End of an Era...

(In case you don't make it to the end of this article, I'll be announcing what comes next on December 15).

It feels like just yesterday when my co-founder Benoit and I took the Alongside plunge in late 2013 (known as Qimple at the time). I remember back then not knowing exactly what it was we were trying to build, but knowing that there had to be better HR products for companies like ours - so we made it our mission to be part of the solution. 

I haven’t had much time to reminisce, but I did want to share some of my favourite moments and accomplishments over the last 8 years, as well as thank some of the many people who helped us along the way. So here goes:

Landing our first (paying) customers!

After about a year of working on the initial build, we finally gave access to customers who had paid to be on our early access list. I don't know that we'll ever replicate the feeling of our first customers telling us how much they loved the product we built, however, I still remember that feeling as if it happened yesterday.

Getting accepted into Launch36 (now just known as Propel).

Launch36 was THE startup accelerator on the Canadian East Coast that most startups wanted to be part of, it was also the best chance of getting an investment from BDC. After getting universally declined the first time we applied, we re-worked our approach, applied again for the next cohort, and we were one of 6 companies selected in their Spring 2014 batch.

Closing our $500K Pre-Seed round.

Having never raised money before, I was equally excited and nervous at the concept, but with the momentum of Launch 36 and support from BDC (and some luck), we ended up closing our pre-seed round just as we were…

… the first Atlantic Canadian company accepted into 500 Startups (now 500 Global).

At that point in the journey, being accepted into 500 was the biggest catalyst that could have happened for our company. I was incredibly proud to be part of a group of 35 companies from all over the world filled with some of the most passionate founders I've ever met. It also gave us the opportunity to spend 6 months in San Francisco and connect with insanely talented people, learn new growth tactics and business best practices. It was also very cool to inspire other startups (like Swept) to follow in our footsteps.

Closing our $1M Seed round.

I thought the credentials of being a 500-company would simplify the process of raising funds — I was wrong. Raising our Seed round took nearly a year, and it was absolutely gruelling, and knowing what I know now I would have done just about everything differently. Closing this round was bittersweet as it was originally set to close on the day my father-in-law passed away. He always loved hearing and talking about the business and I know he would have been insanely proud of the accomplishment and excited to read about it in the local paper. 

Amplify Conferences

When we came back from Silicon Valley, everyone wanted to know what we had learned while we were there. So instead of trying to explain it, we decided to bring Silicon Valley to the Canadian East Coast for a few days. Our first event was headlined by Sean Ellis and was a huge success, and we followed that with an equally successful event with Steli Efti.

Rebranding to Alongside.

Let's just say Qimple was phonetically challenging... Rebranding to Alongside made it easier to scale our offering and communicate our brand’s values. I personally think we were just ahead of the times.

Closing a multi-million dollar white-label deal. 

Not as exciting, but an achievement that I am proud of nonetheless. The fact that we stood toe-to-toe with some of the best negotiators in the world and were able to close a very complex deal with them made me realize we could negotiate with just about anyone.

Impromptu Q&A with Raine Maida of Our Lady Peace.  

I met Raine when Dan Martell invited me to for a founder coffee. I was impressed by how “in-the-know” he was in terms of tech trends (OLP is actually one of the most active bands leveraging NFTS to reach a new audience). A few months later he was back in town while on tour, so I texted him to see if he wanted to do a Q&A related to the parallels of running his Record Mob startup and leading a band. He gracefully spent the afternoon hanging out (he also beat me at ping pong). 

2019 & Achieving $1M in annual revenue

Mental health-wise, 2019 was an insanely difficult year for reasons I won’t get into, but oddly enough it was also our best year financially. Hitting $1M in annual revenue was symbolic only because of how much we had to overcome that year to simply make it to December 31. It took some time, but I can look back at it with a different perspective and appreciate the struggles for how much it allowed me to grow.

The People

The people I’ve met along the way, whether they are peers, colleagues, mentors, investors, etc. I sometimes shake my head in disbelief at the caliber of people that I can simply reach out to for help or advice. These are individuals I never would have had the chance to meet had I not gone on this journey. It’s a luxury that I don’t take for granted. 

The Lives We’ve Impacted

I don’t have the numbers on hand, but they are in the tens of thousands. The fact that we built products that allow people to land life-changing career opportunities and tools that employers use on a daily basis to facilitate their hiring decisions is incredible. It's one of the things that I remind myself of on days where self-doubt creeps in.

Odin's First Day at the Office!

I just wanted an excuse to post a picture of Odin. I love that guy!

Thank You!

I do want to take a moment to thank a few people:

I want to send a special shoutout to my team, starting with the best possible co-founder I could have ever had in Benoit. Mike and Jay, who in 2021 elevated their game to a whole new level, inspired me with their resolve and commitment which allowed us to navigate these crazy waters. To the longterm Alongside crew: Aaron (employee #1!), Nora, Kate, Emily, Skylar, Greg, Jean-Luc, Paul, Vero, Trenton, James, Alex, thank you for giving it your all every single day. I am proud of how far you’ve all come since our heyday and I am rooting for all of you in your next career adventures. 

Charles Ayles and Jeff Ferguson, for seeing the bigger picture and supporting us when our product was just an idea on paper. 

Toon Nagtegaal and David Crow, for seeing something in us as founders when many others did not and helped us become better storytellers. 

Trevor MacAusland, for believing in us when no one else did. 

Patrick Hankinson, for being our first-ever confirmed investor and opening the door to close our first round.  

Dan Martell, for making us realize we were not moving fast enough and for the honour of losing $1,000 to you in the “Martell Bet.” 

John Philip Green, for taking a leap of faith on me and putting your reputation on the line when recommending us for 500 Startups.

Ben Yoskovitz, for making yourself available during our darkest days even when you had a thousand things on your plate. 

Ray Fitzpatrick, Gerry Pond, and Bob Justason: Without you, we would not have made it this far and I’m probably not writing this post today -  I am eternally grateful! 

ACOA, NRC-IRAP, ONB, We are lucky to have your continued support.

Entrevestor, Betakit, Huddle.Today for the consistent coverage over the years. 

To my parents, who have equipped me with all of the necessary traits and qualities to face life’s most unpredictable ebbs and flows and to my wife Lisa, who has continued to believe and support me on this journey - I love you.

To anyone I might have missed, you know who you are - thank you!

Now... stay tuned for an announcement on what comes next for us on December 15!