Canada’s Entrepreneur

Harman Wander is a founder whose journey runs against the usual grain. He didn't start in a software lab; he started with his hands, in the construction trades, trained at BCIT in British Columbia. From there he climbed the value chain into business consulting and real estate — and then, with his wife Mankiran, built Wander Wagon Immigration, a firm that's now helped more than a thousand families progress their Canadian dream, with offices from Surrey to Calgary to Faridkot in Punjab.

But here's what makes Harman worth a listen/view: his newest venture, My Autobiography, is an AI...

Gordon Martin, is the Founder and CEO of Eber Technologies — an early-stage company in the Greater Toronto Area, out of Brampton. Gordon is building something with a very grounded idea behind it: that a small business shouldn't have to slow down just because the owner is busy. Every business owner knows the feeling — the calls that go unanswered, the website enquiry sitting overnight, the follow-up that never went out, and the customer who quietly moved on.

What I like about Gordon's take is that it runs against the AI hype. He is all about making AI practical for...

Aaren Terrett, President Spraggs Group, CEO Vistera Technologies, spent his career inside the machinery of professional services: nearly eight years leading customer success at Traction on Demand, then global professional services strategy at Salesforce. He watched the model work for the enterprise and fail the little guy. Vistera is the fix he decided to lead.

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Ellen Parker is the Founder and CEO of PARKER PR and PARKER Media. She is a multi award-winning entrepreneur, keynote speaker and active community leader with 25 years of professional experience in communications.

Recognized with the Top 40 Under 40, the Lieutenant Governor's Platinum Jubilee Medal, the Mayor's Excellence Award and MRU’s Alumni of the Year Award, Ellen brings over two decades of experience and accolades to the profession and to her team. Her career spans work in Manhattan with celebrities, businesses, hotels and restaurants, as well as with the Alberta Government, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra the Calgary Food Ba...

Trena Laine is an author, speaker and leadership advocate who helps individuals, leaders and organizations navigate change, build resilience and create sustainable success. With more than 20 years of experience in transformation and personal development, her work challenges hustle culture and encourages values-driven leadership rooted in wellbeing, purpose and impact.

Through keynotes, workshops and strategic mentorship, Trena combines powerful storytelling with practical insights to help audiences lead through adversity, strengthen workplace culture and achieve meaningful growth.

She is the founder of The Elevate Collective and author of Dear Aaron, a memoir exploring grief, resilience and the...

Stacey Berger is a transformational speaker, coach, and founder of EverExpanding Coaching, passionate about helping people break through limitations and step into their fullest potential.

Through her powerful coaching, live events, and inspiring message, Stacey empowers individuals to overcome self-doubt, shift limiting beliefs, and create meaningful, lasting transformation in their lives.

Known for her authentic, high-energy approach, Stacey combines mindset mastery, personal development, and practical strategy to help people gain clarity, confidence, and purpose. She has guided countless entrepreneurs, leaders, and growth-minded individuals toward greater fulfillment, stronger relationships, and aligned success.

As the...

Vivek Gharten is founder and CEO of DataCove, where he's building DefenseNet, a patented on-device AI platform designed to stop phishing, scams, and digital fraud before someone becomes a victim. DefenseNet has been selected by the Rogers Cybersecure catalyst, and is already working with enterprise customers and MSP partners. What I love about Vivek's story is that three things rarely sit in one founder. Immigrant, educator, and cybersecurity builder. And all three are shaping how he's trying to protect Canadians from one of the fastest-growing threats we face.

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Daniel Moll's EarthSuds journey started on a family vacation. He wandered onto a beach expecting pristine white sand and instead found it littered with plastic - mostly shampoo and amenity bottles. He discovered over 5.7 billion plastic toiletry bottles end up in landfills every year. He had zero background in cosmetic chemistry but couldn't shake the idea that there had to be a better way. On a walk one day, it hit him: what if shampoo could exist as a solid, dissolvable tablet instead of a liquid in a bottle? He started by buying dissolvable strips of paper, painting liquid...

