February 16, 2024 • 24 mins
Welcome to another enlightening episode of Small Business Startup School.
In this episode, our guest speaker, Samuel Adeniyi - Founder, Kierep and Winner of the December 2023 Volta Pitch Competition - strips back the details of establishing 'Kierep', a startup fuelled by its purpose to combat the shortage of caregivers in Canada. He elucidates the challenges involving the recruitment and certification procedures for caregivers, providing an understanding of the prevailing market dynamics.
Learn the significance of a compelling pitch deck and the vital role of a passionate delivery in convincing listeners. Diving deeper into business aspects, our guest touches upon the significance of a robust business model, scaling strategies, and the influence of cultural and racial nuances in business discussions. He stresses the role of ceaseless experimentation and learning in entrepreneurship, inspiring listeners to see failure as a stepping-stone, not a stumbling block, towards success.
Don't miss this dialogue loaded with practical advice, entrepreneurial wisdom, and an uplifting tale of one startup’s journey from an abstract concept to a solid reality. Tune in now and fire up your entrepreneurial spirit to kick-start your startup journey today!
Do you have questions or comments? Your feedback ensures that we continue to give you content that adds value to you, fuelling our commitment to providing high-quality content and fostering a community of informed and successful entrepreneurs. Leave your voice note here
Connect with the guest, Samuel Adeniyi:
Website: https://kierep.framer.ai
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/deniwealthflow
Instagram: instagram.com/deniwealtflo
Connect with the host, Ola Williams:
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
The interesting thing is, I did not even finish the pitch, it was three minutes
and I was still probably in my product slide and then I was cut off.
But then I think it was just one or two questions that I was asked and the question
about the mobility part of what we were trying to solve because there was no
(00:21):
solution that was addressed to that particular problem.
And so it had been something we were thinking about, the team and I, in overtime,
and I'd already thought of, you know, using my own vehicle to like do the transport
because a lot of these agencies have caregivers, but that are unwilling to go
(00:42):
long distances for short shifts.
And so we're thinking of what can we provide?
What minimum viable solution can we have to that?
And you know, from what we're taught at the MCE as well, it's like doing things that don't scale.
And I'll teach this in the white combinator as well, doing things that don't
scale and then scaling those things.
(01:04):
Are you starting a small business or buying an existing business?
This podcast, Small Business Startup School, shares perspectives using the psychology
of retail and financial awareness, all with a reasonable dose of optimism.
The show promises to give startup top solopreneurs, insightful strategies,
(01:24):
and practical solutions that support the mindset to execute business projects.
My name is Ola Williams, your host on the show. I encourage you to join us to
learn with positivity and great exchange of ideas.
Hello, everyone. Thanks for being part of the show today. First off,
I would like to remind everyone that the show is being recorded.
(01:45):
So by joining us and participating today, you're consenting to your recording being Thank you so much.
(02:11):
Is to reduce the shortage of caregivers across Canada,
is pursuing a master's degree at Memorial University of Newfoundland,
catching up with friends and family,
and Samuel is a big fan of connecting with people in his free time.
Guys, I attended the Voter Pitch Competition in December 2023,
like I was just saying there.
(02:32):
I attended as an observer and I watched Samuel bag the winning prize.
It was so beautiful to watch him win.
By the way, if anyone has questions, please send them to the chat panel and
I will field those questions.
And, or if you have any way you want to contribute, if you want to speak to
the conversation, I can unmute you as well.
(02:54):
So Samuel, listen, I'm so glad you're here to share your experience with us.
So you founded Kirep, a company that looks after caregivers.
Could you share a little bit more about that and the work that you do?
Yeah, awesome. Thank you very much, Adelaide Williams. So first of all,
I would like to thank you, your team, and everyone who made this really possible.
(03:15):
It's an honor to be able to share my experience and give back.
So in July 2003, I founded CareUp while we were under the Memorial Center for
Entrepreneurship work term. And so I had this idea, this big idea.
And January in 2003, I happened to be in the healthcare space as well.
So I spoke to the mentors at the center and in the summer, I got into the water
(03:39):
and they were really helpful in helping me bring up and start the project in
the right way. I call it the startup way.
And so many of the things that I learned back in my country.
I am from Nigeria originally.
So I kind of had a paradigm shift to how business run in Canada.
And as well as an immigrant, I needed that setup, that help,
(04:00):
assistance, community network to get off the ground. on it is really, really great.
And so what CareDub is trying to do is to provide on-demand shift coverage for home care agencies.
There's a lot of redundancy in the hiring process that we feel can be enhanced,
because Canada needs a lot of caregivers due to the aging population and the
(04:22):
sick population has been on increase.
And so this cannot be more timely for Canada and I really hope and looking forward
to making it a true country. country. Wow.
