Episodes

On this week's episode of Innovation Fuel, we welcome Anna Kostecka, a Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategist at What Works. Anna joins hosts Dave and Gelareh to discuss making classrooms and curriculum development more inclusive. Encouraging companies or schools to create a place of understanding among a diverse team of people to create a positive group work experience. Listen now to this meaningful discussion with the end goal of inspiring organizations to create workplac...

On this week's episode of Innovation Fuel, Gelareh, unfortunately, has COVID, so Dave is going solo for his talk with Boris Zhukov, CEO at LetYouKnow, Inc. They sit down to discuss what is happening with supply and demand changes post-COVID-19. Since there is a backup of products that companies can't sell, is there a better way to achieve a balance where the consumer wants to pay a lower cost for goods and services but not have the retailer drastically reduce their prices? Let's s...

On this week's episode of Innovation Fuel, Dave and Gelareh welcome back Boris Zhukov, CEO of LetYouKnow, Inc, who has a background in economics. They explore how data is advantageous to a business, like how it can be used to target specific customers. Boris also discusses how a company can be responsible when mining and using data; they cover regulatory bodies which include GDPR and California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA). You can learn everything you need about data in this next episode.

On this week's episode of Innovation Fuel, Dave and Gelareh welcome Alex Honadel, Owner of Green Solutions Pool Service. She is a lifestyle entrepreneur who created a business in college that allowed her to have a flexible work schedule while still making money. Years later, her company continues to thrive, and she can travel and continue her passion for helping the environment while saving people money. Listen now and discover how she took a simple idea of filling out rebate applications and tu...

Over the last ten years, we have all witnessed rapid changes in the journalism and media industry. Compared to the past, there are more platforms to get your message out there and engage with a broader audience you might not have been able to reach. On this week's episode of Innovation Fuel, hosts Dave Keighron and Dr. Gelareh Farhadian talk with their guest William Johnson Founder Of The Vancouver Tech Journal, and discuss how his digital journal is creating other ways to expose the tech indus...

Digital Transformation what does it really mean? On this week's episode of Innovation Fuel, hosts Dave Keighron and Dr. Gelareh Farhadian discover the misconceptions about digital transformation and define it as more than just the word technology. To solve this debate, they talk to the President & Founder of Cyper in this episode. It's a great conversation about how digital transformation will add more value to your company culture and business. Have a great week, and I will talk to you when I'...

On this week's episode of Innovation Fuel, hosts Dave Keighron and Dr. Gelareh Farhadian welcome Ruth Diaz, VR Community Design Developer and Metaverse Coach, at VR Create Connect. She discusses the importance of DEI ( Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) in the VR community and creating spaces for everyone to enjoy the technology in a safe, inclusive manner. Virtual reality still has barriers to overcome, but it is a place where people can let their walls down, be their authentic selves, and lea...

On this week’s episode of Innovation Fuel, Dan Pronovost, COO and Founder of Driftscape, joins hosts Dave Keighron and Dr. Gelareh Farhadian to discuss augmented reality in Tourism. People use this technology to hear and experience collective stories through experts in an environment without advertisements. Augmented reality allows tourism to grow into a culturally richer and create meaningful connections with its visitors.

In a new episode of Innovation Fuel, Dan Pronovost, COO and Founder of Driftscape, is back with Dave Keighron and Dr. Gelareh Farhadian to discuss using augmented reality in business. What does the future hold regarding these groundbreaking tools to advance how people experience tourism and how we interact with a business? The options for using this game-changing technology in every aspect of our lives is endless and full of possibilities.

Innovation Fuel welcomes Scott Stirrett, Founder and CEO of Venture for Canada, a national charity that fosters the development of entrepreneurial skills and mindset in young Canadians. He sits down with Dr. Gelareh Farhadian and Dave Kehighron to discuss the importance of growing the skills of young entrepreneurs through work experience and providing young people with essential entrepreneurial skills for a changing economy. Find out what it takes to successfully create a business instead of jus...

In this episode of Innovation Fuel, Awane Jones, CEO of Phenomena Virtual eSport Arena, joins hosts Dave Keighron and Dr. Gelareh to discuss not having fear about your product and throwing it out into the world and see if people will buy it. Once you know there will be customers, don't worry about creating new ideas; focus on improving the one you have until you can't improve it any more. Then that way, you will have a good product with a great user experience that people will continue to want t...

On this week's episode of Innovation Fuel, Pat Chaisang, Founder & CEO at Isempower Canada's first job search platform for international students. She joins hosts Dave Keighron and Dr. Gelareh Farhadian to discuss starting November 15, 2022, international students in Canada will be allowed to work more than 20 hours per week. They also talk about the challenges of international students finding jobs in Canada and some misconceptions employers may have about hiring international students.

Why do entrepreneurs go to consultants when chaos ensues in their business? When is the right time to get help in your business before something catastrophic happens? Please find out the answers when Dave Keighron and Dr. Gelareh talk with John kay, CEO of Realize Strategies, about the challenges we all face as entrepreneurs and how he and the team can help you avoid significant fires by putting the correct practices in place.

On this week's episode of Innovation Fuel, Paolo Lobo, President of Proteic, joins hosts Dave Keighron and Dr. Gelareh to discuss the challenges entrepreneurs have when making big decisions to move their businesses forward. Many entrepreneurs have the inner battle of deciding to use their heads or follow their hearts when choosing the right path to take to grow their idea. Listen in as Paolo shares his truthful journey of turning Proteic into a successful company.

On this week's episode of Innovation Fuel, Pat Chaisang, Founder & CEO of Isempower, Canada's first job search platform for international students, joins hosts Dave Keighron and Dr. Gelareh Farhadian for part 2 of the discussion around breaking down the door for international students. They checked in with Pat to discuss any changes she has seen with the recent announcement allowing international students to work more than 20 hours per week. Dave and Gelareh discuss with Pat if this new announce...

Join Dave Keighron and Dr. Gelareh Farhadian for another episode of Innovation fuel as they talk to Ekaose Mon-John Nwadiani, the CEO of HybisBrands, and learn how he found a hidden opportunity re-creating his favourite childhood beverage—turning it into a popular vegan-friendly drink with high nutritional value. Not only is John, an inspiring entrepreneur, but he was also a student many years ago of Dave here at UCW. So join them for a reunion as they discuss John's journey into entrepreneurshi...

In this episode of Innovation, Fuel Dave is hosting solo today. He sits with Kerry Brock—President of GuardRFID Solutions Inc., a leading real-time location systems expert in the healthcare industry. Our guest is a seasoned sales and marketing leader with over 20 years of experience in the technology sector. They discuss the ups and downs of changing the business to a work-at-home model at the start of the pandemic and how working from home has evolved in the company three years later. It was a ...

On this week's episode of Innovation Fuel, UCW Alum Massimo Bellini and founder of Bellini Consulting joins hosts Dave Keighron and Dr. Gelareh Farhadian to discuss global events like COVID-19 and breakthroughs in technology that affect a business’s brand. With Massimo’s many years of experience working with major fashion brands, he discusses the positives and negatives of keeping a company thriving in an ever-changing world.

In this episode of Innovation Fuel, Toby Chu, Chairman & CEO of CIBT Education Group Inc., joins host Dave Keighron and Dr. Gelareh Farhadian to talk about setting up International students for success when they come to Canada to study. The discussion centers around how it is challenging for international students to find homes amid a housing crisis in this ever-changing world. On top of that, they are dealing with extra living costs because of inflation. Listen now to this great conversation ab...

We celebrate amazing mothers in another episode of Innovation Fuel. Dave Keighron and Dr. Gelareh Farhadian dive into deeply personal motherhood journeys with their guests Jamie Samhan, Founder/ CEO of Hop and Paige Mowbray, counsellor and registered social worker. They explore the challenges and triumphs when women attempt to balance their careers and raise children.

On this week's episode of Innovation Fuel, Dave Keighron and Dr. Gelareh Farhadian explore the story of Blossom Social. An innovative investing platform that allows users to see what others are putting money into and connect with like-minded investors. They talk to two out of three co-founders, Maxwell Nicholson and Kartik Bhutani, about how their app offers a unique approach to social investing, making it easy for users to connect with other people who share their investment goals and values—ch...

On this week's episode of Innovation Fuel, Dave Keighron and Dr. Gelareh Farhadian talk to Juliana Lopes CEO and Founder of the Fem group about encouraging you to step out of your comfort zone, break free from your friendly community, and embark on a journey of creating a brand new network.

Join our Lovely Hosts, Gelareh Farhadian, and Dave Keighron in this episode of Innovation Fuel, Hamid J. Fard and Fabio Alexandre Vieira from Fard Solutions joins tell Us the story of how they developed an algorithm before the AI buzz, saving time, and resources managing databases. They present an interesting point of the ethics involved, the concerns their customers had, and how they changed their points of view with the rise of Chat GPT.

In another episode of Innovation Fuel, Dave Keighron and Dr. Gelareh Farhadian talk with Daniel Yahel, VP of Education at Jolt.io online business school, which transforms people's careers and helps them further their career passion. They also discuss the importance of networking and always keep learning even long after you graduate from post-secondary school.