Putting our Programs Specialist on the Hot Seat | Camille Bonnet, Launch

Foreign. Hi, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of Bits and Bytes. I'm sad to say this is going to be our last one just for the year though, so do not worry. We will have a new season coming up in the next year. We will make announcements on when we start bringing in guests. It will likely be kind of maybe around February, March, just to give us a little downtime to start preparing for that as well. Anyway, sorts of. It is a special month for us. It is the last month of the year. So as always, just like we did last year, we are going to be doing a launch team special this time. We are able to actually be in the office today. So I made sure to take advantage of the opportunity and bring in some interesting snacks.

So if you guys are listening to this just on podcasts or Spotify or whatever, take time to go over to our YouTube and check out the video edition because you can see our brand new. What do we call it? The media room. Podcast room. It's still pretty bare. We're still decorating, but it works.

It's a work in process for sure. All right, so for those of you that are listening in, we have Camille here who has recently joined our launch team. She joined us remotely initially and so it was actually only maybe a few months ago that we actually got to all meet in face to face. So, yeah, Camille, how about you like to introduce yourself? Yeah.

Hi, everyone. So after attending so many bits and by episodes, I'm really happy to be on camera today. I mean, not so happy because I'm pretty nervous it's going to be okay. But yeah, my name is Cami, so I joined the team like almost two years ago, a year and a half ago now. And I first met my co workers like three, three months ago. So I first worked remotely and now we are all working together in the office. So I'm pretty happy about that. And what am I doing in the company? So I'm a program specialist now and I'm pretty much working with Jim and Sam on all the programs that Launch Academy has.

So was your first impression like, why is everybody so short?

No, it wasn't actually. No, my first impression was like, pretty. She's super tall and better than that.

Fair enough.

I like how she only mentioned Pratish being tall.

The rest of us are not tall, but on camera and on our voice tells us that we're seven feet too.

Yeah, fair enough.

I mean, I have gotten comments that, you know, I have a tall person attitude. Like, I've met some of my friends. Well, Some of the friends that I got to meet recently in person, we were always online friends, but when they were, we actually went face to face. They were like, oh, I thought you would be taller. So, you know, they said that I have this tall person Persona, so maybe it's a good thing. I don't know.

That's the only thing that you cannot really get in camera, right?

Oh, yeah, for sure.

And it's already weirder because we're doing this live instead of on zoom, like we always do. Like, what do we do with our hands? I don't know where. Where to do anything. Like, it's like we were doing. We did like one or two episodes of Bits and Bytes, like at the office or at our old office. But, like, I don't remember anything about it anymore.

Yeah, it definitely feels like it was a lifetime ago. Like the whole, you know, the pandemic, the lockdowns, it feels almost as if it, you know, I mean, we're still kind of like breaching out of it, but it's. In some ways it almost feels like a gap year to me.

Yeah. Except first of all, it was two years and secondly, it felt like a decade.

Yeah. Yeah. So actually speaking on that though, like, as I mentioned, like, Camille. So Camille joined us during the lockdown, so that was why she only got to meet us pretty recently, like three months ago. So, yeah, Camille, like, what was it like joining a team that was all working from home? Like, couldn't get, you know, there's no office really to meet up with and just not being able to see your co workers face to face. Like, how was that adjustment period for you?

Yeah, so at the beginning it was a bit weird because that was my first time working remotely ever. So it was kind of like a challenge at the beginning, I would say. But you guys made it very easy for me. And like, we have a lot of tools that are helping us on the. On a day to day basis, like, to like collaboration tools and stuff like that. So it was actually not that much of a challenge. But I was definitely super happy to meet you in person after a couple months, because after a few months. Because that was like kind of long.

We paid you to say that, though.

Yeah.

Israel listening.

Or maybe he's listening into everything. No, but it's honestly fantastic that, you know, you have us joined. And I honestly, like, it was, I think it was a challenge for everyone on the team because prior to the lockdowns, everyone, we were always in the office space. You know, Monday to Friday, 9 to 5, we had lots of companies that were also, like, renting office space, and we had lots of people. And it. Going from a very bustling, you know, social environment to suddenly working from home. It. It was a very. I think it was a challenging transition period, I think, for a lot of us. But it's really great that, you know, we're able to kind of slowly back get back on our feet. You know, we got our office, a new office located in the heart of Yale town now, which is absolutely gorgeous and still has the same vibes as our old Gastown one. And we have new faces, Pratish and Camille over here. Maybe one day we'll bring in Pratish for one of our episodes then.

We need to adjust the height of the camera, though.

Oh. Oh, yeah, that's for sure. Do we have to lift the table as well?

Maybe we gotta angle it. So he is just as tall as usual. Really hyping up. Patricia's tight. Patricia's our marketing manager, just for those that haven't met him. But yeah, he's just. He's just in the next room.

Anyways. Yeah. So, Camille, how about you share with us? Or. Actually, like, this is just kind of question for all of us, I guess. You know, over the last two years, I mean, there's definitely been a lot of changes, a lot of challenges and so forth. So, like, just kind of like more of like a reflection piece for this episode. Like, what were some of the biggest challenges that you guys faced that, you know, you felt like you came over?