So the problem of shortage of caregivers in Canada seems like a huge one.
Could you speak a little bit more to that? Because I know this is a conversation
(04:42):
that even it's gaining ground.
How big would you say the problem is?
And what are the challenges you've been facing since you founded Kireb in July 2023?
Awesome. Thank you. The home health care market is, well, I use the future numbers anyway.
It's currently a 29 billion market in Canada.
(05:04):
And in 10 years, it's going to go up to about 3 billion.
And the aging population keeps rising.
So it's pretty hard for Canada to source the right caregivers or right caregivers
to provide the solution to meet the demand.
So it's like there There is more demand and less supply of care.
(05:25):
And young care agencies really have a lot of role to play in this.
And so during our customer interview session with some of the big home care
agencies in the province here in St.
John's, we figured out that it is not really about shortage of caregivers.
There are more immigrants in Canada because immigrants and international students
make up a huge proportion of that number, caregiving number.
(05:48):
But it's not really the shortage. It is the hiring process and the certification process.
And if you look at, you know, in the nursing centers or in the institutionalized
healthcare sector, many immigrants coming here, even lawyers coming into Canada
cannot use, you know, practice with their experience and their qualification back home.
And it is a bit lesser for caregivers.
(06:11):
However, the home care agencies are not hiring fast enough to solve this need.
And yes, and so trying to help agencies, we're really focused on at least in
the next four, five, six years on the home care agencies.
We wouldn't be going to the individuals because the agencies have something going on already.
And so we don't want to be another home care agency having clients.
(06:32):
We want to help the current agencies that have the certifications,
the licenses and all that.
That's a very good way of providing solution to a big problem in Canada right now. So well done.
Thank you. So the VOLTA pitch competition.
So could you share with us how you prepared the weeks before the event?
(06:54):
Right. Yeah. So I was studying the brand yesterday while I was preparing for this.
And I told her after the pitch what happened before and everything.
As people would actually expect, I did not really give it so much thought.
And there's a reason. So even the application was put in by one of the inside
business consulting students, the MBA student that was working with us in the fall.
(07:18):
And so he put in the app, he told me about the competition and he put in the application.
And so I just got my PG Tech ready and the rest.
But we already enrolled in the MC work term. And we, I was also at the last
year, the Melwood Award competition that is hosted by the Memorial University
in San Jose for the sole purpose of learning.
(07:39):
So there are seven entrepreneurs that would go on to the final stage.
Of the five that were going to the final stage on pitch and they
were all in their suits and that was a live pitch actually and
it was so nice my first pitch you know competition
i was you know going to be attending here in canada and i really saw firsthand
how those seasons you know student entrepreneurs were able to bring out their
(08:02):
ideas and the confidence you know and the know-how the technical know-how that
they had and they were conveying was really interesting so during the MC work term,
we also participated in the Genesis evolution program.
So Genesis is an accelerator here in San Jose as well, a tech accelerator.
And we pitched there as well. So it had been an ongoing practice over time and
(08:26):
smooth delivery of the pitch, whatever pitch comes from solving a problem that
you're actually passionate about.
And he's going to, you know, he's going to show, I can't stress enough,
you know, having a great pitch deck. Like the modern styling pitch deck, that really works, yes.
And I used to be a designer, graphic designer, just a personal graphic designer,
(08:48):
designed for some volunteering roles as well.
And they always say less is more, right? So more white spaces and just like
one line of word, and then you explain that line of word and you give insight into it.
You know, a lot of it comes from your pitch deck as well.
It's like the branding to it. And so everything just really comes together.
(09:11):
That practice over time.
So if you have a pitch coming up, you should be practicing like two weeks before.
It's not just, you know, three days. It will tell in the way you're so confident
about even answering questions that you did not prepare for.
It's just going to come naturally and the judges will really see that.
(09:33):
Thank you. Listen, Samuel, I have to say, I watched that competition and there
were so many wow presenters, but I wanted so much to watch the competition because
Aruna and I were just finishing an innovators program.
And then the coordinator told us we should watch that competition because we
were preparing to pitch our ideas as well as our founders. So anyway,
(09:57):
back to the competition.
What came across so much for me during your whole presentation was your calmness.
Actually, you were very calm.
One of the judges asked you, how are you going to solve the problem of transportation?
Competition right and i thought you answered
that in a very practical way do you
(10:18):
care to share exactly that moment and
did you recognize that moment or any moment
in that pitch competition as the moment when you knew that you had nailed it
yes so actually the interesting thing is i did not even finish the pitch you
know it was three minutes and i was still probably in my product product slide
(10:39):
and then, you know, I was cut off,
but then I think it was just one or two questions that I was asked and the question
about the mobility part of, you know, what we were trying to solve,
because there was no solution that was addressed to that particular.
