Diana Pederson

Transcript

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TRANSCRIPTION WITH SPEAKERS
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[00:00] SPEAKER_01: It's VanCoovers Podcast on the Canada's Podcast Network.
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[01:17] SPEAKER_01: Hello, this is Robert Smigel coming to today with a Vancouver Entrepreneur.ca where we talk to the entrepreneurs who are making it happen here in British Columbia.
[01:24] SPEAKER_01: Diana Peterson is the founder and CEO of Dragonfly MedTech and early stage startup company in Vancouver who is building clinic software to enable medical doctors to provide a treatment solution for concussions.
[01:38] SPEAKER_01: She is originally from Seattle where she worked for Microsoft for 13 years.
[01:43] SPEAKER_01: She moved to Vancouver in 2001 to work for the doctor who developed this medical approach.
[01:48] SPEAKER_01: Well Diana, welcome to the show. Thanks for taking the time today to be here for all our listeners.
[01:53] SPEAKER_00: Thank you Robert. I'm excited to speak with you this evening.
[01:56] SPEAKER_01: Okay, well we know you're from Seattle which is not too far away but tell us a little bit more about yourself and give us the details on your current business.
[02:07] SPEAKER_00: As you noted, I'm originally from Seattle. What brought me here to beautiful Vancouver is to work for this doctor.
[02:16] SPEAKER_00: Even though I was at Microsoft, I love software but I was really interested in getting into the medical side of things.
[02:24] SPEAKER_00: And Dr. Spesch had a new approach to treating trauma and concussion that he developed when he worked at the flight test center in France.
[02:34] SPEAKER_00: And then he found that that new approach worked with a lot of other things too.
[02:39] SPEAKER_00: So I ran his operations here in Vancouver for about 13 years and wanted to build a clinic software that allowed other doctors to be able to do the same thing.
[02:54] SPEAKER_00: To get the same results that he does because when somebody stuck with a concussion or a trauma and has been, they struggle with it for a really long time.
[03:04] SPEAKER_00: And when there's a way to provide a solution for that, it is a life changing event for them and for their family and support system.
[03:15] SPEAKER_00: And I just want to be able to make that available to more people.
[03:19] SPEAKER_00: So I've just in August, I've started, I founded my company and looking into seeing what's necessary to set that up, learning classes,
[03:31] SPEAKER_00: about startup because there's a lot of resources here in Vancouver.
[03:36] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean, there's a lot of things in Vancouver that basically you can essentially have access to like networking events and there's a lot of medicine here as well.
[03:46] SPEAKER_01: So I mean, it's probably a perfect area, country, play city to really kind of develop a product like this.
[03:54] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, the Vancouver tech scene is definitely growing and that's just kind of adds to the excitement of it.
[04:00] SPEAKER_00: So there's lots of resources and advice and people want to help you to see you succeed.
[04:08] SPEAKER_00: And it's a great opportunity to learn and to bring that forward.
[04:12] SPEAKER_01: Now you started in August, so you're pretty new.
[04:15] SPEAKER_01: Did you need financing to start your company and how do you currently make money in your business now?
[04:19] SPEAKER_00: So I'm currently pre-revenue. I'm self-funded and I'm working on just getting some of the basic setup and figuring out what I need to make sure that I have ready for when I am seeking funding.
[04:34] SPEAKER_00: I have been doing some pitch presentations to practice that and to understand what's involved there.
[04:40] SPEAKER_00: So I'm currently working on building some of the diagnostic engine algorithms so that I can reduce some of the technical uncertainty.
[04:52] SPEAKER_00: So I can test those with the doctor's clinic, maybe a late next spring.
[04:57] SPEAKER_00: After that, I'll be looking to do some fundraising either through investors.
[05:02] SPEAKER_00: I'm also working on a couple of leads with some US and Canadian researchers in the Armed Forces for possible grant collaboration.
[05:11] SPEAKER_01: Okay, what is the long-term vision and what will your company look like in the future?
[05:16] SPEAKER_01: Do you see the company expanding into other areas and where beyond that, here in BC or even Canada?
[05:23] SPEAKER_00: Well, for every startup, we always have great dreams for our project.
[05:29] SPEAKER_00: I'm no different on that. Even though I want to start local, perhaps west coast, I am targeting the US military market as there's a huge need there for treatment of concussion and other kinds of trauma.
[05:45] SPEAKER_00: And I'd love to be able to find a way to help them as a, I'm both a Canadian and US citizen and it's just something that matters to me in that area.
