Blog

Startup Grind Calgary and the Founder Institute Present: W. Brett Wilson!

Startup Grind Calgary is back! Join us for an evening of fireside chats and conversations with exciting entrepreneurial leaders! In conjunction with the Founder Institute (FI), we are proud to feature Calgary icon W. Brett Wilson, FI Venture Impact Partner, founder of Klevr.ai and x2 Stanley Cup Champion Kris Versteeg and FI graduate and the co-founder and CEO of Quibbit Inc, Iida Cisecki! We are honored to host our feature fireside chat with W. Brett Wilson! Brett is best known as a “Dragon Emeritus” from 3 seasons on CBC’s hit reality TV show Dragons’ Den. He has built extensive holdings in the power generation, hydrocarbon production, real estate development, cannabis, agriculture, sports and entertainment industries. His business and philanthropic leadership have brought him considerable recognition including the Order of Canada (2011) and the Saskatchewan Order of Merit (2012). Brett continues to simplify and organize his life to focus on what is most important - his family, friends and health. His is semi-autobiography “Redefining Success: Still Making Mistakes” is an all-time best selling business book in Canada.

My Immigrant Story

I don't usually talk about this side of myself and I should. I love hearing stories about where everyone is from. I am Finnish Australian. At the age of 17 I moved to Australia from Finland. There was a lot of back and forth at the start, but Australia quickly took my heart. During covid I took a big leap and moved to Canada when the borders quickly closed in Australia. During all these years out of Finland, I still remember my roots dearly and I make sure to put a lot of effort into the local Finnish Societies that maintain the Finnish culture and the language in different parts of the world. This year I have the honour of serving as a Co-president of the Calgary Finlandia Cultural Association with Salla Carson. Today we celebrated Vappu with the Finns of Calgary! So glad to be able to celebrate with others even on the other side of the world (sorry, my hat is still on that other side of the world).