Episode 2: Jason Goldlist on Wealthsimple, Venue and an unusual path to tech entrepreneurship

Sep 20, 2021

Jason Goldlist (BPHIL’06), graduated from UNB with a Bachelor of Philosophy in Leadership from Renaissance College and is currently CEO and co-founder of Venue, an online platform for virtual special events that inspire and engage. He’s also co-founder of TechTO and has an impressive resume, including as Head of Marketing and General Manager of Wealthsimple.  

In this episode: 

• Lessons learned from consulting in Africa and then jumping to work for the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver 
• Jason’s philosophy around choosing career moves to intentionally build the right skills and follow the right people 

• What’s needed more than flashy websites and ads to be successful as a company 
• The Superbowl ad that helped Wealthsimple burst onto the scene 
• The story behind TechTO and what’s needed to grow tech startups in Canada 
• The origins of Jason’s new company, Venue 
• Jason’s advice for anyone wanting to build an idea into a venture  

Links and resources: 

Venue: https://www.venue.live/ 

Wealthsimple: https://www.wealthsimple.com/en-ca/ 

TechTO: https://www.techto.org/ 

Wealthsimple Super Bowl Ad - Mad World: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd3MMysL2NE 

Wealthsimple - Take care of yourself (Ping Pong - Super Bowl): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2yDAuDZijY 

Jason’s LinkedIN: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/goldlist 

Thanks to: 

Our alumni hosts, the AAA Team: Arsham, Arash and Armin Ahmadi https://www.unb.ca/alumni/alumni-news/unb-alumni-podcast.html 

Music by alumni artist, Beats of Burden: https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/beats-of-burden/1451387846 

Our alumni Affinity Partners, TD Insurance, Manulife, and MBNA Mastercard: https://www.unb.ca/alumni/benefitsandservices/index.html