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How two DMZ startups are bringing tech to the food industry

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How two DMZ startups are bringing tech to the food industry

Canadian foodies, rejoice. These startups, Pass The Table and Urbery, are reshaping your dining experience.

Pass The Table connects diners with unique, memorable and meaningful out-of-house dining encounters. Launched in September 2014, the startup gives exclusive access to curated and tailored restaurant menus in Toronto, such as 10-courses of Japanese tapas at Hapa Izakaya or a pig’s head dinner at Farmhouse Tavern. You may even find a chef who wants to have you over to their own home for a personalized dinner.

The idea for Pass The Table came very naturally to founder Jason Finestone, an established professional food writer.

“I had a lot of amazing experiences, and I wanted to give that type of experience to the general public and connect people more deeply with the restaurants that host them, the chefs that are cooking for them, the producers of their beverages and the growers of their ingredients,” said Finestone. “With us, you’re always getting a VIP treatment.”

Pass The Table also organizes large-scale events and dinners at exciting and innovative venues, such as the Toronto Island and the Dock Ellis brewery, and custom curation events, like anniversary dinners or wedding parties. Whether you’re a single diner or part of a big group, there’s a culinary adventure waiting for you.

Pass The Table offers experiences ranging from $35 a person up to $160 a person for more premium, one-off events. Most bookings are paid partially in advance, and the remainder is due in house. The startup’s revenue comes from the booking fee built into the price of the experience.

To the diners’ benefit, Pass The Table offers incredible experiences that can’t be replicated but are exclusively accessible through the platform. “It’s something that nobody else in the restaurant is having, so people walk by and say, ‘Oh my gosh, how did you get that?’ It’s like, ‘Ah, man, you have to go to Pass The Table.’

In the immediate future, Finestone’s eyes are set on Vancouver and Chicago for expansion. But ultimately, he intends to reach even further afield.

More in the mood for dining in? Urbery has you covered: they’ll bring you all the grocery and alcohol items you need to fire up an awesome meal at home, all within as little as two hours.

Since the spring of 2015, Urbery has catered to everyone looking to find ways to save time with grocery shopping and preparing food – young millennials, busy parents, working professionals and persons with a disability. Customers can contact Urbery’s Grocery Guru in real time via a simple messaging system that allows them to track or make changes to their order.

The Urbery team, including founder and CEO Mudit Rawat, comes from a strong retail background. This has enabled them to integrate a rewarding loyalty program based on points that can be converted to order discounts or charitable donations (coming soon) and a freshness guarantee policy that further ensures full customer satisfaction.

Urbery’s revenue model is two-fold. For one, any order under $65 is charged a delivery fee that ranges from $5.99 to $9.99, while orders over $65 are given free shipping as an incentive. If alcohol is ordered, there is an additional $10 fee to cover legal delivery restrictions. Secondly, Urbery’s price markups range from 15 to 20 per cent, depending on such factors as market demand and whether the product is in season. A third aspect of the model, which is still in the planning stage, is a brand partnership strategy that would see targeted advertisements to customers and, eventually, product promotions funded by the brands.

Using targeted data analytics, Rawat says Urbery is also about to launch recipe integration. As Rawat explains,

“What if you were buying certain products and the platform understood that and automatically sent you recipes saying, here’s what you have and here’s what you can make and here’s how to do it?” he asked, adding that the customer experience is Urbery’s biggest priority. This mindset has gotten them far to date, with their average user rating being a 4.8 out of 5.

Unlike their competitor Grocery Gateway, which operates their own warehouse, Urbery cuts costs by using an Uber-like, crowd source model.

“There’s a reason why grocery delivery hasn’t picked up [in Canada] even though e-commerce has exploded all across the world. It’s just because financially it’s very hard to operate,” said Rawat. “We don’t hold inventory, we don’t have warehouses, and we use existing infrastructure with amazing grocery stores and liquor suppliers like Loblaws, Sobeys, Whole Foods and LCBO. People are buying from other people and doing it at their time and it becomes a complete variable cost of business.”

Right now, Urbery typically defaults to Loblaws to fulfill orders as their stores are best placed within the Toronto delivery zone, but if a customer requests their groceries from another store, the Grocery Gurus are able to accommodate. Rawat says that the door is open for partnership opportunities with any GTA grocers.

Also on Urbery’s agenda is expansion across the province and throughout Canada.

“Six months back, we were learning how to crawl. I think we’ve learned how to crawl and now we’re walking. Next steps, we’ll be running,” said Rawat about the company’s growth.

So, whether you’re looking for a special dining extravaganza, or added accessibility and convenience in making a delicious dish at home, Pass The Table and Urbery are ready to help.

How to explain technical things to not so technical people

Technical things

Every entrepreneur and developer has been faced with the challenge of communicating with people who know very little about what they do. No matter what industry you’re part of, you’ll most likely bump into people (and possible customers) that may not have the same skill sets as you. It’s important to find ways to make sure you’re being understood by whoever you’re pitching to. Here are a few tips to improve the sometimes strenuous process of talking about technical things to non-technical people.

