The Business Leadership Podcast · 2026-01-30 · 13 min
In this special episode of The Business Leadership Podcast, I sit down with Usha Srinivasan, Founder and CEO of BReady.ai and the former Executive Director who helped launch and lead the Brampton Venture Zone. Recorded as part of BVZ: Five Years Bold, this conversation explores how BVZ was built from the ground up during the early days of the pandemic, and how a community-first approach helped shape what is now a cornerstone of the Brampton Innovation District. Usha shares: How BVZ came to life through collaboration between the City of Brampton and Toronto Metropolitan University Why listening deeply to the community shaped BVZ’s strategy, sectors, and programs Lessons in leadership, resilience, and confidence gained from building without a playbook How her journey at BVZ led to the creation of BReady.ai, supporting newcomers and underrepresented talent into meaningful employment This episode is a special collaboration with UpNext Global and the Brampton Venture Zone by Toronto Metropolitan University, produced in celebration of BVZ’s fifth anniversary and the people who helped shape its legacy.
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