Yeah, so at the beginning, like, meeting new people was kind of weird because that's been, like, two years that I haven't met any new person in my life. So, like, I was, like, surrounded by new people. So that was actually really cool. And then another type of challenge, I would say, like, of course you need to get used to your new environment and start working with new people. So that was kind of challenging as well. And also for me, like, English is not my mother tongue, so it was kind of complicated at the beginning, like, talking English every single day and, like, for a few. For a few hours in a row or, like, I've been challenged a lot during this year, like, having to host, like, not webinars, but, like, pizza sessions and those kind of things, which was really rewarding at the end of the day, but, like, quite challenging as well, for me, at least.

Yeah, No, I can imagine, like, especially, like, you know, coming from a totally different country and coming here and, you know, it was just kind of the way that life played the cards, like, you didn't get to meet us until, like, a good, like, year or so in, and then. Yeah, definitely a lot of challenges, but honestly, I have to say, like, having you on the team, it's been the greatest addition.

So she's gonna cry in there.

Yeah, I paid her to say that as well.

Don't worry. We'll make you cry in other ways, too, later on.

Sign up for this.

We definitely have some interesting snacks and games that we're going to be playing, so we'll see. Maybe one of these snacks will make me cry. We'll get those emotions running high, but, yeah. What about you, Sam? What were some of the biggest challenges that you faced this year and you felt that you were able to overcome?

Do you mean, like, this year or these?

Oh, I guess. Yeah. See what I mean? Like, the pandemic lockdown just kind of blurred together for me. So let's say the. The last two years.

I mean. I mean, the. The funny answer is, is, like, it was more challenging for my wife than me because we. We work out of the same office, and we have computers side by side and. And previously, like, she used to work in there much more often when I was at the office, but, like, when I'm there, I'm so loud, and I'm doing things on webcams and webinars and all that kind of stuff.

So that was really annoying for typing super loud.

Typing super loud. Which Camille is learning of all my mechanical keyboards. Yeah, they don't get. They don't get softer, by the way, so you'll have that to enjoy. But. But, like, I. I think it's. It's. It's a couple of different things, I think. I think perspective is. These last two years have definitely changed me and the work we do here at launch. Right. Like, I think it's forced us to. And I wouldn't say that we're a very bureaucratic company anyway, to begin with. Like, we're six people deep, seven people deep. It's not like there's a lot of. Lot of, like, hierarchy or things to go forth, but, like, in working with our companies and working with each other, like, really, like, the two years really force us to look at work as just a part of life. And I'm sounding way more, like, deep than I mean to be. But what I mean by that is, like, I find that we as a team will have to try and check on each other's, like, mental health as well as physical health. Because in one sense, it feels like, okay, well, if I'm your manager. Am I being too nosy by, like, asking if you're healthy or things like that? But purely from a business perspective, if our team is not healthy in one way or another, then we have nothing to produce anyway. Right. So to some degree, and finding that balance of, like, okay, when are we stepping in too personal. Right. What is the boundaries? What are the boundaries? Like, kind of trying to reimagine those, I think is something that I've definitely felt like was a challenging experience. I think it's also brought us, virtually as a team, a little bit closer together. Like, we've been forced to try and be creative with different ways through different things. And all revolves around cameras, voices, things like that. Right. Which isn't the best for everybody. I'll be completely honest. I don't think everybody likes having a camera, webcam on and headphones on and things like that. And so it's trying to figure out everybody's comfort level with different things. That's been really difficult. And that extends to the companies we work with. Right. I think I learned, like, one of my founders, and I'm not going to say who. Like, they're not that comfortable with web calls, right? Like, they. It gave them stress, it gave them anxiety. So it's like, how do you work around that when we can't meet person to person? And then there's other people that, like, we don't like in person meetings. Like, all my customers are online. I live in a virtual world. I don't want to, like, talk, like, you know, in person. So it's really like learning, like, there's. The tasks that need to be done are still the same tasks, but then learning about the humans behind it, and you have to kind of take a little extra half step for everything you do. But I think it also makes it a little bit more meaningful because now everybody you're working with are people, right? Not just like, okay, make sure you check off this box. Check off that box. And so I'd say, like, the biggest challenge, but I think it's also, like, the biggest thing I've learned.

Yeah, no, I really like that you brought up the point about, like, mental health and physical health and such, because I think that for me was, like, one of my biggest challenges as well to overcome. You know, when you're stuck in your home environment where you live in, but you also work in, the line begins to blur quite a lot between, okay, like, when am I really off work or am I really, like, on work? Can I still do things like you know, like cleaning dishes, making lunch, or is that technically it's like such small things, but you realize that it starts to take kind of like, it starts to add up in your mind quite, quite a lot. And obviously as well, like the mental health aspect where you talked about, you know, connection, like, people crave human connection in various ways, but the method of doing so varies. Some people prefer to have, like, in person connections, whereas some are more comfortable doing these virtual ones. So totally feel that on that front where, you know, being isolated, especially for those that, you know, may be living alone or don't have friends or families that are close by, it was definitely a rough time, I think, for a lot of us.

So, yeah, and I mean, not to plug our own programs, but that's really been like, the motivation between what we want to build with the entrepreneurs that live in our community. With Launchpad. Right. Like, it's understood that, like. And my thesis is that if you want to learn about the very practical ways on how to build a startup, like how to register a business, how to build a product, how to code, like, those pieces of data can be found online, probably for free, period, across the board. Right. But what we're trying to do is using those pieces of data or using those pieces of information as catalysts for human connection. And the, of course, the nerdy and fancy term we always use is like, startup community. Right, but. But like, that's the core of the community is like, okay, while we're living this part of life together, in our case, it's people who happen to be building companies. Like, who are you walking alongside? Right? And those are up days and down days and things like that. And so we're continually trying, and I wouldn't say we're completely. We figured it out, but we're trying to figure out different ways to make that just a 1% better.