Being a solopreneur it's not enough to just stay in your in your lane and be good at one thing anymore. Brydon McMillen is digital marketing specialist, He graduated from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Applied Science - BASc, Chemical Engineering – but chose a different route to apply his technical acumen. After beginning his career in engineering Brydon pivoted his career and moved to marketing. For the past 7 years paid search has been his focus. He has managed 8-figures in annual ad spend across 150+ brands. Brydon has worked with brands who live in the rare air of...

Cameron Shirt is a member of Saddle Lake First Nation who grew up on the Sawridge First Nation, Alberta. After studying economics at the University of Alberta, he pursued a career in solar energy, becoming a journeyman electrician and gaining experience across utility-scale, commercial, residential and battery projects before founding his own company, Tribe Solar. Concerned by what climate change represents to humanity he is driven to install the technologies that will power decarbonization with a quality and price point that shares more of the economic value with clients. He believes sharing the economic value will drive forward the...

Vitalii Dodonov is the Co-Founder and CTO of Stan. He led the company from zero to $30M ARR with a 30-person team, making Stan one of the highest-efficiency startups in its category. A self-taught technologist, his leadership is rooted in first-principles thinking, top 1% talent density, and a conviction that most problems are solvable with clarity and disciplined effort. At Stan, he builds the infrastructure that empowers Creator-Entrepreneurs to start and scale sustainable businesses. Originally from Russia and educated in Canada, Vitalii’s unconventional path, including more than 800 skydiving jumps, shapes his visionary yet practical approach to building technology that en...

Nicholas Reichenbach founded one of Canada's most recognizable sustainable brands, took it public on the TSX — and then lost it. Nicholas Reichenbach built Flow Alkaline Spring Water from a moment of clarity at Burning Man into a national B-Corp success story, before debt and lender pressure took the company out of his hands in 2025. In this remarkably honest conversation, he talks about the climb, the fall most founders never discuss, and why he's already back in the water business with a 155-year-old brand called Formosa Springs — his original family business. A must-listen on resilience, capital, and what it really cost...

Jennie Coleman is the President and Co-owner of Equifruit, North America's leading banana brand, and a recognized leader in ethical sourcing in Canada.

Jennie currently lives in Montreal with her husband and three children. Prior to acquiring Equifruit in 2013, Jennie lived all over the world including Beijing, Berlin, Zurich, the UK, Namibia and Toronto. Jennie considers herself as a "repreneur", having been driven to buy Equifruit by a long-standing itch to step into entrepreneurship and marry her corporate business background with her passion for sustainability and justice. In her role at Equifruit, Jennie is on a mission...

For over 18 years, Suzanne Colmer has worked as one of Canada’s leading style and image consultants, helping clients bring clarity, confidence, and cohesion to their everyday wardrobes. Known for her thoughtful, size-inclusive approach, she specializes in closet cleanses that help clients truly love what they own, personalized shopping experiences, and curated capsule wardrobes designed to help people buy less and wear more.

A trusted voice in style, Suzanne is frequently sought out by the media and has been featured on Global TV, CBC, and The Globe and Mail, as well as internationally as Toronto’s style cons...

LOMA Agency, a Canadian experiential event management agency, marked its 10-year anniversary on June 4, 2026 in Toronto.

Founded in 2016 by Loren Maisels, LOMA has spent the past decade partnering with North American organizations to design and deliver strategic creative event experiences across in-person, virtual and hybrid formats. The agency’s work spans conferences, corporate retreats, awards galas, sales kickoffs, fundraising events, employee experiences and large-scale industry gatherings for clients including Achievers, Automation Anywhere, Great Place To Work®️, Loopio, Children’s Mental Health Ontario, Lifemark Health Group, Holder Construction, The Canadian Nurses Foundation, Coconut Software and many others.

Stay...

Krista Faist is the founder of Twenty Two Media Group, an independent Canadian publishing house, specializing in food drink and travel publications. Krista helped to launch the foodism and escapism brands in the U.K. before jumping back across the pond in 2015 to launch the brands here in Toronto.

She has led the charge as the founder of the company for 10 years, and also serves as the publisher for their two consumer media brands foodism and escapism.

With a degree in journalism, and over a decade spent in food and drink PR and brand marketing...

