Search is changing quickly, and founders can no longer rely on traditional SEO alone to stay visible. In Episode 8 of Founder Fundamentals, Lydia Vijga, Co-Founder and CEO of DeckLinks, unpacked how answer engine optimization (AEO) is reshaping the way brands are discovered online. Drawing from her work in growth strategy, AI visibility, and search […]
This episode of Winter Founder Fundamentals session was about Building a Brand on a Budget with Richard Berman. It explored one of the most misunderstood parts of early-stage growth: building a brand that earns trust and traction before spending heavily on marketing. Richard Berman, CEO of Verb Factory, drew from his background as a journalist-turned-marketer […]
This episode of Winter Founder Fundamentals session was about Financial Planning and Strategy with Zahra Qureshi. It explored one of the most underestimated parts of building a sustainable business: turning strategy into numbers early enough to avoid cash surprises and reactive decision-making. Zahra Qureshi, a CPA with 15 years of experience supporting small businesses, nonprofits, […]
This Winter Founder Fundamentals session was about Getting Your First 10 Customers with Agnes Lan. It explored one of the most underestimated parts of early traction: learning how to sell before trying to scale. Agnes, framed early customer acquisition as a skills-building and clarity-building process, not a polished “funnel” exercise. With a background in engineering […]
The third 2026 Winter Founder Fundamentals session was led by Saba Medghalchi, a tax and finance professional at YSpace who walked founders through one of the most stress-inducing parts of entrepreneurship: tax season. Rather than focusing on loopholes or aggressive optimization, Saba framed tax preparation as a clarity-building exercise. The session emphasized that most costly […]
The second 2026 Winter Founder Fundamentals session was led by Judy Wong, who guided founders through one of the most overlooked drivers of growth: customer discovery. Rather than treating research as a one-time task, Judy positioned discovery as an ongoing practice that helps founders reduce uncertainty, sharpen their positioning, and build offerings grounded in real […]
The first 2026 Winter Founder Fundamentals session was led by Benjamin N'Goran, a bilingual entrepreneurship coach with over a decade of experience supporting founders across Canada and Africa. The session focused on how founders can translate ideas into clear, actionable business plans that support real decision-making, growth, and long-term sustainability. Drawing from years of one-on-one […]
This week’s Founder Fundamentals session unpacked one of the least glamorous, but absolutely essential, pillars of building a resilient startup: understanding risk and getting the right insurance. Led by Jonathan Pereira, Vice President of Private Equity & Mergers & Acquisitions at Gallagher, the session provided a clear, founder-friendly breakdown of what risk actually looks like […]
This week’s Founder Fundamentals session demystified one of the most misunderstood, yet mission-critical parts of building a startup: accessing non-dilutive funding. Led by Jackson Lai, Partner at BDO and an expert with 15+ years of product development experience across biomedical devices, life sciences, IT, and consumer electronics, the session broke down what every founder needs […]
This week’s Founder Fundamentals session unpacked one of the most powerful yet overlooked drivers of startup success: understanding why customers behave the way they do. The session, Customer Psychology: Why People Buy, Stay & Pay, was led by Talitha McCloskey — Senior Manager of Impact Partnerships & Government Relations at GrowClass, co-founder of RaiseHER, community […]
