Shows
The Profit or Pivot PodcastYou Can Scale a Startup WITHOUT Venture Capital | Mark NashmanMark Nashman shares his journey from successful entrepreneur to successful venture capital investor. We learn about Mark's incredible story building Clarity Systems, a financial software business that he grew to over $50 million in revenues before selling to IBM. We also discuss Mark's perspective on investing in startups, what he looks for, red flags and some advice for entrepreneurs.
Mark is a rarity amongst entrepreneurs today. He never relied on huge financing rounds to build his business. His insights into finding product market fit, building a business, and decision to sell will be helpful for any startup founder.2025-07-3038 min
The Profit or Pivot PodcastWhy Startup Founders Fail at Sales (And How to Fix It) | Sonya MeloffIn this episode of The Profit or Pivot Podcast, I sit down with Sonya Meloff, co-founder of one of Canada’s most successful sales recruitment agencies. She helped thousands of companies, from startups to enterprises, hire top-performing salespeople and scaled her business to 8-figure revenues before exiting.
If you're a founder hiring your first sales rep, scaling your go-to-market team, or just want to sharpen your sales skills, this is a masterclass.
We dive deep into:
Sonya’s accidental entry into sales and how she became a natural closer
Her time at Monster.com and...2025-07-2358 min
The Profit or Pivot PodcastAdapting to Rapidly Changing Business Environments | Michael MillarIn summer of 2020, at the peak of chaos in the healthcare industry, Michael raised a venture capital "Seed" round for his healthcare software startup. How did Michael turn a crisis into an opportunity, grow his business, and set himself on the path to success?
Some of the topics covered:
Michael's background, how and why he started Verto
How he developed an innovative solution in healthcare that few people could create and implement
How Michael adapted, grew, raised money and thrived as a healthcare software when customers stopped buying new software during a pandemic
When to pivot...2025-07-161h 17
The Profit or Pivot PodcastThe Journey to a $1.6 Billion Exit | The Wind Mobile Story with Brice ScheschukIn this episode of The Profit or Pivot Podcast, host Matan Hazanov interviews Brice Scheschuk, a trailblazing entrepreneur who co-founded Wind Mobile and sold it for $1.6 billion. Bryce takes us behind the scenes of his journey, from his early days in Saskatchewan and the naval reserve to disrupting Canada’s telecom oligopoly with Wind Mobile. He shares heart-pounding moments, like securing a $200M deal with an Egyptian billionaire just days before a critical deadline and navigating a near-bankruptcy crisis that led to a massive exit.
Now a seasoned investor with stakes in 50 venture funds and 130 direct startup in...2025-07-091h 22
The Profit or Pivot PodcastWhy I Left a $100 Million Business to Build a Startup | Avi AbramsAvi Abrams shares his journey from aspiring VC to one of the 1st hires in a high growth startup raising $50 million, and how he eventually leaves to pursue his goal of building a business from 0 to 1. We dive into Avi's time at Humi, a high growth SaaS startup, where he led product development during the company's incredible growth. He shares his lessons for building and selling products, understanding customer needs, and being a "mechanical Turk".
We also delph into his decision to leave soon after the $25 million Series B raise to start his own business. But his e...2025-07-0236 min
The Profit or Pivot PodcastFrom $0 to $10M: Marketing Lessons Every Startup Founder Needs | Igor SorokinIn this episode, Matan Hazanov sits down with Igor Sorokin, the marketing mastermind behind One Core Media, an 8-figure boutique marketing firm driving results for global giants like Canadian Tire, Kijiji, Cisco, and even Floyd Mayweather. With over 25 years in the game, Igor shares battle-tested strategies for startups and growing businesses to stand out, scale smart, and avoid common marketing pitfalls. From the power of strategy to the impact of AI on marketing, this episode is a must-listen for entrepreneurs, investors, and founders looking to scale their business.
What You’ll Learn:
How to differentiate your bu...2025-06-2552 min
The Profit or Pivot PodcastThe Blueprint for Building Startups at Scale | Chris CarderChris Carder shares his incredible journey as an aspiring journalist to successful entrepreneur, academic, and builder of startups at scale. He is currently the Director of Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Schulich School of Business, often ranked the #1 business school in Canada.