And so it had been something we were thinking about, the team and I, over time.
(11:03):
And I'd already thought of, you know, using MyOwn, very cool to like do the
transport because a lot of these agencies have caregivers, but that are unwilling
to go long distances for short shifts.
And so we're thinking of what can we provide?
What minimum viable solution can we have to that?
And, you know, from what we're taught at the MC as well, it's like doing things
(11:27):
that don't scale, you know, and I'll teach this in the Y Combinator as well,
doing things that don't scale and then scaling those things, right?
So one of the videos at the Y Combinator Program Institute is about,
there's a burning man, there's a man on fire, his head is on fire.
What would be the best products to solve that problem?
(11:50):
And it would be water, you know, and, you know, a sophisticated fire extinguisher.
But no, that is the finished product.
The product that would solve it instantly is a brick.
And so you can find a brick everywhere. where it's readily available,
you just take the brick and, you know, throw the fire on the head.
And so it's like finding that brick product that it's not 100% perfect,
(12:13):
but it solves the problem for the customers that, you know, have the problem
born in and they need to, you know, get a coin instantly.
And those will be your early adopters. And those will be the ones that you'll
be working with in the first, you know, one year of your startup.
And so it was so interesting to convey that with the question that was asked. Yeah, I agree.
(12:37):
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It was so practical, the solution. You know, when you said you're going to use
(12:59):
your car, I looked up, I was like, oh, what kind of car is this?
Because I know three minutes, and I know Harina will agree with me here,
we were struggling in our innovators program, like three minutes,
how am I going to talk for three minutes? That's so much to talk about.
But I remember one of our mentors said, you don't even have three minutes,
like the first one or two minutes, is it that you have the attention of the VC or you don't?
(13:25):
So just, you know, and I have been, I have heard also that Q&A part,
the question and answer part is the most important part of a pitch.
And I don't know what you think, Samuel, but I think that's what made your pitch as well.
Because like you said, you didn't even finish your presentation,
but you were able to answer the question in a practical way.
(13:46):
And I think that made, that's resonated with the judges.
Do you think the question and answer part of the pitch is the most important as well?
Well, yes, because it's the part where you now, you know, get to explain yourself
and shed more light because seven minutes is just, you know,
official present yourself, the official presentation, right?
(14:06):
And then you go on to interact with the judges.
The Q&A session is where the judges are trying to understand your idea deeper, right?
And I would say because it's at the ending part of the presentation,
so it'll really carry a lot of weight. and like you, you know,
you remember the question that was asked in doing my own pitch as well.
(14:28):
And so it's usually the take home for many people as well.
So yes, I would say that the question, the Q&A really made a strong impact in me winning the pitch.
Yeah, absolutely. And I think there were 10 participants in your competition,
right? If I remember correctly. Yes.
Well, so practice before your competition, you said maybe about two weeks at least.
(14:52):
And the design of the pitch deck is also important.
I'm just trying to do some kind of recap here. So design of the pitch deck,
more white spaces, the less you have in the pitch deck, the better so you can
speak to the pitch deck, right?
Yeah. And I've heard that as well, that we shouldn't cram the pitch deck with so many words.
(15:13):
Don't make it too wordy. Yeah. So since winning, Samuel, how has the winning
helped with your branding, your networking, and the business that you do,
you know, the work you do in Kira.
How has winning the voter pitch competition helped in any way?
Yeah. So I actually learned early that winning pitches is not actually the main
(15:38):
success in your business.
Getting customers is a success. Even building a product.
A successful product is not the success of your
business because during the melwood world cup you know
last year that i attended there was a student entrepreneur that had
a full product but did not have traction enough
like you know the person that that one person would with that actually one did
(16:03):
not have a full product it probably was still you know so soft or still you
know in process anyone and so sometimes it's actually getting customers that
determines the the main, you know, success for your business.
However, winning competitions and distance can be a boost and bring you forward,
bring you in front of eventual customers.
(16:23):
It can also be content, content for you to, you know, post on your social media
because I believe social media is always a reflection of what is happening in person.
You don't just create some level of news. It won't sell. It's like storytelling.
What story are you telling? Now, you need to be telling a story of experiences,
of wins, of pains, you know, from your fiscal day-to-day activities,
(16:46):
from your, you know, your business, you know, the successes you had. So, yes.
So those two things for me, it's a boost to get a bunch of customers,
yeah, investors in the long run, and also it generates, you know, content.
Yeah. So as the voter winning brought any kind of opportunities to Kireb or to yourself?
(17:08):
Yes. I mean, for one, this, you know, podcast is, it's, you know,
it's a function of Peach for One.
