Daniel Weinand

Sidewalk Labs (Part of Google), another showcase of Canadian politicians bending over for a big US corp, with ZERO tangible results 💩 Roxana and I attended a "private investor demo" session in 2019. A block of wood was passed among the audience, supposedly the NEXT BIG BREAKTHROUGH in urban development! Demo concluded, by observing a piece of wood! Building blocks of future skyscrapers! The promise? With this, Google will build a "Smart City" for us, the peasants of Toronto, in Queens Quay 🏖️🏢 Sidewalk Labs' website now points to a newer Google scam, it reads: "Build Sustainably with Google Earth"! Bait and switch, but let enough time pass so no one remembers 🤢 https://lnkd.in/gd3B-a6m Guess now the investors and Ontario Government | Gouvernement de l’Ontario have shit loads of these wooden blocks, ready to shove up somewhere, to find a use for! All because the name "Bloomberg" sounds authoritative enough to our ears? Surely that's capital well spent, instead of investing in local talent! 🤔 Will Canada's tech ecosystem ever crawl out of Silicon Valley's shadow, and stand on its own? ⌚👀⛔

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Roblox Developers Conference 2024 just wrapped up and Roblox announced some of the largest and most meaningful features that you may have missed👀 The one that I believe will be the most impactful is the Shopify partnership! At RDC, Roblox announced that it is partnering with Shopify to allow developers, creators, and brands to sell physical items directly within their Roblox games without ever needing players to leave the Roblox platform. This is going to be massive for Lootbloc. Lootbloc uses Shopify, and already has existing partnerships with the largest games on the Roblox platform such as Catalog Avatar Creator and Flee the Facility, so unlocking the ability to sell directly within these games will make it even easier for fans to purchase their favorite games' merchandise. Lootbloc is a Roblox merchandising company that specializes in bringing IP on Roblox into the real world through plushies, apparel, and more. If you own a Roblox game or brand and you haven't capitalized on the world of physical goods feel free to reach out to me at evan@lootbloc.com and we can work with you to make it happen! Beyond merchandise, the rumor is that, in the future, outside brands will be able to sell their products directly inside of games as well, turning Roblox into a brand new sales channel for any brands looking to sell to Roblox's massive audience. Only time will tell, Roblox and Shopify have said that they will be launching a beta among a select group of partners in early 2025, with the larger launch coming later. What do you think? #Roblox #Shopify

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🚀 Exciting news! 🚀 The Kaia Wave has been updated, and applications are now officially live! 🎉 If you’re a Web3 builder looking to grow your project, this is your chance to join the Kaia & LINE NEXT Web3 Builder Support Program. From $95K in fee waivers, $700K+ in marketing support, and reaching 100M+ global LINE users, to VC connections and financial backing, this program is packed with opportunities to help Dapps take off. If you’re ready to push the limits and build on Kaia's Layer 1, now's the time to apply and bring your ideas to life. 🌍💡 📌 Check out the link and apply today #JBlaze #KaiaWave #Web3 #Blockchain #DappDevelopment #LINENEXT #VCOpportunities #TechInnovation #KaiaCommunity #Kaia

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Well RIP 🪦 my inbox from folks asking for the code we went through 😅 Check out our latest cookbook 👨‍🍳 to walk through safeguarding your workflows with Optimodel (https://lnkd.in/g8wchawU)

