Renaud Teasdale

A bit late on this one, but I couldn’t help sharing! 🙌 I absolutely love it when our work not only improves our clients' operations but solves real problems for their customers. As a parent of two, I know firsthand how time-consuming it can be to shop for school supplies—whether in-store or online. 🛒 The fact that Magasin Le Compte’s customers can now buy their kids' entire school supplies in just 2 minutes is a total game-changer! 🎒 This is what commerce should be about: creating thoughtful solutions that address complex needs and make life easier. A big thank you to Éric Lecompte and Annabelle Lecompte for sharing their vision and collaborating with to bring it to life. Together, we created a solution that simplifies the back-to-school rush and makes a difference for parents. Shoutout to our partners for their contribution: Gorgias, Klaviyo, Rewind, Fast Simon! Here’s to building solutions that truly make a difference! #Ecommerce #Shopify #CustomerExperience #BackToSchool #CommerceInnovation

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Over the weekend, Tobi, the founder and CEO of Shopify, discussed the major reason investors passed on Shopify in the early days : market size. I remember that financing round, & I remember having the same concern, & making the same mistake. Living in the valley & driving on 101, the billboards & logo-adorned headquarters of successful companies provide a daily infusion of all the mistakes in I’ve made in guessing how a company or a market might evolve. Years later, I listened as Bill Gurley shared his thoughts about market size. He asked himself a question : whether the startup was increasing, decreasing, or maintaining the market size? (I can’t seem to find the link - but I have it in my notes!) I added that question to my diligence list when meeting startups. Now much later, having seen many companies create categories or reinvigorate aging ones, the question I ask myself has evolved. It’s not as the market size large enough? Instead, it the question is : do we believe this company can create the market? Market size is the output of all the players marketing, selling, building. Their efforts alter, distort, & juice the supply/demand curves of macroeconomics. It’s not a given - not an output or a steady-state CAGR. Often it’s the startups that engender the demand, change the market dynamics, & make markets massive by taking risks with products. When done right, these founders create category-defining businesses like Shopify (now worth $90b)!

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In startups, the firehose never stops. Either sink or learn to breathe underwater. Startup life is where yesterday's roadmap is today's paper airplane. The truth about building your career at lightspeed: 1️⃣ You'll wear 10 hats badly before mastering 2  ↳ Early on, you'll touch everything.  But true growth comes from finding where you add unique value. 2️⃣ Traditional career paths don't exist  ↳ You might start in finance and end up leading ops.  Your adaptability matters more than your title. 3️⃣ Learning trumps knowing ↳ The expert in legacy systems isn't the hero here.  The person who can learn new tools in a weekend is. 4️⃣ Your job description is fiction ↳ It was outdated the moment you signed.  Focus on solving problems, not defending boundaries. 5️⃣ Speed creates opportunity ↳ When everything moves fast, leadership gaps appear weekly.  Step up before you're ready. Startups aren’t for everyone. But if constant change energises you, there's no better place to accelerate your career. 💬 What's the biggest myth about startup careers? ♻️ Know someone considering the startup leap? Share this reality check. 🔔 Follow James Segal for honest insights about accelerating your career.

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Short teaser of my upcoming COO podcast. In this episode, I chat with Jean (John) Lafleur, Co-Founder and COO Airbyte about fundraising, what the role of the COO means to him, how to build teams with talent density, and fighting entropy. I will be posting an update here next week and a link to the full interview! Follow me for more updates and COO interviews.

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Building a new category is tricky, and it's come to my attention that people don't know what FERMÀT is. So we asked...how would they describe it? Maximilien Langlois answer (Founder of HYPE10) was fascinating: “(FERMÀT) is a landing page solution that necessitates very little time to validate ideas and prove theories for an e-commerce brand.” Max isn't wrong. We build landing pages. But we're not a landing page solution; we're a full-funnel solution. And we help you do it quickly. With FERMÀT, you can spin up funnels at the same speed as ads. That’s the category we’re creating. I'm happy to see that Max is using the tool to experiment, innovate, and push boundaries. It's a testament to the versatility and power of our platform. So whether you're looking to validate theories, optimize marketing strategies, or boost conversions, FERMÀT is here to help you achieve your goals with efficiency. You can catch our chat with Max on our FERMÀT Friday channel, and his full answer in the video.