Yeah, exactly. It's about the collective experience, essentially, and the people that you like. Looking at our companies, all of them, you know, the one thing that they share is that they're all trying to, you know, find success for the company. They're trying to grow their company, they're trying to make sure that their team, you know, is, you know, mentally and healthy, spiritually healthy. And then you have issues such as, you know, business might be going down, businesses might be failing because of the economy, because of the lockdowns, but all these challenges, each founder that we have in our program are going through in a very similar manner. But it's at least nice to know that there is gonna Be someone else just you know, right next door, easily accessible through our slack channels, through our programs that you can meet and then even share your own personal experience and connect to them on that level and maybe even learn from their experiences or what they've. How they handled their own challenges that they faced.

So I think even during the pandemic like some of our entrepreneurs have built like very strong relationship among them. So I can't wait for them to meet in person so to see what's like, what's different and how they can like help each other out and do different things. So yeah, I think it's one of the things I look the most forward to for next year, like having in person events and like meeting people in real life and see how they can like build those connections and help each other out like with business wise or like on their personal life as well. Yeah.

And actually on that note though, we do have some exciting news which is that we have had some companies land in Vancouver recently. So so far in the recent months we've had three companies land. So we have Video AI. We also have Dreamco as well as Revar.

Yeah, I never say it right.

So yeah, Revar app.

App. So there's the proper plug for you guys. We'll make sure, we'll leave the links in the descriptions.

Mm.

If you want to check some of what some of their company is doing, all sorts of cool stuff from video advertising to, to VR AR experiences. DreamCo specifically does this insurance software. So. So if you're in that industry, definitely check those guys out and we'll make sure to leave the links.

Yep. Yeah. But I mean speaking like you know, just for me personally being able to see like the founders face to face physically here, you know, you always hear their voices, you always can kind of see them on video, but just you know, and obviously a lot of email back and forth. But it's a different feeling to actually see them physically in the office and just to see the amount of excitement that they have to finally be in Canada. Some of these companies have been working for like over a year really throughout her whole program just to finally receive their work permit and travel over to Canada. So for some of them this was a very, very long process, very grueling one as well. But you can just tell that this was a really great choice that they're really excited about. So that personally brings me a lot of joy. Yeah. What are you guys kind of excited about then this coming year? Because we do have more companies that are scheduled to kind of land throughout the different cohorts that we have for phase four. So January is going to definitely be more of our official start. For those that are listening in, we do have at least four companies that are scheduled to land in January or early February. And then as the months go on, we'll be having a more rolling basis and hopefully more companies will be arriving. We can start building that in person community more. But what are some things that you guys are more excited about for the following year?

For me, I would say it's like having those in person events. And also since I started like a year and a half ago, it was like right in the middle of, right at the beginning of the pandemic. So I actually never, I've never met really met any companies and the company that I've started the program when I was starting working here are not here yet. So I've actually never really met any company I started working with. I mean revoir is an exception, but the other were already in the programs before I joined the company. So I feel like I've started to build like very strong relationship with a lot of companies. So I can't wait to meet them in person and like give them advice. Like, because I'm as a foreigner myself, as an immigrant myself, I've been through a lot of things that they will have to go through as well. So like in terms of like I don't know, getting a number, all those like administrative stuff that can, that can be like a big cumbersome at the beginning. I've been through it all so I'm like happy to share my experience with them and I give them advice on, I don't know, we all, we always do that. Like giving them advice about like good restaurants or good hiking places to go to or things like that.

Now that's not all we do.

No, that's not how we do.

But you reminded me that. I can't remember if this was on the questions list later, but like you, you mentioned you're an immigrant if they couldn't tell of your French accent. She is from France, not Quebec. France. But you moved here, right? Like was it three years ago? Two years ago.

Three years ago now.

Okay. Why did you decide to move here? First of all, and by here I've been in Vancouver.

Yeah. So I think I had like different options because like there is like a visa program in France that is called the working holiday visa. So it's like similar in two different, in different countries. But like I had the options between, between like Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Singapore, and those kind of different other countries. But I don't know why, but I was like, I, I've always wanted to live in Canada because of like the, the huge space that we have here and like the nature and stuff like that. And then why did I choose Vancouver? Because I went to Toronto. Didn't really like it. I didn't want to stay.

We're gonna have some Toronto slander.

Oh no.

Make some enemies.

It was like the big city compared, like pretty similar to Paris. Right. And that's one of the reason why I wanted to live abroad because I didn't want to live in Paris anymore. So I was like, I'm not going to live in Toronto if I try to escape from Paris. And then Montreal is like the French, the French speaking part of the country. And I didn't want to live in the French environment. So like the next big city was definitely Vancouver. And actually before moving here I didn't want to check anything about the city. I didn't even know what it looked like and stuff, stuff like that. I just wanted to live like the full experience and see how I will react in my new environment straight away. So I took the train from Montreal to Vancouver and that's how I discovered the city for the first time at the train station and just be there.

Wow.

Yeah.

Took one train from Montreal all the way here.

Yeah, there was a four days train. So quite intense.

Royal Canadian Railroad. Pride and joy of Canada.

I still need to go on that one. I.

That's the thing like when we, when we have conversations off air, like we always make fun that Camille is more Canadian than us because like I haven't done a lot of the things that she's already done in Vancouver.