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If you're a Canadian entrepreneur, investor, or founder then this past week has made it painfully clear that when it comes to innovation and economic recovery the calvary won't be coming and is in fact running in the opposite direction. The federal government and associated regional innovation support agencies (ie Invest Ottawa) are failing to look at solutions aimed at effectively addressing an overall decrease in entrepreneurship and economic activity across the nation and it is now on us, as resilient Canadian entrepreneurs, to empower those who can bring the most value to the table if we are to strive for the quickest path forward towards economic recovery and helping the average Canadian family better their quality of life. I am proud to announce that RHA Ventures Inc. has answered that call 👏 In the face of rising costs for domestic businesses in Canada and competition from abroad, RHA Ventures, an Ontario-based venture capital firm specializing in cutting-edge technologies, announced today its investment in Real Life Robotics, a Waterloo-based company designing real robots for real businesses. This investment marks a significant milestone in the development of Real Life Robotics and underscores RHA Ventures' commitment to supporting true, tried, and tested founders and Ontario’s growing startup ecosystem despite an overall decrease in entrepreneurship across the rest of Canada. “Real robots, real people, and real-world challenges are what differentiate RLR as a technology company. We could not be more thrilled to have RHA Ventures, a group of experienced founders and problem solvers, on board as strategic advisors and investors as we help elevate Ontario globally as a home for first-in-class robotics and automation technology - empowering businesses with transformative robotics solutions that unlock new levels of efficiency, reliability, and scalability,” - Cameron Waite, CEO of Real Life Robotics. The numbers clearly show that the cost of getting involved in a business or launching a new product is too high for the average inexperienced Canadian and our economy has slowed in growth accordingly. On a macro level, we are placing too high an importance on new founders in a down market when we should be rewarding and doubling down on our true, tried and tested investors, founders and legacy businesses who have shown they are willing to take the risk. Thank you, Brian Foster and the rest of the team at RHA Ventures Inc. for taking this first step of the journey with us 🙏 https://lnkd.in/gSr5TP48

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🌟 Big reveal time once again 🌟 It’s shaping up to be an exciting week as we unveil another lineup of amazing Mini Dapps that’ll soon be live on LINE NEXT Inc. Messenger—all exclusively powered by Kaia Chain! 💚 Exclusively powered by Kaia Labs Limited, the Dapp Portal (@dapp_portal) is your gateway to Mini Dapps, connecting millions of users across Asia through LINE Messenger. 🚀 Here’s the latest lineup to get hyped about (featuring their X (formerly Twitter) tags—follow them for updates!): 🎮 Axolt's Escape // @AxoltsEscape 📈 IX Swap // @IxSwap 🐉 Lair Finance // @LairFinance 😺 Meowtopia // @meowtopiagame 🏓 Ping Pong Parade // @PingPongParade 🎮 Retro.fun // @retrodotfun ⚔️ Sid Eternal // @ZatteraProtocol 🤳 Social.Meme // @SocialMeme2024 🌌 Televerse // @TeleverseXYZ ✨ Wonderbits // @wonderbitsio Which one are you most excited to try? Let me know in the comments, and let’s gear up for an incredible wave of innovation! 🌊 #JBlaze #KaiaMiniDapps #LINEKaia #BlockchainInnovation #Games #Apps #Kaia #LineNext #ThinkGrowth

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Just had to share this gem from Collision Conf in #Toronto. Among the #startups and VCs, I spotted a guy with a shirt saying, "Ask me about my CAC." Naturally, I asked. Sebastian Fallenbüchl, BASc., the wearer, shot back, "My CAC is getting lower as you just approached me." Genius. Seb’s witty remark was more than just a laugh — it was a reminder that business is about people. Metrics like CAC are crucial, but so are the connections and conversations that drive them down. Takeaway? Be #approachable. Humor and humanity can make all the difference. Thanks for the insight and the laugh, Seb. Here’s to more moments like these! #Networking #BusinessInsights

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Had a fantastic chat with Julian Maroda while visiting Montreal for MIGS this week! What a treat to meet other devs who deeply understand and harness the power of feedback and rapid iteration. Julian's success with Tribes of Midgard at his studio Norsfell was built on a foundation I strongly believe in: weekly sprints, regular build reviews and playtesting, and a "less talking, more doing" philosophy. What really resonates with me is Julian's commitment to sharing builds early with players - even when core systems aren't complete. At Norsfell, the team actively involves players even before some of the basic mechanics are implemented. Why? Because involving players early to capture and make sense of their experiences allows teams to validate fundamental decisions when changes are still easy to make. This is exactly why we built Live Aware - to help teams of all shapes and sizes effortlessly engage with and learn from their play community. We are empowering the next generation of devs make better games, faster and more aligned with audience expectations. Merci Julian for the great chat and for demonstrating how embracing "extreme velocity through iteration" can lead to great success! Want to learn more about Julian's work and dev philosophy? Check out a fantastic interview with Julian hosted by Daryl Ogden at Valued Cultures: https://lnkd.in/gCHMGqYA

