Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas - the Rainforest podcast

Show Summary

Rafael was originally educated in business and then pivoted into becoming a professional chef. After years of working in that profession, a repetitive strain injury caused him to look at what other options are available and he discovered a bootcamp that could turn him into a software developer.

Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta. The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.

Al Del Degan I have been involved in software development for more than 25 years. I have started companies, lead companies and worked for companies - doing many different things. I am honored to be considered a leader in Alberta's innovation ecosystem, and I give back as much, and often as I can. When I am not working or podcasting, you will find me pursuing my passions of photography, crypto investing, and wood working along with the occasional round of golf.

Rafael Hernandez Alarcon Full Stack Developer | Bachelor in Business Administration | Chef instructor and food lover | Lifelong learner | Customer Service Ninja.

Please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. If you are interested in being either a host, a guest, or a sponsor of the show, please reach out. We are published in Google Podcasts and the iTunes store for Apple Podcasts We would be grateful if you could give us a rating as it helps spread the word about the show.

Show Quote:

"I shouldn't let the imposter drive the car"

"It has been 20 years since I finished business, and I am coming back to all the things that I studied [back] then. "

Credits...

This Episode Sponsored By: Community Now! Magazine

Episode Music: Tony Del Degan

Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan

System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - Chase Telecom Inc.

Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta. The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.

Michael G Hayward I am a customer experience and marketing professional with experience in hospitality, travel and retail and am known for crafting exceptional 'nose-to-tail' customer experiences where you don't have direct control of all the points of contact. I bring stakeholders together and develop a shared view of the customer's journey, and help them understand how they contribute to it, and impact it. Over my career I have worked in hospitality (Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts), digital analytics (as CEO of ROI Labs), senior living (Amica Senior Lifestyles), academics (Seneca College) and air travel (Calgary Airport Authority). Now I am embarking on an entrepreneurial path, seeking to help people access mental health supports more easily and with better outcomes.

Derek Manns Derek is the founder of Stagehand. Stagehand is focused on creating new opportunities for artists by providing a platform that makes it easy for non-traditional businesses/organizations to work with local artists. Derek spent most of his career in the information technology field, his formal training is as an engineer but he spent most of his career in sales, marketing and leadership roles. Derek was introduced to the Arts by my three daughters who are passionate, dedicated and talented young dancers. He discovered the incredible talent that is present in the local Arts community and felt that the impediments faced by emerging artists was a missed opportunity for the community as a whole.

Please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. If you are interested in being either a host, a guest, or a sponsor of the show, please reach out. We are published in Google Podcasts and the iTunes store for Apple Podcasts We would be grateful if you could give us a rating as it helps spread the word about the show.

Show Summary

Michael and Derek talk about Stagehand.app, a web service that matches artists with venues, and allows venues to easily create and support music programs.

Show Quote:

Credits...

This Episode Sponsored By: Community Now! Magazine

Episode Music: Tony Del Degan

Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan

System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - Chase Telecom Inc.

Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta. The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.

Patrick Wu is a freelance graphic designer, UX designer, and marketing consultant with a background in biotechnology and life sciences commercialization. His career has taken him across a wide range of areas, from sales and marketing, government advocacy, ecosystem development, and now design. Since 2016, he has since been an active member in the Rainforest community, advocating for technology, innovation, and life sciences in Alberta.

Susannah Tawse is a multidisciplinary creative who loves working collaboratively with people who believe in possibility, deep dive into the why, explore ideas with open minds, and focus on what really matters to make things happen while caring for each other and having fun. She is a Professional Designer, Innovator, Educator, and Community Catalyst rooted in Human-Centered Design with over two decades of experience to draw from. Susannah is delighted to be an active member of the Rainforest community since 2020 with the Social Contract.

Please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. If you are interested in being either a host, a guest, or a sponsor of the show, please reach out. We are published in Google Podcasts and the iTunes store for Apple Podcasts We would be grateful if you could give us a rating as it helps spread the word about the show.

Show Summary

Patrick and Susanna discuss the user experience and user interface design field.

Show Quote:

Credits...

This Episode Sponsored By: Community Now! Magazine

Episode Music: Tony Del Degan

Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan

System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - Chase Telecom Inc.

Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta. The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.

