Last week I spent a bunch of time working out a good opening section for the show. I've learned (always known?) doing actual comedy is hard, despite having a comedian on the team, and despite the fact that some jokes should write themselves (e.g., sharks on cocaine in Brazil).

So, as I wipe off the tomato and egg residue from that session... ahem, learning experience... I thought I'd point you to something more productive. I had the opportunity to chat with Brice Scheschuk, investor and founder of Wind Mobile, the former upstart telco in Canada. He recently did a talk that resonates with me greatly, called Founders: Play Your Own Game, where he discusses other paths to founder victory rather than the stereotypical VC-based path. I think you should have a look (it's video!) and would be interested to hear your feedback.

Elsewhere...

Last week on the BetaKit podcast I cohosted with Douglas (the editor-in-chief), we chatted with the Canadian startup Vault (referral link). We discussed the obvious - how to build an SMB financial services business in Canada - but also did a pulse check on the global fintech ecosystem, including Revolut's decision to pull out of North America.

What Vault’s co-founder learned at Revolut | BetaKit

Saud Aziz explains what it takes to build a locally-grown business banking platform in Canada.

BetaKitDouglas Soltys

Founder Summer Soirée

Founder Summer Soirée, Hosted by MaRS & Decelerator w. Rob Kenedi · Luma

Founders Only! The good folks at MaRS and the mediocre folks at Decelerator with Rob Kenedi are hosting a late summer soirée to get founders together to mix…

Rob Kenedi

If you're a founder and are in Toronto on August 22, come by a founder-only meetup I'm co-hosting with MaRS.

Upcoming Events

We've created a specific events calendar here with more detail about where we'll be and when, but at a high level: