Building a Founder-First Innovation Ecosystem with John MacRitchie | BVZ Five Years Bold

Welcome to the Business Leadership Podcast. I'm your host, Edwin Frondozo. I am happy to share this episode, which is a special collaboration with Upnext Global and the Brampton Venture Zone, celebrating BBZ's five years of bold founders. I was honored to sit down as the interviewer and learn directly from this community of builders, innovators, and leaders.

So let's get to it. With me is John McRitchie, Assistant Vice President of Zone Learning and Strategic Initiatives at TMU. He was instrumental to bringing BBC to Brampton and continues to champion its role as a founder-first incubator and as a bridge between researchers, entrepreneurs, and the community. John, welcome to the show.

Thank you. So when BBC was launched five years ago, what gap in Canada's innovation ecosystem were you aiming to fill and why was Brampton the right location? I think that's a great question. Why Brampton?

What we found here was a lot of energy, a lot of persistence on the part of people here to get us interested. And really, what I see is that this is Brampton being the place where the people that are going to shape the future of this country are. And with the city who's been, as I said, persistent about this and been willing to invest, which is, that's unusual. That commitment that they've shone over a number of years now and going forward with us as well.

It was a real opportunity to take some of what we had learned with the zones, the incubator zones that we had on campus, and take some of that experience here in Brampton and bring it out of the university into the community and work with the community that's here. That's great. So how did BBZ's original vision within TMU's zone learning network differ from other incubators? And what unique role did you see it playing from the start?

So I think the question around a unique role, I think all of us that are sort of in this space that's providing incubation and support all have that goal of trying to support ventures and to make a difference with those founders. But I think the other thing that we've learned there is the importance of the role that we play within the community and that really what we're doing to be successful is to bring aspects and resources and people with energy and drive and interest in the success of their community together.

And building that community up is what's so important and giving them the opportunity then to support those founders because the entrepreneurs are really everyone. And what we try to do really is multiply that effect that they have and help them get that resources and then build their own community too so that they can support one another. Well, what's interesting and what I'm learning through this initiative right now, John, and this is a little off script, but what's curious and what I just heard you say was, you know, build community.

And when it came to Brampton and when you brought the vision and brought it to life here or, you know, played a role with it, did you see that community already there, at least part of it, when you brought it here and seeing it flourish new? because what I'm learning is it activated many other things. It was like a domino effect. Exactly.

I think, as I said, the entrepreneurs and people that want to drive this success, you're going to find them in pretty well any community. But what you can do is trying to bring them together and provide a place where they can bring that energy, where they can contribute, But then where the entrepreneurs are people that don't necessarily even see themselves as entrepreneurs yet. And how they can begin to tap in and get the confidence to bring something forward and build that up over time.

So I think it's there. And again, I always really think that what we do is we multiply what's there. That's our goal. It's not creating it from zero.

So, BBZ has now supported nearly 50 startups. What sets it apart from other early stage incubators in Canada Well I think again we talked a lot about the community that huge and being very focused on the community Right from the beginning Usha Srinivasan who was the founding director of the zone, and she basically started with a clean board as to what to do, but she brought a lot of experience, and one of the things that she was very keen on was this idea of place-based innovation and thinking, looking at what's in the community there.

What are the opportunities there? What are the challenges that may be in the industry? And using those as a way to stimulate that entrepreneurial activity and focusing the work that we're doing there. So each of the cohorts and the groups that we run are supported.

We always start with sort of a problem lab idea, which is something we should come up with, which is to go out into the industry, into the community and say, what are the challenges your industry are facing? And then how do we then take that back and then present that back out to entrepreneurs? Because the best entrepreneurs focus on problems and solving problems first. It's not about their solution at first, it's getting really attached to real problems.

And what that also did for us was build those relationships within the community because when we're reaching out to other small businesses, industry associations, the Bradford Board of Trade, who we've done a lot of work with, and other groups. That gave a way for them to have a voice into that whole electricity. That's great. So, you know, looking back, it's five years now.

How have you seen BFZ evolve over the time? And what has surprised you the most about the journey? Yeah. Well, one of the new things we had is that we started off, as I said, with a fairly clean plate of what we would go forward.