Jenepher Reynolds is a makeup artist turned beauty founder who spent years shaping how women are seen through editorial, film, television, and national campaigns in Canada. After noticing a lack of honest conversations around aging, hormonal changes, and confidence in beauty, she launched Jenn of Arch, a brand focused on practical, confidence-building tools for women over 40. Her work has been featured in outlets including Women’s Health, Byrdie, and PopSugar, and her Eyebrow I.D. System won a Beauty Tank award at the 2025 Make-Up in New York Show. Based in Charlottetown, PEI, Jenepher creates beauty solutions designed to help wo...

Zechariah Thomas  - Atlantic

"The difference is I have an idea, and I'm able to get it out a lot faster than most people."
Zechariah Thomas bootstrapped an affordable sports equipment brand at only 19 with $100,000 of his own money. At 23 years old, he has grown the company into a seven-figure brand, expanding into other sports industries including pickle-ball and lacrosse. He recently earned himself a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, demonstrating industry credibility and success in the North American market. I see this interview as sharing his own personal struggles and tips + tricks on how t...

because it gave me the opportunity to learn something new.

James Clarke is the co-Founder and CEO of Nuera Capital Corporation, a Vancouver based capital investment firm focused on sustainable infrastructure and master planned community development in the Pacific Northwest of Canada, with projects centered on Vancouver Island. His vision is to help shape the future of development through resilient infrastructure, thoughtful community planning, and Passive House certified design standards that create long term value.

James brings more than 30 years of business, operational, and management experience, combining 10 years in heavy construction with 20 years in investment...

35 Years in Luxury Real Estate — Here's What Nobody Tells You

Jerry Hammond is the Founder & CEO of Hammond International Properties — Toronto's premier boutique luxury brokerage, serving ultra-high-net-worth clients across Canada and internationally since 1993. Jerry started in real estate in 1993, built his name as a top individual producer in the luxury segment. He founded Hammond International Properties in 2015 — went boutique, went brand, went global. He has been one of the Top 100 Luxury Real Estate Brokers of the World three times; 2024 Best International Real Estate Agent; 2021 Best Luxury Brokerage in Canada.

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Monique Barrie is an award-nominated filmmaker, entrepreneur, and philanthropist living and working in Calgary, Alberta. As the Owner of Aspen Hill Montessori and Producer, Director, and Writer at LHI Productions, she has built a career defined by both creative vision and purpose-driven business, leading ventures in education, film, and social impact across Calgary and beyond. Her works, including The Hunter & His Apprentice and Renegade Fever, have earned international recognition and festival acclaim, while her upcoming documentary Not in My City: The Paul Brandt Story shines a powerful light on the realities of human trafficking and the voices reshaping systems...

Nishant Sharma — founder, survivor, and builder of one of the UK's most compelling spirits stories. Look out for Rutland Square Spirits at your local LCBO.

Nishant Sharma — or Nish, as he's known — is an Indian-born, Scotland-based founder and CEO of Rutland Square Spirits, a fast-growing premium drinks brand he launched in Edinburgh in 2021. A few years ago, he had £25 in his bank account, mounting bills, and suffered a heart attack at just 34 years old — with two young children at home. Since rebuilding from the ground up, Rutland Square Spirits has reached a £30 million valuation, with ambitions to scale to a...

Boris Lesar is a registered psychologist, entrepreneur, and co-owner of The Family Psychology Place. He came to Canada on his own at 20, an experience that continues to shape his perspective on resilience, meaning, and building a life with intention.

Over the past two decades, Boris has worked with individuals, couples, and families navigating anxiety, depression, burnout, addiction, and major life transitions. He served as Director of Clinical Operations and Programs at The Mustard Seed, where he led the development of a wellness centre for vulnerable populations, earning recognition from the Canadian Mental Health Association.

He...

What happens when a self-proclaimed "Top Chonker" decides to rethink ice cream through the lens of protein, performance, and healthier living?

In this episode of Canada’s Entrepreneur, Angela Faye sits down with Alex Manousiadis, founder of Booster Scoops, to explore the growing world of functional treats, health-conscious consumer habits, and the entrepreneurial journey behind building a modern food brand.

Alex shares the origin story behind Booster Scoops, the trade-offs involved in creating a product that balances taste and nutrition, and why transparency matters more than ever as consumers become increasingly aware of ingredients, sugar, pr...

