Calgary Business Podcast

This episode was a wonderful chat around how Kim successfully transitioned from a lengthy career in Real Estate to co-authoring a book around resiliency to founding and organizing a 4 pillar "Resiliency Series" featuring industry leading women sharing their stories and expertise.   To learn more about Kim's journey, including 5+ years of producing a TV series called "Kim's Kitchen", click on one or more of the links below: Kim Hayden | LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-hayden-74a203181/ §§§ Resilient Series  LinkedIn Profile | https://www.linkedin.com/company/resilient-series/ Website | https://resilientseries.com §§§ The Know Women LinkedIn Profile | https://www.linkedin.com/company/theknowwomen/ Website | https://theknowwomen.com §§§ Women in Business | Calgary Business | YYC Business | Calgary Founders | Calgary Women | Women Founders | Calgary Real Estate | Over the Top Media | Media | Television | Branding | Awareness | Leadership I Calgary Leaders | Canadian Business Women | Ca

Balancing altruism and profitability, James and his team at Thin Air Labs have managed to compile a portfolio of 27 startups (as at the date of recording this podcast) since founding the firm in 2018. It appears that Thin Air Labs is just getting started. To learn more about how Thin Air Labs has created an ecosystem studio that supports early-stage ventures to propel and de-risk innovation, click on one or more of the links below: §§§ Thin Air Labs Website | https://www.thinairlabs.ca/ LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/thin-air-labs/ Twitter | @thinair_labs §§§ James Locherie on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameslochrie/ §§§ Venture Capital | Technology | Early Stage | Seed Capital | Pre-seed | Life Sciences | Healthtech | Technology | Innovation | Growth potential | Scaling | Community | Story telling | Cancer research | Healthcare data | Cardiovascular research | Cohesic | Syantra | Symend | Athennian | Fillip | ORPYX | StellarAlgo | NanoTess | True Angle | Fluid Biotech | LiveWeb

In this episode, Mount Royal University students, Tyra Macdonald and Anthony Dang, shared their experiences of the first days of opening the new Code Ninjas franchise location in the Willow Park community of Calgary in April 2021.  As a marketing student at Mount Royal, Tyra has been able to apply a lot of her classroom theory into practical application including working on advertising and promotion matters with Willow Park Shopping Centre personnel and learning how to use Google Analytics to understand potential customer website visits.  Anthony shared that he did not learn coding until high school and thus understands how the students feel when they approach coding for the first time.  As a computer information systems student, Anthony is also learning to code, albeit at a more advanced level than some of his students.  §§§  To learn more about the Code Ninjas program and how they are helping to shape the next generation ot full stack developers, click on the links below:  §§§&

Chris and Jen return to the podcast booth after a 2-year absence (refer to Episode 42 on 12 December 2019).  This time we were joined by two student dances, Lucia and Avery, and dance instructor Cara.  The other difference is everyone connected on Zoom.  §§§  This was a terrific session whereby the girls shared their experiences of dancing from home during Covid; Chris shared some changes over the last two years on marketing the business in the Calgary community; Jen shared how they were able to expand their dance community despite the Covid shutdowns; they all shared how famous choreographers and dancers from New York and London shared their routines, practices and dance moves on-line for free during Covid (when ordinarily such performances were limited to paid events or in-person classes).  This was a great chat. Thanks Icon Dance team! To reach out to Jenn, Chris and their team of dancers, click on the links below:  §§§  Icon Dance Company  Instagram | @icondancecomp

Noel shared the origin stories of his startup, AERT (pronounced "Art"), linked to the trauma his 6-year old brother experienced during Covid.  A finger caught from a house door being slammed on it.  Noel’s initial reaction was to Google to see what triage information was available and then call the 811 health line.  Conflicting information on line, a long waiting time on the phone and an hour long drive to the recommended hospital, provided the inspiration for Noel’s desire to use artificial intelligence to help families in need at the moment similar accidents (or traumatic events) occur at home.  As Noel explained, “…this is work in progress, I am still a student, afterall…”  To reach out to Noel and see if you can help provide the necessary anonymized data to feed his “AI-algorithm”, click on his LinkedIn bio below:  §§§  Noel Thomas LinkedIn Profile | https://www.linkedin.com/in/noelfranthomas/ Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary | https://schulich

You may have heard the term “practice what you preach” -- Dr. Nicole Byers seems to have taken that personally. Not only does she operate a neuro-psychology practice for individual’s dealing with an accident or stroke that impacts their brain function, she also coordinates on-line courses, a podcast and confidence building bootcamps to help individuals in variety of areas including coping with stress, building self-confidence and improving their productivity on a daily basis. That is a sample of the wide range of tools available in her “psychology” tool box  §§§  To learn more about the activities of Dr. Nicole Byers, click on one or more of the links below:  Website | https://www.drnicolebyers.com  Instagram | @ drnicolebyers  Podcast “The Bold Life” (on Apple) | https://apple.co/3trOaSK  LinkedIn Profile | https://www.linkedin.com/in/drnicolebyers/  §§§  Mental Health | Clinical Psychology | Neuro Psychology | Calgary Clinic | Calgary small business | Alberta Health S

