Between Two Brunettes

He Raised $21.5M in 20 Days to Fix Canadian Business Banking: Ahmed Shafik of Venn

Canadian businesses have spent decades overpaying for banking that barely works. High fees on basic transactions, in-branch visits to send a wire, FX rates that quietly drain margin, and a system that wasn’t designed with small businesses in mind. Ahmed Shafik watched all of this up close as one of the first employees to launch Revolut in Canada. When the expansion stalled, he and co-founder Saud Aziz didn't go back to corporate. They spent two years building the infrastructure they knew Canada was missing, then launched Venn in 2023. Two years later, more than 10,000 businesses are on the platform and the company has closed a $21.5 million Series A. In this conversation, we unpack why Canada is harder to build a fintech in than anywhere else, why that difficulty is actually the opportunity, and what it takes to raise a round in 20 days when you have spent years building the relationship before you ever need the money. He discusses: * Why Canada's five-bank oligopoly controls roughly 90% of assets and what that means for small businesses trying to compete globally * The infrastructure Venn had to build from scratch because nothing on the market supported multi-currency at the level they needed * How they went from begging their parents to test the product to 10,000 businesses on the platform through cold outreach, word of mouth, and content * The decision to go majority US investors early on and what that revealed about risk appetite on both sides of the border * Why Venn moved to fully in-office nine months ago and what changed when they did * How equity is still a foreign concept to most Canadian startup employees and what founders should be doing differently * What his immigrant background has to do with the way he thinks about risk, sacrifice, and building something from nothing ___ CHAPTERS * 00:00:00 Early Life and Moving to Canada * 00:03:22 Finding the Right Path * 00:05:23 Joining Revolut: Learning the Fintech Playbook * 00:06:51 Solving Canadian Business Banking * 00:08:30 Building in Silence: Two Years of Infrastructure Development * 00:10:44 Canada as the Real Fintech Battleground * 00:16:04 The In-Office Culture: Why Venn Chose Five Days a Week * 00:18:55 Scaling Customer Acquisition * 00:21:20 Building a Team of 20 High Performers * 00:23:29 Equity, Incentives, and Retention: Keeping Top Talent Bought In * 00:38:54 Raising .5M in 20 Days and The Power of Relationships * 00:42:49 US vs Canada VCs: Risk Appetite and Market Understanding * 00:53:23 Building Without Validation * 00:53:10 Advice for Aspiring Founders * 01:04:27 The Immigrant Advantage: Minimizing Regret and Maximizing Opportunity * 01:02:57 14-Hour Days and What it Takes to Build * 01:05:59 Future Vision, Giving Back, and What's Next ___ Between Two Brunettes Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@betweentwobrunettes [https://www.youtube.com/@betweentwobrunettes] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betweentwobrunettes [https://www.instagram.com/betweentwobrunettes/] Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@betweentwobrunettes [https://www.tiktok.com/@betweentwobrunettes] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/betweentwobrunettes [https://www.linkedin.com/company/betweentwobrunettes] X: https://x.com/twobrunettespod [https://x.com/twobrunettespod] Samantha Miller Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanthaj_miller [https://www.instagram.com/samanthaj_miller] Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@samanthaj_miller [https://www.tiktok.com/@samanthaj_miller] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthamiller111 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthamiller111] X: https://x.com/samantha_btbpod [https://x.com/samantha_btbpod] Germana Kazazi Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/germanakazazi [https://www.instagram.com/germanakazazi] Tiktok:https://www.tiktok.com/@germanakazazi [https://www.tiktok.com/@germanakazazi] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/germana-kazazi [https://www.linkedin.com/in/germana-kazazi/] X: https://x.com/GermanaKazazi [https://x.com/GermanaKazazi] Ahmed Shafik LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shafikahmed [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shafikahmed] X: https://x.com/a_shafik [https://x.com/a_shafik] Venn LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vennca [https://www.linkedin.com/company/vennca] X: https://x.com/venncanada [https://x.com/venncanada] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/venn.ca [https://www.instagram.com/venn.ca] ___ Produced by Thirty Two Media Inc.

