Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Creators at the World's Edge

Meet Andrea King, who went from convincing banks to care about carbon credits to turning customer feedback calls into podcast gold. As Co-founder of Retellio, she's solving the "too many conversations, too little time" problem that plagues every growing company. A self-proclaimed "non-technical person" who launched an AI company, Andrea is living proof that the best innovations come from understanding problems, not just coding them. When she's not helping leaders extract intelligence from thousands of customer calls, she's helping close the funding gap for women entrepreneurs through angel investing. 

https://www.retellio.com

Watch highlights of the interview on our Creators at the World’s Edge YouTube channel.

Meet Tanya Warford, the math and science teacher transforming rural education through technology. When her students were stuck in one classroom, she didn't just think outside the box - she built a whole new one with LEGOs. Now her "LEGO Ladies" are crushing robotics competitions, coding like pros, and proving that sometimes the best innovations start with someone brave enough to say, "let's try this!" From Minecraft math to award-winning robotics, she's showing how a little chaos and a lot of support can help any classroom become a launchpad for tomorrow's tech innovators.

x/

Watch highlights of the interview on our Creators at the World’s Edge YouTube channel.

Meet Jacob Critch, a music producer who turned his teenage bedroom beats into Billboard-charting hits for some of South Korea’s biggest boy bands. Starting at 14, Jacob taught himself music production while pursuing software development, leading to an unexpected fusion of passions. Now as co-founder of Songflow, he's revolutionizing how artists collaborate remotely, proving sometimes the best innovations come from solving your own creative challenges. Tune in now to hear Jacobs’ full story - available wherever you get your podcasts. 

 

Watch highlights of the interview on our Creators at the World’s Edge YouTube channel.

Meet Bronwyn Bridges, the PhD student who's shaking up Parkinson's care. When her research hit a wall, she teamed up with Gord Genge, who lives with Parkinson's, to tackle a bigger problem: four-year wait times for care. Now as CEO and Co-Founder of PragmaClin she's transforming old-school Parkinson's assessments into data-driven decisions that work for both doctors and patients. Tune in now to hear Bronwyn's full story - available wherever you get your podcasts.

Watch highlights of the interview on our Creators at the World’s Edge YouTube channel.

Meet Mark Opauszky, CEO of Sparrow BioAcoustics, who is leading the charge to revolutionize heart health screening. While Sparrow was founded by a group of innovators with a passion for sound and AI, Mark joined to help scale their vision and take the company to the next level. Through their technology that transforms smartphones into Health Canada and FDA-cleared stethoscopes, they're tackling a startling reality: one in ten people have an undiagnosed heart condition. Their mission? To make early detection as simple as reaching for your phone.

Watch highlights of the interview on our Creators at the World’s Edge YouTube channel.

Meet Dulanjalee Iluksooriya (Dula) , who turned her international journey into a fresh take on tech marketing. As the Marketing Manager at Solace Power, she's bringing her rich background in diplomacy, journalism, and international relations to Newfoundland and Labrador's growing tech scene. From building bridges across cultures to energizing tech communications, she's proving that sometimes the best innovation comes from unexpected paths.

 

Watch highlights of the interview on our Creators at the World’s Edge YouTube channel.

Meet Ayon Shahed, whose journey from engineer to healthcare innovator started with a camping trip and a leap of faith to Newfoundland and Labrador. Now leading Branch Innovations at Seafair Capital, he's working to fix those tricky yet critical gaps between hospital and home care. His team's Discharge Hub helps patients get home sooner, while his approach to innovation puts people — in all their complexity — first.

 

Watch highlights of the interview on our Creators at the World’s Edge YouTube channel.

______________________________________________________________________________

Meet Meagan Kay-Fowlow, whose unexpected return to Newfoundland and Labrador helped spark a tech transformation. As President of the Co-Innovation Center (COIC), she's transforming a former building supply store into the province's innovation gateway—a dynamic space where sectors collide, and breakthrough ideas come to life.