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Operating on real-time data is no longer a luxury—it's a necessity. 📊💡 The more we develop Pluvo at Rain Technologies Inc., and the more companies we onboard, I’m seeing more & more business strategy influenced by: 🎢 Market Volatility -> Rapid changes driven by tech advancements, the economy, and global events. Companies need introspective tools that will help them spot trends and pivot as necessary. There aren’t enough of these in circulation right now. 🛒 Increased Competitive Pressure -> The competition is already using better tools. Meaning that they’re already leveraging real-time data to achieve a competitive edge. The CFOs I’ve spoken to are already pushing for a more advanced tech stack, just to keep up. It’s going to become an arms race with data at the centre. 😎 Customer Expectations -> Better competition means customers expect an altogether higher level of service from EVERYONE. In order to adapt to these trends, companies are starting to improve tech stacks, hire new talent, and rethink their current systems. If you had said that the CFO’s office might be the key to outperforming your competition 5 or 10 years ago… you would have been laughed at. Today it’s a reality. So if you want to stay ahead of the curve, you owe it to yourself to start leveraging real-time financial data. P.S ▶️ Send me a message to book a free Pluvo demo, and we can start building out your future-proof business strategy today! 🚀 Alexandre L. | Sebastian Fallenbüchl, BASc. | Hooman Khoramshahi #realtimedata #finance #CFOtech

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𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗪𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗦𝗮𝗮𝗦 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 Building a SaaS product is no small feat, especially when you’re scaling fast and need top-tier development expertise. That’s where HashBaze stepped in to make a difference. A Canadian SaaS startup approached us with a clear vision but a tight deadline. They needed an agile development team to bring their idea to life and ensure seamless deployment. Here’s what we achieved together: 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲-𝘁𝗼-𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁: Delivered the MVP 30% faster than projected, enabling the startup to launch ahead of schedule. 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝗺𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Our offshore team worked as an extension of their in-house staff, ensuring smooth communication and integration. 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: Built a robust, scalable solution that supports their growing user base without compromising performance. 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆: Our Sri Lanka-based team provided world-class expertise at a fraction of the cost, allowing the startup to reinvest savings into marketing and growth. At HashBaze, we don’t just develop software , we help our clients turn their visions into reality, one successful project at a time. If you're a SaaS CEO looking for a reliable offshore team or help with your next project, let’s connect!

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Nobody launches Consumer brands because they're obsessed with building a tech stack. Most of the time, people launch Consumer brands because they have a passion for their space, or a story to tell. And luckily the Shopify ecosystem made it so that any artisan can sell anywhere, and any consumer can buy from any artisan. It's beautiful—and I want to make it even more accessible for shops. They won't have the same ad budgets as legacy brands, but we may be able to give them something else. See, I used to work at Turo. There, we had access to funding, tech, and software in ways I didn't realize were possible beforehand. As a result, we grew—fast. I saw first-hand what being so well-resourced like that did for our business, and now I want to do the same for artisans globally. That starts with data. I want to give the tech all the big players use, to everyone. It will level the playing field—at least with data—and make ecommerce a meritocracy, not a game of budgets. If we make data a commodity, ecommerce as a whole is better off. That's our mission with Polar Analytics, so follow along if that sounds interesting!

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In just 3 years, NOIR & BLANCO has proudly collaborated with over 100 clients, driving success through expert Shopify design, development, and performance marketing. At NOIR & BLANCO, we believe that success in the Shopify ecosystem hinges on building the right team and strategy. Our Team: Our team of Shopify experts, designers, marketers and team leads is the backbone of NOIR & BLANCO. From designers crafting stunning storefronts to developers creating seamless experiences and marketers driving performance, our diverse talents come together to deliver exceptional results for our clients. Our Strategy: A clear and effective strategy is essential for success in Shopify design, development, and performance marketing. We continuously refine our approaches to stay ahead of industry trends, ensuring that our clients achieve their business goals and stand out in a competitive market. At NOIR & BLANCO | Shopify Plus Agency, we are dedicated to building a company that excels in every aspect of Shopify solutions & E-commerce growth. By focusing on the right team and strategy, we empower our clients to thrive in the digital landscape. #shopifydesign #shopifydevelopment #performancemarketing #ecommerce #noirandblanco #teambuilding #innovation #strategy

