Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta.The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.

Wunmi Adekanmbi immigrated 10 years ago from Nigeria where she was a post-secondary instructor and researcher, and led a youth empowerment non profit. Wunmi is passionate about people, information and solutions - in that order. She is a strategist and a connector. Her greatest motivation is creating coherent value streams across organizational functional units using a systems thinking approach. She strives to inspire confidence and intentionality in leadership, equip teams to execute from a big picture perspective, and harness community inter-dependencies. Wunmi is the Organizer and host of Immigrant Techies Alberta, a tech enthusiast group for skilled immigrants who are in or are interested in pivoting to tech careers and startups.

Mark Botkin is a Biochemistry Grad of U of S, has spent time at prominent U of A labs doing medical research. He’s been part of a number of challenging start-ups primarily designing computers and software for communications and construction. Mark became knowledgeable in 3D modelling which has allowed him to model & design a bicycle seat to give people a choice other than the traditional saddle. Product website: https://www.xenomorphix.com/

Gary Gunthorpe is an accomplished Senior Executive and Entrepreneur with demonstrated success spanning medical devices, agricultural instrumentation, oil patch, industrial, and oil and gas. Leveraging extensive experience delivering strategic, commercial, and operational results at startup and pre-startup enterprises, Gary is a valuable asset for a company requiring advisory related to product definition, organizational structure, process improvements, seed round investments, or technical capabilities. His broad areas of expertise include operational excellence, co-investment networking, cohabitated space, business transformation, technical advisory, and sales and marketing optimization.

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Show Summary

Wunmi chats with Gary and Mark about how things have changed over the past 40 years for the innovation ecosystem in Alberta. They discuss some of the challenges with starting a company around a physical product rather than a software solution.

Show Quote:

"Once you graduate from university you get a key, it's called a degree. It's only a key, you gotta go open locks and find the one you like."

"Software is the hardest thing because you ask anyone to give you a guestimate of time and costs and outcomes of a software idea, I have never heard of anybody getting even close to right. With hardware we can get pretty close, within 20 percent."

Credits...

This Episode Sponsored By: Community Now! Magazine

Episode Music: Tony Del Degan

Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan

System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - Chase Telecom Inc.