Early Stage Journal

About Early Stage Journal

Early Stage Journal (ESJ) was founded to provide original and in-depth reporting on early stage founders and the investors and communities behind them. Through longform features, Q&As, and podcast episodes, ESJ goes beyond the results, valuations, and funding rounds to tell the deeper story behind each startup. The gritty, raw, and intimate moments that often go untold but are crucial in how each founder started and grew their business. Plus, get the rundown on what makes their product innovative and disruptive—minus the fluff and jargon.

Publisher

Lisa Tanh

Category

news

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

2 Oct 2025

Latest episode

14 May 2026

Latest episodes

6 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   14 May 2026

   Synthetic: Ian Crosby

   Within six months of an exit, serial entrepreneur and investor Ian Crosby was already imagining what he could build next. The ideas, he says, kept swirling in the back of his mind that he started a spreadsheet. It wasn’t until he found himself prototyping in his Airbnb instead of sightseeing while in Europe that he’d get closer to the answer. When a startup that he met with recommended that he try ElevenLabs—a platform that lets users build and launch AI agents that can talk, type, and take other actions across phone, web, and apps—he created his own with a British accent that started off as “hugely entertaining,” he says, until the idea hit him: an accounting system that’s fully autonomous. An agent that does a software company’s bookkeeping from start to finish without any staff. It would connect to their bank accounts, payroll system, tools, and email so that it can gather context on their business and compare financial records across systems to verify the numbers match and flag anything that doesn’t. If it needs additional context or approval to complete a step, it’ll check in with the founder, who can respond through chat or accept or deny requests at the click of a button. At any time, the founder can access their financials and insights behind them and export records to hand off to their tax preparer for filing. The platform would then evolve into becoming “the Shopify for software companies.” It would handle the website, incorporation, bank accounts, payments, accounting, and everything else in between. The reason: while AI now makes it faster than ever to build and ship products, there still isn’t a single place for software companies to build and run their entire business the way Shopify does for e-commerce companies. That’s exactly what Crosby is building now with Synthetic, beginning with accounting where pricing will start at $49 per month. The company today announced (https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260514241304/en/Synthetic-Raises-%2410M-Seed-Led-by-Khosla-Ventures) it raised $10 million USD in seed funding led by Khosla Ventures. Participating investors include Basis Set Ventures, Shopify co-founder and CEO Tobi Lütke, Opendoor CEO and former Shopify COO Kaz Nejatian, Bridge co-founder Zach Abrams, whose company was acquired by Stripe for $1.1 billion, Accrual CEO and former Brex CTO Cosmin Nicolaescu, and Figure CEO and former Brex COO Michael Tannenbaum. This is the story of a founder who created the largest company of its kind in the world, took what he learned from running Shopify’s banking division to start his next company that was acquired in less than a year and a half, and why he’s dedicating however many years it takes to build Synthetic, along with the moments in between that pushed him to dream bigger, from being repeatedly told his idea was doomed by a tech legend to having to step away from his first venture.

2. 

   12 Mar 2026

   Collabstr: Clayton Rannard and Kyle Dulay

   Late one night in their dorm, BCIT computer science students Clayton Rannard and Kyle Dulay were scrolling Reddit when they realized they should post about the latest product they built: an app that analyzed Instagram accounts for fake followers and engagement. The next morning, they woke up to a spike in traffic and the start of a costly server bill. The thread went viral: 10,000 audits in seven hours. That’s when the two recognized there was a need for better tooling in the creator economy and that what they created was only one part of a much bigger gap. Six years later, following that signal led to building Collabstr, the world’s largest influencer marketplace connecting brands with creators. It has over 900,000 registered users across more than 120 countries and is used by leading startups to organizations and Fortune 500 companies. And while fully bootstrapped, the company has grown to eight figures in revenue, 14 full-time employees, and an office in Vancouver’s Yaletown. What’s been key to Collabstr’s success is its focus on accessibility. The platform aims to help brands grow without needing massive teams or budgets and give creators greater opportunities to turn influence into a livelihood. That’s led to brands successfully launching and releasing new products and creators turning side hustles into full-time careers. Some have earned the equivalent of an annual salary from a single deal. In contrast to competitors today, Collabstr flips the traditional “closed off” approach. Many have websites that require filling out a form for information, then going back-and-forth with customer reps and account managers. In many cases, they’ll gatekeep access until a contract is signed, which can mandate five to six figures upfront and a long-term commitment. Hidden fees for onboarding, training, implementation, or core features often follow. Collabstr eliminates this friction with an open model. Everything is made public and users can get started right away with a subscription. There are three tiers—basic, which is free, pro at $299/mo, and premium at $399/mo—and any can be cancelled at any time. The only other fees outside its plans come from deal transactions. Depending on which plan is selected, the platform charges brands 5 or 10% of the amount, while 15% is taken from what creators receive. Now, Collabstr’s working toward becoming the “operating system” for influencer marketing," diving deeper into creator management and ROI tracking and toward developing AI-driven content generation. This is the story of two classmates-turned-co-founders, driven by the pursuit of financial freedom on their terms, who pivoted and iterated over and over again to turn a viral moment into a business and went from sending countless cold DMs and emails to becoming a leader in their industry.