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🎙️ New Series G podcast episode: Featuring Raphael van Lierop - CEO and Founder of Hinterland, the Vancouver-based studio behind the brilliant survival game "The Long Dark". ⭐ This discussion features topics including: - The early stages of building Hinterland as a company and studio - Managing Early Access expectations with the game community - Building a company culture that promotes studio longevity Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gabUNB-g YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gmbNJsxJ Here's a short clip from the episode where Raphael discusses how the team decided upon The Long Dark's Steam description:

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Not every release needs to be flashy to be impactful. Sometimes, the most important changes happen under the hood. Shopify’s latest update, dubbed “The Boring Edition,” takes a page out of Apple’s Snow Leopard playbook—focusing on stability, performance, and long-term growth over short-term thrills. From checkout customisation to AI-powered tools like Sidekick, it’s clear that this release is anything but boring for us in the know. The Working Party's CTO Dominik Wilkowski explains, managing technical debt and strengthening the foundation isn’t glamorous, but it’s how you ensure the future is scalable, sustainable, and ready for innovation. Curious about the invisible work that powers big results? Read Dom’s thoughtful breakdown of Shopify Editions Winter ’25 here: https://lnkd.in/g6agy9Zi #shopifyplus #ecommerce #wintereditions #shopifyeditions

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Small Shopify history: The story of Shopify began in 2004 when three friends from Canada—Tobias Lütke, Daniel Weinand, and Scott Lake—decided to open an online snowboard shop. Tobias, a programmer by training, took on the task of developing the website but soon encountered that the e-commerce platforms available at the time did not meet their needs. They were either too limited in functionality or too complicated to set up and manage. Dissatisfied with the available solutions, Tobias decided to create his own platform that would be both powerful and easy to use. This decision led to the development of proprietary software that would allow easy launching and managing of online stores. The project took two months to complete, and ultimately, the new system not only satisfied their own needs but also showed potential for other entrepreneurs. In 2006, after successfully launching their online store, they founded Shopify—a platform that made creating and managing online stores accessible to anyone who wanted to sell products online. Initially, Shopify primarily attracted small businesses, but over time it became popular among large companies due to its scalability and flexibility. Over the years, Shopify has grown from a startup to a leading global e-commerce platform, serving hundreds of thousands of clients worldwide and having a significant impact on the global economy. If you want your own Shopify store, just DM me 😉 #shopify #history #ecommerce #splitdev

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Rockstar…. Forcing your devs to come back to the office??? Listen guys and gals. I know GTA is a fun and good series. But we as devs, indie owners, juniors. Dont buy Rockstars bullshit. Im boycotting it right off the bat and will never be buying another title from Rockstar. The way they treat their devs is absurd. Working them like theyre in a fuckin sweatshop snd outsourcing devs paying them pennies on the dollar. A game that has been in development since 2014… boycott it If anyone has wanted to see rockstar finally fall, this is that monent. Spread the word and boycott this game. Most of these current devs are going to be laid off anyway… but by boycotting this project specifically, rockstar will NOT recover from their losses. Hit em where it hurts. Buy indie, play indie, we are the ones with the power!

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This week, we had our full team meetup, in Vancouver. Working remotely is fine, but meeting in person periodically is so valuable! We welcomed our newest Atonian, Brianna Thomas! Woot, so happy to have her on the team! It was a jam-packed day where we covered: 🖌️ Refactoring of our branding 🗒️ Content exercise for next wave of content construction 🧑‍🎨 Design review for the next two epics ⚙️ Documentation prototype for API, help center & content 🧑‍💻 Development progress from Jan to Apr The amount of work completed in four months (Jan to Apr) is really amazing. From "hello world" to a product quickly taking shape. We covered the balance of velocity and quality for MVP, touching up our brand drift, and building compelling content. I am really proud of the accomplishments so far. We are so eager to allow developers, product owners & managers, user experience and operations professionals into the product. We also talked about a core component of our new product - Stories. For thousands of years humans have used stories to communicate and convey knowledge and learning. We have applied an appropriate amount of effort to ensure this is compelling area of our product. We also covered bug tracking, feature flagging, and others important concerns being built for MVP. I also grabbed 20 minutes from members of our atono team for a quick 1:1. Thoughts expressed included excitement about our positive culture so far, compliments for co-workers, excitement about our speed, questions about our future. We have lots to do still, but we’re enjoying the journey.  Oh and not everyone could make the team dinner, so I had to eat double #servantleadership right there!