The position is one he created as a result of building a startup community at Schulich from the ground up, tapping into the entrepreneurial drive of many students and alumni of the school. Chris' insights from building and selling multiples business, investing and advising many startups, to community building is invaluable to those looking to start or...2025-06-1849 min
The Profit or Pivot PodcastFrom Startup to $660M Exit: The Wattpad Story | Allen LauJoin host Matan Hazanov for an incredible discussion with Allen Lau, co-founder of Wattpad, the global storytelling platform that sold for an astounding $660M USD.
From his roots as a software engineer to scaling Wattpad to 100M users, Allen shares hard-earned lessons on finding product-market fit, navigating startup challenges, and the critical role of timing in building a powerhouse business. Now a venture capitalist at Two Small Fish Ventures, Allen reveals common mistakes founders make when raising capital, insider tips on hiring and leadership, and why he chose to build Wattpad in Canada instead of Silicon Valley.2025-06-111h 24
The Profit or Pivot PodcastWhy Israel is the "Startup Nation" | David Shore of OurCrowdOn October 7, 2023, Israel was brutally attacked by Hamas terrorists resulting in the worst single day massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust. With the country now at war, how does civil society cope with 10-15% of its labour force being called up to military reserve duty?
David Shore, a Partner at OurCrowd, the most active venture capital investor in Israel joins me to discuss the situation in Israel and how startups he invested in continue building and succeeding.
Israel is one of the largest startup ecosystems in the world, consistently punching above its weight given...2025-06-0441 min
The Profit or Pivot PodcastHow We Invest $800 Million on Behalf of Canada's Wealthiest Families | Neil NiskerNeil Nisker is a legendary Canadian entrepreneur who built and sold three wealth management businesses. Now running "Our Family Office" managing $800M for Canada’s wealthiest families, Neil shares his incredible journey, from his early days as a “gopher” on the Toronto Stock Exchange to cold-calling Sir John Templeton, sparking a 35-year mentorship.
He dives into contrarian investing principles, his 75x venture capital return, and why he’s exploring VC again. Neil also discusses becoming a contrarian investor and upending our understanding of risk analysis throwing away the "Sharpe Ratio".
In this episode, Neil reveals:
How...2025-05-281h 24
The Profit or Pivot PodcastSocial Media Expert: How to Effectively Use Social Media to Build Your BusinessTamar Lyons quit her "dream job" in media making $40k/year to build a social media marketing agency and is now doing over $500k in revenues in just a couple of years and growing rapidly.
By her mid 20s, Tamar was married, depressed, and living a life that she didn't want. She was not living authentically. After realizing how much money she was leaving on the table, and some tough love from her mentors, Tamar decided to quit, and rebuild her life into the life she wanted to live.
In this discussion, we discuss how...2025-05-2155 min
The Profit or Pivot PodcastOur Revenues Went to $0 Overnight | How I Rebuilt My Startup StrongerThe stark reality for building a startup: the unexpected can happen at any moment.
Just 3 months after closing a $1M Seed round, COVID restrictions hit, resulting in a fast growing business reduced to $0 revenues. Eropa's strategic pivot with a very low cash burn while increasing the team & revenues was nothing short of a miracle.
It's a lesson in resilience and the power of quick, decisive action in times of crisis.
2025-01-2730 min
Tech Uncensored - An Altitude Accelerator PodcastEpisode 4: What VC's Don't Tell You: Things You Have Always Wanted to AskFunding from venture capital is a critical financial resource for tech startups. But do you know why venture capital companies pass on a company? How do they VCs evaluate startups? In this discussion, our host, Sam Husain, invited two VC partners, Matan Hazanov and David Harris Kolada, who have been working with startups for years. Watch the discussion and get the “myths” of VCs busted. Subscribe to Tech Uncensored on YoutubeSubscribe to our Weekly Tech Uncensored, LinkedIn Live NewsletterRegister and gain access to advisors, programs, and our extraordinary networkFollow us:2023-02-2829 min
Impact Investing with Jeffery Potvin - Exploring Investing with PurposeEp. 74 – Matan Hazanov, Vice President at Verstra VenturesMatan Hazanov, VP for Verstra Ventures, joins (JP) Jeff [...]2021-09-2958 min