Invested in our New Reality

Invested in Supporting Struggling Students - Open Door Educational Services

Helping others is always a good idea, and for one Ottawa entrepreneur, it makes good business sense, too! On this episode of Invested in Our New Reality, Heather Desjardins sits down with Sam Laprade to discuss her growing company, Open Door Educational Services. A teacher by trade, Heather built her now-thriving business after identifying a need for additional support for students who might otherwise fall through the cracks. Listen to this inspiring interview and learn how this local CEO fou...

Invested in Rapid and Accurate Cannabis Testing - Ekidna Sensing

Why Ottawa? Let us count the ways! For the team behind Ekidna Sensing, they are: talent, funding, mentorship, R&D support, and lab access – and that is just the beginning. On Season 13 of Invested in Our New Reality, our host Sam Laprade is speaking with the brightest minds in business and tech to uncover why so many leaders choose to set up shop in Ottawa. In this episode, she interviews Nic Boileau, CEO of Ekidna Sensing, a local start-up whose rapid, accurate, and decentralized cannabis te...

Invested in Aviation, Autonomous, and Automotive - Aviation Products and Operations

Howling winds and icy roads? Perfection! For one company, Ottawa’s famously distinct four-season weather is driving their success. In Season 13 of Invested in Our New Reality, Ottawa radio legend Sam Laprade is uncovering why so many companies choose the National Capital Region as their home base. In this episode, she speaks with Dana Borschewski, VP Aviation Products and Operations for Aurrigo, a leading international provider of transport technology solutions. As a global company with offic...

Invested in aviation, autonomous, and automotive - Aviation Products and Operations

Howling winds and icy roads? Perfection! For one company, Ottawa’s famously distinct four-season weather is driving their success. In Season 13 of Invested in Our New Reality, Ottawa radio legend Sam Laprade is uncovering why so many companies choose the National Capital Region as their home base. In this episode, she speaks with Dana Borschewski, VP Aviation Products and Operations for Aurrigo, a leading international provider of transport technology solutions. As a global company with offic...

Invested in the future of tech - Shabodi Telecommunications

A well-known tech hub since the dial-up era, Ottawa is the first choice for companies looking to put down roots. On Season 13 of Invested in Our New Reality, we’re diving into the many advantages of building a business here, including a big pool of potential employees, R&D support, and all-around work-life balance. On this episode, host Sam Laprade interviews Harpreet Geekee, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Shabodi Telecommunications. This award-winning company helps organizations ...

Invested in the Future of Tech - Shabodi Telecommunications

A well-known tech hub since the dial-up era, Ottawa is the first choice for companies looking to put down roots. On Season 13 of Invested in Our New Reality, we’re diving into the many advantages of building a business here, including a big pool of potential employees, R&D support, and all-around work-life balance. On this episode, host Sam Laprade interviews Harpreet Geekee, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Shabodi Telecommunications. This award-winning company helps organizations ...

Invested in Reducing Food Waste - The Aggressive Good

Reinventing the grocery store? Now, that’s an idea! Season 13 of Invested in Our New Reality, the hit podcast from Invest Ottawa, is back with an incredible new episode. Guest host Sam Laprade sits down with local business leader, Geoffrey MacKay, the CCO and co-founder of The Aggressive Good, a rapidly growing enterprise betting big on creating green-tech supply chain solutions for the grocery marketplace. From consumer packaging woes to food waste frustrations, this wide-ranging conversatio...

Invested in reducing food waste - The Aggressive Good

Reinventing the grocery store? Now, that’s an idea! Season 13 of Invested in Our New Reality, the hit podcast from Invest Ottawa, is back with an incredible new episode. Guest host Sam Laprade sits down with local business leader, Geoffrey MacKay, the CCO and co-founder of The Aggressive Good, a rapidly growing enterprise betting big on creating green-tech supply chain solutions for the grocery marketplace. From consumer packaging woes to food waste frustrations, this wide-ranging conversatio...

Season 13 Trailer - The Ottawa Advantage

Welcome to Season 13 of Invested in Our New Reality, The Ottawa Advantage. This season, we turn our focus to Ottawa as a thriving business hub, delving into the reasons companies and business leaders intentionally choose the Capital Region to call home. From stories of loyal entrepreneurs who have flourished, to the strategic advantages that Ottawa offers, we'll uncover the unique elements that contribute to the city's impact on the success and growth of businesses. Join us as we explo...