Al Del Degan I have been involved in software development for more than 25 years. I have started companies, lead companies and worked for companies - doing many different things. I am honored to be considered a leader in Alberta's innovation ecosystem, and I give back as much, and often as I can. When I am not working or podcasting, you will find me pursuing my passions of photography, crypto investing, and wood working along with the occasional round of golf.

Adam Casole-Buchanan is originally a small-town farm kid from Orangeville, Ontario that made his way to Montreal for entrepreneurship, Toronto for big agency life, Berlin for the start-up world, and was displaced to Calgary by love...and C19. Adam writes poetry in his spare time, he a huge fan of logic puzzles, and he goes full nerd over abstract maths.

Please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. If you are interested in being either a host, a guest, or a sponsor of the show, please reach out. We are published in Google Podcasts and the iTunes store for Apple Podcasts We would be grateful if you could give us a rating as it helps spread the word about the show.

Show Summary

Adam has lived and worked in Canada and Germany in the advertising industry. We had an interesting conversation about the advertising industry and things that are ripe for innovation and reinvention hint: there are a lot from one end to the other.  Adam now works for briefbid A collaborative platform for marketers, agencies and vendors to connect, plan media and grow brands faster together.

Adam mentioned after the show that the actual quote from Henry Ford was "The man who stops advertising to save money, is like the man who stops a clock to save time."

Show Quote:

"The true point of innovation is that [...] any small business owner can be their own media agency, media buyer and media planner."

"The marketing - advertising process is ripe for innovation at all points in the supply chain."

Credits...

This Episode Sponsored By: Community Now! Magazine

Episode Music: Tony Del Degan

Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan

System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - Chase Telecom Inc.

Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta. The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.

Patrick Wu is a freelance graphic designer, UX designer, and marketing consultant with a background in biotechnology and life sciences commercialization. His career has taken him across a wide range of areas, from sales and marketing, government advocacy, ecosystem development, and now design. Since 2016, he has since been an active member in the Rainforest community, advocating for technology, innovation, and life sciences in Alberta.

Oluwagbeminiyi (Neil) Okikiolu is a computer scientist, roboticist, and founder and CEO of Simius Technologies, a company that focuses on consumer IoT cybersecurity. In his free time, he can be found automating various aspects of his home.

Please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. If you are interested in being either a host, a guest, or a sponsor of the show, please reach out. We are published in Google Podcasts and the iTunes store for Apple Podcasts We would be grateful if you could give us a rating as it helps spread the word about the show.

Show Quote:

Credits...

This Episode Sponsored By: Community Now! Magazine

Episode Music: Tony Del Degan

Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan

System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - Chase Telecom Inc.

Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta. The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.

Al Del Degan I have been involved in software development for more than 25 years. I have started companies, lead companies and worked for companies - doing many different things. I am honored to be considered a leader in Alberta's innovation ecosystem, and I give back as much, and often as I can. When I am not working or podcasting, you will find me pursuing my passions of photography, crypto investing, and wood working along with the occasional round of golf.

Margo Purcell I help organizations and teams to uncover hidden talent; and generate ideas that lead to transformational change . Creative, driven and engaging learning and development professional with over 18 years of progressive achievement in training and development, consulting, public engagement, advocacy, customer service and coaching. As a skilled leader with an established reputation for creating environments for executive teams to shift perspectives; trusted advisor for major corporations to facilitate discussions that lead to achieving desired results in complex and distributed corporate environments. Energy, Higher Education, Not-For-Profit, NGO and other large-scale organizations say; "Margo's presence and facilitation skills were able to help us get unstuck and to clearly see where our team's landscape had to shift and most importantly helped us figure out how to shift it". When you are ready for a different landscape - www.opentopossibilities.ca

Please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. If you are interested in being either a host, a guest, or a sponsor of the show, please reach out. We are published in Google Podcasts and the iTunes store for Apple Podcasts We would be grateful if you could give us a rating as it helps spread the word about the show.

Show Summary

Al chats with Margo about her childhood as a shy, but curious kid always exploring a path of self-discovery. Armed with a growth mindset and insatiable curiosity, with the help of some wonderful mentors along the way, Margo found her calling as a facilitator and coach helping companies get their teams working smoothly and communicating effectively.

