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A former high school teacher is on a mission to create a unique, inspiring, community-based learning experience for young people

Adam Robb was raised on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak and Chonnonton Nations on fertile farming lands connected with the London Township and Sombra Treaties of 1796 and the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum. After one year of university, it became clear that the learning he needed in life would be found with mountains, lakes, gardens, community centres and around campfires and not as much inside classrooms as he had once thought. He kept that realization in mind as he became a teacher himself. For the past 15 years as a high school teacher, Adam has since helped to create unique experiential education programs allowing for self-discovery for youth on Treaty 6, 7, 8 territories as well as the traditional lands of the Beaver, Cree, Ojibway, Secwépemc, Stoney, and Métis. The focus of these programs has always been about connecting youth to the land as a way of learning self-resiliency, problem-solving, risk-taking, relationship-building, history, technology, politics, science, economics and protocols from Traditional Keepers of knowledge. Adam has teamed up with other amazing educators to create learning programs that were recognized provincially (AB Education), nationally (EECOM, KF & CAGBC) and internationally (OECD & ILFI). The Howl Experience is the manifestation of all Adam’s beliefs about learning; it has to be experiential, community-based and focused on solving real problems and achieving real results. He is proud to be working alongside several past students on this project and of the many incredible past students out there making a real difference. Adam is most proud that he is able to do this work alongside his own amazingly insightful children and his inspiring partner.

Shawna Peddle is a partnership broker, collaborator, and convenor of like minds to address complex social issues. She has expertise in program design and implementation related to community resiliency, risk communication, environmental risk assessment, climate change adaptation, and disaster risk reduction. In her current role, Shawna oversees community investment programs and partnerships at Co-operators, a financial services co-operative, including corporate giving and volunteerism, the Co-operative Development Program, the Advisor Community Fund, and the Co-operators Community Funds. Shawna holds a Master of Forestry from the University of Toronto, and a Graduate Diploma in Social Responsibility and Sustainability from St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto.

Learn more about Howl Founder Adam Robb, and how he helped to develop programming that allowed youth to grow and learn more than through traditional education at https://www.experiencehowl.com


Learn more about Co-operators holistic business solutions here.


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RBC: The micro-entrepreneur economy survey

Don Ludlow, Vice-President of Small Business, Partnerships & Strategy, RBC, provides strategic oversight and leads a team that is responsible for delivering marketing-leading solutions, partnerships and client experiences that go beyond traditional banking to help Canadian entrepreneurs successfully start, manage and grow their business.

He also manages the development of RBC’s strategy for the broader Business Financial Services portfolio, including the group’s client experience, CRM, and data analytics strategies.

Don joined RBC in 2001 and has 20 years of experience within the financial services and banking sector. Prior to joining RBC, he served as an Infantry Officer in the Canadian Army where he led soldiers on a number of domestic and international operations and worked in both staff and training roles.

Overview of Key Data Points

Led by the younger millennial and Gen Z generations, a ‘micro-entrepreneur’ economy is emerging across the country, as Canadians look to adapt to a changing landscape dominated by rising inflation and digitization

  • 74 per cent of Canadian small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs are motivated to start a small business or side-hustle due to the increasing cost of living – With this number rising to 84 per cent among Gen Z respondents
  • A strong majority (77 per cent) of current and aspiring entrepreneurs report that their chief aim is to create a source of income to support themselves – Millennials (86 per cent) are even more likely to cite this as their main reason for starting a business

Key factors supporting the emergence of the micro-entrepreneurship economy.

  • Emerging technologies allow them to reach new markets and explore new ways of doing business (47 per cent)
  • Being able to conduct their business or “side-hustle” online remotely lowers the overhead costs associated with starting and running a business (47 per cent)
  • Digital solutions reduce the efforts for administration and back-office aspects of running a business (42 per cent)

A shift in customer preferences is also creating fertile ground for small and micro-businesses.