[05:55] SPEAKER_00: So if I can, I also would like to love to see this be available in emergency rooms to be able to help catch issues earlier and help people to recover so they don't have to spend years finding a solution.
[06:14] SPEAKER_00: And then eventually worldwide as there's many, many people in need.
[06:20] SPEAKER_00: So I just love to see this go everywhere.
[06:23] SPEAKER_01: I seem to think that the sports industry would love something like this technology, wouldn't they?
[06:29] SPEAKER_00: Yes, professional sports is also one of my target markets. I just haven't had chance to thoroughly investigate that yet.
[06:36] SPEAKER_01: Okay, well, we've learned a little bit about you and we've learned a little bit about your company and your technology, but we want to talk about Vancouver here for a little bit.
[06:45] SPEAKER_01: I want you to tell us what are the biggest benefits for you and being an entrepreneur here at Vancouver BC?
[06:50] SPEAKER_01: I want you to give us some of the good points about starting a company here, but I want you to give us some of the tough things or challenges for our listeners so they can keep an eye out for them.
[07:02] SPEAKER_00: I love Vancouver. There's as I was saying earlier, there's definitely a growing dynamic for the startup tech community here partly because Seattle's been kind of building on what San Francisco has built and then we're sort of a spillover from that as well.
[07:23] SPEAKER_00: Even in the last year, I know of several accelerator companies, organizations that the BC government has funded that are in the
[07:34] SPEAKER_00: so that's exciting to see.
[07:38] SPEAKER_01: In regards to challenge, yeah, challenge, what give us some of the challenges that you've faced so far?
[07:44] SPEAKER_00: Some of the challenges, well, the medical market is challenging in Canada and I've had several people tell me, well, it's better to start with the US, which is kind of unfortunate because I also love Canada, but it's just a medical is a very tough market in the first place to try to get into it can take three times as long as any other kind of tech company.
[08:11] SPEAKER_00: So, then in touch with the innovation Boulevard and Surrey to see what's possible there because they are specializing in the medical tech area.
[08:21] SPEAKER_00: And then for bringing in other personnel here, housing prices are very challenging. I've had difficulty bringing people in before.
[08:30] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, because I guess you have a great product, great technology, but then you say you've got to work in Vancouver.
[08:37] SPEAKER_01: I think that's when some people may put on the brakes and go, oh, I have to think about that one.
[08:42] SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
[08:44] SPEAKER_01: Okay, now we do some of our best workouts side of the office. Is there a place in the lower main like close to where you live or work where you like to go recharge or get inspired or just think about your business?
[08:53] SPEAKER_01: And does it change with the season considering all the rain we get here?
[08:58] SPEAKER_00: It does rain a lot, but it really makes me appreciate when it's sunny. That's just gorgeous day.
[09:04] SPEAKER_00: Some of my favorite places to recharge is down here in Ladner, there is long dyke trails and there's a two-hour walk that I love to walk along the beach where there's a nature reserve.
[09:20] SPEAKER_00: And it's just quiet and beautiful and open and see the wildlife. And I love that.
[09:28] SPEAKER_00: Another favorite time for me is in the spring.
[09:33] SPEAKER_00: There's some areas in Vancouver where the plum and cherry trees bloom and they go from miles and those are just amazing.
[09:40] SPEAKER_00: So it's just being outside and enjoying that is part of my ways of recharging.
[09:46] SPEAKER_01: Good. Okay. Now we have a lot of international listeners. So this next question I want you to speak to them.
[09:53] SPEAKER_01: If you were to start all over again and you just moved here to Vancouver BC, but this time you don't know anyone knowing what you know now, what would you do and how do you go about starting all over again as an entrepreneur?
[10:08] SPEAKER_00: Wow. Vancouver is definitely an international city. There's people from all cultures, so that's awesome and it's a great way to interact and connect with people.
[10:20] SPEAKER_00: But I think the best way is to get hands on and find an organization or a class or a project that you can join in on such as a hackathon or class.
[10:33] SPEAKER_00: And it's the best way to meet people is to be able to talk with them and let them see what you're doing.
[10:39] SPEAKER_00: There's also great organizations, the Raiders and the Felician pitch events, launch Academy and Spring, which provide startup courses.
[10:52] SPEAKER_00: Just any of those are great.
[10:54] SPEAKER_01: Okay. Good. Let's talk about your routine. What does the first hour look like for you when you get up the morning? Do you have a specific routine or a ritual that helps you get motivated start your day?
