Episodes

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.

This episode of Innovation Fuel explores the world of Fluevog, a unique shoe company that marches to the beat of its drum. Dave Keighron and Dr. Gelareh Farhadian dive into Fluvog's niche customer base with CMO Stephen Bailey and learn how they've built a community around artistic vision and self-expression. Challenges like small batch production and adapting to e-commerce are discussed. Fluevog provides an inspirational case study on staying true to your values while running a successful busine...

Welcome to a new episode of Innovation Fuel! Dave Keighron and Dr. Gelareh Farhadian delve into the cutting-edge world of biotechnology, focusing on tissue engineering and bioprinting. They talk to Kevin Vos, Ph.D., the Director of Business Development and Strategic Alliances at VoxCell BioInnovation. VoxCell is no ordinary bioprinting company; they are a trailblazing tissue engineering firm responsible for a groundbreaking line of Truly Biomimetic solutions for the drug development industry and...

In this episode of Innovation Fuel, hosts Dave Keighron and Dr. Gelareh Farhadian,CEO, talk to Paul McKenzie, CEO of NexOptic and discuss how his startup experience led him to develop AI that reduces video file sizes. He talks about obstacles to partnering with big streamers and his goal of a major alliance to catalyze industry change.

Join us for another exciting episode of Innovation Fuel, where your hosts, Dave Keighron and Dr. Gelareh Farhadian, are joined again by the brilliant CEO of NexOptic, Paul McKenzie. This time, Paul unveils the secrets behind successfully securing funding for his groundbreaking startup—an invaluable episode for aspiring entrepreneurs seeking financial backing for their ventures.

In this episode of Innovation Fuel! Your hosts, Dave Keighron and Dr. Gelareh Farhadian are diving into baby products. Both being parents themselves, they understand the many choices of baby products out there on the market. So, to discuss this competitive sector, they have Garett Senez from Quark Baby. In this episode, you will learn about Garett's journey from being a parent to being a dynamic entrepreneur who saw a gap in the market and decided to fill it. Listen now to another informative ep...