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Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas - the Rainforest podcast showcases those who are contributing to and / or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta. Rainforest Alberta is a world-class community of dreamers and doers, connected by a common goal of making Alberta fertile ground for building, developing, and growing innovative ideas into sustainable ventures. https://rainforestab.ca
Episodes
Tuesday Mar 09, 2021
Tuesday Mar 09, 2021
Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta.The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.
Peter Beaudoin Peter manages strategy and partnerships for an innovative alliance of energy companies committed to reducing environmental impacts through collaborative R&D efforts. Peter worked for more than 20 years in Asia building and investing in a variety of businesses. His most recent role outside of Canada was with the World Wildlife Fund, where he was the Chief Executive Officer of WWF China, based in Beijing. Prior to that, Peter lived in Hong Kong for 15 years working in the technology industry.
Barb Davies Barb is a facilitator, educator and practitioner of social impact. In her role at Mount Royal University with the Institute for Community Prosperity and Trico Changemakers Studio, Barb develops transformational learning experiences that build bridges between campus and community and uses developmental evaluation to foster a vibrant changemaking ecosystem on campus. Barb is a co-founder of Local Investing YYC, an impact investment cooperative that provides capital to Calgary-based businesses generating social and environmental returns. She has also served on the board of Green Calgary and participated on advisory committees with Health Canada on regulatory approaches within the natural health sector. As the previous owner of a leading natural health retailer in Calgary, Barb built bridges in the community growing awareness for local producers and growers and served on the board of the Business Revitalization Zone. Barb uses a values-based approach to advance sustainable solutions that prioritize people and place.
Please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. If you are interested in being either a host, a guest, or a sponsor of the show, please reach out.We are published in Google Podcasts and the iTunes store for Apple Podcasts We would be grateful if you could give us a rating as it helps spread the word about the show.
Show Summary
On this episode, Peter Beaudoin talks with Barb Davies, Board member of Local Investment YYC a Calgary based impact investment cooperative. Local Investing YYC is a for-profit impact investment cooperative. They provide entrepreneurs generating financial, social and environmental returns access to patient capital while offering investors RRSP and TFSA eligible shares, an annual dividend and no management fees. 100% of the capital raised remains in the local economy in Calgary.
Show Quote:
Credits...
This Episode Sponsored By: Community Now! Magazine
Episode Music: Tony Del Degan
Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan
System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - PODMaster 2020
Tuesday Mar 02, 2021
Tuesday Mar 02, 2021
Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta.The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.
Al Del Degan I have been involved in software development for more than 25 years. I have started companies, lead companies and worked for companies - doing many different things. I am honored to be considered a leader in Alberta's innovation ecosystem, and I give back as much, and often as I can. When I am not working or podcasting, you will find me pursuing my passions of photography, crypto investing, and wood working along with the occasional round of golf.
Zachary Novak Zachary is focused on building shared learning experiences that empower others to reach their potential. His approach is focused on continuous discover, shipping often, and testing / iteration. He started his career in investment banking, advising senior management teams on over $30 billion of strategic financial transactions. Zac held increasingly progressive roles at several large multinational banking institutions including BMO Capital Markets, Barclays Capital and Macquarie Capital. Post investment banking, he worked at Tervita, an environmental waste company. During his tenure at Tervita, he executed a $2 billion reverse take-over acquisition taking the company public on the Toronto Stock Exchange. He worked directly with senior management and the board to help negotiate and execute the transaction, including raising a $250 million US bond issuance and communicating the merits of the transaction to the institutional investor community. Through his time in finance, Zac was recognized by his peers for being a team player: focused on mentoring fellow colleagues, organizing social experiences to enable bonding, and a curiosity to find solutions to the people problem’s in the business. Post finance, Zachary followed a passion for technology. He completed a full stack developer training that equipped him to architect and code his own web applications. Combining his experience in technology and business, with his focus on empowering others, Zachary joined Actionable, an organizational behaviour change technology company focused on conversations and habit building. At Actionable he built the product function as the Director of Product. He led product discovery and execution, and acted as the bridge between the user, business and engineering team. Outside of work, Zachary has focused on community building for the charitable sector. Founding Cancer Crusher, a community event series that raises funds for local cancer charities. He and his team have raised over $150,000 for cancer charities, and have been recognized in the Globe and Mail (Canadian national newspaper). He also likes to spend time supporting the local innovation community, with a focus on helping others find career fulfillment by either pivoting or growing their careers in technology. Zachary has earned degrees in both engineering and business, from the University of Western Ontario and Richard Ivey Business School, respectively, graduating with distinction.