How Bird&Be Grew to 8 Figures on Modest Raises and Clinical Credibility (Samantha Diamond)

Most consumer health companies chase scale with big raises and bigger burn. Samantha Diamond took a different path. She co-founded Bird&Be after transitioning out of a decade-long career running her own communications agency. When she made the move, she rebuilt a founding team from scratch, raised a few million dollars in two weeks, and set out to build a reproductive care company that doctors would actually trust. Four years later, Bird&Be is profitable and on track to be in 1,000 Ulta Beauty locations across the US, stocked in fertility clinics across North America, and heading into a Series A with strong retention and clinical studies behind it. In this conversation, Samantha talks about what it actually takes to build a credible consumer health brand without burning through capital to get there. She discusses: * Why male factor infertility became the number one reason for IVF in Canada, and what that means for how we approach the conversation * What she learned across multiple fundraising rounds and how she is approaching the Series A differently * What "trimester zero" means and the six-month prep protocol Samantha recommends for both partners * Why reproductive health belongs in every wellness conversation as a fifth biomarker * What it takes to land 1,000 Ulta Beauty locations * How Bird&Be used clinical studies to build the kind of credibility that gets your product stocked in fertility clinics ___ CHAPTERS * 00:00:00 What is Bird&Be and Why Reproductive Care Matters * 00:00:57 The Gap in Sex Education and Reproductive Health * 00:03:01 Male Fertility: The Missing Half of the Conversation * 00:05:06 Age, Health, and the Biological Clock for Both Partners * 00:09:17 One in Five: The Reality of Infertility Today * 00:13:32 Trimester Zero: Preparing Your Body for Pregnancy * 00:14:51 Testing Before Trying: FSH, AMH, and Sperm Quality * 00:26:29 The Power Prenatal Packs: Science-Backed Supplements * 00:38:02 PCOS, Inositol, and Managing Reproductive Conditions * 00:29:22 Your Menstrual Cycle: The Fifth Vital Sign * 00:33:23 Clinical Credibility: Studies, Medical Teams, and Real Results * 00:40:21 From Clinics to Ulta: Building Distribution and Trust * 00:46:04 The Origin Story: From Pregnancy Loss to Building Bird&Be * 00:51:50 Fundraising, Bootstrapping, and Growing to Eight Figures * 01:00:32 Building a Company While Raising Three Kids ___ Promo: 20% OFF with code ‘BRUNETTES’ at check-out https://birdandbe.com [https://birdandbe.com] ___ Between Two Brunettes Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@betweentwobrunettes [https://www.youtube.com/@betweentwobrunettes] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betweentwobrunettes [https://www.instagram.com/betweentwobrunettes/] Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@betweentwobrunettes [https://www.tiktok.com/@betweentwobrunettes] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/betweentwobrunettes [https://www.linkedin.com/company/betweentwobrunettes] X: https://x.com/twobrunettespod [https://x.com/twobrunettespod] Samantha Miller Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanthaj_miller [https://www.instagram.com/samanthaj_miller] Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@samanthaj_miller [https://www.tiktok.com/@samanthaj_miller] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthamiller111 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthamiller111] X: https://x.com/samantha_btbpod [https://x.com/samantha_btbpod] Germana Kazazi Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/germanakazazi [https://www.instagram.com/germanakazazi] Tiktok:https://www.tiktok.com/@germanakazazi [https://www.tiktok.com/@germanakazazi] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/germana-kazazi [https://www.linkedin.com/in/germana-kazazi/] X: https://x.com/GermanaKazazi [https://x.com/GermanaKazazi] Samantha Diamond Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/startupmamma [https://www.instagram.com/startupmamma] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-diamond-1484a718 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-diamond-1484a718] Bird&Be Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/birdbeco [https://www.instagram.com/birdbeco] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/birdandbe [https://www.linkedin.com/company/birdandbe] Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@birdandbe [https://www.tiktok.com/@birdandbe] ___ Produced by Thirty Two Media Inc.