And we got a few people reaching out to us for, to help us, you know,
uproot venture capital, this, you know, and the rest.
But I feel it's a culmination of efforts, right? And then you can look back
(17:30):
at the track record then.
At a point, it's all going to blow up, but, you know, steps.
So even when you don't see the full picture of how the full results now,
you know, it's a build up.
Yeah. Yeah. I love that you say that, you know, I've always thought pitching
is a great exercise to tell one story.
And you said, you know, you said it's part of building a story as well.
(17:52):
So people understand why you're doing what you're doing. I think it's valuable
for founders to understand the, you know, the value of putting your ideas out there.
It can be kind of intimidating sometimes, like you just, you don't want to put yourself out there.
But I think it's very important to be able to at least let people understand what you're doing.
(18:13):
And somebody once said to me, when you're pitching as well, even you,
you understand better, it becomes clearer to you what you're doing as well.
So I don't know if anybody has any questions at this moment before I continue. you.
Aruna, I know me and you were speaking about when we watched the competition in December.
(18:34):
Do you have any kind of comments or any questions that you would like to...
Let me see if I can... Thank you. Thank you, Ola.
That was a very brilliant question and answer from Pika Sam.
So, Sam, congratulations once again for that brilliant pitch.
It was a good representation for some of us, you know,
who watch that and know that out of the lot someone that
(18:57):
we can identify with one so i was very
proud of that and we even shared that news
with our facilitators in that startup program
so yes when you answered about
the vehicle i was very proud of that moment because you really
nailed it at that point and just curious about what is the business environment
(19:18):
in st jones in terms of the opportunities for for your startup are you Are you
only limiting to that area or now that Volta that is based,
even though it's an Atlantic Canada startup support company,
sort of, but then it is based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Are you thinking of your business, like scaling it to other parts of Atlantic Canada, for instance?
(19:45):
Right. Yes. Yes, actually, to have a great business, you need to have,
you know, you need to be solving a problem that is native and custom to multiple
locations, multiple regions.
It helps you broaden your market and it makes investors know that,
(20:05):
you know, when they put in, you know, funds into your idea or your startup,
you can generate revenue.
There's been constant questions regarding our business model and how we go to market and the rest.
So definitely looking at other provinces is on the radar and yes,
we'll be doing that this year in support of the efforts we're working on in St. John's year.
(20:32):
St. John's, the population here is about 550,000.
It's not the actual number, it's just an estimate. And then Sobo,
yes, will be required to look at all that at my processes as well and validate our products there.
Yeah, thank you. So Samuel, what are the next steps for you while we're waiting
(20:54):
for any other kind of question?
As a founder, so what is next? What would you say is next right now for Kireb?
Right. For us at Kireb, we're looking at expanding to Nova Scotia because we
have a few links there already.
Yes, our eventual goal is to hit $1 billion in revenue by 2030.
(21:15):
And so that will really require us to scale faster.
And so expansion and product validation is really what we are going to be working
on in the next couple of months and next year as well.
Great. I always like to say that it's always good to learn, even as founders,
continuous learning, continuous connecting.
(21:38):
So if you're given an opportunity, what would you like to learn right now?
So for me, I think closing deals is, closing high deals is a highly required, most skilled right now.
And although I am on the way, I have closed a few deals.
I've spoken with a few agencies in the last eight months that we started.
(22:04):
But where there is cultural difference and racial difference as well,
it's kind of requires It requires more know-how to connect to the person you
are negotiating with and to actually close those deals.
So it's like a learning curve for me right now.
Yes, so closing deals would be a major thing I would like to even go further
(22:26):
in education to do is to acquire.
Yeah, I agree. That's a very valuable skill to acquire.
Negotiating, closing deals, ability to have a win-win with the person you're
negotiating with. which that's incredible.
Yeah, it'd be a very incredible skill to have. So what advice would you have
for startup entrepreneurs right now?
(22:48):
Right. Well, as a startup myself, I would say experimenting is a very needed experience.
So experiments, do a lot of experiments with ideas, with your solution.
Your features, and don't be afraid to fail.
There's a lesson you can only learn from trying. You might fail, but it's a step forward.
(23:11):
I don't see failure as a pushback. It's like,
It's a step without a result, but it is required for, you know, the success.
So even if you try something else, doing, you know, experimenting with an idea
and you fail, it's not a pushback. It's a fail forward.
And in the end, there is a certain number of fails that you need to actually succeed.
(23:35):
It's the hard truth. But as entrepreneurs, we need to build the fortitude,
the mental fortitude to keep going.
In because that's the test of how bad you want it and your commitment and passion
and zeal to what you're trying to put out in the world.
And so, yes, I would say experiment and don't be afraid to fail. Great advice.