Please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. If you are interested in being either a host, a guest, or a sponsor of the show, please reach out.We are published in Google Podcasts and the iTunes store for Apple Podcasts We would be grateful if you could give us a rating as it helps spread the word about the show.
Show Resources
- Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action
- Best marketing strategy ever! Steve Jobs Think different / Crazy ones speech
Show Summary
Zac is a leader in Calgary's innovation ecosystem. He has pivoted his career multiple times, and his goal is to help others do the same. This episode has some of the best information on how to figure out what you want to be when you grow up, and how to pivot. Plenty of great resources in the show notes as well to help people as they figure out their "why"
Show Quote:
"Although you need to figure out your inner "why" and what is going to motivate you and trust the process, you do quite a bit of double-takes. "
"I got this flood of people wanting to connect with me... I did a full day of back-to-back, like a nine hour day of back-to-back meetings giving people advice. "
"Leadership is someone who is trying to make a positive impact by empowering others."
Credits...
This Episode Sponsored By: Community Now! Magazine
Episode Music: Tony Del Degan
Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan
System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - PODMaster 2020
Tuesday Feb 23, 2021
Tuesday Feb 23, 2021
Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta.The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.
Peter Beaudoin Peter manages strategy and partnerships for an innovative alliance of energy companies committed to reducing environmental impacts through collaborative R&D efforts. Peter worked for more than 20 years in Asia building and investing in a variety of businesses. His most recent role outside of Canada was with the World Wildlife Fund, where he was the Chief Executive Officer of WWF China, based in Beijing. Prior to that, Peter lived in Hong Kong for 15 years working in the technology industry.
Craig Elias Craig Elias is LinkedIn user 3,956 of 750 million users, an award-winning entrepreneur, educator, a passionate startup advisor, and a pitch coach that recently helped a startup win two different $100,000 pitch competitions in less than 24 hours. His first startup went from initial launch to winning $1,000,000 in a global billion-dollar pitch idea competition to being funded by a Tier 1 US-based Venture Capitalist and twice being named by Dow Jones as one of the 50 most promising companies in North America in less than 24 months after launching. He is a Startup Mentor for the Alchemist Accelerator in San Francisco on an advisory board for South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas and have been a National Growth Advisor for Goldman Sachs’ and Babson College’s 10,000 Small Business Program in Boston. He is the most recent recipient of the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics bi-annual Gold Award of Excellence in Entrepreneurship and for the last six years, has been the Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Bow Valley College in downtown Calgary where he runs Calgary’s Innovation Rodeo, three different student-focused pitch competitions - VentureQuest, 150Startups and INVENTURE$ Student Track – coaches startups to generate early revenue and gives away over $100,000 each year to help post-secondary students across the province of Alberta become first-time entrepreneurs. If you would like to contact Craig he is available on 403.874.2998
Please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. If you are interested in being either a host, a guest, or a sponsor of the show, please reach out.We are published in Google Podcasts and the iTunes store for Apple Podcasts We would be grateful if you could give us a rating as it helps spread the word about the show.
Show Summary
In this episode we talk with Craig Elias the Entrepreneur in Residence at Bow Valley College and explore some great events available to help budding entrepreneurs including MVP Mondays. (https://www.runtheworld.today/app/c/MVP-Mondays)
Show Quote:
Credits...
This Episode Sponsored By: Community Now! Magazine
Episode Music: Tony Del Degan
Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan
System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - PODMaster 2020
Tuesday Feb 16, 2021
Tuesday Feb 16, 2021
Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta.The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.
