Disruptors

Latest Episodes:

Beyond Silicon Valley: Why We Need a Global Playbook For Innovation Aug 04, 2020

Show notes

Nearly 10 years ago, venture capitalist Marc Andreessen famously claimed that “software is eating the world.” But today, a new crop of “frontier innovators” are straying away from disrupting existing industries with software in favour of building new industries, improving current innovation models, and addressing market gaps that Silicon Valley ignored. In his new book, Out-Innovate: How Global Entrepreneurs--from Delhi to Detroit--Are Rewriting the Rules of Silicon Valley, Alex Lazarow interviews more than 200 entrepreneurs from around the world about their challenges, success stories, and what he calls the "frontier," the growing constellation of startup ecosystems, outside of the Valley. On this episode of RBC Disruptors, Alex and John discuss the shift from the equity model in venture capital, what it means to be born global, and the future of innovation in Canada, and around the world

Key takeaways:

Founders don’t have to settle for cash-for-equity venture capital, and should explore new models around partnerships or royalties.
Every innovator needs to be “born global,” and look at the whole world as a potential market.
The Silicon Valley playbook is not the only way to succeed, and founders need to consider how they are building businesses that make an impact, not just a profit.

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Disruptors Revisited: Data is Bigger than Oil Jul 28, 2020

Show notes

To succeed in the post-COVID economy, businesses will need more than just a pivot to digital – they’ll need to lean into and harness data to gain an advantage. As the COVID crisis disrupts traditional business models, it’s more important than ever for companies to understand how to leverage data on user behaviour, sales trends, and other variables to re-position themselves for the future. In this episode, we revisit an earlier RBC Disruptors conversation from February, 2020 with Sam Sebastian, CEO of Pelmorex Corp, which owns The Weather Network, on how firms can capitalize on data to gain an edge and grow their business. CONNECT & SUBSCRIBE: • Follow RBC Thought Leadership on LinkedIn • Follow John Stackhouse on LinkedIn • For more insights visit RBC Thought Leadership Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

App-to-Table: How Tech Can Help Restaurants Rebound Jul 21, 2020

Show notes

Building a successful company takes a community, and SkipTheDishes is no different. A Winnipeg success story, the food delivery platform has over 25,000 restaurants in its community. John Stackhouse sits down with SkipTheDishes CEO Kevin Edwards, who shares the founding story of Skip, how the company is helping its restaurant community with a $24 million commitment during COVID-19, and why the company is so focused on building a supportive environment for the next tech success story.

Key takeaways:

The future of restaurants is a hybrid – the ones that will thrive will draw people in but also reach out to customers and connect with them in unique ways.
Restaurants need to become digital natives and harness the power of social to engage their customers.
Canada has no shortage of tech talent, but for tech companies to thrive, they need to scale, and to harness the power of data.

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Disruptors Revisited: Rewiring the Brain (June 2019) Jul 14, 2020

Show notes

The COVID pandemic has brought everyday life online and made us more reliant on technology than ever. Many of us are working from home and glued to our screens all day, and then Zooming with friends or streaming movies in the evenings. Not to mention our shift to online shopping and ordering food. What effect is all this technology having on us? In this episode, we revisit an earlier but still incredibly relevant RBC Disruptors conversation from June 2019 with Dr. Murali Doraiswamy, a physician and brain scientist at Duke University, on how technology is changing the brain and mind.

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Beyond the Cart: How Grocery Commerce is Transforming Jul 07, 2020

Show notes

In the midst of a global crisis, getting food from farm to fork has never been more important, and in some ways, more challenging. Nothing has been more essential than keeping Canadians fed and supplied. At the forefront of this is Loblaw, a fourth-generation Canadian company and the largest non-government employer in the country. Through their COVID pivots they are leading the charge on enhancing customer convenience and keeping Canadians safe and stocked up. Instacart is the North American leader in online grocery – they have the largest grocery delivery network in America with more than 500,000 active full-service shoppers. On this episode of RBC Disruptors, John Stackhouse discusses the changes and challenges in grocery commerce with Sarah Davis, President of Loblaw and Nilam Ganenthiran, President of Instacart.

Key Takeaways

The future of grocery will blend digital and in-store experiences. Consumers want to choose their grocery experience, so how can grocers position themselves to deliver digital experiences for the long term?
Canadians want to feel connected to their local grocery brand. They want to trust where their food is coming from and know that they have the option to support vendors from within their province. How can grocery brands use this to their advantage?
As grocery stores continue to go digital, understanding your consumer has never been more important. How can grocers use consumer data to provide a seamless, end to end experience that enhances the consumer’s relationship with their brand?

