Evolve ETFs: The Innovators Behind Disruption with Raj Lala

The rapid development and adoption of an entirely new asset class was never going to be smooth. Are you ready to dive deeper into the world of Bitcoin and its untapped potential as a portfolio asset? This podcast is designed to explore this under-discussed topic. While Bitcoin’s technical aspects and macro concepts have received extensive coverage, we believe it’s time to move beyond the headlines and into the future. We’ll take you on a journey into the future, fast-forwarding 12 months to a scenario where US Bitcoin ETFs have launched. Discover how this development could revolutionize the landscape of portfolio management and investment advisory. Elliot Johnson – Chief Investment Officer – Evolve ETFsGreg Foss – Power Development, Bitcoin Strategist – One Fund

Episode length: 26 min 49 sec EPISODE #47 – Innovation, Infrastructure & AI with Amit Monga In this episode of The Innovators Behind Disruption, we explore innovation, infrastructure and artificial intelligence with keynote speaker, Dr. Amit Monga. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Opening remarks and introductions 2:04 Infrastructure evolving into smart infrastructure 4:25 Adoption of technology from pre-pandemic to post-pandemic 8:47 Sustainability and autonomous vehicles in Canada 15:41 The evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) 20:38 Applications of AI in the finance industry 23:28 Predictions on important technological developments over the next decade 26:05 Closing remarks GUEST SPEAKER: Dr. Amit Monga – Member, Board of Directors, Infrastructure Ontario Dr. Amit Monga has over 20 years of investment banking, venture capital, and corporate governance experience in the technology, media, telecom, and life sciences sectors. Most recently, he was Managing Director, Technology and Innovation, Global Investment Banking, at one of Canada’s largest bank-owned investment banks.  He is an active angel investor and advisor to venture capital and PE funds, and frequently consults with public and private companies on maximizing shareholder value and adoption of disruptive technologies. Dr. Monga serves on the boards of Infrastructure Ontario and University of Toronto Press. He has previously served on the Innovation Council at Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and the boards of both the Canadian Medical Foundation and Alberta Innovates Technology Futures. He received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Alberta, where his research focused on solving complex reliability-based design problems using genetic algorithms. An expert in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics, his research has been published in top peer-reviewed academic journals such as Computers and Industrial Engineering, Advances in Engineering Software, Computers and Operations Research, and International Journal for Quality, Reliability and Safety Engineering. HOSTED BY: Raj Lala - President & CEO, Evolve ETFs

Episode length: 17 min 53 sec EPISODE #46 – Empowering Female Investors with Julie Shipley-Strickland In this episode of The Innovators Behind Disruption, we explore female investors from the point of view of a female investment advisor, keynote speaker, Julie Shipley-Strickland. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Opening remarks and introductions 0:50 About the practice, focusing on female business owners 3:30 Similarities & differences between male & female investors 5:25 Being educated in investments 7:22 How risk tolerance differs between males & females 8:49 Female empowerment and approach towards investing 10:37 Navigating the current market environment 15:06 Investment opportunities in technology 17:17 Closing remarks GUEST SPEAKER: Julie Shipley-Strickland - Senior Wealth Advisor, Wellington-Altus Private Wealth Passionate, forthright and dynamic, Julie Shipley-Strickland builds strong relationships with her valued clients by understanding their goals, supporting their concerns and providing thoughtful and strategic solutions. As a Senior Wealth Advisor with Wellington-Altus Private Wealth, Julie provides independent investment advice, financial planning, insurance solutions and clear guidance to entrepreneurs, executives and their families. As one of the few female investment and insurance advisors in Canada, Julie is paving the way for future females in finance with her strong leadership and dedication to women-led businesses in the community. HOSTED BY: Raj Lala - President & CEO, Evolve ETFs Prior to founding Evolve ETFs, Mr. Lala served as Head of WisdomTree Canada – a division of WisdomTree Investments Inc., one of the world’s largest ETF issuers. Prior to this, Mr. Lala was Executive Vice President and Head of Retail Markets for Fiera Capital Corporation, a prominent Canadian investment management firm with over $100 billion in assets under management. Mr. Lala co-founded and served as President and CEO of Propel Capital Corporation (which was acquired by Fiera Capital Corporation in September 2014). Propel raised approximately $1 Billion in structured products in its five years of operation. Prior to Propel, Mr. Lala worked with Jovian Capital. Mr. Lala held several roles at Jovian including President of JovFunds Inc., an asset management division of Jovian Capital. Mr. Lala holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Toronto.