[11:03] SPEAKER_01: Or do you just get up and have coffee and get ready? I'm going to go.
[11:08] SPEAKER_00: I always must have breakfast. That's kind of my fuel for the day and it makes sure that I'm set and I'm ready to go.
[11:18] SPEAKER_00: I always finish with an espresso because I do live my espresso and then sit down and just kind of figure out what my day is.
[11:27] SPEAKER_00: Just make sure that I'm organized and I've picked my top one to three items that I want to do, which might include just going through email and scanning and seeing what is needing my attention and then just dig in.
[11:40] SPEAKER_01: Okay. Do you think entrepreneurs have to be weird or unique in a positive way or wired differently?
[11:49] Speaker UNKNOWN: That's a great question.
[11:51] SPEAKER_00: I've heard both ways.
[11:55] SPEAKER_00: I think it really comes down to what drives a person or what's important to them because it.
[12:01] SPEAKER_00: The startup culture is has a different way of prioritizing than if you have a nine to five job, for example.
[12:11] SPEAKER_00: It's not an instant grab to get gratification kind of a thing and it takes a lot of passion because there are.
[12:18] SPEAKER_00: It's a.
[12:20] SPEAKER_00: It can be the very scary thing. It's like you're dealing with a lot of unknowns.
[12:25] SPEAKER_00: Cash flows are not all by solid, but it's also exciting and dynamic and empowering and a great way to learn.
[12:38] SPEAKER_00: So it really depends on what's fun for you.
[12:41] SPEAKER_01: Okay. What books are you reading now and why are even audiobooks and can you recommend any books for listeners who are also aspiring entrepreneurs?
[12:52] SPEAKER_00: I usually read online because it's usually a faster read and often very current and I reach for a book when there's a specific in depth topic that I need.
[13:07] SPEAKER_00: My current couple books that I'm reading right now is just refreshing on software development best practices.
[13:13] SPEAKER_00: So it's hard to know what else to recommend right now.
[13:16] SPEAKER_01: Okay. Any online or offline tools that you like to use on a daily basis?
[13:22] SPEAKER_00: Aside from my express machine.
[13:26] SPEAKER_00: Skype.
[13:27] SPEAKER_00: Oh, yes, Skype is a regular thing.
[13:30] SPEAKER_00: No, I'm more of a Microsoft office suite.
[13:33] SPEAKER_00: I use Outlook and I use one note to track all my to-do lists.
[13:38] SPEAKER_00: Do a lot of research on my browser.
[13:41] SPEAKER_00: LinkedIn is a regular part of my networking.
[13:45] SPEAKER_00: CRM. I attend a lot of events on meetup and event bright.
[13:50] SPEAKER_00: So, does what come to mind?
[13:53] SPEAKER_01: Okay. How do you balance work and how do you relax and not even think about work?
[13:57] SPEAKER_01: And what are your favorite activities to do here in BC? Do you ski? Do you bike, kayak, golf?
[14:01] SPEAKER_01: Hike or simply go for good?
[14:05] SPEAKER_00: That's a lot of questions.
[14:07] SPEAKER_00: I love to go out for long walks and bike rides.
[14:11] SPEAKER_00: There is one year I did a lot of kayaking.
[14:14] SPEAKER_00: I love to hike as well.
[14:16] SPEAKER_00: It just depends on my mode.
[14:18] SPEAKER_00: So, yeah, just getting outside. I love.
[14:21] SPEAKER_01: Okay. If you weren't doing what you do now, what would you like to do for a profession?
[14:27] SPEAKER_00: My last role was senior management and software development and a data related product.
[14:34] SPEAKER_00: And I really still love that kind of work.
[14:37] SPEAKER_00: And it spills over into my choice of startup company.
[14:42] SPEAKER_00: Though I have a toyed with the idea of becoming a data scientist.
[14:47] SPEAKER_00: But there's also lots of artistic things that I love to do too.
[14:50] SPEAKER_00: So, a little bit of everything.
[14:54] SPEAKER_01: Okay. What kind of a job would you not like to do?
[14:57] SPEAKER_01: Couldn't do it.
[15:00] SPEAKER_00: Something where there's no challenge. It's the same thing over and over.
[15:05] SPEAKER_00: I don't need to learn anything.
[15:10] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I need to be challenged.
[15:13] SPEAKER_01: Okay. In business.