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Global Canadians: The Tech Sector's Secret Weapon Jun 30, 2020

Show notes

Over the last 153 years, millions of Canadians have spread to every corner of the world. We have been part of major global movements from the birth of Hollywood to the strategy behind modern day peacekeeping. We know that Canadians are going to play a key role in rebuilding the global economy as we look beyond the pandemic. Laura Buhler, Executive Director of the C100, an association of Canadian expats in the Valley that has helped build Canada's tech ecosystem, and Andre Charoo, General Partner of Maple VC and co-chair of the C100, join John Stackhouse on RBC Disruptors to discuss:

How we can leverage our population at home and abroad to create strategic opportunities and accelerate the growth of Canada’s tech companies.
What Canadian companies need to do to attract global talent. Pay must match ambition.
Why large corporations need to invest locally to develop a thriving ecosystem to compete on the global stage.

Listeners can learn more about the C100 and its initiatives at

https://www.thec100.org/

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The New Mall: Digital, Data and Delivery Jun 23, 2020

Show notes

Retail is a massive originator of data, generating 40 terabytes per hour globally. As the industry continues to undergo unprecedented disruption, to survive and continue to thrive in today’s environment, winning retailers are using that data to understand their customers, empower their employees, create intelligent supply chains, and reinvent their business models. Jose Ribau, Executive Vice President, Digital & Innovation at Cadillac Fairview, and four guests join John Stackhouse on RBC Disruptors to explore the future of retail and how malls can compete in a post-pandemic environment.

Key Takeaways:

The mall of the future will be built on data
Online shopping may be here to stay, but so too, is a blended model of in-person and online experiences
Retailers and landlords will need innovative approaches to cater to dramatically changed consumer behaviour

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A Digital Cure for Healthcare Jun 16, 2020

Show notes

On this episode of RBC Disruptors, John Stackhouse is joined by Valerie Pisano, CEO of MILA in Montreal, and Abhinav Sharma of McGill University to discuss Canadian innovations in AI and machine learning for healthcare delivery, progress in the development of digital contact tracing applications, and the importance of healthcare professionals working hand in hand with technology.

Key Takeaways:

What will the patient experience look like in 2030?
Technology is going to increasingly shape healthcare. But without the human adoption of technology, we'll never see its potential
How do we navigate data and privacy concerns, while understanding the benefits of these innovations?
How can we ensure that Canadian healthcare innovations are global in their ambition?

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Small Business’s Digital Pivot Jun 09, 2020

Show notes

COVID-19 pushed Canada into the first recession since the mass adoption of smartphones. Entering 2020, Canada had more than 500,000 businesses that were predominantly analog. The crisis has served as a catalyst for small businesses including traditional businesses to pivot to digital as they closed their doors due to COVID-19. Businesses that will emerge from this crisis stronger, are the ones that changed their strategies through the crisis to reach customers in new ways. In this episode, John Stackhouse is joined by Lori Darlington, VP, Small Business & Strategic Partnerships at RBC and together they examine a series of case studies on small businesses who have pivoted to new strategies to grow through the pandemic. In this episode we discuss:

How small businesses can scale coming out of the crisis
How have they used digital to improve the customer experience and reach new customers?
What do small businesses need to thrive beyond the pandemic, in terms of capital, support, public policy and consumer behaviour?

CONNECT & SUBSCRIBE:

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How the COVID-19 Crisis will Transform Higher Education Jun 01, 2020

Show notes

In March of 2020, Canada’s post-secondary institutions moved over 2 million students to online learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the urgency of crisis measures fade to operating in the “new normal”, we are likely to see students demand more from digital-based learning to give them greater flexibility in where, when and how they learn. This collective moment of mass disruption can be seized to move higher education to the digital age.

In this episode of RBC Disruptors, John Stackhouse is joined by John Baker, President and CEO of D2L, Charlotte Yates, Provost and Vice President of Academics at Guelph University, Sophie D’Amours, Rector of Laval University, Neil Passina, President of Athabasca University and Andrew Schrumm, Senior Manager, Research at RBC to discuss:

How online learning can transform post-secondary education, far beyond the current crisis
How the institutions that will thrive will figure out how to blend technology and socialization
The need to support teachers in transitioning to a brave new world
The huge opportunity for Canada to leverage our strength in education and scale our digital platforms on a global basis

CONNECT & SUBSCRIBE:

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• For more insights visit RBC Thought Leadership

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