EPISODE #45 – Cryptocurrency Investing with David Abner In this episode of The Innovators Behind Disruption, we explore cryptocurrencies and investment opportunities in crypto with keynote speaker, David Abner. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Opening remarks and introductions 1:36 About Gemini 6:18 ETFs and the beginnings of bitcoin ETFs 10:38 Why invest in bitcoin? 13:19 Bitcoin as a hedge to inflation 17:23 Cryptocurrency adoption 21:40 Regulation, volatility and other obstacles to crypto adoption 26:44 Growth drivers for cryptocurrencies in the coming years 31:16 Closing remarks GUEST SPEAKER: David Abner - Global Head of Business Development, Gemini David Abner is the Global Head of Business Development at Gemini. In this role, David oversees the expansion of Gemini’s institutional business and leads the relationships with major institutional partners and high-net-worth individuals on a global scale. Prior to joining Gemini, David spent the last 20 years focusing on driving the growth of the Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) industry. He was instrumental in bringing ETFs from a fringe arbitrage trading tool to an investment product utilized by institutional asset managers, reaching more than 7 trillion in assets under management. His most recent book, The ETF Handbook (Wiley Finance) describes the inner workings of ETFs and how to achieve efficient portfolio implementation and execution. Most recently, David was the CEO of the European Division of WisdomTree Asset Management  and a member of their global executive committee. He joined the firm as a startup and helped it grow to more than $60 billion in assets under management. Prior to that he held Managing Director roles at BNP Paribas and Bear Stearns & Co, Inc.

EPISODE #44 - Investing in Disruptive Innovation with Scott Bullis In this episode of The Innovators Behind Disruption, we explore disruptive technologies and investment opportunities in disruptive innovation with keynote speaker, Scott Bullis. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Opening remarks and introductions 0:55 Dot com era 2:33 Growth and adoption of disruptive technology 3:50 Looking for investment opportunities for investors 6:10 Pandemic accelerating technologies 8:50 Disruption in the finance industry 10:22 Cryptocurrency & payment systems 13:22 Views on the metaverse 15:20 Social concerns on technologies 16:50 Top predictions for the next five years 18:59 Closing remarks GUEST SPEAKER: Scott Bullis - Portfolio Manager, IA Private Wealth Scott Bullis brings a wide range of skills to the team. As well as having an MBA in finance (Ivey - University of Western Ontario), he has an engineering degree (Queen's University) and has held both Professional Engineer and Project Management Professional designations. He has taught a range of business courses at the University of Alberta (Edmonton), York University (Toronto) and Thompson Rivers University (Kamloops) in the areas of Family Business, Small Business Management, Marketing and Strategy. Before becoming an advisor, Scott held senior roles in a silicon valley during the dot com boom, ran a 450 person offshore engineering firm and was a director of Canada's National Quality Institute. Scott is a fully licensed Portfolio Manager. He holds both the CIM (Chartered Investment Manager) and PM (Portfolio Manager) designations. DISCLAIMER: Scott Bullis is a Portfolio Manager for iA Private Wealth®. Opinions expressed in this presentation are those of the Portfolio Manager only and do not necessarily reflect those of IA Private Wealth. The information contained in this podcast comes from sources we believe reliable, but we cannot guarantee its accuracy or reliability. The opinions expressed are based on an analysis and interpretation dating from the date of publication and are subject to change without notice. Furthermore, they do not constitute an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any of the securities mentioned. The information contained herein may not apply to all types of investors. The Portfolio Manager can open accounts only in the provinces in which they are registered. iA Private Wealth is a trademark and business name under which iA Private Wealth Inc. operates. iA Private Wealth Inc. is a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund and the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada. Clayline Wealth is a personal trade name of Scott Bullis.

