Innisfil Accelerates: Recent Episodes
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A podcast about the people and technology that are transforming one Ontario town. Innisfil is a town that is constantly pushing the boundaries. From using Uber as public transit to partnering with the world's top start-up accelerator. Hear the stories of the innovators building the future. The entrepreneurs working with the DMZ Innisfil program. These are the disrupters looking to change the gig economy, local food production, AI and self-driving cars.
Peter Barbosa is Co-Founder and CEO of Opsware Data, a no-code data privacy technology platform built for modern enterprises. They're on a mission to help organizations simplify their compliance journey.
Their team invests heavily on regulatory insights and research to help you remain compliant with modern data privacy laws such as GDPR and CCPA/CPRA. Say goodbye to inefficient and error-prone manual workflows and be worry-free with a privacy tech platform that lets you take-charge and stay ahead of your data privacy program.
Michael Badham is currently the president and managing director of the Georgian Angel Network.
Bringing 40 years of experience in large and small advisory partnerships, helping client businesses with their financings, M&A, business growth strategies and designing appropriate finance strategies in Canada and internationally.
Currently, acting as the Executive Director of the International Institute of Business Valuers (a global not-for-profit organization supporting international business valuation education courses and initiatives) and the Managing Director of the Georgian Angel Network (a group of angel investors supporting entrepreneurs commercializing their innovations).
Working with exceptional people to produce top and bottom-line growth:
- Georgian Angel Network - leading a group of angel investors invest in startups to help founder commercialize their innovations;
- International Institute of Business Valuers - providing business and intangible asset valuation education courses globally;
- Dynasty Ventures Ltd - strategic financial advisor and CFO / treasurer helping to build a strong brand in the botanicals and cannabis space - pot and plants;
- Piller Segan - strategic financial advisor to television production company;
- Dunedin Energy Systems - corporate finance advisory, secretary and treasury advisory for energy solutions for northern communities;
- Strategic and financial advisor to start-ups and businesses in high-growth situations.
Anthony and Sadie officially opened Gilford Local Eatery in July 2021. They have worked in the restaurant industry for 10+ years and always wanted to have one of their own. They felt their small hometown needed a place for the community to gather and enjoy themselves. The location used to be a restaurant 15+ years ago and Sadie actually remembers getting ice cream there as a little girl. It was sitting vacant and used as a storage shed for many years. Renovations were all completed with the help of family and friends and is now fully open and operating as a family business.
Gilford Local Eatery offers simple, homemade comfort food made from fresh and local ingredients. They have live music on weekends and the best outdoor dining vibe around. Make sure to check them out!
On this episode of The Innisfil Accelerates Podcast we talk with Hannah Conroy, an Economic Development Officer from Simcoe County. Hannah covers many topics for local businesses like the importance of job fairs, the outlook on growth for Simcoe County, what that means for Innisfil, and more!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/InnisfilEcDev
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innisfilecdev/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/innisfilaccelerates/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/innisfil-accelerates Podcast Info:
Apple: https://apple.co/3qOZBlj
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2P9BDU1 Google: https://bit.ly/3aMSGn7
On this episode of The Innisfil Accelerates Podcast we talk with Sergio Navaretta. Sergio is an internationally recognized award-winning director who is fiercely passionate about bringing meaningful content to the screen. He draws inspiration from Italian cinema, and considers his work an exploration of the human condition.
Sergio has called Innisfil home for the last 20 years, and we talk with him about his career, the importance of art, what towns like Innisfil can do to boost film productions, and where he Innisfil is headed to in the future.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/InnisfilEcDev
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innisfilecdev/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/innisfilaccelerates/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/innisfil-accelerates Podcast Info:
Apple: https://apple.co/3qOZBlj
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2P9BDU1 Google: https://bit.ly/3aMSGn7
Show notes:
https://innisfilaccelerates.ca/the-state-of-small-business-in-a-post-covid-world/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/InnisfilEcDev
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innisfilecdev/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/innisfilaccelerates/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/innisfil-accelerates Podcast Info:
Apple: https://apple.co/3qOZBlj
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2P9BDU1 Google: https://bit.ly/3aMSGn7
Between March and April 2020 the economy contracted by more than 18%. And that's a problem for all Canadians.
The Federal Government recognized that problem and deployed billions of dollars in various supports. To get a better idea of how those supports worked I reached out to Martin Kuzma. Martin is the CEO of Nottawasaga Futures, a non-profit that helps connect small and medium sized businesses with loans, training and other supports.