3. 

   10 Feb 2026

   Cache Depot: Ivan and Kaya Yiu

   When Ivan and Kaya Yiu went looking for storage, they never imagined they’d end up reinventing an industry where little has changed since the 1950s. After overpaying $300 a month to store a single couch, the couple realized how broken the self-storage model was, especially in Vancouver. For decades, the city has followed a system that sets the highest prices in Canada with hidden fees and builds on land that could otherwise be used for housing or employment. It had become such a problem that the City of Vancouver amended its zoning bylaws. But new reports show that the regulations didn’t curb development in Vancouver. It pushed it into the city’s southern neighbourhoods—where many facilities already existed—adding to B.C.’s supply far exceeding demand. So Ivan and Kaya tested an idea: what if people only paid for the space their belongings actually take up, instead of being forced to pay for units with unused space? To find out, they created a simple landing page and posted ads on Craigslist. That experiment became Cache Depot, a self-storage service that operates from a renovated climate-controlled warehouse. Imagine IKEA: extremely organized, clean, and modern, but private from the public and equipped with security cameras and sensors throughout the space. Every item is categorized, QR-coded, and placed on industrial shelves, racks, or pallets, then wrapped if needed. Customers can choose between paying per item, starting at $30/mo, or for the space their belongings actually take up, starting at $100/mo. This is the story of a former warehouse director for brands like Canada Goose and Arc’teryx and a game designer behind a top 10 App Store hit are reinventing the storage industry, and their journey of having to find customers on Craigslist and convincing them to meet in back alleys, to now growing its users by over 150% and monthly revenue by over 152% compared to last year, while maintaining five-stars across all its Google Reviews. 00:00–4:14: Show, episode, and guest intro 4:15–5:00: What is Cache Depot? 5:00–7:40: The aha moment that inspired Cache Depot 7:41–10:47: How Ivan and Kaya Yiu’s career pivots prepared them to start Cache Depot 10:48–15:34: How Ivan and Kaya Yiu created and tested their MVP before going all in on the idea 15:35–16:47: How Cache Depot’s first customers helped them identify what was needed to build trust 16:48–19:30: How Cache Depot has garnered and maintained five-stars across all its Google Reviews 19:31–21:22: How exactly does Cache Depot differ from traditional self-storage providers? 21:24–23:17: Why the City of Vancouver investigated self-storage facilities and what its amended zoning bylaws entail 23:18–23:58: The hidden fees imposed by traditional self-storage providers 23:59–25:12: Why Ivan and Kaya Yiu believe no one had yet to provide an alternative like Cache Depot 25:13–26:54: Nearly 70% of Cache Depot customers are first-time storage users who say they wouldn’t have used storage otherwise 26:55–28:41: The trial-and-error process of developing a pricing structure that was simple and easy for customers 28:42–30:41: How exactly Cache Depot’s system works once customers bring in their items 30:42–35:02: The biggest problems that Cache Depot is solving for cities, customers, and even businesses 35:03–39:45: Early lessons pivotal to Cache Depot’s growth, from driving website traffic to finalizing branding 39:46–42:08: Cache Depot’s development plans for its app and expansion throughout Vancouver 42:09–43:41: Advice for other early stage founders

4. 

   8 Dec 2025

   Triple X.O.G.: Felix Chen and Rudy Pham

   Behind any innovative idea with the potential to become a household name is rarely a single “a-ha” moment, but a trail of experiences long before what outsiders see as overnight success happens. For Felix Chen and Rudy Pham, one of those moments was an eight-to-ten-hour trek through Hanes Valley, B.C., where they tossed around business ideas as they tried to find their way back on the right path. At the top of the boulder field, they landed on one they knew was worth pursuing and, to their surprise, hadn’t been attempted before. Three years later, they would innovate a new category born from an East-to-West staple, catch the attention of major retailers, and sell their products in 100 stores across the province. They’d also appear on Dragons’ Den, where they received multiple investment offers. That idea? Triple X.O.G., the world’s first ready-to-drink cocktail of its kind, ranked among the top sellers in B.C. It blends French cognac, jasmine green tea, and Canadian honey with light carbonation. At 5% ABV, Triple X.O.G. was crafted to offer both an elevated and accessible beverage for any occasion—from intimate gatherings to public events—and to cater to a spectrum of palates: those who seek depth of flavour or lean toward something lighter. The brand’s mission goes deeper than an experience that’s “unlike anything on the market.” It’s intended to represent Asian heritage, culture, and connection. Triple X.O.G. pays tribute to the concoction’s origins in Hong Kong, and it’s a nod to an adapted version found in Vancouver. This is the story of two best friends turned business partners with no background in the beverage industry but infectious energy and relentless hustle, who stayed true to their vision for two years as they bootstrapped the company before launching. 00:00–3:58: Show, episode, and guest intro 3:59–5:00: The moment Felix and Rudy decided to found what would become Triple X.O.G 5:01–6:16: Why they decided to take the risk to pursue the idea 6:17–7:42: Why they believe no one had yet to pursue the idea 7:43–8:39: Being in the “very early innings” of celebrating Asian culture outside of Asia 8:40–11:48: The first six months of navigating how to create the product 11:49–15:42: The process of finding and working with a formulator 15:43–18:57: Why they went with their intuition over feedback to finalize the recipe after 35 iterations 18:58–20:53: The process of finding and working with a manufacturer 20:54–22:15: Building a community of fans / discovering the Dragons’ Den audition 22:16–23:42: Being persistent in getting people to try the product 23:43–26:05: How they got into their first retail store and how that led to getting into their first chain 26:06–27:00: The impact of building in public over in stealth 27:01–31:31: What keeps them grounded during challenging moments 31:32–34:17: What happened after the Dragons’ Den episode and what’s coming up in the year ahead 34:18–37:30: Advice for other early stage founders