(23:56):
That's so good stuff. Great advice. I love that so much. So thank you so much,
Samuel, for joining us today.
And I would like to say thank you to all of you, Aruna, Sam,
Wendy. Indeed. Thank you all.
I always feel when we are able to have conversations like these and people are
able to join, more value is added because you are able to ask and you are able
(24:17):
to add to the conversation exactly what listeners want to know.
So thank you very much. Thanks for listening.
Hopefully that added value to you. I do like to say that the show aims to highlight
broad business patterns that are considered same as ever.
However, I also acknowledge that personal circumstances may differ.
(24:37):
So please apply the lessons in line with your context and seek professional
guidance as may be applicable to your business.
Until next episode. Please do share the show so value is added to others as well.
And remember, let's continue to learn together and be encouraged to keep on connecting.
The interesting thing is, I did not even finish the pitch, it was three minutes
and I was still probably in my product slide and then I was cut off.
But then I think it was just one or two questions that I was asked and the question
about the mobility part of what we were trying to solve because there was no
(00:21):
solution that was addressed to that particular problem.
And so it had been something we were thinking about, the team and I, in overtime,
and I'd already thought of, you know, using my own vehicle to like do the transport
because a lot of these agencies have caregivers, but that are unwilling to go
(00:42):
long distances for short shifts.
And so we're thinking of what can we provide?
What minimum viable solution can we have to that?
And you know, from what we're taught at the MCE as well, it's like doing things that don't scale.
And I'll teach this in the white combinator as well, doing things that don't
scale and then scaling those things.
(01:04):
Are you starting a small business or buying an existing business?
This podcast, Small Business Startup School, shares perspectives using the psychology
of retail and financial awareness, all with a reasonable dose of optimism.
The show promises to give startup top solopreneurs, insightful strategies,
(01:24):
and practical solutions that support the mindset to execute business projects.
My name is Ola Williams, your host on the show. I encourage you to join us to
learn with positivity and great exchange of ideas.
Hello, everyone. Thanks for being part of the show today. First off,
I would like to remind everyone that the show is being recorded.
(01:45):
So by joining us and participating today, you're consenting to your recording being Thank you so much.
(02:11):
Is to reduce the shortage of caregivers across Canada,
is pursuing a master's degree at Memorial University of Newfoundland,
catching up with friends and family,
and Samuel is a big fan of connecting with people in his free time.
Guys, I attended the Voter Pitch Competition in December 2023,
like I was just saying there.
(02:32):
I attended as an observer and I watched Samuel bag the winning prize.
It was so beautiful to watch him win.
By the way, if anyone has questions, please send them to the chat panel and
I will field those questions.
And, or if you have any way you want to contribute, if you want to speak to
the conversation, I can unmute you as well.
(02:54):
So Samuel, listen, I'm so glad you're here to share your experience with us.
So you founded Kirep, a company that looks after caregivers.
Could you share a little bit more about that and the work that you do?
Yeah, awesome. Thank you very much, Adelaide Williams. So first of all,
I would like to thank you, your team, and everyone who made this really possible.
(03:15):
It's an honor to be able to share my experience and give back.
So in July 2003, I founded CareUp while we were under the Memorial Center for
Entrepreneurship work term. And so I had this idea, this big idea.
And January in 2003, I happened to be in the healthcare space as well.
So I spoke to the mentors at the center and in the summer, I got into the water
(03:39):
and they were really helpful in helping me bring up and start the project in
the right way. I call it the startup way.
And so many of the things that I learned back in my country.
I am from Nigeria originally.
So I kind of had a paradigm shift to how business run in Canada.
And as well as an immigrant, I needed that setup, that help,
(04:00):
assistance, community network to get off the ground. on it is really, really great.
And so what CareDub is trying to do is to provide on-demand shift coverage for home care agencies.
There's a lot of redundancy in the hiring process that we feel can be enhanced,
because Canada needs a lot of caregivers due to the aging population and the
(04:22):
sick population has been on increase.
And so this cannot be more timely for Canada and I really hope and looking forward
to making it a true country. country. Wow.
So the problem of shortage of caregivers in Canada seems like a huge one.
Could you speak a little bit more to that? Because I know this is a conversation
(04:42):
that even it's gaining ground.
How big would you say the problem is?
And what are the challenges you've been facing since you founded Kireb in July 2023?
Awesome. Thank you. The home health care market is, well, I use the future numbers anyway.
It's currently a 29 billion market in Canada.
(05:04):
And in 10 years, it's going to go up to about 3 billion.
And the aging population keeps rising.
So it's pretty hard for Canada to source the right caregivers or right caregivers
to provide the solution to meet the demand.
So it's like there There is more demand and less supply of care.
(05:25):
And young care agencies really have a lot of role to play in this.
