I put together a list of publicly announced enterprise blockchain pilots in Canada. Did I miss any? (I only looked at pilots that are specific to an application within a large enterprise or government context. I did not include research efforts or startups) TMX, Payments Canada, and the Bank of Canada: Blockchain Used to Settle Stocks in Bank... Continue Reading →
I'm a believer of unlocking innovation by encouraging large enterprises and early-stage startups to co-create new products and services. However, it's bedeviling to get these partnerships to work smoothly. I have personally gone through winding experiences of co-creation with two large enterprises, a multinational FMCG and an infrastructure giant, they both shall remain anonymous. I... Continue Reading →
In 2011, I took a 4-month sabbatical from my job to reflect on life. This led to me leaving the job and leaping into the unfamiliar and unglamorous life of an entrepreneur. My first project, Club Ovahi, was a failure. I was recently inspired by the Without Fail podcast to reflect on exactly what happened and why... Continue Reading →
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 →
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