Yeah, that's the thing. I'm sure you have. A lot of people have done more things in France that I have.

And then. So. So what? So to put you on the spot, like what's one thing that you're surprised that you enjoyed this much about Vancouver? And then reversely what's one thing that you're like not so good?

Yeah. I think the thing I love the most about Vancouver is like living by the mountains, like everything is like super close. That you can ski during winter, you can hike during summer and I love hiking. So that's like one of the main reason why I decided to move here. But on the other side, like there's some stuff that I'm a bit skeptical about that I don't understand. For example, like the banking is system or the health care system or like the school system here, I don't really understand what's going on, so I'm like. I need to, like. Like, study that to make sure that I'm, like, investing my money properly and that I'm not, like, using, like.

And there's no book on that, right?

Yeah, yeah.

Like, there's. I mean, there's lots of pages on the Internet, but then on the Internet, you're like, okay, well, what's real, what's. Yeah, what's where? Like, which one's accurate? And things like that.

Yeah.

That's funny you say mountains because you see mountains as, like, a plus. I see mountains as more calories burned. It's harder for me to get upstairs because there's an incline.

Oh, come on. Speaking of stairs, for those that haven't tried the grouse grind yet, that is a combination of both the stairs and the mountain. So I don't know about you, Kumi, have you tried it yet?

Yeah.

Okay. Before I go forward, like, for any old timers that are listening or, you know, OG supporters of Launch Academy, like, we lived the grouse grind, man. It was every day at work, three flights of stairs, up and down, beer runs. So, anyway, back to your grouse grind leisure experience.

Yeah. I feel like you cannot be a real Vancouverite if you haven't climbed the grouse grind. Right. I mean, I did it, like, three months ago, so it wasn't that long ago.

But how did it feel?

I thought it would be easier to be honest because there's so many people doing it that I was like, okay.

Shouldn'T be too complicated.

But then, like, people were, like, timing themselves and, like, trying to be as fast as possible. And you went. You had those kids, like, with. There. There was, like, huge stairs, and they could barely, like, try to go up. And I was like, oh, my God.

So.

So this is actually a real thing in Vancouver. Like, the grouse grind.

Yeah.

Did it. Did it hurt? Did it hurt?

No, not that much.

I feel like it's always. Grouse grind is one of those things that feel, like, so deceptive because you hear stories about, like, oh, people take their kids there, and you're like, okay, like, if the kids are doing it, like, how bad can it be? And then even when you get there, you're kind of like, oh, is it just stairs?

Like, yeah.

And then you're like, what's the big deal? I can do some stairs. But then, like, I think it's the first sign that's the most paralyzing.

I'm glad that you brought that up. Because, you know, you talked about deception.

Yeah.

Oh, man.

Yeah. Because then the first time you're like, okay, we're like, we're almost there. And then it's like, I don't remember. It's been like 10 years since I did it. Right. But. But, like, it's like, one fifth of the way or, like, quarter mile or something.

Quarter mark.

Oh, crap.

It's like, it's time to give up if you're already tired.

Yeah. I remember my first time doing the grouse grind with some friends and, like, just going up, you know, it was already very challenging. I think it was, like, maybe 20 minutes in, and we saw that quarter marker, and I just wanted to just.

It's so mean.

It took every, like, willpower I had left in me.

Yeah.

To just keep going because, you know, when you have friends with you, like, you don't want to be that one person that, like, gives up, you know, like. And so luckily, I had my friends to, like, help push me, but, oh, man, if that was me on my own, I would have just turned right around real quick.

Well, if it was me on my own, I wouldn't have been there in the first place.

Yeah. So for those that are not in Vancouver yet, definitely, if you want to become officially titled as a Vancouverite Grouse Grind, that will be. That will be your official.

Yeah. And I mean, like, athletes do it, and they. They struggle, too. Like, one of the big things about the local hockey team here is they make their. Their training camp. Whether it's players or kids or whatever prospects, they all do the gross grind. And those guys are professional athletes. They struggle. Other people when they vacation here, like, they also struggle. Like, there was a. There was a basketball star called Jimmy Butler. He came and did the grush grind, and he was dying. He's, like, one of the fittest people on earth. Wow. So, you know, that's good to know you.

Yep. Amazing. Yeah. Well, moving on, then. I just wanted to kind of, you know, touch in a little bit. Just kind of talking a little bit about, you know, the episodes, the guests that we had over the course of the last year. And, like, maybe, you know, if you guys want to share, what were some of the highlights that you found? Like, what was one, you know, one or two guests that we had? Like, what really stood out to you? Or maybe even just, like, excerpts or something that they talked about or shared with that really touched you or stood out to you? What were some of those parts that you may have on your mind?

I think one of My favorite one, I had a couple, actually, because, like, I was like, recently listening to some of them, like a few weeks ago. But I think one of my favorite one was the one we had with Sweetie. Yes, from like, not NBA Top Shot, but she was talking about NFTs and, and stuff like that. It was super interesting to me because I was like, just getting into this space, the NFT blockchain space. And like, she gave. She gave. She gave us like, a lot of insights on how. Because, like, she started NBA Top Shot pretty much at the same time as you told us about that. So I was like, oh, maybe January.

January or February.

Yeah, I was like, oh, maybe I should have been that. I could have been that successful too. Did that happen? But yeah, that was one of my favorite episode, I think.

Cool. You can go first.