And so during our customer interview session with some of the big home care
agencies in the province here in St.
John's, we figured out that it is not really about shortage of caregivers.
There are more immigrants in Canada because immigrants and international students
make up a huge proportion of that number, caregiving number.
(05:48):
But it's not really the shortage. It is the hiring process and the certification process.
And if you look at, you know, in the nursing centers or in the institutionalized
healthcare sector, many immigrants coming here, even lawyers coming into Canada
cannot use, you know, practice with their experience and their qualification back home.
And it is a bit lesser for caregivers.
(06:11):
However, the home care agencies are not hiring fast enough to solve this need.
And yes, and so trying to help agencies, we're really focused on at least in
the next four, five, six years on the home care agencies.
We wouldn't be going to the individuals because the agencies have something going on already.
And so we don't want to be another home care agency having clients.
(06:32):
We want to help the current agencies that have the certifications,
the licenses and all that.
That's a very good way of providing solution to a big problem in Canada right now. So well done.
Thank you. So the VOLTA pitch competition.
So could you share with us how you prepared the weeks before the event?
(06:54):
Right. Yeah. So I was studying the brand yesterday while I was preparing for this.
And I told her after the pitch what happened before and everything.
As people would actually expect, I did not really give it so much thought.
And there's a reason. So even the application was put in by one of the inside
business consulting students, the MBA student that was working with us in the fall.
(07:18):
And so he put in the app, he told me about the competition and he put in the application.
And so I just got my PG Tech ready and the rest.
But we already enrolled in the MC work term. And we, I was also at the last
year, the Melwood Award competition that is hosted by the Memorial University
in San Jose for the sole purpose of learning.
(07:39):
So there are seven entrepreneurs that would go on to the final stage.
Of the five that were going to the final stage on pitch and they
were all in their suits and that was a live pitch actually and
it was so nice my first pitch you know competition
i was you know going to be attending here in canada and i really saw firsthand
how those seasons you know student entrepreneurs were able to bring out their
(08:02):
ideas and the confidence you know and the know-how the technical know-how that
they had and they were conveying was really interesting so during the MC work term,
we also participated in the Genesis evolution program.
So Genesis is an accelerator here in San Jose as well, a tech accelerator.
And we pitched there as well. So it had been an ongoing practice over time and
(08:26):
smooth delivery of the pitch, whatever pitch comes from solving a problem that
you're actually passionate about.
And he's going to, you know, he's going to show, I can't stress enough,
you know, having a great pitch deck. Like the modern styling pitch deck, that really works, yes.
And I used to be a designer, graphic designer, just a personal graphic designer,
(08:48):
designed for some volunteering roles as well.
And they always say less is more, right? So more white spaces and just like
one line of word, and then you explain that line of word and you give insight into it.
You know, a lot of it comes from your pitch deck as well.
It's like the branding to it. And so everything just really comes together.
(09:11):
That practice over time.
So if you have a pitch coming up, you should be practicing like two weeks before.
It's not just, you know, three days. It will tell in the way you're so confident
about even answering questions that you did not prepare for.
It's just going to come naturally and the judges will really see that.
(09:33):
Thank you. Listen, Samuel, I have to say, I watched that competition and there
were so many wow presenters, but I wanted so much to watch the competition because
Aruna and I were just finishing an innovators program.
And then the coordinator told us we should watch that competition because we
were preparing to pitch our ideas as well as our founders. So anyway,
(09:57):
back to the competition.
What came across so much for me during your whole presentation was your calmness.
Actually, you were very calm.
One of the judges asked you, how are you going to solve the problem of transportation?
Competition right and i thought you answered
that in a very practical way do you
(10:18):
care to share exactly that moment and
did you recognize that moment or any moment
in that pitch competition as the moment when you knew that you had nailed it
yes so actually the interesting thing is i did not even finish the pitch you
know it was three minutes and i was still probably in my product product slide
(10:39):
and then, you know, I was cut off,
but then I think it was just one or two questions that I was asked and the question
about the mobility part of, you know, what we were trying to solve,
because there was no solution that was addressed to that particular.
And so it had been something we were thinking about, the team and I, over time.
(11:03):
And I'd already thought of, you know, using MyOwn, very cool to like do the
transport because a lot of these agencies have caregivers, but that are unwilling
to go long distances for short shifts.
And so we're thinking of what can we provide?
What minimum viable solution can we have to that?
And, you know, from what we're taught at the MC as well, it's like doing things
(11:27):
that don't scale, you know, and I'll teach this in the Y Combinator as well,
doing things that don't scale and then scaling those things, right?
So one of the videos at the Y Combinator Program Institute is about,
there's a burning man, there's a man on fire, his head is on fire.
What would be the best products to solve that problem?