Family, friends, food, and fitness have been cornerstones of his life for as long as he can remember. A Business graduate from SAIT Polytechnic, Jason Zaran entered the consumer packaged goods industry in the 1980s and built a successful career spanning more than two decades. A long-held desire to try his hand at entrepreneurship eventually led him to leave the corporate world to start his own business in 2006. This venture, The Main Dish, pioneered Calgary's healthy convenience food scene and grew over ten years to encompass six unique concepts and locations - ultimately leading to the launch of Fit...

The Platform (https://canadasentrepreneur.com) Six Information Hubs for Entrepreneurs to Experience The new Canada's Entrepreneur platform spans six integrated hubs — and each one is its own channel, with its own sponsorship opportunities.

One platform, six hubs – Knowledge hub, News Hub, Podcast Hub, Member Hub, AI Hub and Event Hub. The Canada’s Entrepreneur Platform A full membership platform for Canadian entrepreneurs — 150,000+ subscribers across the network. Your brand can show up across all six hubs.

Canada's Entrepreneur — Where Canada's founders tell their stories, build their networks, and grow their businesses. Powered by almost a decade of trust ·...

President of Assurgo Enterprises, Gerry Robitaille is a highly regarded business executive and corporate finance advisor. Focused on a mix of leadership responsibilities, operations management, governance and corporate finance mandates related to acquisitions, management buy outs and infrastructure financings, Gerry has established himself as an effective leader and trusted advisor, representing a diverse portfolio of successful organizations.

With a career spanning more than 25 years, Gerry was a business owner in the 1990’s. After selling his company in 1995 Gerry began his Investment Banking career for Foundation Group Mergers and Associations Ltd. Focused primarily on the buy-side, Gerry led tr...

In this episode of Canada’s Entrepreneur, we sit down with Kim Strynadka — self-described "Fairy Godmother of Possibilities," real estate investor, private lender, and financial educator — to unpack the real-world lessons about credit, debt, investing, and financial freedom that most Canadians never learn in school.

Kim shares practical insights, including:

K...

Melvin Adekanye is a Canadian entrepreneur pursuing JamSocial, an event tech venture that creates interactive networking icebreakers designed to help introverts start conversations at in-person events.

Have you ever felt awkward starting a conversation with a stranger at a networking event? It turns out most people do, and that awkward feeling holds them back from approaching new people. As a result, they miss out on opportunities that could have happened, whether that’s business/career growth, or new friendships.

JamSocial has been in business for about a year, and during that time it has scaled ac...

Jay Klein is the Founder & CEO of The PUR Company Inc. where he leads a global brand committed to making simple, better-for-you substitutions – without compromising taste or quality.
PUR continues to disrupt the chewing gum industry and is the #1 selling aspartame-free gum globally. PUR has been recognized among Deloitte’s Best Managed Companies, Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures, and ranked #1 in Manufacturing on Profit 500’s list of Canada’s Fastest Growing Companies.
This year Jay joins CBC’s Dragon’s Den in its 20th season as a Dragon.
Jay was named to Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 and awa...

"It's okay to make a mistake as long as you're learning from it. I think the idea of waiting for things to be perfect is an illusion, it doesn't happen."

Khalil Khamis, who is based in Guelph, has been instrumental in shaping Crafty Ramen’s growth since joining in 2018 and becoming CEO in 2021. Under his leadership, the company has evolved from a local ramen shop into a nationally recognized food brand, expanding its chef-crafted frozen ramen line to make restaurant-quality meals accessible in homes across Canada. Today, Crafty Ramen products are available in more than 2,700 retail locations, wi...

CRA Audits Are Rising in Canada — What Every Entrepreneur Needs to Know (Audit Shield Explained)

What would happen if the CRA audited your business tomorrow?

In this episode of Canada’s Entrepreneur, Managing Editor Mario Taniguchi sits down with Jason Koenig of Audit Shield and Morgan Lock, Founder of Cedar CPA, to break down what Canadian entrepreneurs need to know about CRA audits, reviews, and rising scrutiny in today’s AI-driven tax environment.

You’ll learn:

Why CRA audits and reviews are becoming more common

The biggest misconceptions business owners h...