Show notes:
https://innisfilaccelerates.ca/successful-tech-business-ideas-for-women/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/InnisfilEcDev
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innisfilecdev/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/innisfilaccelerates/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/innisfil-accelerates Podcast Info:
Apple: https://apple.co/3qOZBlj
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2P9BDU1 Google: https://bit.ly/3aMSGn7Sara Bentham is the Director of the Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre at Georgian College. The Centre is a cornerstone of the local start-up community. And Sara is doubling down on efforts to empower local entrepreneurs with projects like the Xccelerate and XccelerateHER Conferences
Show notes:
https://innisfilaccelerates.ca/this-healthcare-app-aided-in-the-fight-against-covid/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/InnisfilEcDev
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innisfilecdev/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/innisfilaccelerates/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/innisfil-accelerates Podcast Info:
Apple: https://apple.co/3qOZBlj
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2P9BDU1 Google: https://bit.ly/3aMSGn7
Paul is the CEO of GoEasyCare, one of the companies working with Innisfil DMZ. For the last several years Paul and his team have been designing a software solution for health workers. One that lets them easily select the shifts they want to work when they want to work. The Go Easy Care app had already been deployed at several long term care facilities in Ontario. But when the pandemic hit the demand for the product became overwhelming.
Show notes:
https://innisfilaccelerates.ca/a-post-covid-business-mindset-your-business-needs/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/InnisfilEcDev
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innisfilecdev/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/innisfilaccelerates/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/innisfil-accelerates Podcast Info:
Apple: https://apple.co/3qOZBlj
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2P9BDU1 Google: https://bit.ly/3aMSGn7Chris Adams has been successfully creating and managing companies for over two decades now. And recently he has started to reach back to help the next generation of entrepreneurs. And at a time when small businesses are struggling as never before that help is in high demand.
Show notes:
https://innisfilaccelerates.ca/this-is-why-your-small-business-needs-a-mentor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/InnisfilEcDev
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innisfilecdev/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/innisfilaccelerates/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/innisfil-accelerates Podcast Info:
Apple: https://apple.co/3qOZBlj
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2P9BDU1 Google: https://bit.ly/3aMSGn7Joy Adams, the founder and CEO of Covenant Wealth, with whom we had a chance to sit down and talk about the changing situation. The director of South Simcoe Community Startup is all about mentorship. It's the one thing that every business needs to give themselves the best chance to succeed.
Managing resources like water, power and sanitation can be far more efficient if you know exactly when to deliver those services when people need them. But redesigning the city for the information age isn’t going to be easy. Suresh Parmachand has been thinking a lot about that vision. He previously worked with the Canadian Standards Association to develop smart technology rules and regulations for Canadian industry. Now as the VP of marketing for Trend Hunter he helps brands to prepare for the next phase of the digital economy.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/InnisfilEcDev
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innisfilecdev/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/innisfilaccelerates/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/innisfil-accelerates Podcast Info:
Apple: https://apple.co/3qOZBlj
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2P9BDU1 Google: https://bit.ly/3aMSGn7
Show notes: https://innisfilaccelerates.ca/how-to-power-the-smart-city-with-sustainable-energy/
Almost every plan for a smart city features a similar claim. That the city of the future will be powered by clean, sustainable energy. A global technology race is underway to figure out how to do that. To get some clarity about that system might actually function in the real world we reached out to Ryan Franks.
Ryan is an engineer that has worked with businesses and municipalities to design and implement green energy projects.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/InnisfilEcDev
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innisfilecdev/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/innisfilaccelerates/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/innisfil-accelerates Podcast Info:
Apple: https://apple.co/3qOZBlj
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2P9BDU1 Google: https://bit.ly/3aMSGn7
Show notes: https://innisfilaccelerates.ca/a-different-kind-of-smart-city/
Are such enormous projects only going to be possible for autocratic governments or freewheeling billionaires? Those questions are ones that Noah Redler wrestles with on a daily basis. The founder of the Smart City Experience Noah works with Municipalities, community organisations and businesses to envision a different kind of smart city. One that is far more responsive to and designed for regular people.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/InnisfilEcDev
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innisfilecdev/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/innisfilaccelerates/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/innisfil-accelerates Podcast Info:
Apple: https://apple.co/3qOZBlj
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2P9BDU1 Google: https://bit.ly/3aMSGn7
The term Smart City is everywhere these days. But very few people know what that means. That question can be a tricky to answer. That’s because there are so many potential answers. One of the people thinking about those answers is Francois Bedard. He works with companies and governments to develop a roadmap to the future city.
