I’m a Canadian entrepreneur living in San Francisco. Co-Founder of Flowtown (Acquired ’11). Founder of Spheric Technologies (Acquired ’08), Mentor @ 500Startup & GrowLabs. Angel investor in 15 others.
Have you been to Moncton, NB, Canada? This is where I’m from.
Business
In 1999 I started MaritimeVacation.com, a cottage rental listing site, which made a few buck but ultimately died a slow death due to a very small addressable market. My next startup was NBHost.com, a traditional web hosting company, that failed because I didn’t understand “differentiation”. It wasn’t until 2004 when started Spheric Technologies, a social entreprise consulting and applications company, that I finally figured it out. The company grew by an average of 152% per year, raked in many business awards, employing nearly 30 people before I sold it in mid 2008. In 2009 after moving to San Francisco I cofounded Flowtown which raised venture funding and was acquired by Demandforce.com in 2011. Most recently I started working on Clarity.fm.
Investor
I started angel investing when I was 26 and had no clue what I was doing. I’ve since made investments in over 15 amazing and passionate entrepreneurs in both Canada and the US. Companies like GetAround, Udemy, Word Lens, High Score House, Intercom, Unbounce, Manpacks, Plancast, OneForty (acquired by HubSpot), Foodspotting, Lymbix, Etch Media, Rapid Mind Solutions, Primex Painting.
I’m also a formal advisor to Hootsuite and equity advisor to LocalMind, Massive Damage, Quidiq, Happy Stuff via Year One Labs, but I don’t typically take on “advisor” roles.
I believe it’s better to invest in a startup than buy a new car.
Giving back
Kiva.org on their social marketing advisory board
StartupWeekend on their advisory board
Portage as an ex resident and donor
In a previous life
As a teenager I was a drug addict and criminal. By the time I turned 17 I had been to jail twice for drug related charges. At 18 I went to rehab and discovered computers. It saved my life. The difference was that the staff were all ex-drug addicts. They truly knew what I was going through. That understanding, that I learnt at an early age, is reason why I spend so much time sharing what I know with other Entrepreneurs. Getting advice from those who’ve been through it before is the reason for my success, in both business, and in life.