Invested in Designing the Car of the Future

Want to know what the future has in store? A crystal ball may help, but car companies like to call Studio 63. President Miles Hammond sits down with host Petrina Gentile on the Season 12 finale of Invested in Our New Reality to share how this local industrial design firm is working with cutting-edge companies around the world to create the automotive technologies of tomorrow. Experts in industrial design and champions of imagination, members of the Studio 63 team are known for designing, buil...

Invested in Re-Thinking Transportation (And Everything Else)

The future is unknown, but tor Andrew Miller and his collogues at Hatch Global, the unknown is their whole job. He joins host Petrina Gentile on this episode of Invested in Our New Reality for a wide-ranging conversation about the future of mobility and transportation around the world. Listen as these two industry experts discuss the changes new technologies are bringing to transportation and the ways those advancements will change how society moves people and goods from Point A to Point B.

Invested in EV Charging for Multi-Family Dwellings

Episode Description: Plugging in an electric vehicle is as easy as it sounds, but what if there is no plug? On this episode of Invested in Our New Reality, host Petrina Gentile interviews Jorge Pantoja, the Founder and CEO of JPlug.io, a future-forward company focused on bringing the convenience of charging electric vehicles to condominium and multi-family dwellings. This exciting new company is making a name for themselves for their cutting-edge technology, speedy installation and — best of...

Invested in Fast-Charging Electric Car Batteries

Ottawa-based company GBatteries is leading the charge on, well, charging. Founded in 2014, the team of scientists at GBatteries is revolutionizing electric vehicle batteries and is the first to achieve a new, more efficient energy transfer regime. On this episode of Invested in Our New Reality, host Petrina Gentile interviews CEO Kostyantyn Khomutov about the company, its pioneering technology, and the team’s mission to help make electric vehicles a convenient, speedy, and reliable option for...

Invested in fast-charging electric car batteries

Ottawa-based company GBatteries is leading the charge on, well, charging. Founded in 2014, the team of scientists at GBatteries is revolutionizing electric vehicle batteries and is the first to achieve a new, more efficient energy transfer regime. On this episode of Invested in Our New Reality, host Petrina Gentile interviews CEO Kostyantyn Khomutov about the company, its pioneering technology, and the team’s mission to help make electric vehicles a convenient, speedy, and reliable option for...

Invested in the Latest Simulation Technology

Thanks to its cutting-edge engineering simulations, ANSYS makes it easy for the auto industry to work harder and test smarter. On this episode of Invested in Our New Reality, host Petrina Gentile interviews Laila Salman, Principal Technical Specialist at ANSYS. They discuss how the company’s simulation software has enabled innovators across industries to push boundaries using the predictive power of simulation. With an office in Ottawa and projects at the Area X.O Simulation Discovery Portal,...

Invested in Investing in Ottawa

Let’s take a look behind the curtain, shall we? On this episode of Invested in Our New Reality, host Petrina Gentile interviews Sonya Shorey, Vice President of Strategy, Marketing and Communications at Invest Ottawa. A global powerbroker, Sonya has brought hundreds of millions of investment dollars into the National Capital Region and is the engine behind the success of Area X.O: a secure research and development complex created for all-weather experimentation. In short, she is the exact pers...

Invested in the Future of Robotics

Detect. Deter. Delay. Deny. Those are the four principles of physical security and the foundation of Ottawa-based company, Four DRobotics. This pioneering business is busy developing products that address end-to-end requirements for deploying autonomous vehicles. Equipping vehicles with hardware and software capable of making more reliable and safer decisions than a human is hard work, and testing is key. On this episode of Invested in Our New Reality, host Petrina Gentile interviews CEO Jere...

Invested in Safe and Smart Autonomous Vehicles

It’s time to get this show on the road! We’re back with Season 12 of Invested in Our New Reality and are focused on the innovative automotive and smart mobility industry, starting with Sensor Cortek, a local company creating software solutions for advanced driver-assistance and autonomous vehicles. Their goal? Autonomous vehicles capable of carefully perceiving the environment and able to operate more safely under all weather conditions by using radar and lidar technologies. COO and Director ...

Season 12 - Automotive & Smart Mobility

Season 12 of Invested in Our New Reality has arrived and will explore Ottawa’s thriving and innovative automotive and smart mobility industry. Award-winning national automotive journalist and author Petrina Gentile is joining as this season’s guest host. Gentile has been covering the industry for almost twenty years and will interview leaders and entrepreneurs from the National Capital Region who are revolutionizing smart mobility and driving the future of transportation.