Al Del Degan I have been involved in software development for more than 25 years. I have started companies, lead companies and worked for companies - doing many different things. I am honored to be considered a leader in Alberta's innovation ecosystem, and I give back as much, and often as I can. When I am not working or podcasting, you will find me pursuing my passions of photography, crypto investing, and wood working along with the occasional round of golf.
Tony Enerson As a lifelong student and problem solver, I create software. I have always had good success with the technology itself, striving to build right-sized systems that fit the needs of the situation. I recognize the technology is one third of a successful venture, and I leave the other two thirds to people with passion and good business sense. In my current partnership at DuckLabs, I help software product entrepreneurs with no tech teams get started and launched. At EvolveU, I am helping to train a new generation of technical developers and leaders. I am a proponent of agile delivery methods, flat organizational structures, and trying to create situations that get the best out of people.
Please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. If you are interested in being either a host, a guest, or a sponsor of the show, please reach out.We are published in Google Podcasts and the iTunes store for Apple Podcasts We would be grateful if you could give us a rating as it helps spread the word about the show.
Show Summary
Al has a conversation with Tony about his background in Computer Science programming with SCADA systems and other low-level computing experiments and projects. Al asks Tony about his predictions for the next 5 years in terms of software development. They also discuss Tony's role as a Technical Lead at EvolveU and the story behind the origin of Duck Labs, of which Tony is a Co-founder.
Show Quote:
"I'm not an instructor... then I realize wait, but I actually know a lot about this stuff, I have been doing this for a long time."
"For me the ability to really contribute to tech has always come from curiosity."
"As a career technology guy who has survived the transitions, but continues to stay in technology, you need to be in a place where you will go back to I know nothing, and I will reinvent myself with this new technology. I will understand this from zero and go again. The willingness to do that 100% keeps you relevant. "
Credits...
This Episode Sponsored By: Community Now! Magazine
Episode Music: Tony Del Degan
Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan
System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - PODMaster 2020
Tuesday Feb 09, 2021
Tuesday Feb 09, 2021
Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta.The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.
Adam Ludgate Adam is a technical leader who is involved in the startup/tech community and is enticed by new and innovative ways of solving problems with technology. He has worked previously with the likes of IBM Canada, AOL UK, tech startups in London's 'Silicon Roundabout' as well as with a variety of oil & gas software firms in various software development and leadership capacities.
Scott Gravelle Scott Gravelle builds things. As the CEO/CTO of Attabotics Scott is leading a team that's building: The place they've always wanted to work, a culture of innovation, disruptive technology and better future for their staff, their customers, consumers and the planet.
Please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. If you are interested in being either a host, a guest, or a sponsor of the show, please reach out.We are published in Google Podcasts and the iTunes store for Apple Podcasts We would be grateful if you could give us a rating as it helps spread the word about the show.
Show Summary
Scott & Adam discuss the history of Attabotics, how their technology works, growth of the company, tech in Alberta, retaining top talent in Alberta, and government funding.
Show Quote:
"I didn't want to put the company in Nevada. It's hard to justify that to a board of directors of investors...when the tax delta at full capacity was more than a million dollars a year."
"Entrepreneurs take their ideas to where they can get the money... period... full stop"
"If we create a startup technology fund here that's got the backing of global industry and local investors, and the government, I think we have a game-changer that starts attracting, and building on that fly wheel."
Credits...
This Episode Sponsored By: Community Now! Magazine
Episode Music: Tony Del Degan
Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan
System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - PODMaster 2020
Tuesday Feb 02, 2021
Tuesday Feb 02, 2021
Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta.The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.
Al Del Degan I am a proven leader with over twenty-three years of diverse experience designing, delivering, and supporting software and technology projects. I believe in giving back to my community and I enjoy networking and helping to grow Alberta’s innovation ecosystem. Creatively you will find me pursuing my passions of podcasting, photography and wood working along with the occasional round of golf.
