The Frontier Entrepreneurship Podcast

Shari van de Pol, Founder of Dairy Platform Start-up, CATTLEytics

S2 E6 CATTLEYTICS
Data, predictive analytics, dynamic communications and digital twins make up the virtual landscape of modern dairy farms. Bringing it all together into a comprehensive platform for some of the largest cattle operations in the world is veterinarian, computer engineer and entrepreneur, Shari van de Pol, polymath and Founder of CATTLEytics. “Dairy farmers we work with are some of the most incredible, innovative, understanding, hard-working people out there, and that’s one of the reasons I love doing what I do,” Shari says. In this episode of the Frontier Entrepreneurship Podcast, co-hosts Braden Kemp and Tracy Morningstar explore how Shari and her team successfully introduce advanced technologies into the dairy industry.
Acknowledgments
The Executive Producer of the Frontier Entrepreneurship Podcast is Robert Washburn. Special thanks to Daniela Scoppa, Heather Cannings and John Hayden. For more information on our podcast, including co-host biographies, click here.
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DELIA is Nventure’s Women Entrepreneurship Loan Fund backing women-owned ventures across Canada. Visit our website to learn more and apply today.

Morgan Wyatt, Co-Founder of Natural Materials Start-up, Advanced Biofibre Technologies

S2 E5 ADVANCED BIOFIBRE
The approach to an environmentally sustainable future runs through dangerous territory. Trying to get better, we make things worse. Solving one problem, we create another... and another… how then should green products be designed and introduced?
Today’s episode of the Frontier Entrepreneurship Podcast brings you an in-depth conversation with Morgan Wyatt, PhD in chemical biology and serial innovator. As Tracy characterizes Morgan's entrepreneurial philosophy, he exemplifies trust, a promise and an outlook built on a firm resolve to “stop disrupting nature.” From Greenlid to Botanical Symbiotics to Advanced Biofibre Technologies and more, Morgan’s prolific enviro-entrepreneurial career spans the realms of bio-manufacturing, ag-tech and materials science. Today, Tracy and Braden take you to the frontier of product development for the real circular economy, in conversation with Morgan Wyatt.
Quick Links and References:
Greenlid website (and their original Dragons’ Den pitch)
Botanical Symbiotics, Advanced Biofibre (in development)
McMaster University’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence program
Brock University
Bast Fibre Tech
Next Canada (tech start-up accelerator)
Disclosure
Nventure seed-funded Advanced Biofibre Technologies through the thriveFORWARD initiative, with the support of FedDev Ontario through the Government of Canada’s Jobs and Growth Fund (JGF).
Acknowledgments
The Executive Producer of the Frontier Entrepreneurship Podcast is Robert Washburn. Special thanks to Daniela Scoppa, Heather Cannings and John Hayden. This project is made possible with the support of FedDev Ontario and the Government of Canada.
For more information on our podcast, including co-host biographies, click here.
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The fifth edition of Nventure’s StrikeUP Canada conference for women entrepreneurs takes place on February 27th, 2025. Register now to join us for an interactive, educational and inspiring online program headlined by Jillian Harris. Co-presented by the Scotiabank Women Initiative® and EDC in partnership with WEKH, Futurpreneur, BDC and the Government of Canada, and supported by WBE Canada and Brilliant Catalyst at Ontario Tech University. For more, head to strikeup.ca.