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🎉 Big News at Dreamcraft Ventures! 🎉 I'm very proud to announce the promotion of Mathilde Lyet to Investment Principal, effective October 1st. Since joining 12 months ago, Mathilde has demonstrated strong dedication to Dreamcraft’s mission and a unique blend of analytical rigor, empathy, and leadership qualities that make her an invaluable part of our team. Here’s my five keys on why she's earned it: 🔑 Analytical Mind – With her strong investment toolbox from across stages, Mathilde excels in deep analysis and articulate decision-making. She’s a powerhouse when it comes to running investment motions independently, consistently delivering high-quality work. 🔑 Constant Learner – Always seeking to further sharpen her already well-tuned instincts beyond numbers, particularly for early-stage. And I’ve enjoyed so much being one of her primary sparring partners there. That curiosity and drive for continuous improvement is key. 🔑 Top-Tier Sourcing – Her dealflow brings a unique piece to our firm’s puzzle, building strong relationships across the European VC ecosystem while staying ahead of trends. She keeps her pipe a bit contrarian and avoids the pitfall of too much crowded consensus. 🔑 Operational Excellence – In addition to her investment work, Mathilde has played an important role in optimizing firm operations. From co-leading the hiring of analysts to improving the structure of our investment meetings, her impact has been felt across the team. 🔑 Empathy Leader – Mathilde's combination of intellectual curiosity, emotional intelligence, and a no-nonsense approach makes her a founder magnet and cultural leader internally. There’s just a way of doing this job without being an asshole, and she’s nailing it. Her promotion is not only a recognition of her past accomplishments but a signal of the exciting future ahead. Mathilde, I’m excited to see how you’ll continue to shape Dreamcraft's success and culture as we move forward! Let’s all give her a huge congratulations! 👏 #Dreamcraft #Leadership #VentureCapital #Teamwork #PromotionCelebration

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When you’re new to a role, you have a rare gift: the chance to see a company with fresh eyes. It’s an opportunity to make real change — but there’s a caveat… It doesn’t last forever. I’ve seen this first-hand returning as CEO of Lightspeed Commerce. So, how do you seize this moment? I think the first (and most crucial) step is listening. Don't go in with an agenda — find out what’s working (and not working) from a product or strategic direction, and be sure to get everyone’s opinion from the frontline to the boardroom. I’d love to hear from colleagues who have jumped into new leadership roles: How did you make the most of your first 90 days?

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Interested to become a User Generated Creator? Share your interests and learn best practices from award-winning solopreneur Jean Criss. Schedule a business consult today with Jean Criss Media. #JeanCrissMedia #businessconsult #generalbusiness #startups #entrepreneurship #fashion #tech #author #emergingtrends #storytelling #multimedia

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Our last episode of FERMÀT Friday featured Maximilien Langlois, Head of Growth at Dose and an amazing FERMÀT customer with a brilliant experimentation mindset. These conversations are invaluable. I discover insights from customers like Max that I wouldn't find internally. Dose is a DTC wellness brand that needed help increasing its subscription orders and experimenting with ad funnels. Historically, experimenting in the post-click funnel is challenging. But Max is expertly using FERMÀT to do exactly that. Traditionally you need dev resources to make it happen on site. There are a lot of potential catalog conflicts, and app conflicts can be a huge headache. Free from the burdens of the site, Max has been able to test landing pages the same way he tests ad creative thanks to FERMÀT. He then uses split destination Forever Links to get an apples-to-apples comparison of a FERMÀT funnel compared to site pages, which, in his words, has been “incredible.” Love seeing FERMÀT being used by Max like this. It’s exciting 🔥 Take a look at the full episode to learn more from Max: https://lnkd.in/g6NPvvYG

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My favorite sentence from this piece: "Unlike the Privacy Sandbox, alternative solutions have been widely tested." That reminds me.. A few months ago we heard some descriptions of how Google had organized their PSB and Chrome product and engineering teams, and if I wanted to intentionally slow the development of a project, that's how I would do it -- a bunch of teams that don't talk to each other and don't collaborate and don't document their findings and progress. It doesn't make sense from a productivity standpoint but it does make sense if, as Mathieu puts it, - Keeping the industry dependent on cookies only enhances Google’s dominant position.  - Google is not reliant on cookies - this delay only strengthens their position as a media owner. My company Roqad envisions 3PC-free day already as well. We're running probabilistic algos on first party data, CTV IDs, contextual signals, and meta-groups of universal/alternative IDs.