The Mushroom CEO Who Built a Multi-Million Dollar Company on a Regulated Nervous System

Tonya Papanikolov spent years searching for a functional mushroom product she could actually trust. When she couldn't find one that met her standards, she thought to build it herself. So in 2018, she did. Rainbo is now one of Canada's most recognized functional mushroom brands, a B Corp, seven-figure company stocked at Erewhon, Whole Foods, and Summerhill Market, built on organic growth and strong unit economics, with product quality treated as non-negotiable from day one. What drove her there was personal. Years of health symptoms that conventional medicine couldn't explain, and a deep conviction that the answers were sitting in nature, largely ignored. In this conversation, we unpack what functional mushrooms actually are and why most products on the market are nowhere near as clean as they appear, how Tonya bootstrapped Rainbo on $30,000 from friends and family, and why she believes the nervous system is the CEO of your body. She discusses: * The difference between culinary, functional, and medicinal mushrooms and why the extraction process matters more than most people realize * Why most functional mushroom products on the market don't actually contain real mushrooms, and what to look for instead * How a mold exposure in a Toronto house became the turning point that sent her life in a completely different direction * What nervous system dysregulation actually looks like in the body and why corporate culture rewards it * How she scaled Rainbo from zero marketing spend to major retail chains without institutional capital * Bringing her husband Simon on as co-founder and what it takes to protect both the business and the relationship at the same time * Why you don't have to choose between building something hard and taking care of yourself while you do it ___ CHAPTERS * 00:00:00 What Are Functional Mushrooms? * 00:09:12 The Mycelial Network: How Mushrooms Communicate * 00:11:08 Lion's Mane, Reishi, and Chaga: The Big Three * 00:16:01 Why Quality Matters * 00:23:46 Bootstrapping Rainbo * 00:26:50 From Direct-to-Consumer to Retail: Scaling Without Institutional Funding * 00:32:00 Mold, Parasites, and the Health Journey * 00:34:02 The Nervous System: Your Body's CEO * 00:37:44 Corporate Burnout and Sympathetic Dominance * 00:38:41 Somatic Release: When Your Body Holds the Memory * 00:45:03 Launching Fungki: The Coffee Alternative Years in the Making * 00:48:46 Working with Your Partner * 00:57:21 Building with Community: Listening to Your Customers * 00:58:58 The Nervous System as Foundation * 01:01:52 Rapid Fire and Where to Find Rainbo ___ Rainbo Promo Code: 15% off with code BRUNETTES https://www.rainbo.com/BRUNETTES [https://www.rainbo.com/BRUNETTES] ___ Between Two Brunettes Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@betweentwobrunettes [https://www.youtube.com/@betweentwobrunettes] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betweentwobrunettes [https://www.instagram.com/betweentwobrunettes/] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@betweentwobrunettes [https://www.tiktok.com/@betweentwobrunettes] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/betweentwobrunettes [https://www.linkedin.com/company/betweentwobrunettes] X: https://x.com/twobrunettespod [https://x.com/twobrunettespod] Samantha Miller Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanthaj_miller [https://www.instagram.com/samanthaj_miller] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@samanthaj_miller [https://www.tiktok.com/@samanthaj_miller] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthamiller111 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthamiller111] X: https://x.com/samantha_btbpod [https://x.com/samantha_btbpod] Germana Kazazi Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/germanakazazi [https://www.instagram.com/germanakazazi] TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@germanakazazi [https://www.tiktok.com/@germanakazazi] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/germana-kazazi [https://www.linkedin.com/in/germana-kazazi/] X: https://x.com/GermanaKazazi [https://x.com/GermanaKazazi] Tonya Papanikolov Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyapapanikolove [https://www.instagram.com/tonyapapanikolove] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonya-papanikolov [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonya-papanikolov] Rainbo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rainbomushrooms [https://www.instagram.com/rainbomushrooms] Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rainbomushrooms [https://www.tiktok.com/@rainbomushrooms] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rainbomushrooms [https://www.linkedin.com/company/rainbomushrooms] ___ Produced by Thirty Two Media Inc.