Mingyang Sun, President & COO of Biotech Venture, Nature Recombined

S2 E4 NATURE RECOMBINED
Co-Hosts Braden Kemp (Bioenterprise Canada) and Tracy Morningstar (Canadian Council for Indigenous Business) are joined today by Ming Sun, President & COO of Nature Recombined Sciences, makers of ApiSave™—a natural botanical extract for improving bee health. They delve into the world of biotech entrepreneurship and explore the importance of protecting the world’s most important pollinator.
“Is it dangerous for honeybees right now?”  Sun asks. “Yes, it is. It’s not just one disease or pathogen but all of the antibiotics, pesticides and chemicals. Coupled with indirect factors such as climate change, this is putting bees in a position of catastrophic loss.” This is where Nature Recombined comes in, developing plant-based solutions that are showing very promising results. We discuss safe and natural anti-microbial biosynthesis and more, in this latest edition of the Frontier Entrepreneurship Podcast.
Quick Links and References
ApiSave official website
Why bees are essential to people and planet (UNEP, 2021)
How far bees fly in a day (Canadian Honey Council)
Overview of Bee Pollination and its Economic Value for Crop Production, Khalifa et al., Insects (2021) via NLM. See also: Naeem & Selamoglu, From Flower to Food: Honey Bees and their Role in Crop Production (2025). pp. 56-63.
Varrora Mites (Province of Ontario)
Building Bee Awareness (Alberta Motor Association)
On celebrities and bees: Angelina Jolie (National Geographic); Morgan Freeman (Forbes)
Veterinary Health Products regulation in Canada
Acknowledgments
The Executive Producer of the Frontier Entrepreneurship Podcast is Robert Washburn. Special thanks to Daniela Scoppa, Heather Cannings and John Hayden. This project is made possible with the support of FedDev Ontario and the Government of Canada.
For more information on our podcast, including co-host biographies, click here.
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Through Bioenterprise Canada, The Engine is Canada’s leading agri-tech alliance, uniting innovators, partners, and investors to drive groundbreaking agri-food advancements and commercial success. Learn more at bioenterprise.ca.

Brad McKay, Founder & CEO of Food Microfactory Start-up, Meals on the Move

S2 E3 MEALS ON THE MOVE
Co-Hosts Braden Kemp (Bioenterprise Canada) and Tracy Morningstar (Canadian Council for Indigenous Business) are joined by Brad McKay, Founder & CEO of Meals On the Move (MOM). Brad’s company is a Toronto-based Canadian start-up preparing to deploy an array of robotic micro-factories designed to optimize food catering services for institutions like hospitals and care facilities, each within a defined geographic area and population base.
Brad is passionate about the potential of automation, and in this episode shares his ideas on entrepreneurship, sources of inspiration, and explains why the changes he is pursuing in the food services industry will ultimately free up time for his customers to focus on caring for people.
“It really turns upside down how we make food in Canada,” Brad explains. “Our model creates a small factory close to the customer so that the cost and environmental impact is very small. It’s miniaturizing the way we manufacture food. And we couldn’t do that without robotics.”
Quick Links and References
MOM official website.
Makers of food services cobots (collaborative robots) mentioned in this podcast include Hyphen and Miso Robotics. Read more about the latest deployment from CHIPOTLE (press release).
Salad chain Sweetgreen acquires Spyce (TechCrunch).
Denis O’Riardon feature in FORA.
Clayton Christenson’s The Innovator’s Dilemma (Wikipedia).
Disclosure
Nventure seed-funded Meals On the Move as part of the first round of the thriveFORWARD initiative, with the support of FedDev Ontario through the Government of Canada’s Jobs and Growth Fund (JGF).
Acknowledgments
The Executive Producer of the Frontier Entrepreneurship Podcast is Robert Washburn. Special thanks to Daniela Scoppa, Heather Cannings and John Hayden. This project is made possible with the support of FedDev Ontario and the Government of Canada.
For more information on our podcast, including co-host biographies, click here.
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Nventure delivers local, regional and national programming in support of innovation and entrepreneurship as pathways to future prosperity. Head to nventure.ca to learn more.