Show Quote:

"This is the difference in how a company performs or not, how their employees engage, or not. We saw that this was what was really, really needed and we needed to be able to think differently to create the solutions that we need for the challenges we face."

"It's okay to follow what comes easily to you because it is likely to be meaningful, engaging, and you're going to deliver fantastic value for others."

Credits...

This Episode Sponsored By: Community Now! Magazine

Episode Music: Tony Del Degan

Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan

System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - Chase Telecom Inc.

Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta.The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.

Wunmi Adekanmbi immigrated 10 years ago from Nigeria where she was a post-secondary instructor and researcher, and led a youth empowerment non profit. Wunmi is passionate about people, information and solutions - in that order. She is a strategist and a connector. Her greatest motivation is creating coherent value streams across organizational functional units using a systems thinking approach. She strives to inspire confidence and intentionality in leadership, equip teams to execute from a big picture perspective, and harness community inter-dependencies. Wunmi is the Organizer and host of Immigrant Techies Alberta, a tech enthusiast group for skilled immigrants who are in or are interested in pivoting to tech careers and startups.

Mark Botkin is a Biochemistry Grad of U of S, has spent time at prominent U of A labs doing medical research. He’s been part of a number of challenging start-ups primarily designing computers and software for communications and construction. Mark became knowledgeable in 3D modelling which has allowed him to model & design a bicycle seat to give people a choice other than the traditional saddle. Product website: https://www.xenomorphix.com/

Gary Gunthorpe is an accomplished Senior Executive and Entrepreneur with demonstrated success spanning medical devices, agricultural instrumentation, oil patch, industrial, and oil and gas. Leveraging extensive experience delivering strategic, commercial, and operational results at startup and pre-startup enterprises, Gary is a valuable asset for a company requiring advisory related to product definition, organizational structure, process improvements, seed round investments, or technical capabilities. His broad areas of expertise include operational excellence, co-investment networking, cohabitated space, business transformation, technical advisory, and sales and marketing optimization.

Please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. If you are interested in being either a host, a guest, or a sponsor of the show, please reach out. We are published in Google Podcasts and the iTunes store for Apple Podcasts We would be grateful if you could give us a rating as it helps spread the word about the show.

Show Summary

Wunmi chats with Gary and Mark about how things have changed over the past 40 years for the innovation ecosystem in Alberta. They discuss some of the challenges with starting a company around a physical product rather than a software solution.

Show Quote:

"Once you graduate from university you get a key, it's called a degree. It's only a key, you gotta go open locks and find the one you like."

"Software is the hardest thing because you ask anyone to give you a guestimate of time and costs and outcomes of a software idea, I have never heard of anybody getting even close to right. With hardware we can get pretty close, within 20 percent."

Credits...

This Episode Sponsored By: Community Now! Magazine

Episode Music: Tony Del Degan

Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan

System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - Chase Telecom Inc.

Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta. The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.

Rebecca Finley-Schidlowsky - Rebecca is a Management Consultant who specializes in Governance and Strategic Planning. She has worked with hundreds of Boards and Senior Management Teams in the startup, private enterprise, not-for-profit and public sectors across Canada. Rebecca has been the Board Chair and Governance Committee Chair of Next Gen Men for the past 4 years and has led the development of the organization’s Board and Committee structure from the ground up. An accomplished speaker and facilitator, Rebecca has also had the privilege of being a guest speaker for MBAs/EMBAs at The Drucker School of Management based in Claremont, California (USA). Rebecca runs a Governance Basics Blitz Workshop targeted at not-for-profits and associations that has welcomed participants from Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, California, Spain, and New Zealand. Rebecca and her colleague Jeff Homer, host workshops specifically targeted at helping startups understand governance complexities.

Gayathri Shukla is the founder of Campfire Kinship, a social enterprise on a mission to unlock the power of empathy through human-centered solutions. Gayathri is the first certified instructor to bring an innovative method of storytelling to Calgary, called guided autobiography. As a coach and facilitator of this method, Gayathri empowers individuals and teams in discovering their authentic gifts, while creating spaces of belonging. Gayathri’s expertise in human-centered design also extends into her professional role leading digital transformation strategy and innovation in Mining. Gayathri is a Professional Engineer with over 17 years of technical and leadership experience in the energy sector. She holds an Electrical Engineering degree from University of Calgary, and an Executive MBA from Queen’s University with a certification in social impact. She is a proud mom of two kids, and a volunteer Board Director at Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association.

