E81 - Beyond the Echo - Dan Clay Ellis, Calgary vs. San Francisco’s Start-up Cultures
“Calgary has this ecosystem that is big enough to be interesting, but small enough to get your head around it.”
Dan got his entrepreneurial start right here in Calgary making websites during the late 90’s. From there, he took part in the golden age of tech consulting in Calgary before growing an interest in product development. That’s when he and his like-minded partner packed up their laptops and moved to Silicon Valley to immersive themselves in the start-up culture. The result – Rallyteam, a platform that enables companies to better understand and utilize their people. Since being acquired by Workday in 2018, Dan spends his time advising start-ups on product and strategy while also dabbling in angel investing.
Join me as Dan takes us through his entrepreneurial journey to Silicon Valley, the differences between Calgary’s and San Francisco’s start-up cultures, his transition into angel investing, and the effects that the COVID crisis has had in the start-up world.