Jen Morrison Jen is a passionate educator and life long learner with over a decade of experience as a classroom teacher and school leader. With an extensive background in experiential learning, project based learning, and design thinking, she believes that a curiosity mindset and sense of community is an essential component to transformation and deeper learning. As Simon Sinek says in The Infinite Game, “what good is it having a belly if there's no fire in it? Wake up, drink your passion, light a match and get to work.”
Please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. If you are interested in being either a host, a guest, or a sponsor of the show, please reach out.We are published in Google Podcasts and the iTunes store for Apple Podcasts We would be grateful if you could give us a rating as it helps spread the word about the show.
Show Summary
Jen is one of those people that is clearly passionate about her career. In this episode I chat with Jen about how her path to her current job came about and what is this Project-based Learning thing is all about. Jen talks about her role at EvolveU and how they are changing the way we look at adult education.
Danielle LaPorte - The Desire Map
Show Quote:
Credits...
This Episode Sponsored By: Community Now! Magazine
Episode Music: Tony Del Degan
Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan
System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - PODMaster 2020
Tuesday Jan 26, 2021
Tuesday Jan 26, 2021
Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta.The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.
Al Del Degan I am a proven leader with over twenty-three years of diverse experience designing, delivering, and supporting software and technology projects. I believe in giving back to my community and I enjoy networking and helping to grow Alberta’s innovation ecosystem. Creatively you will find me pursuing my passions of podcasting, photography and wood working along with the occasional round of golf.
Adam Berkan I grew up in Calgary, went to university in Toronto to learn software engineering, and then worked in the US at companies including Microsoft and Google. I spent almost 20 years in California and Washington as a Senior Software Engineer. In 2017 I got fed up with Silicon Valley, and moved back to Calgary. Today I work remotely for Khan Academy, a non-profit with the goal of providing "A free world class education for everybody everywhere". A huge number of my Silicon Valley co-workers have left to live somewhere cheaper. The Covid 19 pandemic has accelerated the effect. These are people who can live anywhere they want, and they want a cheap house, good schools, safe neighborhoods, and access to nature and arts. Calgary has all of those things.
Please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. If you are interested in being either a host, a guest, or a sponsor of the show, please reach out.We are published in Google Podcasts and the iTunes store for Apple Podcasts We would be grateful if you could give us a rating as it helps spread the word about the show.
Show Summary
A senior software engineer, Adam left his childhood home in Calgary to move to Silicon Valley. While there, he worked at Microsoft and Google and enjoyed the experience. Now working remotely for Kahn Academy, Adam is back in Calgary and has some advice for those in Calgary trying to bring the big US companies here. Don't bother, bring the devs and the companies will follow.
Show Quote:
"Just after the tech bubble in the early two thousands Microsoft was one of the few places that was hiring. We were all thankful to have a job."
"Imagine that Google opened an office in Calgary tomorrow, and hired a thousand engineers. That would immediately make Calgary a tech spot. "
Credits...
This Episode Sponsored By: Community Now! Magazine
Episode Music: Tony Del Degan
Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan
System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - PODMaster 2020
Tuesday Jan 19, 2021
Tuesday Jan 19, 2021
Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta.The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.
Adam Ludgate Adam is a technical leader who is involved in the startup/tech community and is enticed by new and innovative ways of solving problems with technology. He has worked previously with the likes of IBM Canada, AOL UK, tech startups in London's 'Silicon Roundabout' as well as with a variety of oil & gas software firms in various software development and leadership capacities.
Robert Price Founder and CEO of Bode Canada. Robert's core professional beliefs include:
- The high road is the only road.
- There is always a solution.
- Delivering true customer value will win in the end.
- Leading a multifaceted team towards an established objective is the most challenging and rewarding pursuit.
- It is complicated to make something simple, but simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
Alan Kelly Founder and CRO for Bode Canada. Alan is an experienced revenue growth executive and commercial strategy leader. Accelerating growth through innovative Pricing, Marketing, Sales & Product strategies.
Please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. If you are interested in being either a host, a guest, or a sponsor of the show, please reach out.We are published in Google Podcasts and the iTunes store for Apple Podcasts We would be grateful if you could give us a rating as it helps spread the word about the show.