Invested in Secure and Transparent Medical Records

What do you do with your most precious possessions and – in today’s world – most private data? In a perfect world, you stick it in a vault. Meet Audrey Bond, Founder and CEO of Vaultt, a local company ushering in the health revolution with the tools this generation needs. An ultra-secure and straightforward platform, Vaultt is a collaborative healthcare tool that makes it easier to store and share vital health information. On this episode of Invested in Our New Reality, listeners will learn h...

Invested in the Domestic Nuclear Medical Supply

Nuclear medicine is … what exactly? They say if you don’t know something, ask someone who does, and that is exactly what we did. A global leader in nuclear medicine, BWXT Medical Ltd. develops, manufactures, and supplies products for diagnostic imaging and radiotherapeutic treatments, including medical isotopes, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices. With teams in Ottawa and Vancouver, the company is responsible for maintaining a reliable nuclear medical supply in Canada and Rachel Pickering, ...

Invested in data-driven solutions for mental health and substance use care

Invested in Our Next Guest: Kelly Gregoire. Connection, compassion, empathy, and dignity. For the team at TryCycle Data Systems, wellness isn’t just a buzzword, it’s the whole business model. On this episode of Invested in Our New Reality, host Avis Favaro sits down with Kelly Gregoire, Senior Vice President of Operations, to discuss how the company is harnessing the power of data and technology to reduce the risks associated with mental health and substance use disorders. Buoyed by a compass...

Invested in Improving Home Testing (Among Other Things)

Invested in Our Next Guest: Rafal Iwasiow. Talk about a success story! Introducing DNA Genotek, an Ottawa-based, multinational company with numerous innovative product lines, a global footprint, and high praise from the current POTUS himself. On this week’s episode of Invested in Our New Reality, Avis Favaro interviews Rafal Iwasiow, the company’s Vice President of Innovation and Technology. They discuss the company’s cutting-edge technology, the importance of home-testing in expanding access...

Invested in Bringing Person-Centred Care to Senior Living Facilities

Invested in Our Next Guest: Elizabeth Audette-Bourdeau - Don’t like bingo? Uh-oh. For elders living in senior living facilities, a lack of interest in certain recreational activities can greatly impact their quality of life, happiness, and friendships. That’s why staff and caregivers at these facilities are turning to Welbi, innovative software that captures the information staff need to better provide person-centred services for residents and their family members. On this episode of Invested...

Invested in Caring for Caregivers

Caregiving is beautiful, meaningful, and tremendously difficult. Ottawa-based company Trualta created a platform that brings professional-level healthcare education directly to loved ones caring for those in need. They deliver evidence-based training via a proprietary, interactive online learning environment and ensure caregivers have the information and training necessary to deliver home-based care – with providers and insurers footing the bill. Trualta CEO Jonathan Davis joins Avis Favaro f...

Invested in Senior Care that Works for Families

For our aging loved ones, only the best will do. That’s why Evoke Health, an Ottawa-based med-tech company led by CEO and Co-Founder Varsha Chaugai, is trying to make sure the best is better than ever. In January 2020, she and her co-founder had the idea for a platform they knew would transform long-term care, providing residents, caregivers, and families with the tools they need to communicate clearly, directly, and often. Then along came the COVID-19 pandemic, and suddenly, a nice-to-have p...

Invested in Bringing Patient Care Into the Virtual World

IONR: Season 11 - The Health Tech Revolution Episode 1: Invested in Bringing Patient Care Into the Virtual World Practice makes perfect, and surgery has been a tough discipline to... well, practice. Enter Ottawa-based med-tech firm Realize Medical. Led by CEO Justin Sutherland, this cutting-edge technology company pioneered innovative ways of using virtual reality in healthcare: virtual reality. The company is on a mission to improve the advanced 3D modeling, visualization and communication ...

Invested in Our New Reality: Season 11 Trailer

Invested in Our New Reality is a dynamic podcast where business leaders offer honest observations about navigating our ever-evolving reality. Each episode provides a space for entrepreneurs to speak candidly about the challenges and opportunities they’ve faced, arming listeners with practical advice on how to thrive in the future.  Season 11 of Invested in Our New Reality will introduce listeners to some fascinating innovations taking place in Ottawa’s vibrant health technology and life sc...