The Biologic Life Insurance Policy Nobody Told You About: Dr. Drew Taylor of Acorn Biolabs

What if the most important health decision you could make right now costs less than Netflix and takes 30 minutes? That's the bet Dr. Drew Taylor has been building toward since he co-founded Acorn Biolabs in 2017. Acorn lets people bank their own stem cells, harvested non-invasively from hair follicles, before age degrades them. Acorn now operates across more than 200 partner clinics in North America and was just named one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies of 2026. Before any of this, Drew was a pitcher. He got drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays, walked away from a medical school acceptance to play professionally, and when a shoulder injury ended his career, came back to the lab and never left. In this conversation, we unpack what it takes to build a category from scratch, why your cells are aging faster than you think, and what Drew calls the biologic life insurance policy that most people don't know exists. He discusses: * What regenerative medicine actually is and how it differs from the longevity and preventative health space * Why hair follicles turned out to be one of the most valuable and accessible sources of adult stem cells * The "biologic life insurance policy" and what it means to bank your cells before you need them * How he navigated leaving a venture capital salary to start a company with a newborn at home * Why Covid nearly stalled Acorn, and what kept them going * The NK cell research that has shown early results suppressing ovarian, cervical, and breast cancer cells in the lab * How Acorn thinks about the long road from aesthetics to advanced therapeutics and why that sequencing is intentional ___ CHAPTERS * 00:00:00 What is Regenerative Medicine? * 00:03:14 Stem Cells: The Connective Tissue Powerhouse * 00:05:22 The Future of 3D Printing Organs with Stem Cells * 00:06:43 From Baseball to PhD: Drew's Journey * 00:10:11 How Acorn Biolabs Was Born * 00:11:48 Navigating the Patent Process: Lessons for Scientific Founders * 00:15:24 The Acorn Process: Banking Your Stem Cells from Hair Follicles * 00:20:43 Your Own Biology as an Aesthetic Treatment * 00:24:11 The Science Behind Secretome: Growth Factors, Exosomes, and More * 00:28:19 Secretome vs PRP * 00:28:49 The Future of Injectables: Clinical Trials and Regulatory Approvals * 00:29:48 Regulatory Landscape: Canada, US, and the Medical Tourism Problem * 00:33:49 Clinic Partnerships and Business Model * 00:37:54 Fundraising Strategy * 00:38:13 COVID's Impact: Turning Crisis into R&D Opportunity * 00:43:56 Balancing Fatherhood and Entrepreneurship: Drew's Approach to Family * 00:49:52 Turning Hair Follicles into Cancer-Fighting NK Cells * 00:54:49 Growing Acorn and Expanding Clinical Applications * 00:55:28 How to Get Started: Banking Your Cells with Acorn ___ Bank Your Stem Cells with Acorn Acorn’s Live Cell Preservation service allows you to collect and cryogenically store stem-cell-rich hair follicles for future regenerative use. Investment: Standard collection ($945) + first year of storage ($190): $1,135 Exclusive Offer: First year of banking ($190 value) for FREE with code BRUNETTES Step-by-Step Purchase Instructions: * Visit www.acorn.me [http://www.acorn.me/]  * Select ‘Start Your Journey’, ‘Cell Banking + Storage’ * At checkout enter promo code: BRUNETTES * Acorn’s team will reach out to coordinate their clinic visit Note: While Acorn has a wide network of practices, they do not yet have full coverage across Canada/USA. You can view their locations here: https://acorn.me/find-providers/ [https://acorn.me/find-providers/] ___ Between Two Brunettes Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@betweentwobrunettes [https://www.youtube.com/@betweentwobrunettes] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betweentwobrunettes [https://www.instagram.com/betweentwobrunettes/] Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@betweentwobrunettes [https://www.tiktok.com/@betweentwobrunettes] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/betweentwobrunettes [https://www.linkedin.com/company/betweentwobrunettes] X: https://x.com/twobrunettespod [https://x.com/twobrunettespod] Samantha Miller Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanthaj_miller [https://www.instagram.com/samanthaj_miller] Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@samanthaj_miller [https://www.tiktok.com/@samanthaj_miller] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthamiller111 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthamiller111] X: https://x.com/samantha_btbpod [https://x.com/samantha_btbpod] Germana Kazazi Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/germanakazazi [https://www.instagram.com/germanakazazi] Tiktok:https://www.tiktok.com/@germanakazazi [https://www.tiktok.com/@germanakazazi] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/germana-kazazi [https://www.linkedin.com/in/germana-kazazi/] X: https://x.com/GermanaKazazi [https://x.com/GermanaKazazi] Dr. Drew Taylor Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drdrewtaylor [https://www.instagram.com/drdrewtaylor] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drew-taylor-65b6ab10 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drew-taylor-65b6ab10] Acorn Biolabs Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acornbiolabs [https://www.instagram.com/acornbiolabs] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/acornbiolabs (https://www.linkedin.com/company/acornbiolabs/posts/?feedView=all [https://www.linkedin.com/company/acornbiolabs/posts/?feedView=all]) ___ Produced by Thirty Two Media Inc.