Watch highlights of the interview on our Creators at the World’s Edge YouTube channel.

Meet Rex Holwell, who's bridging traditional knowledge with modern tech to keep northern communities safe. As Manager of Operations at SmartICE, he's empowering Inuit communities to monitor rapidly changing sea ice conditions with remote sensors. With a "community-first" approach, SmartICE has become a vital tool for communities navigating climate change, supporting hunting, transportation, and cultural preservation across 30+ northern communities.

 

Watch highlights of the interview on our Creators at the World’s Edge YouTube channel.

 

Meet Scott Stevenson, who's overruling the status quo of expensive legal services through AI. As co-founder and CEO of Spellbook, he's created an AI-powered co-pilot that's putting affordable legal help in order. With his "woodworker's mindset" – embracing the chaos of innovation rather than seeking perfection – Spellbook is revolutionizing document drafting and has already won over 2,000 law firms in just 18 months.

 

Watch highlights of the interview on our Creators at the World’s Edge YouTube channel.

Taejha Young, a mechanical engineer turned tech project manager, believes that every problem has a solution. In this episode, Taejha shares her journey from engineering to tech, the joy of creative problem-solving, and her belief in empowering people. She’s big on community, too—helping immigrants, teaching coding boot camps, and supporting seniors with tech. Oh, and she’s also launching a home bakery! Taejha’s story is all about making an impact in every space she’s in.

 

Watch highlights of Taejha’s interview on our Creators at the World’s Edge YouTube channel.

 

In this episode, Taylor Young, Chief Strategy Officer at CoLab and former Enactus world champion, takes us on her journey from high school volunteer to leading a team of 80 to global victory. She reveals how Enactus uses entrepreneurship to tackle real-world problems – including a grassroots recycling project she helped start that continues to make a difference. Now, at CoLab, Taylor’s shaking up the manufacturing world with cutting-edge collaboration tools. She talks about smashing through barriers as a young female exec and how mentorship, diversity, and community have fueled her rise.

 

Watch highlights of Taylor’s interview on our Creators at the World’s Edge YouTube channel.

From building websites at 13 to leading powerhouse design teams, Lesley Chard is all about breaking bias and leveling the tech playing field. As VP of Design at Carnegie Learning and founder of Digital Waves, she’s helping young women and gender-diverse folks see how tech can change the world. Learn why diversity makes better products, how AI is freeing up teachers to do what they love, and why tech isn’t as cold as you think—it’s full of heart!

 

Watch highlights of Lesley’s interview on our Creators at the World’s Edge YouTube channel.

Ever wish you had a personal coach for your favourite video game—or even real-life sports? Mike Winter from trophi.ai is making that dream a reality by democratizing coaching through AI. In this episode, Mike takes us through his journey from racing school side hustles to founding trophi.ai, where an AI coach named Mansell helps gamers step up their game in Rocket League and racing. Mike shares his vision of AI coaching crossing into real-world sports with augmented reality and the growing tech scene in Newfoundland and Labrador. This one's all about the future of coaching—whether you're gaming, swinging a tennis racket, or chasing your next big skill.

Watch highlights of Mike's interview on our Creators at the World's Edge YouTube channel

Mandy Woodland is on a mission to help millions prevent type 2 diabetes with Amp Health. In this episode, Mandy shares her journey from marine biology and law to tech entrepreneurship, blending her expertise to revolutionize diabetes management. Amp Health provides real-time blood glucose monitoring with personalized behavioural prompts. By focusing on small, sustainable changes rather than perfection, Amp Health gives users the tools to manage their health on their own terms. This episode is a deep dive into how tech can transform health and empower people to thrive.

Watch highlights of Mandy's interview on our ⁠Creators at the World's Edge YouTube channel

LAUNCHING OCTOBER 1, 2024 - SEASON 2

Join host Mimi Sheriff for Season 2 of techNL’s podcast Creators at the World's Edge, where we get to know the bold innovators and audacious minds who are shaping Newfoundland and Labrador's booming tech scene. Their stories - real, raw, and inspiring - go beyond tech. They showcase the power of resilience, bold ideas, and community spirit at the edge of the North Atlantic.