Meet Erin Kelly, creator of the AI Polly and the President and CEO of Advanced Symbolics Inc.

A shout-out to marketing with guest Mychelle Mollot

Good news, marketing teams, this episode is for you! Host Manjula Selvarajah sits down with Mychelle Mollot, the Chief Marketing Officer at Solace, a local company known for building a complex technology that is, essentially, something simple: peace of mind. Listen now and find out how this leading marketing expert oversees the public face of a company some project will hit $1B in annual revenues.

Make no mistake about it, Sanja Mitar is at the top of her game

Sanja Mitar is the Talent Acquisition Lead at Noibu, an error-monitoring platform that helps ecommerce teams detect, prioritize and resolve revenue-impacting errors. A bona fide expert in recruitment and retention, she joins host Manjula Selvarajah on this episode to discuss the ins and outs of hiring – and keeping – talented people at a modern tech workplace.

Expertise, experience, and insight: Keira Torkko has it all

Keira Torkko is the Chief People Officer at Assent, an Ottawa-based company and the leading supply chain sustainability management solution for the world’s most responsible complex manufacturers. She sat down with Manjula Selvarajah on this episode of Invested in Our New Reality to talk about her role and share insights gleaned from her experience as a leader for this global company.

Pierce Ujjainwalla is a CEO with a real knack for business

Pierce Ujjainwalla is CEO and Co-Founder of Knak and the next guest on Invested in Our New Reality. In this episode, he sits down with host Manjula Selvarajah and shares the story behind launching and growing the company from a cost-conscious start-up to a leading tech company with $25 million in Series A funding.

This guest has a big job. You might even call it massive. Meet Nia Bruno-Gibson.

This guest has a big job. You might even call it massive. Meet Nia Bruno-Gibson. On this episode, host Manjula Selvarajah interviews Nia Bruno-Gibson, the Head of People, Culture and Operations at MASV, a file transfer platform that gives creative professionals the flexibility to send and receive large amounts of data. Full of insights, advice and first-hand experience, this episode is a must-listen.

Need a shorter to-do list? Just ask Peter O’Blenis

One Ottawa-based tech company is shortening to-do lists everywhere – thank goodness. On this episode of Invested in Our New Reality, host Manjula Selvarajah interviews Peter O'Blenis, Co-Founder and CEO of DistillerSR, a tech company that securely automates the management of evidence-based research and the analysis of its data. To put it another way: they make something complicated, simple.

Alok Ahuja - Trexity

Delivery Status: ARRIVED. On this episode of Invested in Our New Reality, host Manjula Selvarajah interviews Alok Ahuja, the Co-Founder and CEO of Trexity, an Ottawa-based technology company. Find out how he and his team turned a bad day into a flat-rate, on-demand delivery service with global potential.

Mike Potter - Rewind

This is the story of a big meeting, a broken hard drive, and (surprise!) a happy ending. Host Manjula Selvarajah interviews Mike Potter, the CEO of Rewind. Launched in 2015, Rewind enables companies to back up, restore, and copy the critical data that drives businesses. Listen to the full episode and hear all about the real-world catalyst for Rewind, why data matters, and lessons on scaling from a start-up to a global company with over a hundred thousand customers.

Martin Sendyk – Lytica

Big or small, all businesses have one goal: growth. With the close of its recent Series A investment round netting a total consideration of over $13 million, Lytica is certainly on the right track. An Ottawa-based company, Lytica is armed with the data, insight, and analysis its customers need to improve procurement and build a reliable supply chain. President & CEO Martin Sendyk joins host Manjula Selvarajah on the latest episode of Invested in Our New Reality and shares how Lytica became th...

S8 E5 - Muna Mohammed: Re-inventing the family business

From Season 8: Time for a coffee break! The latest episode of Invested in our New Reality is now live and this one is for coffee lovers. On this episode, Host Karla Briones interviews Muna Mohammed the founder of Ottawa’s Eight50 Coffee, a local coffee supplier who provides responsibly sourced, locally roasted coffee from around the world, right here in the capital city.

S7 E4 - Niloo Boroun: positioning Canada as the place global companies want to be

From Season 7: Tooting Canada’s horn within the international business community is a big job. Luckily, Niloo Boroun, Executive Director of the Consider Canada City Alliance, is here to do it, and do it well. On this episode of Invested in Our New Reality, host Shavonne Hasfal-McIntosh talks to Boroun about her work overseeing the CCCA and positioning Canada as the country of choice for global companies looking for a North American outlet.