(11:50):
And it would be water, you know, and, you know, a sophisticated fire extinguisher.
But no, that is the finished product.
The product that would solve it instantly is a brick.
And so you can find a brick everywhere. where it's readily available,
you just take the brick and, you know, throw the fire on the head.
And so it's like finding that brick product that it's not 100% perfect,
(12:13):
but it solves the problem for the customers that, you know, have the problem
born in and they need to, you know, get a coin instantly.
And those will be your early adopters. And those will be the ones that you'll
be working with in the first, you know, one year of your startup.
And so it was so interesting to convey that with the question that was asked. Yeah, I agree.
(12:37):
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It was so practical, the solution. You know, when you said you're going to use
(12:59):
your car, I looked up, I was like, oh, what kind of car is this?
Because I know three minutes, and I know Harina will agree with me here,
we were struggling in our innovators program, like three minutes,
how am I going to talk for three minutes? That's so much to talk about.
But I remember one of our mentors said, you don't even have three minutes,
like the first one or two minutes, is it that you have the attention of the VC or you don't?
(13:25):
So just, you know, and I have been, I have heard also that Q&A part,
the question and answer part is the most important part of a pitch.
And I don't know what you think, Samuel, but I think that's what made your pitch as well.
Because like you said, you didn't even finish your presentation,
but you were able to answer the question in a practical way.
(13:46):
And I think that made, that's resonated with the judges.
Do you think the question and answer part of the pitch is the most important as well?
Well, yes, because it's the part where you now, you know, get to explain yourself
and shed more light because seven minutes is just, you know,
official present yourself, the official presentation, right?
(14:06):
And then you go on to interact with the judges.
The Q&A session is where the judges are trying to understand your idea deeper, right?
And I would say because it's at the ending part of the presentation,
so it'll really carry a lot of weight. and like you, you know,
you remember the question that was asked in doing my own pitch as well.
(14:28):
And so it's usually the take home for many people as well.
So yes, I would say that the question, the Q&A really made a strong impact in me winning the pitch.
Yeah, absolutely. And I think there were 10 participants in your competition,
right? If I remember correctly. Yes.
Well, so practice before your competition, you said maybe about two weeks at least.
(14:52):
And the design of the pitch deck is also important.
I'm just trying to do some kind of recap here. So design of the pitch deck,
more white spaces, the less you have in the pitch deck, the better so you can
speak to the pitch deck, right?
Yeah. And I've heard that as well, that we shouldn't cram the pitch deck with so many words.
(15:13):
Don't make it too wordy. Yeah. So since winning, Samuel, how has the winning
helped with your branding, your networking, and the business that you do,
you know, the work you do in Kira.
How has winning the voter pitch competition helped in any way?
Yeah. So I actually learned early that winning pitches is not actually the main
(15:38):
success in your business.
Getting customers is a success. Even building a product.
A successful product is not the success of your
business because during the melwood world cup you know
last year that i attended there was a student entrepreneur that had
a full product but did not have traction enough
like you know the person that that one person would with that actually one did
(16:03):
not have a full product it probably was still you know so soft or still you
know in process anyone and so sometimes it's actually getting customers that
determines the the main, you know, success for your business.
However, winning competitions and distance can be a boost and bring you forward,
bring you in front of eventual customers.
(16:23):
It can also be content, content for you to, you know, post on your social media
because I believe social media is always a reflection of what is happening in person.
You don't just create some level of news. It won't sell. It's like storytelling.
What story are you telling? Now, you need to be telling a story of experiences,
of wins, of pains, you know, from your fiscal day-to-day activities,
(16:46):
from your, you know, your business, you know, the successes you had. So, yes.
So those two things for me, it's a boost to get a bunch of customers,
yeah, investors in the long run, and also it generates, you know, content.
Yeah. So as the voter winning brought any kind of opportunities to Kireb or to yourself?
(17:08):
Yes. I mean, for one, this, you know, podcast is, it's, you know,
it's a function of Peach for One.
And we got a few people reaching out to us for, to help us, you know,
uproot venture capital, this, you know, and the rest.
But I feel it's a culmination of efforts, right? And then you can look back
(17:30):
at the track record then.
At a point, it's all going to blow up, but, you know, steps.
So even when you don't see the full picture of how the full results now,
you know, it's a build up.
Yeah. Yeah. I love that you say that, you know, I've always thought pitching
is a great exercise to tell one story.
And you said, you know, you said it's part of building a story as well.
(17:52):
So people understand why you're doing what you're doing. I think it's valuable
for founders to understand the, you know, the value of putting your ideas out there.
It can be kind of intimidating sometimes, like you just, you don't want to put yourself out there.
But I think it's very important to be able to at least let people understand what you're doing.