CRA Audits Are Rising in Canada — What Every Business Owner Needs to Know (2026)
Are CRA audits and reviews becoming more common in Canada? In this episode of Canada’s Entrepreneur, Managing Editor Mario Toneguzzi sits down with Jason Koenig of Audit Shield and Brock O’Reilly of O’Reilly CPA to break down what’s really happening behind the scenes.

From increased automation and AI-driven tax enforcement to the growing frequency of audit letters, Canadian business owners are facing a new reality: more scrutiny, more often — even if you’ve done nothing wrong.

In this episode...

Chris and Alice came from humble beginnings.

Chris is the eldest of 11 and was often sent away because his parents could not pay rent.

Chris studied for 10 years in the seminary to become a priest. In his teaching sabbatical, a friend introduced a gorgeous woman to him. The rest is history. They now have 2 beautiful kids.

Both were scholars until their master’s education. They’re teachers by profession who became entrepreneurs.

They’re just around 3 years in Calgary. They are real estate investors with around 30 rental units.

They’re a tea...

A dedicated community leader, educator, and entrepreneur, Shauna Ockey has spent decades empowering women, youth, and families across Calgary and beyond.

A registered nurse by training — graduating from Mount Royal University in 1985 — she built her early career in the Intensive Care Unit at Alberta Children's Hospital, where her passion for supporting vulnerable individuals took root. That same commitment to service has guided every chapter of her life since.

Recognized as Mrs. Calgary in 1999, she has served in numerous leadership roles across the city's nonprofit and educational landscape, including the Board of Calgary Academy and as Boar...

MANMADE is a Canadian Montreal-based, direct-to-consumer men’s essentials brand founded in 2021 by four lifelong friends and former finance professionals – Anthony Ciavirella, Philip Santagata, Robert Marzin and Roberto "Berto" Rebelo. Anthony Ciavirella and Robert Marzin are two of the four co-founders of MANMADE, the Canadian men's essentials brand that's taking the country by storm. These guys quit their finance careers to solve a problem every guy has had but nobody talked about -- uncomfortable underwear. Since launching in 2020, they've grown from 150,000 to over one million customers, appeared on Dragons' Den, and just opened their first physical store in Montreal. Guys...

Simran Singh, President & Chief Executive Officer of OPA! of Greece, first joined OPA! of Greece as a member of the accounting team in 2014 and has since held multiple leadership roles, most recently as the company’s Financial Controller. He is also a multi-unit franchise operator, with a portfolio of five total storefronts after his newest location, in Edmonton’s West Granville neighborhood, opened in December of 2025. His extensive experience across every level of the business has uniquely prepared him to lead the company into its next phase of growth.

In addition to his career at OPA!, Simran has...

Simon Gravel is the founder and CEO of freelance.group, the largest freelance platform in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and the fifth largest in the world. He is currently developing freelance.ca to become the leader in the Canadian market. With over 15 years of experience in innovation and internationalization, he has built a community of more than 1.2 million freelancers and 100,000 employers in over 15 countries across 3 continents. A visionary of the future of work, he connects specialized talent with businesses.

Active in his community, he chairs the Marcelle-Mallet High School Foundation and serves on governing boards in Europe...

With his energy and enthusiasm, Nick Thompson brings a new approach to corporate image management, culture development, and enterprise growth. As a co-founder and President of a number of companies, including Metromedia Marketing Ltd., BrandAlliance Inc., VEA Office Professionals, and The Astra Group Inc. Nick now shares his 30+ years of leadership and executive management experience with business owners and professionals across North America.

He works with over 100 companies every year to help them grow and is especially passionate about sharing leadership experiences in the areas of culture, M&A, and strategic growth.

The organizations that...

You need a strong concept, and something that's realistic that you can actually execute, and are capable of.

Andrew Shore is a Toronto-based entrepreneur and founder of Amino, an AI-powered nutrition platform that helps people better understand what they’re eating by simply scanning their meals with their phone. He would be a great guest for the Canada's Entrepreneur podcast.

Since launching in September 2025, the platform has grown quickly, surpassing 100,000 users and more than 2 million meals scanned, with over 30,000 meals currently being analyzed each day. Amino uses AI image recognition to identify foods and estimate nu...