their equity. • He also shared insights on implementing multi-grant vesting schedules for co-founders and senior hires to align equity distribution with the company's growth stage, reducing short-term risks and ensuring long-term success. You can listen to the full episode with Adam Spector on Startup Equity Matters to learn more about equity management and entrepreneurship on your favorite streaming platform! 🎧 Full episode link is in the comment section. #Equity #Outsourcing #vesting #valuations Cake Equity levy Callum Davidson Adam S.