What Freaks Out Founders

In this episode of "What Freaks Out Founders", we speak with the COO of Troj.AI, a startup aiming to provide tools and solutions to assist enterprises with the safe and secure deployment of their AI projects, Stephen Goddard. Stephen has had an incredibly interesting and varied career that has seen him everywhere from working internationally in banking to owning a wood-fired pizza restaurant, but also acting as an advisor and consultant to businesses of all types. Stephen talks to us about the fallacy that startup founders are big risk takers and how his vast and diverse career in many different industries in many different countries has all been a series of very calculated and natural steps. He also talks to us about the challenges and benefits of running a startup in a slightly off-the-beaten-path location in New Brunswick on the East Coast of Canada. Stephen has lots of great stories to tell and lots of great insights, so you won't want to miss this one!

Today's very special guest on "What Freaks Out Founders" is Jens Heitland. Jens has an extensive corporate background where he had the opportunity to work in and with some of the most successful companies in the world in different leadership roles. He is recognized as an International Leader, Corporate Innovator, Keynote Speaker, Serial Entrepreneur, Mentor and Connecteur of people, with a personal mission to inspire millions of people to innovate the human way, so that we all together solve the challenges that really matter. Jens goes through his history of struggling in school initially, which lead him to train as an electrician in the construction industry, getting fired because of the economic downturn, which made him realize that he wanted to take his destiny into his own hands rather than leaving it in the hands of others. He highlights the significant difference in pace and process between big corporate business (IKEA) and being in a startup, and inspires us by talking about converting your fears into positive energy to motivate you, and being bold as a way of pushing you further to the next level. This is an episode that you definitely don't want to miss, so make sure to check it out now!

On this episode, we chat with Startup Canada’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist, Co-Founder and President of Dear Life, Harrison Smith. Dear Life is a very interesting startup who are building an online platform aimed at capturing and recording people’s lives in order to give their users a way of sharing their life-defining moments and memories in an interactive manner. Harrison chat with us about his experience of dropping out of university to become a startup founder, as well as his history of struggling to fit in, and a desire to work heard to create a legacy to be remembered by, which is ultimately what inspired him to create a startup that is all about leaving a digital footprint for your life that will ensure that you 'live on forever'. We talk with Harrison about the difference between 'being at the right place at the right time' and 'being at the right place and waiting', and the challenges and opportunities that both approaches provide. This episode is very interesting and goes into some interesting new directions, so make sure to check it out for more!

In this episode of "What Freaks Out Founders", we chat with the CEO, Founder & Product Developer of PLAEX Building Systems, Dustin Bowers. Dustin is a very interesting guy who took a bit of an unexpected path towards being a startup founder. He grew up in a family of trades people, carpenters, machinists, plumbers, millwrights, and computer engineers and, for over 18 years, pursued a career in a wide scope of carpentry skills, as well as working in the fine arts and several creative ventures on the side. As a new father, he was inspired to fuse his skills as a carpenter and computer geek with his passion for protecting the natural environment, which is what led him to develop a new fully interlocking mortar-less building system made almost exclusively from recycled materials with his team at PLAEX. Dustin chats with us about being inspired by his grandfather who knew that there was always a way to fix something rather than throw it away, and how that has led him to try and take on the virtuous and monumental task of trying to make the world a better place, even in a small way, for his children and the next generation. Dustin has a very refreshing take and approach and definitely does not fit the 'startup founder' stereotype, which is part of what makes him so great. Check out this episode to find out more!

In this episode, we chat with Christy Silvestri, President & Co-Founder of QuickFacts Inc., a software platform designed to improve business operations and efficiencies of insurance brokerages. Christy is a first time founder who found herself at the helm of a startup after working as an insurance broker for over 15 years. She is very passionate and active in the insurance community, so when she noticed a gap operationally that was in need of innovation and increased efficiency, she jumped into action. Christy discusses the challenges and opportunities provided by being a first-time startup founder during the pandemic. She tells us about what it's like to be working in an industry and recognizing a real need for innovation, then stepping up to the plate, and also talks to us about establishing a new type of work-life balance as a startup founder, and the sometimes struggle of making your friends and family understand that. Christy is a joy to talk to and a real inspiration, so you'll definitely want to check this episode out!