The Unmasked Podcast

Purpose, People, Product, Profit ft Saif Abid

My guest today is a Technical Leader and Founder by the name of Saif Abid.  Saif has a very deep interest and experience working with Golang, Distributed Systems, Data Engineering and ML. When he's not working with teams to figure out what to build next or how to build it, he's heads down getting services built and shipped to customers using best in class tech for the problems at hand. Outside of tech a few of his interests include Healthcare, Investing and IoT. Over the years he's had the fortunate pleasure of launching successful products and/or businesses in quite a few of these domains. Most recently his team at ecobee launched Haven - ecobee's Home Security solution. Prior to this, in the capacity of a Lead Engineer and CTO he helped launch SwiftPad to help reduce the wait times and inefficiencies which come with pharmacies. Overall, he's a strong believer in the saying “Purpose, People, Product, Profit” and has continued to stand by it with the teams and products he helps to build.

The Hustle Never Dies ft. Brione Wishart

Brione Wishart is a Toronto based film director, producer and the founder of ARTLEE Creative Agency. His work stems from a love of Cinema, Music, and Storytelling. Known for his ability to create visually engaging content and beautifully crafted work that captures something real and authentic in every subject, Brione's talent for cinematic storytelling is evident in all of his work. His work includes a wide variety of clients such as Nike, Porsche, Samsung, Le Germain Hotels, Bacardi, Huawei, Hard Rock Casino + Hotel, Merry Jane, Capital One, BMW, Hasbro, and The Alzheimers Society.

Bro Dough ft. Erica Rankin

Erica Rankin is a young Canadian entrepreneur who took a passion and turned it into a business. After being involved in the fitness industry for many years, Erica developed a great amount of love and appreciation for better-for-you foods. She took a look around, and realized Canada is lacking products that are not only plant-based, but have added protein as well, while still containing quality ingredients. Cookie dough is such a nostalgic, fun treat, but the tummy ache and sugar crash that follows it aren't fun. After spending countless hours experimenting in my kitchen, I created Canada’s first better-for-you edible cookie dough with a spin… Launched in 2019, Bro Dough is not only vegan, but contains plant-based protein (derived from peas), as well as natural sweeteners. The product contains half the amount of sugar found in traditional cookie dough, and does not use any artificial sweeteners. Bro Dough was created for consumers who prioritize their health and still want to enjoy a treat, without sacrificing their health or fitness goals. Her vision is to create a world where someone can eat an entire jar of cookie dough and still feel good about themselves. Have your dough, and eat it too!

Maximizing Social Impact ft. Daniel Francavilla

This week, I sat down with Daniel Francavilla to discuss his journey through building a business, founding a nonprofit organization and using his experiences to empower others to do the same. I was intrigued by Daniel's commitment to maximizing social impact in all the ventures that he built. Daniel's creative agency,  Now Creative Group collaborates with creatives and strategists to provide marketing services to startups, businesses and non-profits. Now’s clients range from startups to TELUS and CIBC. Now has received a Social Good Design Award and a Business Excellence Award. Daniel is also a Partner at King Street Media, a purpose-driven growth agency based in Toronto.   After travelling to developing countries as a student, he founded a nonprofit to help children in the developing world receive an education and to empower local youth to become leaders. Today, ACCESS focuses on supporting youth who are creating their own projects and organizations for positive social change, and offers micro-grants through The ACCESS Fund, hosting Bright Ideas Pitches. He is the recipient of the 40 Under 40 Award.  In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Daniel partnered with fellow entrepreneurs to launch Maskwell, a company that produces reusable locally designed masks for everyday life featuring high-efficiency air filters while supporting frontline healthcare workers with every purchase.   Daniel has spoken at a variety of events, conferences and workshops within the Toronto startup scene and nonprofit sector. He has also mentored students from high school to postsecondary on starting their own initiatives, businesses and careers. Daniel shares his learnings, tips and experiences on his blog, videos and podcast.

Every Mind Matters ft Therapy Better

My guests today are the founders of Therapy Better, an online therapy platform that provides users the confidential support of a licensed therapist via zoom. Rehmat Inayatali is pursuing postgraduate education in medicine and surgery and believes that nothing she could ever do, will be as satisfying or significant as learning how to heal others. She thought the best way to bridge the gap between the medical field and psychology is to study them both. Mariam Khakoo will be pursuing post graduate education in the Gaming Industry. She has been suffering from a chronic health condition since the age of 19. The symptoms of her condition were so severe that she had to take a break from her studies for a year which had a massive impact on her mental health. She realized she had struggled to get by with no help and how much more supported would she have felt if she knew that help is available.  Therapy better is a steppingstone into a brighter future for thousands of people. A future for Rehmat and Mariam that is not only career oriented but also aimed at giving back to the community.