Mark combined his professional investment expertise with a family medical condition around a rare brain disease to start a life sciences venture fund with co-founders, Gord Anderson and Dr. Lawrence Korngut. The combined expertise of the founding team makes them uniquely placed to assess and evaluate startups at the ideation stage — including at the research level in the University labs.  Such initial startups currently include:  Modelis Inc with a focus on drug discovery for rare and genetic diseases  Lumiio Inc with a focus on health-related data collection  AazeinTx with a focus on oral treatments for acute asthma attacks  Pure Life Carbon and its focus on agricultural products that increase crop yields while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  §§§  To learn more about the work of KASTx Ventures, click on one or more of the links below:  KASTx Ventures  Website | https://kastxventures.com  LinkedIn page | https://www.linkedin.com/company/kastx-ventures/&nbs

Evelyne Nyairo enthusiastically shared the origin story of how an extended oil and gas trip in Chad resulted in pivoting to her own business of producing sustainable and socially conscious skin care products.   To learn more about Ellie Bianca Beauty, click on one or more of the links below:   §§§   Ellie Bianca Beauty   Website | https://store.elliebianca.com/
  I nstagram | @elliebiancabeauty   Facebook | @EllieBianca    Twitter | @EllieBiancaInt   LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/elliebiancabeauty/   §§§   Evelyne Nyairo on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/evelyne-nyairo-a67bb85/ §§§ Health and Beauty | Natural Products | Skincare | Women in Business | Women Founders | Female Founder | Omni-Channel | Consumer Products | Face Cream | Hand Cream --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

Several key take-aways from this podcast include:  Fintech and traditional banking will remain in place to give people the option to choose (not “or” but “and”)  Traditional investing methods (via broker) and new self-trading platforms (such as Questrade) will provide individual investors with the options to do both  Keeping up with rapidly changing investment landscape requires a lot of reading, being open, selective podcasts, short and efficient articles and most importantly, relying upon experts (such as investing in digital assets like Crypto-currency)  To learn more about Julie Shipley-Strickland and her work as a wealth advisor, click on one or more of the links below:  §§§  LinkedIn Profile | https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-shipley-strickland-8a435347/  Website | https://advisor.wellington-altus.ca/julieshipleystrickland/  Email | julie.shipley-strickland@wprivate.ca  §§§  Wellington-Altus | https://www.wellington-altus.ca/ §§§ Investments | Ins

SokoLocal may just actually become the defacto local “Google” for retailers and e-commerce companies – not only in Calgary but across the globe.  When an on-line order from a European clothing distributor required Nikhil to return the item at cost considerably more than the initial purchase price, Nikhil set out to help others like him by creating a website to “localize” such orders.  To learn more about SokoLocal, click on one or more of the links below:  §§§  SokoLocal  Website | https://www.sokolocal.com/  Instagram | @shopsokolocal  Twitter | @shopsokolocal  Facebook | @shopsokolocal  §§§  Nikhil Sonpal | https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilsonpal/ §§§ Ecommerce | Geolocation | Geomapping | Local business | Small business | Technology | Innovation | Shop Local | Buy Local | Spend Local | Calgary startup | Calgary small business | Calgary retailers | Canadian retailers | Canadian e-commerce | Calgary e-commerce | Support local | Edmonton business | Vancouver

The Work Experience Program at Mount Royal University has a rich 25-year history of providing students with practical skills that are immediately transferable upon completing their studies and commencing employment. During episode 41 of this podcast on 11 December 2019, Paul Varella referred to the Mount Royal University campus containing many “hidden gems”. It is likely my chat with Daniel Santiago just revealed one of those precious stones.  Click on one or more of the links below to learn more about the Work Experience, and a variety of other programs, at the Mount Royal University:  §§§  Mount Royal University  Website | https://www.mtroyal.ca/  Instagram | @mrulife  Facebook | @MountRoyal4U  Twitter | @MountRoyal4U  LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/school/mount-royal-university/  §§§  Daniel Santiago on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielsantiago19/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

The simulation software of Endeavor Technologies is geared towards technical users interested in drilling oil & gas wells but it also enhances the user experience by utilizing the technology tools of Unreal Engine – the same visualization software that powers the popular gaming app, Fortnite. Click on one or more of the links below to learn more about Endeavor Technologies and their plans to apply their technology into other fields including the medical profession: §§§ Endeavor Technologies Website | https://endeavor-tech.ca/ LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/endeavor-technologies-corp-/ §§§ Brad Reiser on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-reiser-3b49b3122/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

Cynthia and her team at Virtira have been providing high impact value-added services to Blue Chip organizations for many years, primarily by helping companies manage their remote workforce. To learn more about Virtira, click on one or more of the links below: §§§ Virtira Website | https://virtira.com/ LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/virtira/ §§§ Cynthia Watson on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthiadwatson/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