EPISODE #43 - Everything Crypto with Anthony “Pomp” Pompliano In this episode of The Innovators Behind Disruption, we explore the current cryptocurrency landscape and what’s next for bitcoin and ether with Elliot Johnson and keynote speaker, Anthony “Pomp” Pompliano. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Opening remarks 1:53 Key opportunities and challenges in bitcoin 7:25 Nation-state adoption of bitcoin & regulations 18:33 Bitcoin adoption in industries 19:35 US ETFs 22:53 Canadian cryptocurrency ETFs 27:40 Institutional adoption of cryptocurrency 33:26 Financial advisors & investing in cryptocurrency 41:24 Closing remarks GUEST SPEAKERS: Anthony “Pomp” Pompliano, Entrepreneur and Technology Investor – The Pomp Podcast Anthony “Pomp” Pompliano is an entrepreneur and technology investor. Most people simply call him “Pomp.” Pomp currently manages an investment portfolio valued at more than $500 million, including investments in many of the largest companies across the bitcoin and crypto industry. He also hosts the popular podcast “The Pomp Podcast,” which has been downloaded more than 20 million times. He writes a daily letter that is read by more than 150,000 investors each morning. Pomp’s interests lie at the intersection of finance, technology, entrepreneurship, and economics, which he tweets about extensively to his more than 1.1 million followers. Elliot Johnson, CIO & COO - Evolve ETFs Elliot is Chief Investment Officer and Chief Operation Officer at Evolve ETFs. Prior to joining Evolve ETFs, Elliot was Senior Vice President, Retail Markets at Fiera Capital Corporation, a prominent Canadian investment management firm. Elliot has been a featured guest on BNN Bloomberg and featured in top publications such as, Toronto Star, Yahoo Finance, Benzinga, Investment Executive, Wealth Professional and Motley Fool. Elliot is also a frequent guest on various industry webinars, ETF panels, wealth and cryptocurrency podcasts, including Jessica Moorhouse and BTC Media.

EPISODE #42 - Midyear ETF Industry Update with Eric Balchunas In this episode of The Innovators Behind Disruption, we chat with Bloomberg senior ETF analyst, Eric Balchunas on the ETF market thus far in 2021. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Opening remarks 1:20 This year so far 3:30 How is growth spread between DIY and advisors? 6:50 What are the biggest trends that are being seen now? 12:05 Why ESG investing could be on the up 16:50 Bullish on Clean Energy ETFs 20:05 Overall thoughts on disruptive tech from Eric 22:00 Making sense of retail-driven purchases 30:00 Competing with the big boys of disruptive tech 32:30 Predictions of when crypto ETFs will hit the US market 37:20 Predictions for the first-day volume of Bitcoin ETFs in the US 43:55 Favourite tickers 49:50 Closing remarks GUEST SPEAKER: Eric Balchunas, Senior ETF Analyst - Bloomberg

EPISODE #41 - The Future of Disruptive Innovation with Shawn Kanungo In this episode of The Innovators Behind Disruption, we explore what the future of disruptive innovation could look like with keynote speaker, Shawn Kanungo. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Opening remarks 2:00 Are organizations embracing disruptive tech? 6:00 Electricity the backbone of the future 9:15 The growth of automation and AI 14:26 The bubble of crypto 19:05 The biggest disruptive forces to come 22:37 Bio-tech, genomics and autonomous vehicles 25:00 What advice would you give the younger generation 28:34 The paradox of disruption 31:59 Is a Metaverse ETF to come? 35:15 The new industries of the metaverse 35:50 Closing remarks GUEST SPEAKER: Shawn Kanungo, Keynote Speaker - Disruptive Innovation Shawn Kanungo is a globally recognized innovation strategist. He previously spent 12 years at Deloitte working closely with leaders to better plan for the opportunities associated with disruptive innovation. Shawn is a Partner with Queen & Rook, where he advises leading organizations and executives on disruptive trends, and actively invests in early-stage ventures. His work and interviews have been featured in The Globe & Mail, The Guardian, CBC and CTV. He has been recognized as Avenue Magazine's Top 40 Under 40. In 2021, he was named in Forbes as the “Best Virtual Keynote Speaker I’ve Ever Seen”. Shawn’s content on innovation has garnered millions of views, respectively across LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube & Facebook.