Yeah, I mean, there's. I think there's quite a number. I mean, a lot of the guests that we brought on, all of them have such unique experiences, such unique journeys, and they do all have something to kind of share and teach. And I think the top two that probably stood out the most to me, one was Vancouver Foodie.

I knew you were good at this.

Well, if it's not obvious by now.

You mean you host a show called Bits and Bytes and you liked Vancouver Foodie.

Well, I mean, it was for several reasons too, aside from the fact that, you know, it involved food and she's a food blogger. Just her. So for those that might not be familiar, I also had my time working as kind of a video game influencer, per se. I was a twitch broadcaster for a number of years. And so I think I related a lot to Emma from Vancouver Foodie because just the amount of time and energy that you put into creating content, managing your socials, but still trying to maintain that balance of being passionate about your work, but also passionate for the love of what you're doing. It's a fine balance. And I think she did a really great job of explaining. And you also kind of understand that to us as a consumer, if you go on Instagram or you go on Facebook and you see all these photos or videos, you just think, oh, okay, that looks really easy. I'm sure they just kind of like filmed it and then it's done. And it's the same thing that was I experienced when I was streaming video games. People just kind of figured, oh, hey, like, don't you just turn on your webcam and play video games? Like people, a lot of the audiences don't understand that there is a lot of Mental work, there's a lot of preparation that goes into it, there's a lot of energy, it's very time consuming and the impact it may also have just in general on your mental health as well. So I really loved having Emma here to kind of share her experiences on that and kind of shed more light on the background of being an influencer. I know she doesn't like being called an influencer, but in a way, you know, when you have such a large social media presence, what you have to say, in your opinion, does also resonate with a lot of people that are watching you. Yeah, the other.

I think everybody's hitting pause right now and trying to Google Gene's old. We're not gonna link this one.

Just keep it a little bit mystery. If you find it, you find it. But the other one that I really, really enjoyed and I might be a little bit biased because, you know, is David, David runs Domova. He has his app Pineapple. And obviously it might be a little bit biased of us because he is also part of our Maple program. But beyond that, I really loved having David here as a guest. He really touched. He had a very passionate way of expressing why he feels technology is going to change the world, essentially. And beyond that too, how making technology much more available across the world on a global level is going to increase life satisfaction, is going to increase education, it's going to increase overall happiness. Because if we keep limiting technology advancement to first world countries or those that have access to it, then the potential for innovation or, or new technology or new ideas is going to be so limited. But if we're able to share what we know and share the knowledge that we have and create those opportunities, the world will advance much faster. And I think David does a really good job of kind of elaborating on that. And he does it by example as well. Like one of the first apps that he's created using AR technology is to help the visually impaired. And we'll definitely link his episode again, but I think it was our September.

It was just. It's just the previous one from this.

Oh yeah. So yeah, it was our November episode release. So definitely check it out. Really great guy. And also check out his no code app, Pineapple as well, which is trending quite hotly on the Apple Store as well.

So she doesn't know it because she's an Android, you know, user? No. That's awesome. I think the one. I was just looking through the episodes as we're talking. I think we had a lot of fun with Chris Hobbs.

Oh, yes, Chris.

Chris Hobbs also runs a podcast called Afternoon Tea. Also runs a software studio called Triple T Studios, which he runs with his twin brother. And they're both super tall. They are super tall. In real life, height is a recurring topic in this podcast. But. But I think I just appreciated his. Like, you could tell that he has a lot of energy to what he does, and part of that energy is because he enjoys what he's doing, right? And. And I know it's, like, very token to be like, do what you love and whatever. And let's be real, especially in today's society when so many people are without jobs, period, right? Like, doing what you love is, in some ways, it's a luxury or a privilege. Right? But. But with Chris, like, one of the most fascinating things I learned about. About him was, like, he. He built the company that he wanted to build, and then he. He gave up the CEO spot. And so I'm not gonna leak the. The entire episode, so. So you're gonna have to go back and listen to it if you haven't listened to it before. But, like, he kind of goes into. And then the long and short of it is he's like, I found someone that was better, right? And. And in that case, they think it takes a lot of humility to be like, hey, I'm not as good as this, as if someone else was doing it. Right? And I think there's a crazy story there, and I think one of the stereotypes of entrepreneurs or founders is we're narcissistic or egotistical or all these kind of negative connotations. But some people really just love building things, and it doesn't have to be just them that builds it, and he's built something cool, and now he's happy to pass along what he's building. So I found that to be kind of really interesting just seeing. Seeing, like, you know, and I remember when. When Triple T students was created. Actually, this is, like, a long time ago. You were probably in, like, primary school. I actually don't remember how long ago it was, but. But, yeah, like, it's cool to see, like, their team is growing and the projects they're doing have. Have grown immensely. And. And he still has lots of time to. To hang out with us on our podcast, along with, like, tons of other podcasts. And he's a. He's a great Vancouver community figure.

And I do want to mention, too, like, obviously, we've only shared kind of the ones that, you know, are highlights, but obviously, I think overall, all of our guests picking your children, it was very difficult. Like, obviously, like, for me, there's a reason why we bring in each of our guests. We do try to make sure that, you know, there's two ways to look at it. The overall goal of Bits and Bytes is, is to create kind of a broader picture of what it really is to be an entrepreneur, what it's like to work within the tech industry, and to kind of have people share their own life experiences or what they've learned along the way in their own journey. And so, you know, each of the guests that we bring on, like, they always have at least some kind of unique experience that they're willing to share. And that's what I really, really love about everyone that has come on the show so far. And on that note, actually, you know, for the next season, we are going to be looking at bringing in new guests. We may even bring in some of our previous guests for, like, you know, a second rerun, seeing what they've been up to over the last year. But I know that, you know, some of you may be itching or you may know a superstar within your own workplace, or you may know another entrepreneur that's, you know, starting up their own company, and you want to, you know, they have an amazing story that, you know, thinks that you think will hit the hearts of our viewers or listeners. So we are going to be starting to take in some intake forms, so we will make sure to link it. If you know anyone or if you yourself wants to join us as a guest, please feel free to fill out that form, and we'd love to hear from you.