Ask questions… like you mean it

As the expert, it’s your job to be the one who reaches across any knowledge cracks. To do this, you have to express technical ideas in ways they’ll understand without demeaning the audience. Start off by asking a few open-ended questions that allow the individual to feel comfortable with sharing how much they know or don’t know. This will give you a better understanding of the best way to explain your product or service in order to keep them engaged.

People and actions > systems and code

It can be difficult to avoid acronyms and jargon because these terms are useful and meaningful. There are a couple simple tricks to doing this. The first is to stop using technical names and take the time to describe what they do. And the second is to begin to educate your audience on a few key terms that may come up frequently during your presentation and then use just these terms throughout your pitch.

It can also be helpful to explain things from the user or customer’s point of view. Instead of saying “the system will,” start every sentence with “the user will.” Instead of “it’s coded like this” say “it’s made possible like this.” Case in point: don’t speak to everyone as if they’re a fellow entrepreneur or developer.

Market the benefits, not the features

Not all your customers are tech savvy folks who salivate when hearing about all the facts related to your product or service. What attracts most individuals are the benefits because they answer the question: “why does this matter to me?” So even though your developer spent months or even years on some state-of-the-art features that just can’t go unrecognized, in order to reel the point home, always follow your points on each feature with the sentence “the benefit of this is….”

Keep your cool

It’s important not to treat the people you’re presenting to as if they’re stupid. Although you may know much more than they do about a certain technical topic, it doesn’t mean you have to be trivial when making your point. Be humble. If the individual or group you’re presenting to has a blank stare on their face, learn how to deliver your content in a variety of ways that will allow your audience to focus on the mode that’s the most meaningful to them.

Just remember the age old saying “less is more.” When it comes to explaining the technical aspects of your product or service to nontechnical people, avoid data dumping and instead, try involving your audience as if you’re having a conversation.

The top highlights (and lessons learned) from my first year as executive director

The top highlights

During the past 12 months as the Executive Director, I’ve had the privilege of being surrounded by a community of energetic, driven, resilient individuals. This community has allowed us, the DMZ, to thrive from the momentum, to become a leading global business incubator and to focus efforts on one ultimate priority: our startups.

Muhammed Ali famously said “don’t count the days; make the days count.” As we continue to make each day count towards our mission to be Canada’s leading business incubator and a hub for startups that are having a transformative impact on the economy and society, I wanted to sha re my top highlights (and lessons learned) from my first year as ED.

  1. Focusing on our mission… fuelling startup successIn consultation with our startups, it became clear that we needed to shift our emphasis to direct startup support. With that in mind, we hired Hussam Ayyad as the Director of Startup Services. His team is focused on providing customized programming for startups that are tailored to their needs and sector, creating a strategy for startup services to be more accountable to ensure entrepreneurs are reaching their milestones, building a more robust rolodex of talent and mentors and making the Toronto-Waterloo corridor a priority.
  2. It’s who you knowWe’ve learned a lot when it comes to corporate partnerships. One of the biggest takeaways is to not have a one-size-fits-all model. With each opportunity that comes our way, we make sure to ask the question “how can this benefit our startups?” And we’ve found that when the match is right, there’s plenty to offer. Some examples:

    Our “Enterprise Innovation Space” partnership with IBM Bluemix Garage that provides them with a space at the DMZ and the opportunity to be ingrained in and collaborate with the startup community

    Our “legal counsel-in-residence” partnership with one of the top law firms in Canada – Goodmans LLP. The law firm provides 20 hours a week of free legal advice and consultation to entrepreneurs at the DMZ

    Great competitions and programs with corporate partners like our Next Big Idea in Fintech program, presented by BMO

  3. Today Canada… tomorrow, the world!As a leading Canadian incubator, we have an opportunity and a duty to contribute to creating a more prosperous economy, which echoes and supports the provincial and federal governments’ innovation agendas. We’re thrilled to have established recent partnerships with incubators throughout Canada and will continue to create a space that builds a culture around developing new ideas and sharing the DMZ model to bring more Canadian incubators to the world stage.

    Not only do we operate best by being active in emerging markets at home, we’re also building relationships across borders. This past year, the DMZ has created links to top-tier incubators and accelerators around the world by hosting international entrepreneurs from India, United Kingdom, South Africa and more. We’ve also signed strategic partnerships with the U.K.’s SETsquared, Innovation Birmingham, Taiwan’s CIIC, Australia’s ATP Innovations and ProMexico to provide entrepreneurs ‘borderless innovation’ to scale their business in key markets.