Show notes: https://innisfilaccelerates.ca/imagining-smart-city-solutions/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/InnisfilEcDev
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innisfilecdev/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/innisfilaccelerates/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/innisfil-accelerates Podcast Info:
Apple: https://apple.co/3qOZBlj
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2P9BDU1 Google: https://bit.ly/3aMSGn7
Jon Gilham and Andrew Rains call their company Fractal SAAS and it’s based around a simple observation. That there are easy fixes technology offers for a huge number of annoying problems that most organizations just don’t bother to fix. Even though those problems are costing money and wasting time.
Show notes:
https://innisfilaccelerates.ca/technology-can-improve-business-efficiency
Twitter: https://twitter.com/InnisfilEcDev
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innisfilecdev/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/innisfilaccelerates/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/innisfil-accelerates Podcast Info:
Apple: https://apple.co/3qOZBlj
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2P9BDU1 Google: https://bit.ly/3aMSGn7
Municipalities haven’t done a great job of keeping up with how people communicate these days. That got Tristan Tsvetanov and Roy Katznelson thinking. The result was Communicaty - a company with big plans for the future.
Show notes:
https://innisfilaccelerates.ca/this-govtech-app-revolutionized-one-towns-pandemic-news-alerts/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/InnisfilEcDev
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innisfilecdev/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/innisfilaccelerates/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/innisfil-accelerates Podcast Info:
Apple: https://apple.co/3qOZBlj
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2P9BDU1 Google: https://bit.ly/3aMSGn7
Marcia Woods is the founder of FreshSpoke. FreshSpoke connects local producers to the distribution channels previously only accessible to huge food companies.
Show notes:
https://bit.ly/2ZJtG9Y
Twitter: https://twitter.com/InnisfilEcDev
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innisfilecdev/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/innisfilaccelerates/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/innisfil-accelerates Podcast Info:
Apple: https://apple.co/3qOZBlj
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2P9BDU1 Google: https://bit.ly/3aMSGn7
Show notes: https://innisfilaccelerates.ca/how-a-gig-work-app-revolutionized-hospitality-staffing/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/InnisfilEcDev
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innisfilecdev/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/innisfilaccelerates/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/innisfil-acceleratesBusinesses are created to solve problems. For Michael Agema the problem was hospitality staffing. Event companies are constantly struggling to find enough hospitality staff for all their events. Michael thought that technology might offer a solution. And Agema Work was born.
Show notes:https://innisfilaccelerates.ca/how-a-used-car-salesman-became-a-tech-ceo/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/InnisfilEcDev
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innisfilecdev/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/innisfilaccelerates/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/innisfil-acceleratesGreat entrepreneurs know what a great product looks like because they understand what consumers want John Ulman is an entrepreneur who perfectly illustrates that point.
Show notes: https://bit.ly/2MjaxZe
Twitter: https://twitter.com/InnisfilEcDev
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innisfilecdev/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/innisfilaccelerates/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/innisfil-accelerates
Fresh Find is a local Amazon alternative that allows local people to buy local products easily. It’s a simple idea with powerful possibilities.
Is it possible to build a local Amazon alternative? When the COVID crisis paralyzed global markets in early 2020, farmers found themselves with few options. Business from restaurants and caterers came to a sudden halt. Suddenly, the people working in the industry needed better access to local customers.
Like each participant in last April’s DMZ Hackathon, Mike Mastrella and James Jun went into the competition with a passion for solving problems like this. With a focus on building solutions with social impact, #HackTheCurve encouraged participants to think outside the box. One of the core challenges was creating a viable software solution that would allow the area’s farmers to deliver their goods online.
FreshFind sprouted from this challenge. The concept behind the service is a simple one. They wanted to create a local Amazon alternative. A shopping experience that would connect local farmers with local customer. Online outlets from AliBaba to Wish had changed consumer purchasing habits before the pandemic. FreshFind fed on that momentum.
Technology is dramatically changing the way we work. One-third of Canadians have worked in the so-called gig economy. These informal, usually one-off jobs, are providing much needed income. But are also leaving workers a lot more vulnerable. That’s because of limited access to things like insurance and benefits.
These seismic changes are reshaping the way we live and work. But we are still underestimating the sheer scale of transformation still to come. Daniel Copeland and Darren Perlman, co-founders of the SPOT staffing app, are trying to change that.
A small rural Canadian town 45 minutes north of Toronto is challenging the status quo.
From using Uber as public transit to partnering with the world's top-ranked University based accelerator, Innisfil is a town that is constantly pushing its boundaries.
Listen to the Innisfil Accelerates Podcast with weekly episodes featuring interviews of entrepreneurs in the DMZ Innisfil program, leaders in remote work, other leaders in the world of startups, innovating municipal governments and the future of work.
Make sure to follow us online at @Innisfilecdev on Twitter and Instagram as well as visit www.innisfilaccelerates.ca for more details about the podcast.
Coming September 30th, 2020.