Yeah, and if you. If you just want somebody on our podcast, just. I mean, just send us a tweet @launchacademyhq. Forms can come later, and then we can. We can look into making it happen. But on that note, this is a cool, professional transition point, right? Like, when we started this show two years ago now, it's crazy. Like, one of the big themes was, like, we didn't want to be just another startup show, Right? We didn't want to, like, I think fun was, like, a requirement. It wasn't optional. We had to have fun. And obviously, we've had a lot of fun talking to a lot of guests. We listen to the stories. We've done an immense amount of talking throughout the years. But we were really insistent on the show being called Bits and Bytes because a very key part of being in Vancouver is, like, I think. I think, okay, there's foodies, but honestly, I Think everybody in Vancouver is a foodie to some degree. I'm probably already on like the lowest tier of foodies. But even for myself, I'll be honest, I find that I have a lot of random opinions on random food things.

Yeah, that's true.

Right. Like if, like you just have to have an opinion on food if you want to like have social life in Vancouver. So with that said, you've prepared some things for. Specifically for Camille.

Yeah. So we went to the Candy Room in Vancouver. So there is a location right on Robson. They have a wide assortment of different weird, popular or even like old school candy snacks and everything like that. So I made sure to pick out some very interesting ones here. So for those that are watching, as you can see, we have the. What are these called? Oh, Blue Heat. Takis.

Wait, are they actually blue?

Yep. These are actually coated in blue. Isn't there Doritos?

They cannot be good.

Yeah, I'm a little bit concerned about this one.

We don't even have gluffs of water here.

It is considered hot chili pepper flavors. So same intensity, new look. And then we also have here. So these candies are actually from the uk. They're essentially these hard sour candies and they are supposedly rated as the most sour candy available in the world.

Sorry, right here, like that little bag?

Yes.

Most sour in the world.

Yes. But obviously that could be up for debates. But I think within marketing, I have actually looked up before on Reddit and Google search and forums what people consider to be the most sour candy. And this was one of the most popular suggestions. And the Candy Room in Vancouver is one of the only ones that has it available. I believe you can also buy these on Amazon as well, depending on which location you're from.

But how are those called there?

Ah, I don't actually recall the name, but they're from the uk, so non named European.

Yeah, like we've been filming for a Good like what, 40 minutes now. We're like 40 minutes deep. Like I eyeballed those because I didn't know what you guys got and I was like, I felt like a tingle in my tongue and I haven't eaten anything yet.

You can tell already.

Like I can feel it without trying it.

Yeah. I will just say that each of these snacks that we brought on like, so as Sam mentioned this, there was always going to be a food aspect to our shows. And the key part was that it wanted to be a food challenge. I was gonna go like, I wanted to go very sadistic when it came to these food Challenges. And so I believe that I've done it.

Blue chips in the most sour candy in the world.

Yeah. And it doesn't stop there, guys, because we also. Not sure if you can hear this, but. Oh, sorry. So for those that are watching, we have the Beanboozled party pack. So this is obviously Camille's first time hearing of beanboozled, so this is going to be really exciting. So for those that are not familiar with beanboozled as well, they came out with a game. It comes with a little spinner, and essentially they have their regular flavors, which include peach birthday cake, the fruity toasted marshmallows. Let's see what else.

Berry, she's lying to you.

Yeah, but they have a twist to this. They have also included very, very. I don't even. I don't know what the word would be to describe these flavors.

I want the audio listeners to know that I am physically shaking my head. I want you to hear the sound of me shaking my head.

I just. To give you guys an idea of what flavors that these could possibly be, we have barf flavor.

Vomit.

There is also so dead fish.

Oh, no.

And stinky socks.

Oh, that's actually. That's the worst.

Yeah.

I also remember, like, booger ones. Grass.

Oh, yes, grass.

What other weird. I've eaten all the bad ones.

Yeah, that reminds me of a Harry Potter.

Yeah, there was a Harry Potter version of this, but we got the. We got the original non branded version. So I think. I mean, so let's just take a vote. How would you guys like. In which order do you want to try these snacks? Because, I mean, we got the really, really spicy, we got the really, really sour, and then we got, you know, it could either be. It's a very 50, 50 chance that, you know, you're gonna get a really amazing flavor to clean the palette or you're gonna be kind of, you know, losing your appetite for the rest of the day.

So I think we should start with the snacks and then end off with the bean boozled.

With a bean boozled. Okay.

I don't know how many times we're gonna do this. Maybe like twice each.

Yeah, let's say two times.

Like, there's like 60 beans in there. So. So we're not. We're not gonna do them on air and bore you guys to death. And also, you know, it won't be too pleasant.

We still want to, you know, maintain our appetite. You know, we have a team dinner later on, so, you know, pass, pass.

Attacking the. The Blue. The blue heat doesn't seem so bad now, right?