Show Summary
Adam talks with Bode Canada CEO, Robert Price, and CRO, Alan Kelly. They discuss the Bode product, real estate in Canada, and the landscape of Canadian PropTech.
Show Quote:
Credits...
This Episode Sponsored By: Community Now! Magazine
Episode Music: Tony Del Degan
Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan
System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - PODMaster 2020
Tuesday Jan 12, 2021
Tuesday Jan 12, 2021
Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta.The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.
Al Del Degan I am a proven leader with over twenty-three years of diverse experience designing, delivering, and supporting software and technology projects. I believe in giving back to my community and I enjoy networking and helping to grow Alberta’s innovation ecosystem. Creatively you will find me pursuing my passions of podcasting, photography and wood working along with the occasional round of golf.
Brad Zumwalt Brad Zumwalt has been growing technology companies for over 20 years. In 1989, he joined and led Image Club Graphics until its acquisition in 1994 by Aldus Corporation, which was later acquired by Adobe. At Adobe, he led the worldwide visual content team and grew revenues to more than $40M. In 1998, he founded EyeWire.com, an online visual content and design company, which was acquired by Getty Images in 1999. In 2001, he founded and was Chairman and President of Veer Incorporated, which was acquired in 2007 by Corbis, a privately held company of Bill Gates. Brad is an active angel investor, and a founding member of A100. He is also a founding partner of Social Venture Partners Calgary, a unique non-profit funding partnership combining a venture capital approach with local philanthropy, and a director of Alberta Enterprise Corporation and Innovate Calgary.
Please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. If you are interested in being either a host, a guest, or a sponsor of the show, please reach out.We are published in Google Podcasts and the iTunes store for Apple Podcasts We would be grateful if you could give us a rating as it helps spread the word about the show.
Show Summary
This is episode 100 and Brad Zumwalt joins me to talk about Alberta's innovation ecosystem and our progress through 2020 heading into 2021 with digital transformation and the startup environment. We are approximately 1/3 towards where we should be as a province as statistically compared to our leading tech economies in other provinces of Canada, but Canada as a whole is still behind the rest of the world.
Links:
Butterfly Project Sheet
Show Quote:
"We want to make sure that we do everything we can to popularize and make the big corporations in the big economy be aware of who our Alberta firms are, and just how truly world-class their products and their talent is."
"A big part of [promoting entrepreneurship] is making sure we are doing it with a gender balance"
Credits...
This Episode Sponsored By: Community Now! Magazine
Episode Music: Tony Del Degan
Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan
System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - PODMaster 2020
Tuesday Jan 05, 2021
Tuesday Jan 05, 2021
Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta.The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.
Al Del Degan I am a proven leader with over twenty-three years of diverse experience designing, delivering, and supporting software and technology projects. I believe in giving back to my community and I enjoy networking and helping to grow Alberta’s innovation ecosystem. Creatively you will find me pursuing my passions of podcasting, photography and wood working along with the occasional round of golf.
Adam Ludgate Adam is a technical leader who is involved in the startup/tech community and is enticed by new and innovative ways of solving problems with technology. He has worked previously with the likes of IBM Canada, AOL UK, tech startups in London's 'Silicon Roundabout' as well as with a variety of oil & gas software firms in various software development and leadership capacities.
Please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. If you are interested in being either a host, a guest, or a sponsor of the show, please reach out.We are published in Google Podcasts and the iTunes store for Apple Podcasts We would be grateful if you could give us a rating as it helps spread the word about the show.
Show Summary
Al connects with the LIBI Podcast Host of the Year (2020), Adam Ludgate. Adam, a born and raised Calgarian, has been involved with Computers and Technology for the majority of his life. In this episode Adam and Al talk about building your personal and business networks, as well as a thoughtful discussion on hiring junior software developers who have pivoted from other long term careers.
Show Quote:
Credits...
This Episode Sponsored By: Community Now! Magazine
Episode Music: Tony Del Degan
Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan
System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - PODMaster 2020