RESEARCH  

Unicorn in the Woods

September 28, 2020

Contributed by: Gordon Pitts, Writer in Residence

A close-up of Gordon Pitts, a man with glasses and a mustache, smiling warmly at the camera.

Unicorn in the Woods

 

As tech investors the world over search for elusive unicorns (start-ups valued at over $1 billion), DeGroote’s writer in residence Gordon Pitts asks whether there can be a place for high-tech innovation and unicorn-like value creation outside of major urban centres.

Journeying back to the origins of Radian6 and Q1 Labs — two New Brunswick companies that sold for a combined $1 billion — in the basements and offices of a group of geeks and dreamers, Pitts tells a story of two remarkable companies and the legacies that continue to this day. But theirs was not a simple tale of overnight success; there were sellouts and firings, comebacks and vindication, and still unfulfilled promise.

The Huddle

Listen to the Huddle “Home Office” podcast, where Gordon Pitts talks about where these entrepreneurs are now, years after the sales of the companies, and how they’ve influenced the development of the startup community in Atlantic Canada.

McMaster Collaboratorium

Join the McMaster Collaboratorium on Wednesday, September 30 at 4:00p.m. with Gordon Pitts, author, public speaker and business journalist and Brian Gallant, CEO, Canadian Centre for the Purpose of the Corporation, and former New Brunswick Premier. They will talk about the story of high-tech value creation far from Silicon Valley.

Book cover of 'Unicorn in the Woods' featuring a tree with an android logo and a unicorn horn, symbolizing innovation and dreams.

 

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