Anthony Wingham, Co-Founder of Indigenous Cosmetics Venture, Nuez Acres

S2 E2 NUEZ ACRES
Today, our exploration continues with Co-Hosts Braden Kemp (Bioenterprise Canada) and Tracy Morningstar (Canadian Council for Indigenous Business) in conversation with Anthony Wingham, Co-Founder of Nuez Acres: a British Columbia-based Indigenous company formulating cosmetics products from pecan oil. In this episode we touch on the history of the pecan tree, adapting pecan oil for beauty products, the “seed to skin” sustainability approach at Nuez Acres, and how their work is part of a broader “waterless revolution” happening now in the cosmetics industry.
Quick Links and References
Nuez Acres official website
Kimmerer, Robin Wall. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Milkweed Editions, 2013). On pecans, see in particular, p.13
State of Chihuahua, Mexico (Wikipedia). See Pecan South Magazine backgrounder on pecan farms in Mexico and, as an introduction, the Milwaukee Public Museum entry on the Tarahumara
Definition of “anhydrous”
Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act (Washington State, USA)
RangeMe
Some of the other companies mentioned by Anthony: BASF, Sephora, L’Oreal
What Is Dropshipping and How Does It Work? (2025) - Shopify
Futurpreneur, Connected North, Export Navigator, Export Development Canada
Other Indigenous-owned Canadian beauty brands: Satya, Yukon Soaps, Loakin, Skwalwen, Cheekbone Beauty
Canton Fair
The “Two Michaels” (Wikipedia)
National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association (NACCA) and NACCA Youth Business Advisory Council
Acknowledgments
The Executive Producer of the Frontier Entrepreneurship Podcast is Robert Washburn. Special thanks to Daniela Scoppa, Heather Cannings and John Hayden. This project is made possible with the support of FedDev Ontario and the Government of Canada.
For more information on our podcast, including co-host biographies, click here.
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CCIB builds bridges between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, businesses and communities through diverse programming, providing tools, training, network building, major awards, and national events. Click here to learn more.

Rashmi Prakash, CEO of Bio-manufacturing Start-up, Aruna Revolution

S2 E1 ARUNA REVOLUTION
Season 2 of the Frontier Entrepreneurship Podcast is finally here, as we begin an exploration of Canadian ag/biotech and agri-food innovation with Co-Hosts Braden Kemp (Bioenterprise Canada) and Tracy Morningstar (Canadian Council for Indigenous Business).
Did you know that period pads can contain heavy metals and carcinogens, and that they sit in landfills for hundreds of years? Meanwhile, in favour of plastic, gigatons of agricultural residuals are wasted. Useful natural fibres are being left behind in fields, season after season. But our first guest, Rashmi Prakash (CEO of Aruna Revolution) is working with farmers to reclaim this biomaterial, using it to create natural menstrual products that will help make the circular economy a reality.
Quick Links and References
Aruna Revolution – Bioenterprise Canada
Aruna Revolution Wins 2024 Green Pursuit Challenge (Dairy Farmers of Canada and Bioenterprise)
UC Berkeley Public Health – Study on toxicity of tampons (2024)
Who are the Cattails? Stories of Algonquin Anishinaabe Food Systems, by Kaitlyn Patterson, Canadian Food Studies (2021). See also: Medicine in your backyard: How Indigenous peoples have used medicinal plants | CBC News, NativeTech page on cattails, Indigenous Goddess Gang on ‘feminine hygiene’ industry.
Rashmi Prakash – University of British Columbia (UBC), School of Biomedical Engineering, Capstone project innovations.
Acknowledgments
The Executive Producer of the Frontier Entrepreneurship Podcast is Robert Washburn. Special thanks to Daniela Scoppa, Heather Cannings and John Hayden. This project is made possible with the support of FedDev Ontario and the Government of Canada.
For more information on our podcast, including co-host biographies, click here.
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NCFDC is now Nventure. Learn more at nventure.ca.
Nventure is presenting the 5th edition of our annual StrikeUP Conference digital conference for women entrepreneurs on February 27, 2025. We'd like to take this opportunity to invite Frontier listeners to attend (it's free and full of great content, networking opportunities and more).
StrikeUP is co-presented by Scotiabank Women Initiative and EDC in partnership with the Government of Canada.