So to give a good example of one of the things that we never anticipated was what's going on today, which brought us together. It's the Prafton Adventure Act. Right. And we're in the fifth year this year of that expo, and it started, very small, started online because, of course, we launched this whole thing during COVID, which was an experience in itself.

But now here, you know, they told me yesterday that I think we had, well over 2,000, so literally 2,300 people registered for today, which is amazing. And this is something that didn't exist before. And it wasn't something that we sort of had laid out in the plan and said, oh, we're going to run this expo and it's going to grow. It's like, no, you get on the ground, you see where the opportunity is, you see where the energy is, and you start to build that flywheel.

And the expo is one of the examples of what was like. I guess we've had a great tournament. People are excited, though. And it showcases what's going on here in Brampton.

Yeah, and I think it's also, for myself, I live downtown. I live right downtown by Queen and John. So, you know, it brings folks into the city as well as this, I guess, this showcase piece for Brampton for innovation and for community. And it's a great event.

John, with the launch of the School of Medicine now in Brampton, how do you see BBZ helping connect researchers, clinicians, than entrepreneurs to strengthen the local health system? I think the School of Medicine is a great, it's going to be a great asset to the city and the community here. And having the zone in place and the work that we're doing there and the experience that we've had gives us a bit of a platform so that as we see the opportunities that are growing from a research standpoint within the School of Medicine, that we can begin to develop those and see them grow here and grafted.

That's going to take a number of years as the school develops and that research comes forward. That doesn't stop us from today going out and beginning to work with companies that are in that area, if in the area of medical technologies, health technologies, and beginning to build those connections. So we can get ahead of that and start those connections as well today. We can work with the hospital system that's here.

We can work with the integrated health clinics that the School of Medicine will also be working with and building those connections between companies. And also better understanding what the community challenge is. To go back to that original point about being focused on place-based innovation, what are the challenges in the health system that are here in Brampton that we can build on, that we can help to address? And how do we bring those resources from an entrepreneurial standpoint to address those challenges here in the community The city of Brampton has renewed its investment in BVC From your perspective what does that say about the impact BVC has had and where it headed next?

Well, I think it's a great endorsement of what the Zone has been able to accomplish over the last five years and what the team here has done. And it also, I think, is a recognition by the city. And this, I think, is one of these things that I said is a bit unusual, is their willingness to invest and be persistent and to take a longer term view. Because these things, this is, you know, an effort that takes a while to build up that community.

And you have to keep leaning on that flywheel and keep it turning to get it going on its own. And it will. Yeah. And it just, it needs that investment.

So I think the city's willingness to invest here. And it's not simply the investment in the Brandt Venture Zone, but their support of the rest of the innovation district that they have here. They've been serious about this from the start and been willing to back up what they're saying they want to help out. And it's a testament in terms of the momentum signals that's showing what had happened to bring it and to reinvest and say, hey, you know what, we are on the right track.

Right, exactly. And this, you know, the expo today, one of the things that we've done with it from the start is to make it very open. So yes, we're, it's the zone and the team here that's organizing and pulling this together, but we open it up to all the members of the Innovation District. We really do want them here to be showcasing what their work that they're doing and the contributions that they're making as well, as well as other, you know, industry partners and other groups that are working in the city.

Well, I mean, yeah, just thinking out loud, I really love that in terms of making it as an inclusive part in terms of the community because I know in some sectors or some cities or some, it could be siloed a bit sometimes, right? So just understanding that and making it open to your point, I think that's a big differentiator as well. Yeah, and we're all in this sort of work. We're all taking teams or entrepreneurs or individuals, talent, from some stage and then helping them move to another stage.

But when they go to that next stage, that has to be the next stage for them. So there are different groups that play different roles in this whole system. And the success that any one of these groups has, it's not zero sum. Their success really builds that whole system there.

So I'm very happy to celebrate the success that Altitude has with the teams that they've got, because that's a place, that's a next stage for what we do. But it also, even if it's not that linear, it's that they're building that overall system and they're building off that attitude and that culture around entrepreneurship and innovation here. Yeah, I mean, you know what came to mind, John, is like the saying, it takes a community to raise a child. raise a child, it's the same thing with the startup.