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🚗 Meet Lucas: My AI Agent for Car Vinyl Wrapping Companies! 🎨💬 Excited to introduce Lucas, my second AI agent, designed specifically for car vinyl wrapping businesses! 🌟 Lucas is built to handle all the initial client interactions—from answering FAQs about pricing, colour options, and durability to guiding customers on package choices tailored to their style and budget. This agent doesn’t just handle inquiries; it captures leads 24/7, ensuring no potential client slips through the cracks. Plus, Lucas adds a personal, human-like touch, making every conversation feel unique and engaging. Proud of the impact Lucas is already making, helping vinyl wrap pros streamline their process, boost engagement, and stay connected with clients! 🚘✨ Catch the video below to see Lucas in action and experience the future of customer engagement in the car wrapping world. 📽️👇 #AI #VinylWrapping #AIChatbot #LeadGeneration #CustomerEngagement

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Day 3 of trying to build a startup in 38 days: Had a ton of other client work today and couldn’t spend a lot of time working on the product. Updates: — 3 cups of coffee. — tried to set up Shopify webhooks. — kept running into a bug where the webhooks don't get registered. — will fix it tomorrow. In view: the Settings page. Will add stuff to this soon. CC: buildspace

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This is a really good post by Ghassan Halazon. It's easy for armchair quarterbacks to say "Canadians sell our companies out too early", or "we don't think big and therefore sell out early", but it's never that simple. I don't agree with Ghassan that first-time founders should always take the offer (eg. Google could have sold to Yahoo in 1998, and I'm sure Shopify had multiple interested suitors on their path to an IPO), but he's probably right in most situations. The first exit I had as a VC was a 5x return over about 4 years. I recall the negative comments I received from people in the ecosystem that we sold out too early to the Americans (Microsoft was the acquirer), and that we weren't thinking big enough. But none of those critics saw the slowing sales pipeline, or the increasingly competitive sales cycles, or the churn rates, or the difficult fundraising. No matter how good things are, there are always risks to the business. Most companies plateau long before they achieve a market dominating position, and distinguishing between approaching that final plateau vs. just a slowing blip before the next growth wave is difficult for entrepreneurs that are usually 'half-glass-full' people. And, on a related point, despite what many say, it is never that companies sell out early because they lack the access to capital needed to scale. They may lack capital at a valuation they desire, but that's different, and in fact a datapoint on where a business is on its path to plateauing or market domination.

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"Entrepreneurship is painful and sometimes rewarding." This quote naturally came out during a check-in call with my good friend and fellow entrepreneur, Gilad, who is building a great product at Sequence (I just wish they were available in Canada) 😢 As soon as I said it, both Gilad and I reflected on how true that statement is in describing the journey of building something. Shoutout to all the business owners and entrepreneurs out there taking the pain with a pinch of reward. #startupjourney #pain #entrepreneurship #grit

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When asked why I called my startup Amical. Essentially, Ami (friend) + Call. When you drop the last L, you get Amical. A french word that translate into Friendly or Amicable in English. Unique, memorable, perfectly encapsulate the product, and highlight the French origin of it's makers :) #startup #branding #branddesign

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New episode of IEP with Allan Leinwand from Webflow (previously Shopify, Slack, & Zynga), who's focused on bringing development superpowers to everyone ! GREAT takeaways from our conversation: 💡 An unexpected lesson Allan learned in his career: Hiring the right people makes you a better leader. 💡 The best CTOs do two things really well: drive the industry forward and engage in hands-on technical work. 💡 Engineering teams have to balance tech debt and innovation. Allan's approach is to address P0s and P1s immediately. Allocate resources to avoid recurring problems. And once the urgent issues are resolved, dedicate time to innovation. 💡 AI accelerates development, from writing code to running automation to conducting PR reviews. Allan is most excited about using AI to enhance workflow efficiency significantly. 💡 Allan predicts the future of web development will shift towards integrated platforms. Consolidation of products into cohesive platforms will streamline development and solve the “Franken platform” problem. Thanks Allan for joining the podcast and sharing your wisdom 🙏 #podcast #GenAI #webdevelopment

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