In this episode of The Innovators Behind Disruption, we sit down with Carole Piovesan of INQ Law to discuss how spending on cybersecurity is divided and which ways data privacy is involved in everyday life.   TIMESTAMPS:   0:00 Opening remarks  1:30 Banning paying ransom on ransomware attacks  3:50 The three spends of technical defence   5:35 Data privacy in everyday life  7:25 Giving up control of privacy  9:20 Big tech privacy adjustments  12:00 Recent changes of privacy  13:45 AI in the healthcare sector  16:30 Bridging the divide between tech and medicine  17:15 Canadian GDPR  18:50 Closing Remarks   GUEST SPEAKER:  Carole Piovesan - Managing partner, INQ Law   Carole is managing partner at INQ Law, focusing her practice on privacy, cyber readiness, data governance and artificial intelligence (AI) risk management. She regularly counsels clients on a wide range of matters related to privacy, cyber readiness and breach response, data governance, ethical AI and responsible innovation. Prior to founding INQ Law, Carole was co-lead of the national Cybersecurity, Privacy and Data Management group at McCarthy Tétrault. She has represented clients before all levels of court in Ontario as well as at the Supreme Court of Canada.  Carole plays an active role in shaping data law, policy and standards in Canada and globally. She is the co-chair of the federal government’s Exposure Notification application. She also co-chairs the data governance working group for the Data Governance Standardization Collaborative at the Standards Council of Canada. She is a member of the Data Governance Working Group for the Global Partnership on AI, as well as an advisor to several AI start-ups.  In 2018, Carole was appointed by the federal Minister of Innovation to serve as one of six Digital Leaders in the national data and digital transformation consultations. In this role, she led consultations with businesses, academics, civil society and industry associations to inform the first national Digital Charter. Announced on May 21, 2019, the Digital Charter has led to significant proposed reforms to Canada’s federal private sector privacy law.

In this episode of The Innovators Behind Disruption, we sit down with Chris Overholt of OverActive Media to discuss the ever-growing eSports industry. This discussion ranges from the ins and outs of being an eSport professional, the financial growth this industry will see and where Toronto fits into the potential space for an eSports performance centre. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Opening remarks 2:05 Getting involve in eSports 4:10 The difference between eSport and eGaming 7:15 A day in the life of an eSports professional 10:00 eSports – A growing industry 12:35 Prize pools 15:30 How the traditional eGaming companies are involved in eSports 20:10 Viewership in eSports during Covid-19 23:00 Reopening plans post Covid-19 25:00 An eSport performance centre 26:40 Toronto’s talent pool 29:00 Closing remarks

In this episode of The Innovators Behind Disruption, we sit down with Mike Szabo of Carbon Pulse to discuss the impact of climate change and the steps put in place to combat carbon emissions. While there is a social cost and the very obvious environmental cost, economists have decided to deal with this by putting a monetary cost on pollution and we discuss the two main approaches.

In this episode of The Innovators Behind Disruption, we discuss how the rapid rise of bitcoin has sparked an increase in conversations about the future growth of digital finance. As a non-correlated asset class, bitcoin is being viewed as a store of value and a potential hedge against inflation.

In this episode of The Innovators Behind Disruption, we chat with Drew Orsinger, CEO & Co-Founder of TradeX. Drew is a career security professional who has served as Chief Security Officer at several companies including SpaceX, CME Group, and Honeywell. Drew is excited to fuse a proven Department of Defense technology with blockchain to innovate a market data solution to propel the financial services industry forward. He also served in the U.S. government in a variety of capacities, including leading a resilience and security practice at a National Laboratory providing analysis on infrastructure protection, cybersecurity, and data loss prevention.

In this episode of The Innovators Behind Disruption, we chat with Robert Di Iorio. Robert is Vice-President & Portfolio Manager at RBC Dominion Securities Inc. Robert focuses on working with clients to create long-term, mathematically attainable, personalized plans, and oversees overall portfolio design. In this conversation, we discuss how to discuss a volatile market with clients, how growth themes affect our lives, and which disruptive themes will change our lives.