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Toronto, get ready for us! Five years ago, Paul Veen and I visited Shopify Unite in this amazing city. This June, we're thrilled to be back to share our agency's journey with the community: "From Struggle to Strength: Surviving the Challenges of Scaling at Ask Phill". During this talk, we'll give you a sneak peek behind the scenes and share our entrepreneurial learnings, challenges, and strategies to prepare for them. Since our return from China in 2016, building Ask Phill has been a rollercoaster with ups and downs. Now, eight years later, we are leading the European Shopify ecosystem with a team of over 60 specialists who live and breathe Shopify and commerce. We've witnessed seismic shifts in the ecosystem, from Native to Headless and back again, and from pre-COVID to post-COVID. Shopify has grown from being the new kid on the block for smaller brands to becoming a global market leader, targeting the largest enterprises worldwide. We've been all-in on Shopify for good reason—while brands are increasingly moving toward Shopify, I believe the wave is still only building. However, the future is uncertain and always evolving. It's crucial to be prepared with your agency or brand to navigate these changes successfully. Get ready for some real talk about the highs and lows of growth, including a nail-biting moment when we faced a big setback. But fear not, we emerged stronger, streamlining our operations into a robust entity. Furthermore, we'll share insights into transitioning from a founder-led venture to a management-led enterprise, granting the co-founders the bandwidth to guide our team toward new horizons. In our concise 20-minute session, expect a blend of real-world anecdotes and actionable advice covering sales strategies, community cultivation, and organizational refinement. It's a pragmatic playbook tailored for partners at every stage, ready to propel their growth aspirations forward. Shopify Edisions.dev Date: 25th June, 2024 Location: Enercare Centre, Toronto Link: https://www.editions.dev/ If you're planning to visit as well, hit me up so we can have a catch up!

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My love letter to Canadian tech 🍁: here's how we unlock our true potential. After building companies in both Canada and the US, I've realized something about our startup ecosystem: We're sitting on a gold mine of talent that we're not fully unleashing It's not about ability – we have some of the brightest minds in tech. It's about creating an environment where founders feel empowered to swing for the fences. Here's what needs to change: //1. We need more investors willing to bet on potential rather than perfect data + sure bets. Typically when early-stage founders pitch in the US, investors focus on the founder’s capabilities and dreams. In Canada, investors (who often have insane leverage) require more data and less risk. Without apt funding and support, the Canadian way often creates "zombie companies" – stuck between survival and scale. //2. We need experienced founders actively mentoring the next generation. Not just government grants. We need networks of operators who have been there before. Ideally with an incredible outcome and willing to bet on the next generation. Real mentorship from people who've taken the hits and lived to tell about it. The US has this in spades – it's time we expand beyond siloed pockets of this in Canada. //3. We need to celebrate and amplify our success stories more publicly. Success breeds and inspires success. I remember when I first pitched to VCs in the US – they weren't just betting on me, they were betting on a pattern they'd seen work before. Same with founders who see people just like them take the unconventional path and take risk. We need a foundational, mindset shift to celebrating and supporting startups in Canada. //4. We need to stop rewarding safe bets and start celebrating big swings. Stop optimizing for base hits. Start celebrating home runs. The talent is here. The ambition is here. We just need to build the cultural infrastructure that makes big swings feel possible. // I've seen both sides of this story. And I'm more optimistic than ever about Canadian tech. Canada will always be home. To every Canadian founder reading this: Your ambitions aren't too big. Big outcomes are achieveable. The next wave of iconic tech companies can be built in Canada. But first, we need to unleash it. #startups #canada #entrepreneurship #tech

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During the Shopify Summer Editions 2024 event, Shopify introduced over 150 exciting updates for merchants and developers. 🚀 In a new episode of Flying with Shopify, we go through the most significant features. Safe to say, it's one of the episodes you simply can't miss! See what's new at 👉 https://bit.ly/3SjbK1G. #flyingwithshopify #shopify #shopifyeditions #shopifysummereditions #shopifynews

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Meet Sumer Chawla, a partnership leader at Shopify. Sumer covers how he spent his time at the conference to learn from other modern partnership professionals and executives. Catalyst is a modern conference, we're bringing new experiences to the event and this year will be no different. Why? Because for us the conference is a product, we review it's features to make sure they meet the needs of our attendees. When one feature stops meeting the needs we deprecate it and introduce a new feature. Here's an example: In 2022, our very first Catalyst, we received feedback that panels did not provide much value to the attendees. So in 2023, we opted for lightning talks, think TED style talks but focused on partnerships. We had two goals for them, provide a learning experience and provide some folks who have never spoken at a larger stage the opportunity to speak in front of their peers. In 2024, we have a couple of new features that will up level how attendees connect with each and increase their on the job performance. Whether you are an aspiring executive or a current executive you'll walk away for tools to help you increase your career and life impact. This coming week, Chris, Tai, Brittney (our conference leader) and I will be in Chicago to finalize the program and we'll share updates from the windy city. We have more interest from teams attending Catalyst (they are choosing to do their team offsite at the event) than the past two years. We also have interest from Founders, CEOs, CBOs and other non-partnerships execs. Partnerships is on the radar or every exec and if you know someone looking for a modern conference please share info about Catalyst with them. You're all in for a treat and I'm looking forward to hosting you in Chicago!

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