(18:13):
And somebody once said to me, when you're pitching as well, even you,
you understand better, it becomes clearer to you what you're doing as well.
So I don't know if anybody has any questions at this moment before I continue. you.
Aruna, I know me and you were speaking about when we watched the competition in December.
(18:34):
Do you have any kind of comments or any questions that you would like to...
Let me see if I can... Thank you. Thank you, Ola.
That was a very brilliant question and answer from Pika Sam.
So, Sam, congratulations once again for that brilliant pitch.
It was a good representation for some of us, you know,
who watch that and know that out of the lot someone that
(18:57):
we can identify with one so i was very
proud of that and we even shared that news
with our facilitators in that startup program
so yes when you answered about
the vehicle i was very proud of that moment because you really
nailed it at that point and just curious about what is the business environment
(19:18):
in st jones in terms of the opportunities for for your startup are you Are you
only limiting to that area or now that Volta that is based,
even though it's an Atlantic Canada startup support company,
sort of, but then it is based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Are you thinking of your business, like scaling it to other parts of Atlantic Canada, for instance?
(19:45):
Right. Yes. Yes, actually, to have a great business, you need to have,
you know, you need to be solving a problem that is native and custom to multiple
locations, multiple regions.
It helps you broaden your market and it makes investors know that,
(20:05):
you know, when they put in, you know, funds into your idea or your startup,
you can generate revenue.
There's been constant questions regarding our business model and how we go to market and the rest.
So definitely looking at other provinces is on the radar and yes,
we'll be doing that this year in support of the efforts we're working on in St. John's year.
(20:32):
St. John's, the population here is about 550,000.
It's not the actual number, it's just an estimate. And then Sobo,
yes, will be required to look at all that at my processes as well and validate our products there.
Yeah, thank you. So Samuel, what are the next steps for you while we're waiting
(20:54):
for any other kind of question?
As a founder, so what is next? What would you say is next right now for Kireb?
Right. For us at Kireb, we're looking at expanding to Nova Scotia because we
have a few links there already.
Yes, our eventual goal is to hit $1 billion in revenue by 2030.
(21:15):
And so that will really require us to scale faster.
And so expansion and product validation is really what we are going to be working
on in the next couple of months and next year as well.
Great. I always like to say that it's always good to learn, even as founders,
continuous learning, continuous connecting.
(21:38):
So if you're given an opportunity, what would you like to learn right now?
So for me, I think closing deals is, closing high deals is a highly required, most skilled right now.
And although I am on the way, I have closed a few deals.
I've spoken with a few agencies in the last eight months that we started.
(22:04):
But where there is cultural difference and racial difference as well,
it's kind of requires It requires more know-how to connect to the person you
are negotiating with and to actually close those deals.
So it's like a learning curve for me right now.
Yes, so closing deals would be a major thing I would like to even go further
(22:26):
in education to do is to acquire.
Yeah, I agree. That's a very valuable skill to acquire.
Negotiating, closing deals, ability to have a win-win with the person you're
negotiating with. which that's incredible.
Yeah, it'd be a very incredible skill to have. So what advice would you have
for startup entrepreneurs right now?
(22:48):
Right. Well, as a startup myself, I would say experimenting is a very needed experience.
So experiments, do a lot of experiments with ideas, with your solution.
Your features, and don't be afraid to fail.
There's a lesson you can only learn from trying. You might fail, but it's a step forward.
(23:11):
I don't see failure as a pushback. It's like,
It's a step without a result, but it is required for, you know, the success.
So even if you try something else, doing, you know, experimenting with an idea
and you fail, it's not a pushback. It's a fail forward.
And in the end, there is a certain number of fails that you need to actually succeed.
(23:35):
It's the hard truth. But as entrepreneurs, we need to build the fortitude,
the mental fortitude to keep going.
In because that's the test of how bad you want it and your commitment and passion
and zeal to what you're trying to put out in the world.
And so, yes, I would say experiment and don't be afraid to fail. Great advice.
(23:56):
That's so good stuff. Great advice. I love that so much. So thank you so much,
Samuel, for joining us today.
And I would like to say thank you to all of you, Aruna, Sam,
Wendy. Indeed. Thank you all.
I always feel when we are able to have conversations like these and people are
able to join, more value is added because you are able to ask and you are able
(24:17):
to add to the conversation exactly what listeners want to know.
So thank you very much. Thanks for listening.
Hopefully that added value to you. I do like to say that the show aims to highlight
broad business patterns that are considered same as ever.
However, I also acknowledge that personal circumstances may differ.
(24:37):
So please apply the lessons in line with your context and seek professional
guidance as may be applicable to your business.
Until next episode. Please do share the show so value is added to others as well.
And remember, let's continue to learn together and be encouraged to keep on connecting.
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