In this episode of The Innovators Behind Disruption, we chat with Anthony Di Iorio. Anthony is founder and CEO of Decentral Inc. He funded and co-founded Ethereum, the decentralized smart contract platform. In this conversation, we discuss the ethereum blockchain, cryptocurrencies (ether/bitcoin), disruptive technologies, giving back to the community and helping solve problems. TIMESTAMPS: 0:15 Opening remarks 0:50 Introduction to Anthony 1:37 How Decentral started 4:15 Who is the Decentral audience 5:25 Background of Di Iorio 8:00 The breakthrough of Crypto 10:30 Creating a win for the public 12:40 Anti-trust movement 16:10 What is Ethereum 17:45 What is required for crypto adoption 20:15 Is wider adoption of crypto coming? 22:15 Top disruptive themes in the next 5 years 23:15 Three influential people in Anthony’s life 25:30 Top podcasts 26:40 Closing remarks

Episode Length: 27:22 Learn about: · Defining disruption and evolution · Technological advancements in the banking industry · Clientelligent services in the financial industry · Deep learning for product recommendations · Data-driven lead generation · Deep learning model development · Views on industries to watch for disruptive innovation · Predictions on the adoption of evolutionary technology Keynote Speaker: Darren Cabral, Co-Founder & CEO, Clientelligent, Canada Darren Cabral is a co-founder & CEO of Clientelligent, a machine learning company dedicated to helping financial services companies better engage with their clients. Prior to Clientelligent, Darren was a financial services executive. He spent the majority of his career as a Partner and Director at Connor, Clark & Lunn Capital Markets Inc. (CC&LCM), a retail investment management subsidiary of Connor, Clark & Lunn Financial Group, one of Canada's largest asset managers. Darren held several senior leadership roles at CC&LCM, serving as CFO and later as President after a controlling interest in the company was sold to Aston Hill. As a portfolio manager, Darren managed quantitative and derivative-based strategies for CC&LCM and two Canadian banks. Prior to CC&LCM, Darren worked in Canada and the UK for a boutique investment management company. Darren has an MBA and a mathematics (operations research) degree from York University. He is also a CFA charterholder and a recipient of the Canadian Operations Research Society diploma.

Episode Length: 32:58 Learn about: · Overview of the Canadian and U.S. ETF markets · Actively managed ETF strategies · Smart beta strategies · How the ETF market eclipsed the mutual fund market in Canada · U.S. ETF market trends  · Why financial advisors use ETFs in Canada and the U.S. · Views on whether or not the ETF market is overcrowded · Growing interests in thematic ETFs · Institutional investors and ESG  · Expectations on the growth of Canadian thematic ETFs · Predictions on the future of the North American ETF market · Favourite ETF tickers   Keynote Speakers:  Andres Rincon, CMT, Director, Equity Derivatives & ETF Strategy, TD Securities Andres Rincon, CMT, is director of equity, ETFs and derivatives strategy at TD Securities. He advises institutional and wealth investors on ETF and option strategies, publishes a broad array of ETF and derivative publications, and works with TD's ETF market making team in facilitating ETF orders. He holds a bachelor of commerce degree in commerce, finance from the University of Ottawa James Seyffart, CFA, CAIA, ETF & Commodities Analyst, Bloomberg Intelligence James Seyffart is a research analyst within Bloomberg Intelligence (Bloomberg LP's Research Department). He focuses on the research of the broader asset management industry with specialized expertise in the coverage of ETFs, Mutual Funds, Hedge Funds. Works with Bloomberg's commodity strategist in the research of cryptocurrencies and assists in the production of Bloomberg's ETF IQ, the only TV show fully devoted to all things ETFs. He has a B.S. in Finance and Accounting from The College Of New Jersey (TCNJ).