S6 E7 - Nick Quain: Creating a solid foundation for Ottawa's entrepreneurial ecosystem

From Season 6: Shavonne Hasfal-McIntosh chats with Nick Quain, Vice President of Venture Development at Invest Ottawa, where he leads all programming and support for start-up, early stage and scaling companies. Previously, Nick was co-founder and CEO at CellWand, a company which pioneered the use of abbreviated dialing codes in North America. Tune in to hear Nick talk about why he’s committed to supporting Ottawa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

S6 E4 - Kirsi Maharaj: HR in the modern world

From Season 6: Kirsi Maharaj is the Manager of People at Rewind, a company that builds apps that protect critical SaaS and cloud data. Kirsi joins Shavonne on the podcast to chat about the growing importance of human resources in the modern world, and how companies can strategically adapt to the future of work to cultivate increased mental and physical wellbeing of employees as well as foster equitable and inclusive internal work cultures.

S6 E2 - WarnerMedia Ottawa: Changing the future of streaming

From Season 6: Don Liberty, GM at You.i TV (now WarnerMedia Ottawa), joins the podcast to chat about the company’s growth and what it means for the future of streaming. You.i TV, now WarnerMedia Ottawa, is an Ottawa-based technology company that prides itself on helping media companies build better streaming apps and enhance user experience. Having recently been acquired by WarnerMedia Ottawa, Don chats about the company’s transition and what the acquisition means for the future of WarnerMedi...

S5 E9 - Siemens Healthineers and Ottawa's health sciences sector

From Season 5: Mathias Ganzmann, Vice President of Manufacturing with Siemens Healthineers, talks about the company's planned expansion of its Ottawa, Ontario manufacturing facility. He explains what makes Ottawa the ideal place for such an expansion, what it will mean for the company and the local economy, as well as his hopes that some effects of the pandemic continue on in the future.

S2 E6 - Causing disruption through gender, race and tech

From Season 2: Ellie Ardakani, accomplished geoscience advisor and award-wining energy-tech entrepreneur, talks about disruption. How her company is disrupting the way the oil and gas sector uses data, how the pandemic disrupted the company's path, and how she is tackling the realities of being a woman in a male-dominated field, and an immigrant facing systemic bias.

S1 E6 - Putting the 'human' back in Human Resources

First up on our Best of Invested in Our New Reality series: Andrea Winter, VP, People at Martello Technologies. In this episode she talks about the critical role of HR departments during a crisis such as COVID-19 and how organizations can put the "human" back in Human Resources.

Jean Nabolle: Innovating Digital Banking Half a World Away

Canada might not be ready for the mobile banking services offered by Dunia Payment, but it’s the perfect place to build the company behind them. Jean Nabolle, co-founder, CCO & CFO at Dunia, joins host Karla Briones to talk about the company’s innovative fintech, designed for Africa’s booming digital generation. The company’s mobile wallet lets users send and receive money, pay in stores with a simple QR Code, pay their bills, and more. Tune in to find out how it works and how the startup was...

Pouria Ghods: De-Carbonizing the Concrete Jungle

Decarbonizing the concrete jungle is a big job and, luckily, one Ottawa-based company is up for the challenge. On the latest episode of Invested in Our New Reality, host Karla Briones interviews Pouria Ghods, the Co-Founder & CEO of Giatec Scientific. The company is working to bring disruptive, knowledge-based, and sustainable technologies to the concrete industry by identifying current challenges in testing and design and developing innovative solutions.

Lissa Appiah: Career Coach Extraordinaire

Good advice is a great business. On the latest episode of Invested in our New Reality, host Karla Briones interviews Lissa Appiah, a second-generation Canadian and founder of WeApply. WeApply is a consulting business that helps talented professionals increase their marketability and visibility through career coaching and workshop facilitation.

Shanaz Sigouin: High Skies & High Security

A good idea is a nice thing to have. A great idea? That’s a business. On the latest episode of Invested in Our New Reality, host Karla Briones interviews Shanaz Sigouin, the Co-Founder and Chief Administrative Officer of AirShare Inc., a local company that designs and manufactures drone interceptors and control systems to detect, track and safely mitigate wayward or malicious drones.