The Big 5 Canadian banks have a testy relationship with startups despite their activity in supporting AI research, partnering with accelerators, and lending to tech companies. As major institutions, they should be playing a supportive role in supercharging innovation by investing in, buying services from, and striking partnerships with startups. But overall, the opposite has... Continue Reading →
[Disclaimer: the analysis and views expressed in this article are solely my own unless stated otherwise.] Last week, I published an article that analyzed 265 Toronto startups that made it through my angel investment pipeline. I want here to continue the analysis by looking at the cutting-edge technologies that those startups used and/or are offering to their... Continue Reading →
[Disclaimer: the analysis and views expressed in this article are solely my own unless stated otherwise.] In the fall of 2016, I became an angel investor by officially joining Maple Leaf Angels(MLA). It is quite the experience to have moved to the "other side of the table" after 5 years of hustling and bootstrapping. My motivations... Continue Reading →
Last week, I attended the 2nd Annual Blockchain Conference in Toronto. Given recent cryptocurrency turmoils, I was hoping for an even-keeled event, but the name of the game was hype. Statements like "...everything will be tokenized...", "...blockchain will help solve child labour" or "...will eliminate inequality" were thrown around. To borrow terminology from Gartner's Hype Cycle I... Continue Reading →
Since I founded Circles, I've immersed myself in the world of Financial Inclusion in Emerging Markets. I quickly discovered that banks and Fintechs in Emerging Markets have been coming up with innovative solutions to serve the unbanked/underbanked masses. It's no surprise that banking markets in Africa and Asia are growing at a super fast rate as... Continue Reading →
Below is a link to an article that I wrote for Direct Marketing Magazine on the topic of mobile loyalty: https://issuu.com/dmn.ca/docs/dm_july2014_w/10
There is a dizzying number of digital and social media tools and platforms available to retailers and brands. While it's definitely not advisable to boil the ocean and deploy everything, a smart mix of digital and social marketing will go a long way in improving your bottom line. With skyrocketing Internet access and smartphone penetration... Continue Reading →
So you’ve decided to equip your business with a mobile loyalty platform. A smart move for any business looking for a competitive advantage, increased foot traffic, and the ability to better engage/research their current customer base. While it is in fact a “smart move” for some, those who misfire on execution with their mobile loyalty app are... Continue Reading →
With nearly half of all Canadians going mobile with smartphones – according to a recent study by Ipsos Reid – local businesses can count on greater pressure and bigger expectations from newly-empowered customers. But can retailers also count on increased consumer loyalty from such patrons? Well, maybe. But they certainly have to play their cards right. And they better... Continue Reading →
Distraction. The retailer’s greatest enemy. Especially in today’s age of instant gratification and constant exposure to advertisements, text messaging, and social media, most retailers can only pray they get through to their target customer…let alone move them to make a purchase. Mix in the pressure of decreased margins, lower entry barriers, and increasing competition, and... Continue Reading →