Yeah, I mean. I mean, hey, like, they're blue. It could be just like, Doritos. Like, I've never had these myself, but.

Okay, this. This looks like, like, blue food coloring. Salt on, like, a Cheeto.

Like, Smurfs colors.

It's like those. Have you guys seen those? Like, French fry chips? Yes, it's like that, but it's, like, covered in blue chemical flavor.

All right, let's go for it. It's okay.

It's kind of like it has, like, a lemony. Oh, it's a Tajin. You know, I'm not sure if you guys had the. The Tajin before, but it's like that lemon or not lemons. The lime flavored salt with, like, chili. Yeah, yeah.

I like. I like the hint of chili lime in it, but I don't think I would enjoy, like, having a bag of this.

Oh, no. Like, just when it's fine.

Yeah, yeah.

Like, I don't. I don't think it's bad tasting. I just don't think it's like a snack that you're like, oh, let me watch this movie and have. Have these blue Takis.

It's pretty spicy, though, right?

I think. I think that was the intention.

Yeah.

At the beginning was like, okay.

And I think it will build.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah. It is considered on the extreme, extreme level of spice. So I have a feeling that if there are any listeners from the US Though, he might get some heat, because I know Takis is hot.

These are loved by my American friends. I don't. I have no idea why.

Sorry. We're Canadians, so we like our Doritos.

I got flamed from my American friends the other day for being obsessed with ketchup chips.

Oh, my gosh. Ketchup chips are amazing.

There you go. We're so patriotic. We want our chips the same color as our flags.

All right, So I did. I did prepare some tissue. Tissues here, because I know that this may be one of those things that you might want to not, you know, take on the whole time.

So for those that are watching the.

Video again, so we're gonna have live vomiting followed by.

I feel like this is a very. Like, if you're not comfortable with, you know, nothing bad is gonna happen, I think.

Well, these are. These are candies, right?

Yeah. It's essentially candy. It's just gonna be out. You know, it's like those videos where moms give their babies lemons for the first time and the faces that they make. It's kind of like that. How is it feeling, Sam?

I don't know. I like it. I like sour candy, though. I think my problem with this is it's way too big. And trying to describe it while eating it, like, I'm really afraid that I'm gonna choke my body. And now I've made them, like, laugh, which makes it worse.

But, like, very sour.

I was crying right now.

I really liked sour candies as a kid. So that's why, like, they're. They're not having a good time. I'm okay. Also, you can push it to the side, in which case then it's not sour for that second. But, like, this is sour to the point of salty. So not. I don't know if kids would like it. I think kids might cry. But isn't it supposed to get sweet by now? So I think that's the difference is, like, most sour candies BY now, like, 40 second, 45 seconds of me trying to describe it with a big, you know, big ball in my mouth, big candy ball in my mouth. It should be sweet by now, but it's still going. It's still sour. So I think that's, like, Jean's already packaging it up. She's like, I don't want anything else to do with this.

I think we're good.

Okay, so. So I've made it 50 seconds into to talking. It's now no longer sour. Now it's just another giant, like, jawbreaker. So, yeah, I might spit it out soon because I don't want to keep this thing in mind.

You may regret that later because, you know, some of these flavors, you might need that.

Yeah, but you wanted the full experience, right? So I'm here to have the full experience.

Awesome. All right, so in the meantime, as they are finishing up their.

Finishing up.

Finishing up their jawbreakers, I am going to move on to the jelly belly. So just to give you an idea of what the bad flavors are, I got a whole comprehensive list here. We have liver and onions, rotten egg, barf, booger, Booger. Booger. How do you pronounce booger?

Is it just booger?

Booger. Stinky socks, old bandages. Apparently this is a new flavor. Old bandages.

Guys, this is an awful set. Like, every one of these is bad.

Well, each one also has a counter good flavor.

Yeah. But, like, the way I'm looking at this, toothpaste is the best one. So if you. If you get toothpaste, you're laughing. That's basically mint.

Yeah. Yeah.

I mean, everything else, they got stink.

Bug Dirty dishwasher doesn't sound too bad. What?

I mean, sounds pretty bad.

I mean, okay, in comparison to, like, dead fish.

Like. Like, are you. Are you thinking about, like, oh, I had something delicious for dinner, and now the remains are on my dirty dishes, and that's what it tastes like.

It could be dish water, you know.

Like, that's not better.

Old Ben's age.

All right.

Okay. How are we gonna do this?

Let's do. Maybe his wallpaper scissors. Might take too long.

Camille can just go first.

Yes.

We can choose. You want to go first? You want to go last? You don't get to go in the middle.

So, Sam, you can go first then.

Okay.

All right.

I don't have the candy in my.

Mouth, so, Jin, you go first.

Oh, okay. Oh, lordy. All right, so let's go. I'm spinning the wheel, and she's dropped on. Oh, no. Okay, so I got either. I can either be picking tutti frutti or st. Stinky socks.

That's not that bad. Eat the socks.

I was gonna keep a. I'm just gonna keep a napkin close by just in case that this does not go the way that I planned. I am just looking to see if we can find the. Okay, so I think it's these guys here. Pink ones, right? Yeah.

To me, you can verify that gene's not cheating.

All right, so this looks like it, right? Yeah, that looks like the. So this one looks like titty fruity. It's like a light pink with colorful splotches on it. All right, here we go.

There's the remnants of sock. We're watching her expressions. She. She can't figure out what it is, so it's probably decent. We're complete radio silence. She doesn't know what she's eating, so it can't be that bad. Probably not socks.

