The Canadian Unicorn Who Stayed

Canada has a scaleup problem. We create entrepreneurs, but too many of them feel they need to leave to build world-class companies.

Fred Lalonde is one of the exceptions. He is the founder and CEO of Hopper, the Canadian travel-tech company that used data, prediction and fintech to help travellers book with more confidence.

Now Lalonde is bringing that same ambition to Deep Sky, a Canadian carbon removal company.

In this episode of Disruptors, recorded in front of a live audience, John Stackhouse speaks with Fred about what it takes to build and scale from Canada - and why the country needs more founders willing and able to do it here.

Fred is funny and blunt, but underneath it all is a builder's clarity: disruption is not something he manages. It is something he assumes.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How Hopper became one of Canada's leading tech success stories
• Why Fred thinks entrepreneurs better be motivated by building, not just money
• Why AI, energy and advanced manufacturing are central to Canada's next growth chapter
• What it takes to build a world-class company without leaving Canada

RBC Thought Leadership

Keywords: Fred Lalonde, Frederic Lalonde, Hopper, Deep Sky, John Stackhouse, Disruptors podcast, RBC Thought Leadership, Canadian unicorns, Canadian startups, Canadian founders, Canadian scaleups, Canada startup ecosystem, Canada founder gap, Canadian entrepreneurship, Canadian innovation, venture capital Canada, growth capital Canada, RBC growth fund, homegrown Canadian companies, AI disruption, climate tech, carbon removal, direct air capture, energy transition, advanced manufacturing, Canadian productivity, Canadian competitiveness.

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