[15:15] SPEAKER_01: What is your favorite word quote or sentence that you like to use?
[15:20] SPEAKER_00: Well, I love getting things done and crossing the mark, my to-do list.
[15:25] SPEAKER_00: But my favorite quote, I would say, is from Margaret Mead.
[15:32] SPEAKER_00: Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world.
[15:37] SPEAKER_00: Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.
[15:40] SPEAKER_00: I had that posted over my desk at Narcannotics for a long time.
[15:45] SPEAKER_01: What is your least favorite word or sentence you do not like to hear?
[15:50] SPEAKER_00: I don't think of a word per se, but to me it's someone who likes to do the minimum so they can be somewhere else or just to look good.
[16:02] SPEAKER_00: I want to be around people who are excited about what they're doing and I can just bounce ideas off of them.
[16:09] SPEAKER_00: It's that energy.
[16:10] SPEAKER_01: Okay. If you had to pick one or two words to describe yourself, what would it be in why?
[16:18] SPEAKER_00: I'm pretty curious.
[16:20] SPEAKER_00: I like to know what's interesting about everything and analyzing it all the time.
[16:27] SPEAKER_00: Why is that person successful at that or how do I learn to do that or what makes it came in goes changes colors?
[16:38] SPEAKER_00: I like to know how things work and how they fit into everything else.
[16:43] SPEAKER_00: If I could take a second word, I would say perky.
[16:46] SPEAKER_00: I'm pretty upbeat. I think it's a great sense of humor.
[16:50] SPEAKER_00: I enjoy connecting with other people to find out what's interesting about them because everyone brings their background and how it surprises things that they're good at that you'd never know.
[17:03] SPEAKER_00: It's just cool to find out.
[17:06] SPEAKER_01: Okay. What keeps you up at night if anything?
[17:11] SPEAKER_00: Who says I don't sleep?
[17:14] SPEAKER_00: I often think about different aspects of work or problem-solving stuff as sometimes people stuff because people are important.
[17:30] SPEAKER_01: I want you to give us the top three things on your inspired lifeless.
[17:35] SPEAKER_01: This could be a bucket list of some sort.
[17:37] SPEAKER_01: It could be things you want to do whether it be travel or your TEDx talk, philanthropy, write a book, anything like that?
[17:44] SPEAKER_00: I always love going to France.
[17:46] SPEAKER_00: I would love to have some time to play with Microsoft Azure Data Tools and with a great big data set and just see what I can find.
[18:03] SPEAKER_00: Learn to program, learn to play guitar, stuff like that.
[18:07] SPEAKER_01: Play guitar? Okay.
[18:11] SPEAKER_01: Roger Killing on the show.
[18:15] SPEAKER_01: One of the things he said was he recommends learning how to play an instrument.
[18:20] SPEAKER_00: I've had people suggest that but I have no musical talent whatsoever.
[18:25] SPEAKER_00: I got a learn and I just love the sound of guitar.
[18:30] SPEAKER_01: He also said ballroom dancing too.
[18:32] SPEAKER_01: That was a good idea.
[18:35] SPEAKER_01: Do you have any advice that you may have received that you can pass on to entrepreneurs throughout BC?
[18:42] SPEAKER_00: There's lots of great information out there.
[18:48] SPEAKER_00: Go and get up to speed on best practices before you dive right in.
[18:57] SPEAKER_00: For example, pitch presentations.
[18:59] SPEAKER_00: There's some great information out there and great resources.
[19:03] SPEAKER_00: There's a lot of people don't even try to find them.
[19:10] SPEAKER_00: One of the things that was really memorable advice was a presentation that I saw at Vancouver Startup Week about how to take a company from 0 to 100 million,
[19:21] SPEAKER_00: which seems like a pretty intimidating concept when you're just at the stage of your career.
[19:27] SPEAKER_00: You're a company and they said basically just find a great idea that's a need to have thing not a nice to have.
[19:38] SPEAKER_00: First customer and utterly denied them.
[19:41] SPEAKER_00: Find the next few, do the same thing and continue that until you have a readable process.
[19:49] SPEAKER_00: Be relentless at driving business.
[19:54] SPEAKER_00: Keep staying in touch for the front end of the customer side.
[20:00] SPEAKER_00: The thing that I really love to hear was always work with integrity.
[20:04] SPEAKER_00: Some of the advice you get is I'll just do a quick and dirty and sell whatever little piece you have.
[20:14] SPEAKER_00: It's good to know that working with integrity is successful in business and I love that.