So I love what's happening here. I love the energy. Building on emerging tech areas in Brampton, like XR, logistics and AI, how does that help BVZ evolve into shaping Canada's global health tech footprint? Well, you know, it's work that we're doing in other areas as well around research-based and IP-based or intellectual property-based opportunities I think is important.

We need more of that happening within Canada. And, you know, there are good business model-based innovations and companies going on that. But a lot of the innovation and where we need to strengthen our capability is around companies and ventures that are built around good, solid research and maybe a platform that will actually property that they can grow over time. because that gives you a very defensible territory for your business and also gives you a platform that you can build for global competitiveness and the export opportunity that you want to play because that will be the other aspect for ventures like that.

They need to think about global markets as they do this. As you get started, you need to have customers as close as you can. Yes. You want to start off that that local based area those areas that you can where where you solving local problems but always with a global perspective to what you doing and say well how can I take this beyond here How can I scale this as I go from this And I think that's a good mindset shift, especially from a Canadian point of view or a Canadian startup or a Canadian entrepreneur is like, yes, sometimes some people are really thinking globally first and not even thinking about local, but really I think me being Canadian board is like global is US, but it's not.

It's not. And we've got to really think about that. And I think that mindset that the zone is doing and really incorporating that is very important. And it is, I think, earlier at the Expo today, Colin, who spoke in the keynote, talked about what he saw as he looked around the world around electric vehicle innovations and where that was happening.

And it's, you know, interestingly, the chart he was saying, it didn't have the United States there. It was China. It was Japan. It was the European Union.

And so we need to be thinking on those broader terms there from that. But I also do really believe that as you get started, you need to be, you're going to be better off if you can focus on some areas where you have some local customers, local demand. Because they're the ones that are going to drive you, build you, force you to have that better product and better solution. But as you're doing that, begin to think about how can I take this to the market global.

Yeah, I mean, it makes me think, John, in terms of my early entrepreneurship days at a business partner. He's out of New York, and he used to say, listen, Canada is good, and it helps you learn to build a product, a sustainable business, so you could go global. Because Canada, as great as we are, is a very small market. It is.

It is. And people adhere to. I mean, you know, traditionally, we also tend to build companies in a much leaner way than some of our counterparts. or south of the border.

That's right. And that sometimes is not a bad thing. Like you're going to be more resilient, I think too, as you know how to do things from a lean perspective, making the best use of the resources that you have access to. Yeah, so John, I just wanted to thank you for, you know, being, you know, instrumental into bringing this up here to Brampton, BBZ.

I just, my last question for you is like, what are you most excited about for BBZ coming to the near or long future? I think it's simply that how can we grow with this community and bring a whole, you know, an additional dimension to what the capabilities and the success that's possible here with the people here in Grafton and in the region. And how do we basically keep that wheel turning and turning it faster? And we have, you know, we spoke briefly about the School of Medicine, that coming on board.

I think that creates some new opportunities. But there are some strong industries within the region here as well. The medtech area that we're looking at, working on, but in advanced manufacturing and food and logistics, all of these are important areas that Canada can excel in and that we can continue to support and grow. So I think a lot is going to happen here in the next five years and beyond.

Well, it's exciting. I get shivers thinking about it. I love the small town feel of Brampton. It's a big city, but it's also situated in a nice area within Canada to really make an impact and have that support.

And it certainly is. And I think it comes back. We have that and its location and everything else that's here, but it's also the people that are here. 100%.

That have that energy and that willingness to drive and to try something and to do something. and I think just continuing to build on that, which is what's exciting. Yeah, amazing. Well, John, thank you for joining us today.

It's been a pleasure, and it's been a fun ride over the last five years with the Brampton Ventures Zone, and I'm really looking forward to what the team can do. Yeah, me too. Thank you so much. Thanks.

That's a wrap, folks. This episode is part of the BBZ Five Years Bulb. It was produced in collaboration with Up Next Global. I'm grateful for the opportunity to learn from the founders and the BVZ community that continues to shape the Brampton Innovation Ecosystem.

Until next time, have yourself a 100x life.