Unicorn Leaders
by Unicorn Labs - Fahd Alhattab
BusinessE · Explicit
Latest episode
Ep. 37 - Toys, Bankruptcy, and Trying Again with Brad Pedersen
Ep. 37 - Toys, Bankruptcy, and Trying Again with Brad Pedersen
About this podcast
The Unicorn Leaders podcast takes a deep dive into the world of building a billion-dollar company (a unicorn) in every episode. Join us while we explore the leadership and environments that create unicorn startups straight from those with first-hand experience (startup founders, VPs of talent, and more). The podcast is hosted by Fahd Alhattab, the CEO of Unicorn Labs and a millennial workplace expert who specializes in providing transformative leadership and team dynamics training for high-growth startups. Fahd has been researching what creates high-performing teams over the last five years. Join him as he asks his guests the hard questions to uncover what it means to be a leader in our fast-paced, information-based world.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 39 episodes
- Ep. 37 - Toys, Bankruptcy, and Trying Again with Brad Pedersen · 1 h 26 minIn this episode, Fahd sits down with Brad Pedersen, entrepreneur and founder behind Lomi, Pela, and one of Canada's largest independent toy distributors, to explore his journey…
- Ep. 36 - Bootstrapping a Billion-Dollar Underdog with Mike Wessinger · 1 h 19 minIn this episode, Fahd sits down with Mike Wessinger, founder and Executive Chairman of PointClickCare, to explore his journey from installing desktop computers in nursing homes…
- Ep. 35 - Surviving Long Enough to Win with Chris Grimes · 1 h 38 min · Episode 35In this episode, Fahd sits down with Chris Grimes, founder and CEO of Fundmore, to explore his journey from 20-year mortgage industry veteran to building one of Canada's…
- Ep. 34 - The Good Guys in a Not So Great Industry · 1 h 30 minIn this episode, Fahd sits down with Nic Beique, founder and CEO of Helcim, to explore his journey from self-taught programmer to building one of Canada's leading fintech…
- Ep. 33 - Be the First: Rick Hunter on the Importance of Innovation · 1 h 39 minIn this episode, Fahd sits down with Rick Hunter, a former Canadian National Ski Team racer who made the leap from the slopes to the waterslide industry. Rick shares the lessons…
- Hard to Kill: How a 30-Person Ottawa Startup Took On the Defense Giants with Samuel Witherspoon · 1 h 7 min · Season 2 Episode 12Samuel Witherspoon was a lawyer who walked away from a safe career to co-found a tech company. The first thing he built? A platform for selling divorces online. He was ashamed to…
- Ep. 31- Winning the Fan Battle- Vincent Ircandia on Disrupting Sports Marketing with Data · 1 h 2 min · Season 2 Episode 11In this episode, Fahd sits down with Vincent Ircandia, CEO of Stellar Algo, a Canadian startup that’s revolutionizing the sports industry with data-driven fan engagement…
- Ep. 30 - Pick Your Goliath: Ray Newal on Building Davids That Actually Win · 44 min · Season 2 Episode 10In this episode, Fahd sits down with Ray Newal—startup advisor, ex-Microsoft and Yahoo exec, and a founder who moved across the world to build tech that mattered. Ray’s journey…
- Ep. 29 - Build the Infrastructure, Not the Spotlight: How Zak Lefevre Is Scaling the Future of EV · 52 min · Season 2 Episode 9In this episode, Fahd sits down with Zak Lefevre, co-founder and CEO of ChargeLab, to unpack a modern David vs. Goliath story in one of the world’s fastest-growing industries—EV…
- Ep. 28 - Change the Definition of Victory: Ron Tite on Beating Goliaths by Playing a Different Game · 52 min · Season 2 Episode 8In this episode, Fahd sits down with Ron Tite—comedian, author, and founder of Church+State—to explore how creative Davids take on industry Goliaths without selling out or…
- Ep. 27 - More Than a Thermostat: How Ecobee Took on Google—and Won with Stuart Lombard · 1 h 3 min · Season 2 Episode 7In this episode, Fahd sits down with Stuart Lombard, founder of Ecobee, to unpack one of the most iconic David vs. Goliath stories in Canadian tech. What started as a personal…
- Ep. 26 - You Don’t Win Alone: Building High-Trust, High-Velocity Teams with Nora Beatty · 38 min · Season 2 Episode 6In this episode, Fahd Alhattab sits down with Nora Beatty, VP of People Operations at Cohere, to unpack how small, high-trust teams scale in high-stakes environments. Nora shares…
- Ep. 25 - Culture, Coaching, and the People Lever: What Founders Get Wrong About HR with Miranda Pokoy · 36 min · Season 2 Episode 5In this episode of the Unicorn Leaders podcast, Fahd Alhattab sits down with Miranda Pokoy, SVP of People Success at Partnerize, to explore how HR can be a powerful driver of…
- Ep. 24 - Taking on Google: The People Strategy Behind Ecobee’s David vs. Goliath Win with Penny Farinha · 39 min · Season 2 Episode 4In this episode of the Unicorn Leaders podcast, Fahd Alhattab sits down with Penny Farinha, former VP of People at Ecobee, to unpack what it really takes to scale a…
- Ep. 23 - Hiring Fast, Hiring Smart: Rethinking Recruitment in Startups with Adam Gellert · 35 min · Season 2 Episode 3In this episode of the Unicorn Leaders podcast, Fahd Alhattab sits down with Adam Gellert, founder of Linkus Group and Hypo, to talk all things hiring—from building…
- Ep. 22 - From DNA to Millions: Scaling, Exiting, and Playing the Long Game with Adrian Salamunovic · 40 min · Season 2 Episode 2In this high-energy episode of the Unicorn Leaders podcast, Fahd sits down with serial entrepreneur and author Adrian Salamunovic for a raw, real, and wisdom-packed conversation…
- Ep.21 - Scaling Through Chaos: Why Startups Need Clarity, Not Corporate Playbooks with Ali Farrell · 42 min · Season 2 Episode 1In this episode of the Unicorn Leaders podcast, host Fahd Alhattab sits down with three-time Chief People Officer Ali Farrell, currently CPO at Apprentice, to unpack what it…
- Season Two Kickoff - David vs Goliath: How Small Teams Win Big · 5 min · Season 2In this season opener of the Unicorn Leaders podcast, Fahd Alhattab sets the stage for a new narrative—one centered around the underdogs. Drawing inspiration from the classic…
- Ep. 20 EmpowerED - A Bottom Up Approach to Employee Development with Eva Manole · 56 min · Season 1 Episode 20In episode 20, Eva shares her use of a product led mindset for developing new strategies of learning and development at Fullscript with about 800 employees. She dives into how…
- Ep. 19 - Leading with Purpose: Unveiling the Secrets of Impactful Leadership with Andre Fernandez · 1 h 24 min · Season 1 Episode 19In episode 19, Andre dives into how he found his way into creating a socially impactful business while sharing valuable lessons and principles that he embraced on his journey to…