5. 

   31 Oct 2025

   OHME! Foods: Jenny and Han Yue

   Getting into retail was never part of the plan for Jenny and Han Yue. Two years ago, the couple first shared their freeze-dried fruits at a pop-up after family and friends kept coming back for more. They started making their own snacks while looking for ways to make their oatmeal healthier—only to find that store-bought options were too sweet, stripped of nutrients, or simply didn’t satisfy their cravings. Unlike dehydrating, freeze-drying retains 95% of nutrients instead of 60%, delivers a light, crunchy texture instead of chewy or leathery, and keeps the color and freshness closest to the original. What began as a weekend experiment soon expanded into retail as curious customers kept returning and cafés began reaching out on Instagram. With no background in business, industry connections, or even friends with companies, the Yues learned how to build OHME! Foods entirely through trial and error. Today, OHME! is available in more than 450 stores across North America—from cafés and boutiques to grocers and major chains like London Drugs, Healthy Planet, and Urban Outfitters. The brand has since expanded with its yogurt crunch line—which earned a Good Housekeeping Best Snack Award—and its snacks are now enjoyed in countless ways beyond toppings or on-the-go bites, from baked goods and craft drinks to charcuterie platters and even treats for pets. This is the story of a family who started with a stall, then drove around Vancouver to 10 stores and were rejected by all of them, to getting approached by their dream retailers and growing revenue by over 300% year over year. 00:00–4:35: Show, episode, and guest intro 3:30–7:30: Han and Jenny’s family roots in health 6:39–8:08: Jenny’s entrepreneurial drive 8:09–10:39: OHME!’s origin story 10:49–11:53: How OHME! innovated its yogurt crunch line 11:54–14:06: How OHME! grew from pop-ups to retail 14:07–17:12: How OHME! prepared for retail 17:13–19:13: Why OHME! has taken off 19:14–22:31: Taking risks and overcoming the challenges 22:32–24:29: Finding the right partners to work with 24:30–26:49: What’s been pivotal to OHME!’s growth 26:40–27:49: Jenny and Han quitting their 9-to-5s 27:50–30:35: Reflections on entrepreneurship 30:36–32:04: Advice for other early stage founders

6. 

   2 Oct 2025

   AllScale: Shawn Pang

   When Shawn Pang founded HashMatrix, he never imagined that it would become the agency behind popular AI products from tech giants Alibaba, ByteDance, and Insta360 and fast-growing startups like Rabbit R1, Pix AI, and Kling. As it grew, it came up against the same problem repeatedly—one that it saw big tech and startups had yet to solve: payment. Across their clients, it was often an issue when expanding overseas. Vendors, talent, and contractors in emerging markets that they wanted to work with often requested—or could only receive—stablecoin because of the shortcomings in traditional systems. So, HashMatrix developed an MVP payroll system to handle payments in the cryptocurrency. What started out as running on spreadsheets soon processed “nearly half a million dollars each month.” It’s since evolved to a platform making stablecoin solutions more accessible, intuitive, and compliant for SMBs—from invoicing to payroll to social commerce—and raised $1.5 million in pre-seed funding from venture capital firms Draper Dragon, Amber Group, KuCoin Exchange, Oak Grove Ventures, and others. This is the story of how a series of pivots led to a breakthrough that started with an MVP running on spreadsheets and soon processed about half a million each month. 00:00–3:35: Show, episode, and guest intro 3:35–7:40: Identifying what will become a new phenomenon 7:40–17:07: The origin story behind AllScale 17:07–19:44: Why other companies have yet to solve the problem AllScale is tackling 19:44–27:00: How exactly AllScale’s invoicing, payroll, and social commerce products work 27:00–28:39: Rewarding stories from AllScale’s clients 28:39–32:00: Biggest problems faced in building on AllScale 32:00–34:25: Three things that Shawn believes in that’s been pivotal to his success 34:25–35:30: What can be expected next from AllScale in the coming months 35:30–37:11: Reflections on Vancouver’s innovation ecosystem

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