Subscribe now—something big is happening here, and you don’t want to miss it!

 

Josh is helping to cool a warming planet by making our homes energy efficient, smarter, and cozier. His light bulb moment (an LED bulb no doubt) for a smartphone enabled electric baseboard thermostat system came when he couldn’t find one at a major retailer. Fast forward several years and product iterations later, Mysa is now a household name and stocked on those same retail shelves. Josh talks to Carol about his ‘screw it, just do it’ attitude to overcoming fear, why you need to build your team before the product, and what the home of the (near) future will look like.

When running a business, you often make important decisions based on your gut. As Nikitha tells us, it’s the same thing when it comes to your health. She is harnessing science and AI to analyze the microbe composition in customer’s guts (there are trillions of microorganisms present within each of us!) and enabling them with a personalized path to health and wellbeing. She sits down with Carol to discuss her journey from scientist and mom to entrepreneur, the power of resilience in life and business, and why for her, helping people heal through science, is personal. here. 

PolyUnity is on a mission to deliver the future of healthcare today. It is making on demand medical manufacturing a reality by fusing the power of 3D printing with a digital inventory of devices. It’s a radical new blueprint for lowering costs, carbon emissions, and geographic barriers. Jacqueline and Mark sit down with Carol to talk about why two CEOs are better than one, what a journey of purpose looks like, and why we need gender inclusion in tech, stat.

In a battle to give people back control over their data, Isaac Adejuwon of Metricsflow is taking on the goliaths of Silicon Valley right here from St. John's. His cookie-less data analytics platform is a big step towards restoring users' trust in the web. Carol sits down with Isaac to discuss what he had to ‘un-learn’ as an engineer to thrive as an entrepreneur, why VCs need to step up their game when it comes to funding marginalized and underrepresented founders, and what excites him most about Web 3.0. (hint: it’s all about freedom).

A second-generation critical care nurse, Deanne swapped her stethoscope and scrubs for spreadsheets, and a pitch book when she discovered a better way to care for mechanically ventilated patients on life support. From the island’s West Coast, Deanne joins Carol to discuss how the pandemic and a (long overdue) women-led venture fund turbo-charged her company, the inherent qualities nurses and entrepreneurs both share, and why kids make the best pitch judges.

We're back! Who doesn’t love getting a bonus? You let us know that your ears were hungry for more, so we’re delivering. Five new bonus episodes of Creators at the World’s Edge (CWE) will drop starting March 16th! But first... let's have a little fun. 

Behind the podcast curtain. In anticipation of the new episodes dropping, we’re taking you behind the scenes and into the podcast studio. It’s where the magic happens (even though it’s surprisingly chilly). Our host Carol Bartlett and the techNL team (Marlayne Hardy and Regan Williams) sit down to talk about the process, what they’ve learned along this journey so far, and some of the interview ‘crunchy nuggets’ (past and to come) that have stuck with them most. 

Revealing, inspiring… and fun. We can’t wait to immerse you once again into the personal journeys (with all the highs and lows) of a diverse group of entrepreneurs helping to firmly place Newfoundland and Labrador’s booming tech scene on the global map. From saving the planet one smart thermostat at a time to taking on the goliaths of Silicon Valley right from St. John’s, we guarantee their stories will stick with you long after the credits roll.

Sid knows what you’re thinking. His consumer reward app, HYKE harnesses math and psychology to delve deep into the subconscious. Originally from Iran, Sid discovered St. John’s to be the perfect place to start a new life and a business, even though the local dialect and weather took some getting used to. Carol sits down with Sid and learns how he’s harnessing tech to understand why we make the decisions we do, and why he sees poetry in numbers.

