The StartWell Podcast features interviews with founders and executives in Toronto who are tackling modern business challenges with an innovative mindset. Hosted by Qasim Virjee, the weekly show draws on honest, first-hand accounts from guests about what they have struggled with, what has worked, and the work driving their organizations today.
with Som Seif, Founder and CEO, Purpose Unlimited
Som Seif, CEO of Purpose Unlimited and co-founder of Wealthsimple, joins the StartWell Podcast to talk about why Canadians fear criticism more than failure, how small businesses struggle to get capital, and why AI is the most exciting moment of his career.
“It's a fear of criticism.” — Som Seif
Matt Espinoza sold his first software company the same week he graduated university — then did it again, faster. Now, at 23, he runs Clover Labs (AI), a Toronto startup that grew to 65 employees in a year by building AI "growth agents" that mass-produce content, run outbound, and manage ad spend for other companies.
Stan has helped over 100,000 creators and entrepreneurs earn more than $600M online — and takes $0 in commission on any of it. Vitalii Dodonov, co-founder and CTO of Stan, explains why the team made that call on purpose, and what it's built on top of it since.
Farhan Thawar leads engineering at Shopify — roughly 3,000 people building the infrastructure behind one of the largest commerce platforms in the world. He joined in 2019 when Shopify acquired Helpful.com, the company he co-founded, and he's been there now for longer than any job he's held before.
Qasim Virjee is a Toronto-based serial entrepreneur and the founder of StartWell, an experiential corporate events campus and media production studio based in downtown Toronto.
Canadian businesses are getting left behind by their banks — and Saud Aziz is doing something about it. As co-founder of Venn, he's building the financial operating system that Canadian SMBs actually need: multi-currency accounts, same-day payments, corporate cards with real spend controls, and accounting automation that eliminates the admin pile.