  4. The only constant is change.Change is often necessary, even if it might be frightening to some. Without change, we lack the ability to compel individuals to think in new ways. As our environment is known for its pace of change and innovation, we have to continue to make sure we’re striving to reach our goal: fuel the growth of early-stage startups. As such, we’ve had to make some adjustments to our team structure that will allow the different functions to better align, not silo, and refocus on our mission. Read more about my views on change in the workplace click to know more.
  5. What startups have taught me.There were many moments over the past year where startups taught me valuable lessons that helped push the DMZ to the next level. A few things I’ve learned are:
    • Although competition can be intimidating, it’s also a gift. Your competitors force you to sharpen your business and push your innovation agenda to the next level.
    • It’s critical to share the same vision and leadership principles as the rest of your team. While technical skills are important, it’s just as important to share common missionaries, not mercenaries, as your team grows.
    • Labour of love: passion, sacrifice and resilience are your superpowers. Without these components, it’s difficult to see through the fog during stormy times.
  6. Startup milestones.This post could easily be filled with milestones our startups have reached, but here’s a small sample of some of the accolades and achievements.
  7. Where do we go from here?I recently returned from the Incubation Summit in Sweden hosted by UBI Global, where I presented on managing corporate and talent collaboration at business incubators. This year, the group recognized the DMZ as the top-ranked university-based incubator in North America and third in the world. This accolade sets the stage for us to push to become number one globally. We’ll do that by being more accountable to our startups and ensuring they reach their goals. We’ll get there by building out our investor network, broadening corporate partnerships and leveraging our team’s full potential. We’ll also be launching our advisory council – a group of experienced leaders and entrepreneurs to help inform our way forward – that will serve as advocates for the DMZ, representing us to the public, and opening doors to their networks and an array of opportunities.

    Looking ahead, I’m beginning my second year as ED with our challenges and strengths clearly in mind. But also with the tenacious determination to see our vision come to life.

Mayor Tory launches StartUp HERE Toronto Café mentoring platform

Mayor Tory launches StartUp HERE

Mayor John Tory launched a new mentoring platform for entrepreneurs and small businesses with program partner Ten Thousand Coffees.

“This initiative will help make Toronto’s business community more accessible to those developing their businesses and careers,” said Mayor Tory. “We are pleased to help open the doors to success for future generations of entrepreneurs.”

The StartUp HERE Toronto Café, being hosted at Startup HERE Toronto, builds upon the network already established by acclaimed Toronto startup Ten Thousand Coffees, which currently has more than 60,000 users in the greater Toronto area (GTA).

“Coffee chats are the best way for young professionals, industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and students to get started – whether you have an idea, are interested in innovation, or looking to hire, go to Ten Thousand Coffees and meet with others,” said Dave Wilkin, founder of Ten Thousand Coffees. “Getting coffee with someone interesting is now just a few clicks away, it’s free and available to anyone interested in entrepreneurship and innovation in the City of Toronto.”

By encouraging people to network in person and virtually, the StartUp HERE Toronto Café will expand the networks of mentors available to entrepreneurs when they are building their businesses in the GTA, helping them to access advice and resources more quickly.

Mentors and entrepreneurs can sign up .

Workplace inclusion- more than just diverse faces

Workplace inclusion- more than just diverse faces

This year marks the first Pride Month in Toronto. It also marks the first time in Canadian history where a mayor, premier and the Prime Minister will march in the Pride parade.

Although an inaugural occasion to be celebrated, the recent attack in Orlando reminds us that the fight to end discrimination against the LGBTQ community isn’t over.

As many communities are focusing on creating a dialogue about LGBTQ issues, businesses across Canada are stepping up and building a comprehensive diversity and inclusion strategy for their employees. But is it working?

According to a recent study by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, 53 per cent of LGBTQ employees in Canada hide their sexual identity in the workplace. These numbers are estimated to be higher within sectors such as sports, technology and in the startup community.

This comes as no surprise when learning that 62 per cent of Canadian employees have heard negative LGBTQ related jokes or stereotypes at work.

Like any problem, solving issues of workplace inclusion requires transparent communication where diverse views can be expressed freely.

That’s why the DMZ and Out On Bay Street partnered to host the ‘Launching Into Inclusion’ panel, North America’s first panel discussion on LGBTQ inclusion in entrepreneurship.

Led by Stefan Palios, founder of Ziversity, our panelists – Chakameh Shafii, co-founder and CEO of TranQool, Lidia Bit-Yunan co-founder at Set Scouter, Zee Adams, founder of Somanda, Scott Stirrett, founder and executive director of Venture for Canada and Anshula Chowdry, CEO of SAMETRICA – each shared their own experiences as outliers in the entrepreneurial world.

 

The highlights:

 

On self-selection

Lidia: “When you’re growing your team as a startup, what happens is unless you’re conscious about it, co-founders end up hiring in their own image because it’s the safest thing to do. It’s like ‘we did well with the two of us’ so it makes sense to just keep cloning themselves. When growing your business, it’s important to ask yourself what kind of perspectives you’re lacking on your team.”

On what inclusion really means

Scott: “Inclusion isn’t just having diverse faces in your company. Inclusion is allowing a diverse team to be completely comfortable.”

On the double-outsider status

Anshula: “Women don’t get the same level of support to go into STEM and many don’t think about LGBTQ entrepreneurs, so think about where women who identify themselves an LGBTQ entrepreneurs or a woman entrepreneur who’s part of the LGBTQ community fits into all of this.”

On hiring for skills vs. hiring for inclusion

Chakameh: “It’s important to hire for skills, but it’s also important to include everyone in the conversation. You can do both.”

On LGBTQ inclusion as a business strategy

Zee: “By actively recruiting, retaining, developing and advancing LGBTQ employees and other minority groups, startups increase their ability to compete effectively and build better products and services.”

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