As a VP for Vision33, the Global IT professional services powerhouse, Gerard is a firm believer in the promise of tech to transform organisations. But, in helping grow the company to over 450 employees with a roster of blue-chip global clients, he has faced negative stereotypes of what a Newfoundland company is or should be. Carol sits down with Gerard to discuss how superficial views of Newfoundlanders only fueled him to drive harder towards success and silence the naysayers.

Med-tech entrepreneur, competitive fitness athlete, stunt-woman in training - meet Christine Goudie. She is someone who sets sky-high goals for herself, then relentlessly pursues them until she achieves them.  Quitting isn’t a word in her vocab. Carol sits down with Christine to learn about her journey starting a women’s health company in the ultra-competitive med-tech space, why it’s high time we lift the veil on issues of burnout among entrepreneurs, ways we can hack the burnout, and how the pandemic forced her to learn the art of the pivot.

Mark’s journey to success doesn’t follow the usual script. A lawyer with an entrepreneurial itch, he decided to take the plunge and start a tech company in the early days of the internet. The problem was he didn’t have an idea, money, or customers. Knowing the web would change the world, he tested the waters with a smattering of products before landing on Celtx, an online collaboration tool for media creators. Carol sits down with Mark and learns how timing isn’t everything, how focusing on the new generation of media creators was a genius go-to strategy, and his unlikely connection to Bollywood.

Chad’s never been afraid to take the road less travelled, especially if it leads to the bottom of the ocean. From Canadian Navy diver to Founder and CEO of SubC Imaging - an underwater digital imaging systems company - Chad’s DNA is a mix of salt water and entrepreneurship. Carol takes a deep dive into Chad’s thriving business, headquartered in Clarenville, NL, and talks about developing some of the best underwater optics in the world, how his technology can already help save fish stocks, and about filming the Titanic and seeking elusive colossal squid.

Starting a tech company in Atlantic Canada is one thing. Establishing a completely new industry, well, that’s on a whole other level. For Deirdre (Beep), Head of Operations for video game pioneer Other Ocean Group Canada, this was a challenge she was ready to take on. She talks with Carol about successfully growing the gaming industry in NL, about entrepreneurship as a family affair, how Newfoundland can do better at rolling out the red carpet for other founders, and how Other Ocean got to the holy grail in gaming - developing and working on their own video game and intellectual property.

You probably recognize the bright blue building on Prescott Street (it’s hard to miss), but you might not know who it’s home to. It’s the headquarters of Bluedrop, a world leader in e-learning, simulation training, and workforce development. Having started his tech company in St. John’s long before tech companies were even a thing here, Emad knows something about cultivating a vibrant start-up ecosystem. Emad chats with Carol about seeing risk in a different light, why irrationality is a good thing, and how immigration is a key ingredient for the future of tech in our province.

Brett is helping thousands to breathe a little easier. As CEO of BreatheSuite, his company is leveraging tech to transform inhalers, a device that’s remained essentially unchanged for decades. Brett sits down with Carol to talk about his journey from the ice to the boardroom, and how lessons learned from his competitive hockey days have helped him captain BreatheSuite onto the global arena.

Moya Cahilll, CEO and Co-founder of PanGeo Subsea continues to make waves globally. An oceantech pioneer, PanGeo uses acoustics to image geo hazards in the sub seabed (think underwater MRI), and what she’s found down there might surprise you. Moya’s spirit for adventure and joyful take on the province’s tech future is infectious.

Sure, most thought Adam Keating was crazy to turn down coveted job offers in California and head back home to St. John’s to start his own tech company. But, the CEO and Co-Founder of CoLab Software, a collaboration platform that’s powering some of the world's most innovative engineering teams, knew he could compete with the world’s best right here from the Rock. Having led his team to a top place finish in Elon Musk’s SpaceX Hyperloop Competition will do that. Carol sits down with Adam to talk about the power of going all in on your decisions, and how he’s paying his success forward by helping grow the local tech ecosystem.

Welcome to the Creators at the World's Edge - a new podcast by techNL. Paul Preston, CEO of techNL, presents the collection of innovators, dreamers, and creators that are building the tech ecosystem in Newfoundland and Labrador.