Episode Length: 24:11 Learn about: · Views on the recent Capital One data breach · Canadian law on data breaches  · Global spending in the cybersecurity industry · What CEOs are most concerned about regarding cybersecurity · Outsourcing of cybersecurity services · What banks are doing to protect themselves from security breaches · The biggest shift in the types of cyber attacks  · Sectors that may need to increase cybersecurity spending and efforts · How ransom requests are being dealt with · The importance of industrial cybersecurity · Top predictions for the cybersecurity industry Keynote Speaker: Stew Wolfe CISSP, CISM, CISA, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT), Canadian Cybersecurity Practice Lead | Canada | Americas  Mr. Wolfe leads the NTT Canadian Cybersecurity practice as well as the America’s pre-sales security Industrial and Internet of Everything go to market strategy. He has over 26 years in the IT field of which 20 were spent in security, including positions at IBM and Cisco. Mr. Wolfe has focused in various areas within the security field including ethical hacking, executive advisory consulting as well as industrial and healthcare security.  Hosted by: Raj Lala, President & CEO, Evolve ETFs Prior to founding Evolve ETFs, Mr. Lala served as Head of WisdomTree Canada – a division of WisdomTree Investments Inc., one of the world’s largest ETF issuers. Prior to this, Mr. Lala was Executive Vice President and Head of Retail Markets for Fiera Capital Corporation, a prominent Canadian investment management firm with over $100 billion in assets under management. Mr. Lala co-founded and served as President and CEO of Propel Capital Corporation (which was acquired by Fiera Capital Corporation in September 2014). Propel raised approximately $1 Billion in structured products in its five years of operation. Prior to Propel, Mr. Lala worked with Jovian Capital. Mr. Lala held several roles at Jovian including President of JovFunds Inc., an asset management division of Jovian Capital. Mr. Lala holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Toronto.

Episode Length: 20:09 Learn about: · The catalysts for growth in the technology sector · Differences between eGaming and eSports · How revenue streams have changed in the gaming industry · eSports leagues and teams · Size and growth of the eGaming sector · How 5G and cloud computing affects eGaming · Global demographics of gamers · eSports viewership · Top predictions on the eGaming & eSports industry Keynote Speaker: Robert Young, Director, Technology Equity Research, Canaccord Genuity Corp. (Canada) Robert Young has covered the Canadian technology sector since 2008 and joined Canaccord Genuity as part of the integration of Genuity Capital Markets in 2010. Awards include Starmine’s No. 1 stock picker in Canadian IT Equipment. Previously, Robert worked as a technology strategy consultant with IBM and as a systems engineer for Nortel Networks. Robert holds an Masters in Business Administration from the Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario as well as a Bachelor of Engineering from McMaster University. 

Episode Length: 22:24 Learn about: · How the Canadian cannabis market is changing  · The role of retail in the cannabis space · Recent developments in the U.S. cannabis industry · Insights on legalization in the U.S. · How the U.S market is developing in comparison with the Canadian market  · The cannabis market in California · Market projections for the Canadian and U.S. cannabis industry · Latest company updates on MedMen · Predictions on the top investment opportunities in the cannabis industry Keynote Speaker: Vahan Ajamian, Managing Director of Analyst Relations, MedMen Inc.  About Keynote Speaker:  Vahan Ajamian is MedMen’s principal liaison with brokers and financial analysts covering investment opportunities in the cannabis space. Named a rising star in marijuana investment by Business Insider, he is a capital markets forerunner and expert in the cannabis sector with more than a dozen years of experience in equity research and analysis. Prior to joining MedMen, he was an analyst at Beacon Securities Limited, a full-service independent investment firm in Canada, and at TD Securities. Hosted by: Raj Lala, President & CEO, Evolve ETFs Prior to founding Evolve ETFs, Mr. Lala served as Head of WisdomTree Canada – a division of WisdomTree Investments Inc., one of the world’s largest ETF issuers. Prior to this, Mr. Lala was Executive Vice President and Head of Retail Markets for Fiera Capital Corporation, a prominent Canadian investment management firm with over $100 billion in assets under management. Mr. Lala co-founded and served as President and CEO of Propel Capital Corporation (which was acquired by Fiera Capital Corporation in September 2014). Propel raised approximately $1 Billion in structured products in its five years of operation. Prior to Propel, Mr. Lala worked with Jovian Capital. Mr. Lala held several roles at Jovian including President of JovFunds Inc., an asset management division of Jovian Capital. Mr. Lala holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Toronto.