Dylan Itzikowitz from South Park Commons

Dylan Itzikowitz from South Park Commons

Author: Evan McCann June 20, 2025 Duration: 45:47

Dylan Itzikowitz is a Principal at South Park Commons.


South Park Commons is a community of technologists and builders dedicated to helping each other explore, learn, and figure out what's next—or as they call it, go from -1 to 0.

They believe great ideas very rarely come about in isolation. The SPC Fund invests in companies that emerge from their members' explorations, ensuring the community's longevity and supporting the next stage of their founders' journeys.


Takeaways

- The Brain Drain Debate: Canadians in the U.S.

- Commonalities Among Founders

- Venture Investing Insights from Expa and SPC

- The -1 to 0 Concept at SPC

- Identifying Exceptional Talent

- Mindset Differences Across Ecosystems (Toronto, SF, London, NYC)

- The Evolution of Community Post-COVID

- Building Authentic Connections

- The Role of AI Tools in Startups

- Attracting Talent to South Park Commons

- Supporting Founders: The SPC Approach

- Scaling Communities: Quality Over Quantity

- Maintaining an Edge in Venture Capital

- Current Trends in Founding Companies

- The NYC Tech Ecosystem


Chapters

02:41 - Exploring Global Tech Ecosystems

07:13 - The Brain Drain Debate: Canadians in the U.S.

09:08 - Commonalities Among Founders: The Canadian Connection

10:00 - Venture Investing Insights: A Unique Approach

11:23 - Identifying Exceptional Talent: What We Look For

15:25 - Mindset Differences Across Ecosystems

18:02 - The Evolution of Community Post-COVID

20:38 - Building Authentic Connections

22:49 - The Role of AI Tools in Startups

24:02 - Attracting Talent to South Park Commons

25:59 - Supporting Founders: The SPC Approach

27:44 - Scaling Communities: Quality Over Quantity

30:07 - Maintaining an Edge in Venture Capital

32:36 - Current Trends in Founding Companies

34:41 - The New York Tech Ecosystem

36:46 - Key Learnings in Venture Capital

39:36 - The Role of Mentorship in Growth

41:21 - Coping with Hard Times: A Personal Approach


Keywords

Canadian talent, venture capital, brain drain, community building, networking, AI tools, startup trends, New York tech, mentorship


Evan McCann sits down with the people shaping Canada's business landscape, moving past the polished success stories to get into the real work that happens behind the scenes. The Hard Part with Evan McCann is built on conversations with founders, investors, and leaders who have navigated unique challenges, focusing on the pivotal decisions and often overlooked struggles that define a venture. This podcast explores the specific strategies and personal playbooks that have driven impact, offering a rare look at the operational truths of building something significant. While the spotlight frequently falls on innovators elsewhere, these episodes are dedicated to the Canadian visionaries whose work is redefining global entrepreneurship from here at home. You'll hear candid reflections on risk, resilience, and the moments that tested their conviction, providing not just inspiration but tangible insight into the mechanics of leadership and growth. Each discussion aims to unpack the nuance of achievement, making it an essential listen for anyone curious about the substance behind the headlines in the Canadian business world.
Author: Language: en-ca Episodes: 100

The Hard Part with Evan McCann
Podcast Episodes
Melissa Gallagher from Alma Care [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:53
Melissa Gallagher is the Co-Founder and CEO of Alma Care.Alma Care is on a mission to revolutionize postnatal care in Canada. They offer expert care, premium service and luxurious amenities to normalize rest and recovery…
Frederic Bastien from Amiral Ventures [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:29
Frederic Bastien is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Amiral Ventures.Amiral Ventures is a new venture capital firm whose mission is to empower talented and passionate Canadian founders, arm them with dynamic capita…
Afshin Mousavian from Atlas [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:34
Afshin Mousavian is the Co-Founder and CEO of Atlas.Atlas centralizes data from systems like point of sale (POS), scheduling & payroll, inventory management, and spreadsheets to provide operators with automation that sav…
Wayne Pommen from Affirm [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:40
Wayne Pommen is the Chief Revenue Officer at Affirm.Affirm is a fintech company specializing in buy-now-pay-later solutions, enabling consumers to split purchases into affordable installments. Founded in 2012 by PayPal c…
Jonathan Metrick from Sagard [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:29
Jonathan Metrick is a Partner and the Chief Growth Officer at Sagard.Sagard is a global multi-strategy alternative asset management firm active in venture capital, private equity, private credit, and real estate. Takeawa…
Tyler Reid from Xona Space Systems [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:29
Tyler Reid is the Co-Founder and CTO of Xona Space Systems.Xona is building the most accurate and secure positioning, navigation, and timing system on Earth.Takeaways- Studies at Stanford and Working at the Autonomous Dr…
Connor Turland from Ceedar [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:18
Connor Turland is the Co-Founder and CEO of Ceedar.Ceedar is the last bookkeeper you'll need to hire. It's time to retire the old ways. With Ceedar, you get done-for-you bookkeeping, up-to-date financials and maximized t…
Kurtis McBride from Miovision [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:46
Kurtis McBride is the Co-Founder and CEO of Miovision.Miovision provides cities with modern tools to fix today's traffic problems. They offer solutions that collect multimodal traffic data and uncover actionable insights…
Yegor Sak from Windscribe [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:14
Yegor Sak is the Founder of Windscribe.Windscribe is a leading internet security and privacy company.Their goal is to transform the internet with easy-to-use yet powerful tools, that allow anyone to circumvent censorship…
Frédérick Lavoie from Deck [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:57
Frédérick Lavoie is the Co-Founder and President of Deck.Deck is the developer infrastructure to access user-permissioned data simply, and at scale. Takeaways- The Genesis of Flinks- Timing and Tailwinds in Business- Les…