Wood’s Homes has been around since 1914 when it was initially set up to house orphaned children during World War 1. It has evolved over its 117 year history to provide treatment and support for children, youth and families with mental health needs. To learn more about Wood’s Homes, including the recently introduced Elbow Springs Counselling program, click on one or more of the links below: §§§ Wood’s Homes Website | https://www.woodshomes.ca/ Facebook | @woodshomesNFP Instagram | @woods_homes Twitter | @ChildMntlHealth YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/user/WoodsHomes1/videos LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/woods-homes/ §§§ David Williamson on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-williamson-135a13213/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

Athennian has developed a platform that automates many of the routine functions of a lawyer working in either a professional practice or as general counsel with a corporate entity. One of the key features of the Athennian platform, that Josh Malate, and his fellow co-founders, including CEO Adrian Camara and others have developed, is the ability to reduce the workload of the paralegal and other associates to allow them to provide more quality, value-added services to more senior lawyers.  To learn more about how Athennian could follow in the “Unicorn” footsteps of other Calgary tech startups, click on one or more of the links below:  §§§  Athennian Website | https://www.athennian.com/  Twitter | @athennian LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/paper-interactive/  §§§  Josh Malate on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-malate/  Adrian Camara on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriancamara/ §§§ Legaltech | Careers in law | Legal profession | Legal careers

Cherry Health may just actually become the defacto “LinkedIn” for Locum network affiliated medical professionals across Canada. When Covid highlighted the lack of a suitable platform to coordinate work for Locum professionals like himself, Jordan Vollrath teamed together with Max Kerz and Adrian Mitchell to develop a free to use and highly effective mobile app.  To learn more about Cherry Health, click on one or more of the links below:  §§§  Cherry Health  Website | https://www.cherry.health/  Instagram | @cherry.health  LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/cherry-health-inc/  §§§  Jordan Vollrath on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanvollrath/  Dr. Maximillian Kerz | https://www.linkedin.com/in/maximiliankerz/  Adrian Mitchell | https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriansmitchell/ §§§ Healthcare | Health | Medical professionals | Medical community | Healthtech | Medical clinics | Physicians | Doctors | Med students | Medtech | Life sciences | Bio sc

This podcast is an extension of the series of episodes started in February 2021 in which students from Calgary post-secondary education institutions have engaged in a Q&A session with an industry expert from the Calgary and Edmonton business communities.  §§§§  In this episode, Pamela Torres, Femi Bode-George and Scott Luxton, learners from the full stack developer program coordinated by InceptionU, the Evolve Program, join Jeff LaFrenz, President of Vizworx Inc. here in Calgary.  To learn more about the individual guests on this podcast and their related activities, click on one or more of the links below:  §§§§  Individual profiles on LinkedIn  Jeff LaFrenz | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jefflafrenz/  Femi Bode-George | https://www.linkedin.com/in/femi-bode-george-msc-0a2b8761/  Pamela Torres | https://www.linkedin.com/in/pam-torres/  Scott Luxton | https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-luxton-a9679649/  §§§§  Vixworx  Website | https://vizworx.com/

Numi Health is simplifying the booking of routine healthcare diagnostics, starting with vaccinations for Covid-19. Key partnerships with Calgary and Edmonton airports along and other strategic employers is a strong indication of the potential to scale the Numi Health platform  To learn more about Numi Health, click on one or more of the links below:  §§§  Numi Health  Website | https://numihealth.com/  Instagram | @numihealth  Facebook | @numihealth  LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/numihealth/  §§§  Peter Verburg on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-verburg-740a9b18/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

This is the 15th episode in which students from Calgary post-secondary education institutions have engaged in a Q&A session with an industry expert from the Calgary and Edmonton business communities.  §§§  In this episode, three students from the Bachelor of Commerce faculty at Haskayne, Taylor Van Hell (completed 1st year), Rachel Hughes (graduated) and Gabby Gueco (completed 3rd year), are joined by Alitta Tait, Head of Partnerships at Harvest Builders.  To learn more about the individual guests on this podcast and their related activities, click on one or more of the links below: §§§§  Individual profiles on LinkedIn  Alitta Tait | https://www.linkedin.com/in/alitta-tait-205ba016/  Taylor Van Hell | https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorvanhell/  Rachel Hughes | https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-hughes1/  Gabby Gueco | https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabbygueco/  §§§§  Harvest Builders  Website | https://www.harvest.builders/  Twitter | @harvestbuild

Yr Plans is seeking to work with employers to help their employees better manage their student debt.  To learn more about Yr Plans and their plans to grow their business across Canada, click on one or more of the links below:  §§§  Yr Plans  Website | https://yrplans.com/ Instagram | @yrplans  Facebook | @yrplans  LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/yr-plans-inc/  §§§  John Kenny on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkennycalgary/  Sangita Prasad on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/sangita-prasad-6ba44b30/ //// End --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message