  • 89 per cent of those surveyed agree that small businesses are able to provide products and services tailored to local needs
  • Another 72 per cent stated that they believe small businesses have the ability to innovate at a more rapid rate than larger organizations
  • Moreover, 71 per cent were more likely to support businesses with an active presence in their local community
  • For current and aspiring business owners, the rising preference and increased willingness of Canadians to shop local has contributed to their overall desire to become an entrepreneur, with 39 per cent of those surveyed stating that this shift has motivated and made it easier for them to start a business.

Read more on Newswire


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You’re as qualified to start a company as anybody!

Raymond Luk is changing the face of entrepreneurial finance as founder and CEO of Hockeystick. He is a serial entrepreneur having founded Flow Ventures and Year One Labs. He recently published his first book, Pitching a Leap of Faith. Raymond is a passionate supporter of entrepreneurs and hosts a weekly live workshop called Pitch Lab to help entrepreneurs improve their pitch. He is also a classically trained musician and pilot. In his own words he is more concerned about following his passions than trying to fulfill someone else’s view of his life. He walks how he wants.


Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on FacebookInstagramLinkedIn and Twitter.

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Start thinking BIGGER

Since 2004, Colin Sprake has helped hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs and their families make lasting changes in their personal and professional lives (https://www.mymsuccess.com). He’s been privileged enough to speak on Tony Robbins’ stage and present with Jack Canfield, John Assaraf, Joe Dispenza, Les Brown and countless other global thought leaders. He is a 4-time best-selling author and business mentor with a proven track record of personally building profitable companies from the ground up. He’s a highly passionate and engaging presenter that specializes in mindset, realizing personal potential, and is an absolute genius at business strategy.

Colin is devoted to making a difference on this planet where human beings live in love, financial abundance, and prosperity. Having been through a very tough childhood caused by severe bullying, he attempted to take his life at the age of 14 and thought he would never amount to anything significant. He has a deep desire for people to reach their full potential, and it completely fills his heart to the brim when people achieve what they thought was absolutely impossible or their biggest dreams are realized. Colin is not about motivation, which, as he says, is temporary, but is about inspiration, where there are long-lasting results. He will inspire any audience and engage them with psychological and physiological changes to allow them to rewire their brains and cellularly reprogram their bodies to attract unprecedented results and outcomes!


Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on FacebookInstagramLinkedIn and Twitter.

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Finding the pain in serving financial investments clients

James Rockwood is the Co-Founder and CEO of CapIntel, a financial technology company that supports financial advisors in their day-to-day workflow to deliver top-tier client service. In building CapIntel, James has been a part of two leading Canadian accelerator programs: Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) and Next Founder. The CapIntel platform now serves over 10,000 financial advisors across the country through partnerships with established financial service firms such as IG Wealth Management, Canada Life, and Equitable Life.


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Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on FacebookInstagramLinkedIn and Twitter.

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Fix a problem and sell the solution

Gregory Rozdeba is advisor and co-founder of a Canadian fintech/insurtech startup, Dundas Life. Previously, he served as Director of Sales at another fintech firm where he took the company from no product to raising over $7M+ in funding and building out their sales team. He started budgeting at age 15 and has coached dozens of clients on saving, investing, & smart money tips. In his spare time, Gregory enjoys traveling (30+ countries), cycling, & has taken up an in-depth study of Ancient Rome.


Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on FacebookInstagramLinkedIn and Twitter.

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Why the Lightning Network is key to scaling bitcoin trading

Shone Anstey brings 20 years of experience in building complex technologies and software within search, analytics, and data centre operations. Engaged with cryptocurrency since 2012, Shone has acted as technology lead for an industrial Bitcoin mine and Bitcoin mining pool, and is a Certified Cryptocurrency Investigator. Shone is the CEO and Co-founder of LQwD, the first publicly traded, pure play, purpose-built bitcoin company that’s focused on solutions that power the growth of the Bitcoin Lightning Network.

In this podcast, we highlight three key ideas:

  1. Why Bitcoin is like the ‘reserve currency’ of cryptocurrencies
  2. The Lightning Network – what is it and why it is important to scaling cryptocurrency trading
  3. Like E-mail was the first use case of the internet, transaction exchanges are the first use case of cryptocurrency…and there is so much more to come!

Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on FacebookInstagramLinkedIn and Twitter.

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What makes SVB a unique capital partner for Canadians

Caterina Papadakos leads the Technology Banking efforts in Western Canada, building new relationships and managing the bank’s portfolio in the region. She thrives on serving energetic entrepreneurs who are challenging the status quo and disrupting traditional industries, and she’s dedicated to providing them with the strategic capital, advice and connections they need to scale and compete globally.

Caterina has been an active member of the local tech scene for more than a decade; before joining SVB in 2020, she served as a Director at Espresso Capital, where she led venture debt financing for tech companies in Western Canada. In this role, she also managed existing client and partner relationships and opened new US markets for the firm. Earlier in her career, Caterina served as a Director for the Technology and Innovation group at BMO, where she launched the bank’s technology lending program in British Columbia. She has also held roles at Trade and Invest BC, where she helped businesses in the province develop their export and foreign investment strategies. Caterina holds a B.A. in political science from the University of Victoria and an MBA from the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business.

In her free time, Caterina volunteers as a member of the CARE Canada Vancouver Council, which supports projects in developing countries that help lift women and girls and their families out of poverty and crisis.

Caterina lives in Vancouver with her husband and son. Together, they enjoy taking advantage of everything the area has to offer — whether snowboarding in the mountains, stand-up paddle boarding on local waters or simply trekking on foot through the great outdoors. Further afield, Caterina and her family love experiencing the culture, food and landscape of global destinations; their most recent adventures include trips to Japan and South Africa’s Kalahari Desert.


The Silicon Valley Bank team in Canada can help you take your next step. Find out more about the bank that has nearly 40 years of global experience supporting venture-backed tech and life science companies and their investors. We’re in Canada to help leading innovators reach the next stage, faster. Visit www.svb.com/canada/connect. Silicon Valley bank, helping you move your bold ideas forward, fast.

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Accomplished entrepreneur, angel investor, and venture capitalist explains how venture capital works

Nick Findler is an accomplished entrepreneur, angel investor, and venture capitalist.

Mr. Findler is the CEO and Founder of GoPublic.AI, a fin-tech, go-public investment bank that unites world-changing businesses with $1M-$50M of growth capital, shell vehicles, and know-how to go public both in Canada and on major stock exchanges around the world.

Over the past decade, Nick has advised and helped raise over $58M+ for growth companies and has been involved in structuring 20+ IPOs/RTOs in the public markets (primarily the TSX & CSE) and multiple private exits.

Nick also sits on the board of Plantable Health Inc. Plantable is the first plant-based program that is clinically proven to transform human health easily, sustainably, and enjoyably – all in 28 days. Plantable is currently active in 4 clinical trials at Memorial Sloan Kettering, Johns Hopkins, and Weill Cornell to prove its effectiveness in reducing chronic diseases by lowering inflammation, cholesterol, blood sugar, and altering gene expression.

He is also the President and Co-Founder of Grantus.ca, a company that enables Canadian entrepreneurs, artists, musicians, and not-for-profits to access government funding. The company has now helped Canadians receive over $10M in grant funding.

Deepening relationships, connecting with new people, and helping more strangers become friends is deeply important to Nick and a lens through which he sees the world. This passion and curiosity led him to study the neuroscience of human connection in 2021.


Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on FacebookInstagramLinkedIn and Twitter.

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Creating Smart Money and Reinventing Customer Experiences in the Wealth Management Industry

After graduating with his honors degree in finance and marketing Grant White of Endeavour Wealth Management entered the financial services industry in 2005. Since then he has been recognized as a top performing Financial Planner and Portfolio Manager by not only his own firm but other independent organizations including “The Carson Group” an international Wealth Management Organization based out of Omaha Nebraska and “Wealth Professional” where he was voted the top advisor in Canada under the age of 40. Grant is a proud member of the community and when he is not at the office, he and his wife Sam lend a great deal of time to local organizations which are close to their heart.


Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on FacebookInstagramLinkedIn and Twitter.

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