But, I mean, it's not like it doesn't taste like tutti.

Frutti, but doesn't taste bad.

It doesn't taste awful either.

Okay, well, I think socks would have been one of the better ones anyway compared to, like, a liver flavored candy. Right. Like, it's not like some people really enjoy liver, but, like, I don't want that in my candy.

Yeah. All right, come here. Let's give it a go.

Okay. Please.

Hold on there. Hold on.

I was gonna go. Okay, fine. Well, we'll go for the. So. So she did do the stinky socks, but it slid over and it became a pomegranate or old bandage.

All right. Oh, so it's those red Ones right there.

Like this one.

Yeah.

So it looks pretty innocent.

Looks pretty. Red pill or blue pill? Oh, no, she definitely got.

She definitely got the bandage.

Now, please describe it to our listeners how you were pranked by your co workers today.

It tastes like hospital. Like, when you're in an emergency room.

It's kind of fascinating. Like, how did they manage to package the. The taste of hospital into a candy? And they're like, this is a pretty good job. I've never eaten a hospital.

I've always been curious about that. Like, I'm sure they have, like, a whole team of, like, scientists just, like, in the background testing different chemicals and. Oh, man. Imagine being the food taster. Like, oh, yeah, for these. Like, does this taste like dirty socks?

So welcome to.

To.

Welcome to Canada again. Even though you've been here three years, we do weird things like this. Rm. All right, what's that say? I don't know whether you want to count this.

So it's peach or barf.

So peach or barf.

What color is that?

I don't. I believe it's the orange.

This orange one.

The orange.

There's, like, only two orange ones on here.

Yeah, there's two orange.

All right, I'm going.

So it's either.

So far, Sam's expression is very neutral. I think he's trying to figure out. Oh, oh, oh. It just turned very. It looks like he might even barf himself. Oh, I gotta say, I think I.

Got the right one.

Is it dead fish?

Maybe it's a dead fish flavor, because I know there's two oranges.

I don't know. I just want to get rid of it in my mouth. It tastes like moldy cheese.

I think there is a moldy cheese.

I really wish we bought water or something like that.

Yeah, yeah. Oh, that. Oh, that's true.

We did definitely did not get by the tissues.

We did. We did not think this through.

All right, let's keep it going. All right, one more.

Yeah, me too.

Just one more. Let's see.

Oh, no. It was the rotten egg or butternut.

Oh, okay.

Okay. I've had the rotten egg. It's disgusting.

Probably.

Yeah. Probably the worst one.

Okay. Oh, my God. So I'm going in. To be honest, I don't even like the good flavor. Like, buttered popcorn. Jelly is not. Yeah. So either way, this is gonna be, like, a 0% chance of, like, happiness.

I can't believe we paid money for this. Did we win? We're all rooting for that egg. We're watching our expressions. Yep. Bingo. Jean has won her own game once again. If we had captions, which we don't, it would say inaudible.

Oh, my. Oh, this one looks great.

That I'm pretty sure was the worst one.

I'm sorry. I just need to collect myself a.

Bit, like the flavor while Jean's dying.

Lingering in my mouth.

We'll give Kimmy her last one.

I'm just gonna take a Takis here just to wash this out.

Imagine taking the blue heat to wash off the taste in your mouth.

So this one is either berry blue or toothpaste. So that's the best one.

Did you cheat?

No, I didn't.

Fine, fine, fine.

So let's try the blue one.

You just pop that right through. Toothpaste is basically a palate cleanser.

And.

That'S berry blue, and she won that too. All right, last one. Here we go. No, I'm not gonna do the barf again. I hit barf three times.

It's a sign.

No, I'm not. I want to try something else. What is that?

Liver and onions. Cappuccino.

This was actually my worst nightmare. I don't even eat onions normally.

It's this one, I think. I think it's this one.

Choose wisely.

Where's the other one?

I think it's the brown. I think it's the dark brown looking one.

I'm looking at you. Cappuccino me, man. I'm so scared. Is not cappuccino.

So have you ever had liver before like this?

Tastes like French onion soup in jelly belly. I don't want to move my tongue right now real bad because I'm trying to dodge this taste, really?

But French onion soup is amazing. It's pretty good. Yeah.

Not in a jelly bean with liver. How did I hit? What? I actually can't talk.

Yeah, you are the unlucky one.

I'm really. I'm looking at live.

Would you like a Takis to clear out? Cool. So awesome.

Does that just about wrap it up?

Yeah. Well, we did it, guys. We went through our first official food challenge. It was. I have to say, I mean, do you guys feel closer now? Like, you know, like, this is a very nice team bonding experience, wasn't it?

I feel disgusting. I can't wait to get ready to.

Try some of this. Oh, yes. We're definitely gonna make some of our other co workers with us try this. We have a team dinner in just a bit, so, you know, we'll make sure that they get a taste of this for their dessert. All right, well, I have to say that is going to be the end of our show today. We are, you know, as mentioned, we will be resuming a new season in the new year. We'll definitely be making announcements, but in the meantime, you know, definitely check out our other guests. I know we only got to highlight a few of our favorites, but all of them essentially are our favorites. Let's be honest. They all have really great things to learn and share about their own experiences. So please feel free to check out the other episodes and we will also make sure to share our own links as well as the other companies that we have referenced as well. Thank you, everyone. Hope you enjoy the new year, enjoy your holidays, and we'll see you in the new year. Take care.

Bye Bye, everyone.