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Landon Gardner

Principal at S2S

Highlights

Jun 18 · linkedin

💥💥💥Collision is ON Big Tech Week in TO!💥💥💥

🎉 Don't miss the best part - see you this Friday, June 21 - 9AM - 4PM, Downtown TO for Web3 Day! 🎉🎉🎉

🚀 Discussions on the future of Web3 in Toronto, building a great Web3 City - founders, investors and builders are all welcome - institutional and government folks too - it is a great opportunity to connect and build with Web3 Professionals and the Web3 Curious, and we may even be leaving some time at the end of the day for co-working! 🚀🚀🚀

📍 Register here Now - spots are Limited!

Mar 27 · linkedin

I could write about THIS MASSIVE ISSUE ALL DAY!

Why is it such a big issue?!

It's like the data speaking to the entrepreneurs in the trenches .. every entrepreneur knows it's a problem, and it sure isn't a new problem .. glad it's finally getting some press!

some of the issues that have been raised lately in Canada ..

  1. 100,000 less entrepreneurs in the last 20 years in Canada, despite 10 million more people

  2. US productivity is up since the pandemic, Canadian productivity is down

  3. innovation in Canada is down (isn't it always down? .. when hasn't it been down? how does one even measure innovation being up or down?!)

  4. don't even get me started on government stimulus for the entrepreneurial economy in Canada (another post for another day!) .. but i'll put this out there .. founders and customers drive innovation, not governments! (but sure i'll take a government cheque, how does one get those - the gatekeepers of innovation haven't yet chosen me ??)

  5. oligopolies - in telecom, food, air travel, etc... (the list is long) - the results are worse service and higher prices. for the sake of each other (yourself?) let's move past this and learn to do business together (i know it's hard - but each of us can learn to be decent with each other as we do what we've been doing for thousands of years .. TRADE!)

Here are some obvious challenges for Canadian startups, most of the tech companies I know head to the US to raise funds:

  1. access to capital for a startups in Canada is a real problem particularly at the idea and conception stage

  2. convincing canadian customers to buy your goods and services as a new startup

  3. raising additional capital (if you raised a first round .. raising proper follow on rounds)

  4. red tape everywhere .. i don't even know where to start with this one .. it can feel like somedays I just do admin to stay 'compliant' .. maybe we can minimize this slightly ..

  5. lack of competition .. or my favourite, the always encourage 'name-your-person' who wants you to get a job - how about, make your own job? (nothing wrong with either, but if someone tells you they are an artist or entrepreneur believe them, maybe even support them in their chosen path - join them if you think it's a worthy pursuit?! - see next point on culture)

  6. continued in comments..

I'M HERE FOR THIS CONVERSATION CANADA!!

--

Thanks Andrew Auerbach for a great piece!

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Landon Gardner
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Experience

Principal at S2S
Business Development at Ehvert

Education

Western University
Masters In Public Policy, Engineering, Mcmaster University
Chemical Engineering, Queen's University
Masters In Energy, Engineering, The University Of British Columbia

Location

Toronto, Ontario, Canada