Torontonians who are shaking up the tech sector

Company HQ: Front and Blue Jays Way Founded: 2016 Employees: 25
Users: 500,000

How it works: “FlipGive is an online shopping portal that connects parents to big-name brands like Apple, Nike and Indigo and earns them between five and 15 per cent cash back from every purchase, which goes toward their kids’ sports teams.”

Eureka moment: “I have three kids who play sports. My wife was organizing their team fundraisers—selling raffle tickets, chocolate bars, etc.—and it took a ton of work just to raise a few hundred bucks. I figured that instead of suckering families into buying junk, there had to be a way to make money from purchasing stuff you actually need.”

How much you spent initially: “I founded a different software business in 2009, so it was an easy pivot into this. We spent $2 million—which came from investors—to get things moving.”

Your turning point: “As more people signed up, more merchants came on board. That attracted more people and even more merchants. It really was a snowball effect. Now, we have more than 700 brands on the app.”

Tech Jargon you use too much: “I speak in math formulas when it comes to our company data.”

Tech Jargon you hate: “Everyone talks about being data-driven, but they’ve got it all wrong. That method favours quantity over quality.”

The best advice you’ve received: “Focus on one thing and get it right before you grow.”

The worst advice you’ve received: “People pressured us to go after other markets—churches, schools, boy scouts—but we’re still scratching the surface of the sports market.”

Your tech role model: “Elon Musk. He’s doing big, bold, risky things to try to change the world.”

App you can’t live without: “I check LinkedIn three to five times a day.”

Coolest thing in your office: “We had an event at the Rec Room, and the programmers figured out which games would win them the most tickets. They ended up with this giant stuffed gorilla.”

Your go-to office attire: “I’m a jeans and golf shirt kind of guy.”

If you weren’t running a start-up: “I’m an entrepreneur at heart and would still be running some sort of business.”