Made In Montreal: From Bagels to Billion-Dollar Ideas
Join us for a special fireside conversation with two of Montreal’s most iconic entrepreneurs; Harley Finkelstein (President, Shopify) and David Segal (Co-Founder, Firebelly Tea & President, Highbeam).
From their early days in Montreal to building globally recognized companies, Harley and David will share the lessons, challenges, and pivotal moments that shaped their journeys. This candid discussion will explore how Montreal influenced their entrepreneurial paths, what it takes to scale from a local idea to an international brand, and the insights they’ve gained along the way.
Expect a night of storytelling, practical wisdom, and inspiration for founders, builders, and anyone passionate about the future of Canadian entrepreneurship.
Agenda
6:30pm - 7:00pm: Networking
7:00pm - 7:15pm: Opening Remarks
7:15pm - 8:15 pm: Fireside Discussion
Join Harley & David for an unfiltered conversation on their journeys building from Montreal for the world.
8:15pm - 8.30pm: Closing Remarks
Speakers
Harley Finkelstein is an entrepreneur and the President of Shopify. He founded his first company at age 17 while a student at McGill. Harley completed his law degree as well as his MBA at the University of Ottawa. He received the Canadian Angel Investor of the Year Award, Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 Award, Fortune’s 40 Under 40, was inducted into the Order of Ottawa, and received the King Charles III Coronation Medal. From 2014 to 2017 Harley was on the Board of Directors of the C100, and from 2017 to 2020 he was on to the Board of Directors of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). He is currently on the Board of Directors of the National Retail Federation, Operation Hope, and the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation. Harley recently co-founded Firebelly, a modern high-end tea brand, and created Big Shot, a project and podcast that archives the stories of the greatest Jewish entrepreneurs of the last century.
David Segal is a serial entrepreneur and brand builder best known as the co-founder of DAVIDsTEA, where he helped popularize premium tea across North America. Under his leadership, the company grew to over $200M in sales and went public on NASDAQ in 2015. After exiting DAVIDsTEA, he founded Mad Radish, a healthy fast-casual restaurant chain, and later launched Firebelly Tea, a modern organic tea brand co-founded with Shopify President Harley Finkelstein. David was named to Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 and is also the co-host of the podcast Big Shot, where he interviews top entrepreneurs and leaders. David is currently championing the banking & finance platform Highbeam - where he began as a customer, then became an investor, advisor, and ultimately now the President. He’s seen first hand the enormous impact better cash management has on the bottom line. Highbeam just raised 30M for their Series A and are on a mission to help consumer brands run more profitability. David could not be more excited to help lead the charge.
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