[20:20] SPEAKER_01: Honestly, too, I've heard that a lot.
[20:22] SPEAKER_01: People say you stay honest.
[20:24] SPEAKER_00: It just keeps you...
[20:27] SPEAKER_00: Because you're accountable to yourself, right?
[20:30] SPEAKER_00: So you're setting the pace for the entire company.
[20:32] SPEAKER_00: That's really important.
[20:34] SPEAKER_01: Okay, Diana, you ready to have some fun?
[20:37] SPEAKER_00: Sure.
[20:40] SPEAKER_01: As entrepreneurs are very busy people, we're always connected, we're always online.
[20:44] SPEAKER_01: Whether we're talking on Skype or we're talking to clients, investors, staff, you name it.
[20:49] SPEAKER_01: We're always busy.
[20:51] SPEAKER_01: But we're going to take you away from all that.
[20:53] SPEAKER_01: There's a small chocolate island, just off of Fiji, that only has one phone booth there and there is no internet.
[20:58] SPEAKER_01: This place does exist, by the way.
[21:01] SPEAKER_01: We're going to drop you off there and you won't have a computer or a smartphone or tablet.
[21:05] SPEAKER_01: You can use the phone booth located there any time to call the boat and we'll come pick you up.
[21:10] SPEAKER_01: How long would you last before you made that call?
[21:13] SPEAKER_01: And what would you do while you were there?
[21:16] SPEAKER_00: Oh gosh, that sounds wonderful.
[21:20] SPEAKER_00: Well, you're talking to a person that, on my last vacation to Mexico, I only lasted three of my seven day trip before I was bored.
[21:29] SPEAKER_00: So I would have to go exploring.
[21:32] SPEAKER_00: I just want to see what's there, how big the island is, if there's shops and things.
[21:39] SPEAKER_00: I'd go check out the shops or the food or the hand crafts or the languages.
[21:46] SPEAKER_00: Try fresh coconuts.
[21:48] SPEAKER_00: Go for a swim, definitely.
[21:49] SPEAKER_00: I love swimming warm water before I burn anyway.
[21:55] SPEAKER_00: I don't tend very well.
[21:58] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, just explore everything.
[22:01] SPEAKER_01: Okay.
[22:02] SPEAKER_01: So you'd last work two, three days?
[22:05] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it depends on how big the island is.
[22:07] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, but yeah, that's a week.
[22:10] SPEAKER_01: Okay.
[22:11] SPEAKER_01: How can our listeners get whole of you?
[22:12] SPEAKER_01: And is there anything you'd like to add before you leave us today?
[22:16] SPEAKER_00: Probably the easiest way to get a hold of me is through the links on my fledging website, which is drag and fly medtech.com.
[22:28] SPEAKER_00: I would love to connect with you if you are in the medical, if you've shipped product in the medical area in North America before, or looking to help me build this business, or you'd love to be one of the first doctors to try out this medical approach.
[22:53] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I'd love to hear with you with ideas and chat with you.
[22:56] SPEAKER_01: Great.
[22:57] SPEAKER_01: Okay.
[22:58] SPEAKER_01: Well, I encourage any doctors.
[22:59] SPEAKER_01: Anyone listening, please, come and contact Diana.
[23:01] SPEAKER_01: It sounds like the project and the research and the technology sounds like it's very much needed in all lots of industries.
[23:09] SPEAKER_01: So, okay, Diana, thanks for coming on the show.
[23:12] SPEAKER_01: I've learned a lot about you, and I'm sure our listeners have as well.
[23:16] SPEAKER_00: Thank you very much.
[23:17] SPEAKER_00: I enjoyed talking with you.
[23:18] SPEAKER_01: Great. We'll see you next time.
[23:20] SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
[23:21] SPEAKER_01: Hey, Diana, thanks for taking time to listen to the Vancouver Entrepreneur.ca podcast.
[23:26] SPEAKER_01: We hope you enjoyed the show today.
[23:27] SPEAKER_01: Make sure you sign up for our newsletters and write a review for us on iTunes.
[23:31] SPEAKER_01: And then connect with us on Twitter, at Vansity Podcast, and like us on Facebook.
[23:35] SPEAKER_01: And you'll get all the latest news, including the BC Weekly Business Report, where you can find out more, but what's going on with this fabulous province of ours.
[23:42] SPEAKER_01: See you next time.
[23:52] Speaker UNKNOWN: Bye.