The Fight for Canada’s Digital Sovereignty: The Godfather of Canadian Tech

John Ruffolo has spent decades helping shape Canada’s technology and venture capital ecosystem. From building Deloitte’s technology practice to launching OMERS Ventures and now founding Maverix Private Equity, John has been at the center of many of the country’s most important moments in innovation, investment and economic policy. Over his career, he has helped build and back some of Canada’s most important technology companies while advising governments and institutions on the future of the digital economy. In this conversation, we unpack the forces shaping Canada’s digital economy, the hard lessons that come with building industries from scratch and why this moment may be one of the most consequential for the country’s future. He discusses: * The unlikely path from Deloitte partner to building OMERS Ventures and why many thought the idea would fail * Why digital sovereignty is becoming critical to Canada’s economic future * What we need to see more of from Canadian venture capital to build the next generation of tech champions * The policy and talent shifts needed for Canada to compete in a digital economy * The cycling accident that left him paralyzed and and how it reshaped his perspective on resilience and purpose * His mission to make Toronto a global center for spinal cord and neurological research ___ CHAPTERS * 00:00:00 Growing Up Italian: From Jane and Finch to Bay Street * 00:09:56 Arthur Andersen and Early Career * 00:16:11 The Enron Collapse: Losing Everything and Finding Hope * 00:25:40 Building the Tech Practice and Creating Omers Ventures * 00:39:17 The Renaissance of Canadian Tech and Digital Sovereignty * 00:48:40 Launching Mavericks * 01:03:09 Investing in the Digital Economy: Why Entry Points and IP Rights Matter * 01:12:14 The Cycling Accident * 01:26:05 Recovery, Resilience and Walking Again * 01:36:17 The Two Doors: Hope, Purpose and Never Wasting Time * 01:42:08 Rapid Fire and Closing ___ Between Two Brunettes Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@betweentwobrunettes [https://www.youtube.com/@betweentwobrunettes] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betweentwobrunettes [https://www.instagram.com/betweentwobrunettes/] Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@betweentwobrunettes [https://www.tiktok.com/@betweentwobrunettes] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/betweentwobrunettes [https://www.linkedin.com/company/betweentwobrunettes] X: https://x.com/twobrunettespod [https://x.com/twobrunettespod] Samantha Miller Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanthaj_miller [https://www.instagram.com/samanthaj_miller] Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@samanthaj_miller [https://www.tiktok.com/@samanthaj_miller] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthamiller111 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthamiller111] X: https://x.com/samantha_btbpod [https://x.com/samantha_btbpod] Germana Kazazi Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/germanakazazi [https://www.instagram.com/germanakazazi] Tiktok:https://www.tiktok.com/@germanakazazi [https://www.tiktok.com/@germanakazazi] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/germana-kazazi [https://www.linkedin.com/in/germana-kazazi/] X: https://x.com/GermanaKazazi [https://x.com/GermanaKazazi] John Ruffolo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joruffolo [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joruffolo] X: https://x.com/ruffolo [https://x.com/ruffolo] ___ Produced by Thirty Two Media Inc.