Please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. If you are interested in being either a host, a guest, or a sponsor of the show, please reach out. We are published in Google Podcasts and the iTunes store for Apple Podcasts We would be grateful if you could give us a rating as it helps spread the word about the show.

Summary:

Rebecca sits down with Gayathri Shukla - an engineer turned community builder to discuss important themes like: the importance of nurturing those around you by listening intently to genuinely connect, the shift towards "human-centric" design and leading with empathy.

 Leveraging the wisdom of the community through stories is Gayathri’s forte. The stories and lived experiences of our customers hold the key to innovation. Because they are closest to the action, they know their pain points and they also often come with a treasure trove of insights. Listening to the stories of others and learning from diverse perspectives result in serendipitous ideas and connections - much like Rainforest’s ecosystem analogy. When these insights are combined with data, this can result in game changing innovations, as well as better adoption.

Show Quote:
"It's important to encourage people to share their stories and voices so that we can build a genuine community of empowered people."

"We need patience and courage combined with listening intently with empathy to build bridges."

Credits...

This Episode Sponsored By: SAIT School for Advanced Digital Technology

Episode Music: Tony Del Degan

Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan

System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - Chase Telecom Inc.

Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta.The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.

Peter Beaudoin Peter manages strategy and partnerships for an innovative alliance of energy companies committed to reducing environmental impacts through collaborative R&D efforts. Peter worked for more than 20 years in Asia building and investing in a variety of businesses. His most recent role outside of Canada was with the World Wildlife Fund, where he was the Chief Executive Officer of WWF China, based in Beijing. Prior to that, Peter lived in Hong Kong for 15 years working in the technology industry.

Pratik Patel Pratik Patel is the founder of Mundii, an online membership-free wholesale retailer that offers direct delivery of bulk-size products via Mundii website. Before devoting his work fulltime to Mundii, Pratik founded OYO Cater which has since closed its operations due to COVID-19. Pratik is also a restaurant owner. In addition to being an entrepreneur, Pratik has been a professional cricket player representing Canada at the U-15 and U-19 levels. He holds a Bachelors of Arts Degree with a Minor in Architecture from University of Calgary.

Please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. If you are interested in being either a host, a guest, or a sponsor of the show, please reach out. We are published in Google Podcasts and the iTunes store for Apple Podcasts We would be grateful if you could give us a rating as it helps spread the word about the show.

Show Quote:

Credits...

This Episode Sponsored By: SAIT School for Advanced Digital Technology

Episode Music: Tony Del Degan

Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan

System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - Chase Telecom Inc.

Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta.The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.

Adam Ludgate Adam is a technical leader who is involved in the startup/tech community and is enticed by new and innovative ways of solving problems with technology. He has worked previously with the likes of IBM Canada, AOL UK, tech startups in London's 'Silicon Roundabout' as well as with a variety of oil & gas software firms in various software development and leadership capacities.

Randy Thompson Randy Thompson Founder and CEO of Valhalla Angels (formerly VA Angels). 2018 National Angel Capital Organization Angel Investor of the Year and 2014 Startup Canada Angel of the Year. Founded Alberta SuperNet & Khyber Pass Entertainment. Randy is a part owner of the Peterborough United FC soccer team out of the UK

Please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. If you are interested in being either a host, a guest, or a sponsor of the show, please reach out.We are published in Google Podcasts and the iTunes store for Apple Podcasts We would be grateful if you could give us a rating as it helps spread the word about the show.

Show Summary

Randy & Adam discuss the state of the Canadian & Albertan tech scene as it relates to angel investment, entrepreneur incentives and the impact of government grants. The discussion revolves largely around 2 blog posts from earlier in 2021

https://alexdanco.com/2021/01/11/why-the-canadian-tech-scene-doesnt-work/

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/right-way-valley-vs-rest-world-r-stewart-randy-thompson/

Show Quote:

Credits...

This Episode Sponsored By: SAIT School for Advanced Digital Technology

Episode Music: Tony Del Degan

Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan

System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - Chase Telecom Inc.