Startup Instinct

In this episode, we dive into artificial intelligence and learn how the space works.

• Can artificial intelligence do it better than humans?
  
• Does age matter when it comes to building a successful startup?
  
• Why are B2B (business-to-business) startups not as popular as B2C (business-to-consumer) startups?
  
• How do you build relationships that lead to the first deal and healthily beyond?
  
• How do you establish credibility and trust in the artificial intelligence space?

These are some of the questions I discuss with today's guest, Andrew Kanapatski, a passionate growth-oriented business executive focused on helping companies across industries understand the various ways in which business and innovative technology come together to grow organizations.

In this episode, we will be talking about Entrepreneur First, a program that was established in Europe and Asia in 2011 and has recently launched in Canada. Entrepreneur First was founded by Alice Bentinck and Matt Clifford, and is the world’s leading talent investor. They help entrepreneurs find a co-founder, develop an idea, and start a company. To date, Entrepreneur First has worked with over 2000 individuals to initiate more than 300 companies, with a combined net worth of $2 billion.

Today’s guest is Rachel Zimmer. She is the General Manager of Entrepreneur First in Canada. Many know Rachel for co-founding 5Crowd, which was acquired by SGSCO in 2016. Rachel reflects on some of her past struggles, embarrassing moments and experiences that have shaped her as an entrepreneur. As we discuss the early stages of a startup, she emphasizes the importance of conducting sufficient research that may prevent future product market fit issues. Moreover, we talk about women in entrepreneurship. Rachel gives her best advice on being a female leader in the business world and overcoming self-doubt, including imposter syndrome. We talk about the importance of establishing a clear vision for oneself before embarking on the long and demanding startup journey. Entrepreneurship looks sexy but it isn’t. Rachel stresses the importance of being easy on oneself and preparing for necessary sacrifices. The entire startup journey can be challenging and intimidating, but doing what one is truly passionate about can make the process more enjoyable, and potentially more rewarding. Lastly, Rachel mentions Holly Gonzalez and Anna Caravaggio, for their approaches to communication, relationship building and the effective management of tense situations.

Entrepreneur First applications close on August 28th, 2020. If you are interested in applying, click on the link below:
https://jobs.lever.co/joinefnow/0b785d4c-3a6e-4597-829e-fcafb06cae2b?_ga=2.260627913.553409686.1592905466-916163216.1592905466
Good Luck!

In this episode, we dive into discussions on money, sustainable compliance, and the impacts of money laundering. Today's guest is Shubhradeep Nandi, Founder of PiChain. Which is a sustainable compliance startup that uses AI and Blockchain to provide seamless and effective regulatory compliance to enterprises. We talk about Shub's unique perspectives and experiences as an entrepreneur. Reflecting back on early profound lessons that shaped him . We discuss the impact of money laundering from a GDP level to an individual person and why having regulatory compliance that is streamlined and integrated into the financial infrastructure of the economy is crucial. Shub explains how this will improve the overall health of the economy and allow money to flow in and out faster with less interruptions at no risk of breaking the law. He also discusses an effective strategy when deciding how much to charge customers along with the right questions to ask.

This episode includes selected discussions from season one (E1-E9). The beginning of this episode includes a statement from the host. As he states some critically important aspects of entrepreneurship and life that he has struggled with and learned from along the way. Outlining the importance of accepting that life is full of problems and the more problems one faces, the easier problem solving becomes and the less devastating they can be. Overtime our minds become equipped to solve problems with a higher level of efficiency. Zaeem greatly shows appreciation and gratitude for Startup Instinct's audience stating that this podcast would not exist without its growing audience of extraordinary folks.

In this episode, we talk about building a startup from its earliest stages to the moment when it is acquired. We consider the importance of conducting adequate research on a particular problem before one embarks on their startup journey. Further, we discuss the effectiveness of repeatedly asking oneself, "What problem am I solving?" In conversation, we split the startup life cycle into multiple stages and talk about them individually. Today's guest is Rachel Zimmer, an entrepreneur with experience in marketing and advertising. She co-founded 5Crowd, an on-demand marketing production platform. Using the 5Crowd platform, projects such as banner ads and radio spots are completed using a 100% crowdsourced model. 5Crowd has brought affordable advertising and marketing to everyone, but this has been especially important for small businesses. It has received recognition from Fast Company, Deloitte’s 50 Best, Marketing Magazine, and more. Today, Rachel is the General Manager for Entrepreneur First in Canada. She coaches and mentors multiple tech startups using her knowledge and experience in marketing, sales, leadership and product market fit. She has received a number of awards, including the Desjardins Young Entrepreneur, Top 30 Under 30, and Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year. She also won first place at Canada's Next Top Ad Exec.