Victoria Xu, Co-Founder of Green Hydrogen Start-Up, CleanInnoGen

Episode #11 CleanInnoGen
If green hydrogen will be the fuel of the future, many technological breakthroughs will be needed. Deeptech ventures are charting a course through the outer reaches of thermo-chemical engineering to a new era of net zero energy abundance. Today, Co-Hosts Braden Kemp and Tracy Morningstar take you to the industrial frontier with Victoria Xu, impact entrepreneur, angel investor and Founder of CleanInnoGen.
As noted by Foresight Canada (CleanInnoGen was a Foresight 50 2023 Honouree): "CleanInnoGen helps to decarbonize heavy industries like steel and cement by using their waste heat to drive a chemical process, the copper-chlorine cycle, that produces green hydrogen and oxygen on site. The hydrogen and oxygen can be used in the industry’s process for fuel switching to a non-carbon source and for improved combustion efficiency, thus helping to decarbonize their operation. The process uses significantly less electricity than water electrolysis."
Themes we encounter in this conversation with Victoria:
The promise of green hydrogen
Balancing entrepreneurship and angel/impact investing
The intersection of green hydrogen and electric vehicles/electrification
Hydrogen storage and transportation requirements and costs
Closed loop systems (utilizing waste heat from heavy industry for decarbonization)
Circular business models, time to market, demonstration markets
Why the notorious “valley of death” is even more challenging for deeptech startups
Capital-intensive physical technologies.
Quick Links and References:
The CleanInnoGen (CIG) official website
CEMEX Ventures and Foresight Canada entries on CIG
On hydrogen and green hydrogen (MIT Climate Portal)
Key vocabulary: Water Electrolyzers (USA - ENERGY.GOV), Steam Methane Reforming - SMR (Wikipedia), Thermochemical Water Splitting (USA - ENERGY.GOV), Circular Economics (ENR - Government of Canada), Technology Readiness Level - TRL scale (Innovation Canada)
Hydrogen Production Pathways backgrounder (NRC)
Thermochemical Hydrogen Production (Ontario Tech University)
Acknowledgments
CleanInnoGen secured $25,000 in matching, performance-based seed funding from NCFDC's thriveFORWARD initiative, with the support of FedDev Ontario and the Government of Canada's Jobs and Growth Fund (JGF).
Laboratory work to further commercialization of this technology is being carried out by Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL).
The Executive Producer of the Frontier Entrepreneurship Podcast is Robert Washburn. Special thanks to NCFDC’s Victoria Pichler, Daniela Scoppa, Sanjay Deoram and John Hayden. This project is made possible with the support of FedDev Ontario and the Government of Canada.
For more information on our podcast, including co-host biographies, click here.
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NCFDC provides alternative lending solutions for qualified businesses and organizations in Northumberland, Ontario, Canada, with the support of the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario). Click here to learn more about how the Community Futures Program can support local business start up, stabilization or expansion.
Additional terms and conditions apply. See website for details.

Thomas Storwick, Co-Founder of Cleantech Start-up, Coastal Carbon

Episode #10 Coastal Carbon
Thomas Storwick from Coastal Carbon uses satellite data and AI technology to speak for the trees... or in this case, the kelp! His platform is enabling blue carbon credits, data-driven marine ecosystem restoration, protection of biodiversity, sustainable aquaculture and economic development–even in remote locations around the world, where Indigenous communities are so often at the global forefront of climate action. As Thomas remarks, "None of this remote monitoring would be possible without AI. We're doing measurements that were impossible before and at a scale that wasn't feasible."
Today, we take you to the intersection of seaweed and AI, in this tenth episode of Season 1 of the Frontier Entrepreneurship Podcast, with Co-Hosts Braden Kemp (Bioenterprise Canada) and Tracy Morningstar (CCAB).
Themes we encounter in this conversation with Thomas:
The state of seaweed in the coastal environment
Aquaculture farming and marine ecosystem regeneration
Remote data capture with AI
Blue carbon credits and co-benefits (community economic development, supporting remote communities, understanding and influencing the growth of biodiversity)
Indigenous economic development implications
Coastal Carbon’s market focus and business model
Seaweed markets generally, biotech applications and outlook
Seaweed farming insights and analytics (beyond blue carbon credits).
Quick Links and References
Coastal Carbon’s official website
Ocean Wise
On sea urchin barrens (UC Santa Cruz news center)
Key vocabulary: Blue Carbon (NOAA definition); Transect (NPS definition); MRV (Monitoring, Reporting, Verification, World Bank overview), Biostimulants (University of Minnesota definition), Bio-fouling (IMO).
Learn more about UC Berkely’s seaweed projects
Acknowledgments
Coastal Carbon secured $25,000 in matching, performance-based seed funding from NCFDC's thriveFORWARD initiative, with the support of FedDev Ontario and the Government of Canada's Jobs and Growth Fund (JGF).
The Executive Producer of the Frontier Entrepreneurship Podcast is Robert Washburn. Special thanks to NCFDC’s Victoria Pichler, Daniela Scoppa, Sanjay Deoram and John Hayden. This project is made possible with the support of FedDev Ontario and the Government of Canada.
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The Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) is a national non-profit organization with a mission is to promote, strengthen and enhance a prosperous Indigenous economy through the fostering of business relationships, opportunities and awareness for all CCAB Membership.

William Jones, Founder & CEO of Digital Health Start-up, Leynek Medical

Episode #9 Leynek Medical
William Jones from Leynek Medical is engineering new hardware and software solutions for digital healthcare transformation. Join Frontier Entrepreneurship Podcast Co-Hosts Braden Kemp (Bioenterprise) and Tracy Morningstar (Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business) as they learn more about William’s mission and vision.
Themes we encounter in this conversation:
Avoiding unnecessary hospital trips ER, cancer oncology
Supporting healthcare system users and practitioners, information sharing
Medtech/digital health entrepreneurship, patient first design
Leynek Medical origin, founder story, personal experience
Understanding and interpreting device health data, virtual care
Business models and partnerships
Clinical validation
Mentorship, entrepreneurship, start-up pitfalls
Importance of seed funding for early-stage entrepreneurship.
Quick Links and References
Leynek Medical official website
Tabriz, Turner, Hong et al., Trends and Characteristics of Potentially Preventable Emergency Department Visits Among Patients With Cancer in the US., Emergency Medicine (2023)
MDEL (Health Canada), 510k Submissions (FDA)
Invest Ottawa.
Acknowledgments
Leynek Medical secured $25,000 in matching, performance-based seed funding from NCFDC's thriveFORWARD initiative, with the support of FedDev Ontario and the Government of Canada's Jobs and Growth Fund (JGF).
The Executive Producer of the Frontier Entrepreneurship Podcast is Robert Washburn. Special thanks to NCFDC’s Victoria Pichler, Daniela Scoppa and John Hayden. This project is made possible with the support of FedDev Ontario and the Government of Canada.
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The Venture13 innovation centre is located in Cobourg, Ontario, just over an hour east of Toronto, and includes co-working space for startups, an innovation commons and demo hall, a mechatronics-focused makerlab as well as co-locating anchor organizations like NCFDC, the Northumberland Manufacturers Association, Northumberland Makers, the Cobourg Police Service’s business unit and the Town of Cobourg’s Economic Development Department. For more information, and to join the VentureZone, head to venture13.ca.

Sydney Robinson, Co-Founder & CEO of Prosthetics Start-up, Vessl

Episode #8 Vessl
In this latest podcast episode from the entrepreneurship frontier, Co-Hosts Braden Kemp and Tracy Morningstar join Sydney Robinson, Co-Founder & CEO of southern Ontario-based start-up, Vessl Prosthetics, for a conversation about business, innovation and defining company culture from the beginning. Sydney is a mechanical and biomedical engineer working on an isoform socket to improve prosthetic solutions: “we are dedicated to amputees and being the best company we can be.”
Themes we encounter during this episode include:
Biomedical engineering innovation and iterative, user-driven design
Business model, innovation commercialization and regulatory strategies for prosthetics start-ups
Social media
Food and travel, and sources of inspiration
Building a strong company culture
Acknowledgments
Vessl secured $25,000 in matching, performance-based seed funding from NCFDC's thriveFORWARD initiative, with the support of FedDev Ontario and the Government of Canada's Jobs and Growth Fund (JGF).
The Executive Producer of the Frontier Entrepreneurship Podcast is Robert Washburn. Special thanks to NCFDC’s Victoria Pichler and John Hayden. This project is made possible with the support of FedDev Ontario and the Government of Canada.
Quick Links and References:
Vessl Prosthetics official website
Earned media: Global News, CTV News, University of Waterloo.
Mechanical Engineering (Queen’s University, Kingston, ON)
Western Medical Innovation Fellowship (Western University, London ON)
Key vocabulary: ”Prosthesis” (Wikipedia), ”Osseointegration” (Wikipedia), ”Physiatrist” (Johns Hopkins Medicine)
Brené Brown (brenebrown.com)
NCFDC’s thriveFORWARD initiative and portfolio.
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Bioenterprise is Canada’s Food and Agri-Tech Engine, a community of entrepreneurs, researchers, accelerators, and partners, committed to driving innovation across Canada in the agri-tech and food industry. To learn more, and discover opportunities for collaboration, head to bioenterprise.ca.