Lantern’s Post

🏡✨ Introducing Alexia and Edda, the Founders of Connecto Real Estate! 🏡✨ Alexia and Edda bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the table, each with their unique strengths and insights in real estate, marketing, and development. From innovative strategies to unwavering dedication, they embody the spirit of Connecto Real Estate's mission: helping people foster genuine relationships and opportunities within the real estate process. As founders, they understand that real estate is not merely about properties, it's about dreams, aspirations, and the journey towards achieving them. With their leadership, Connecto Real Estate is not just a company; it's a testament to their shared vision of excellence and integrity in every interaction. Join Alexia and Edda as they lead the way in shaping the real estate business, connecting people to new beginnings. ✨ #ConnectoRealEstate #Innovators #NewBeginnings

Leading a team as large and diverse as UEL comes with immense responsibility. As leaders, we’re often expected to have all the answers, guiding not only those who are already with us but also those considering joining our vision. The journey is filled with highs, lows, and everything in between. Today, I want to share something that might resonate with many of you. No matter what you believe in, understand this: your vision and your dream mean nothing to others until you create a reality they can see and experience themselves. Want proof? Share your most impactful dream with someone close to you, and watch how quickly the conversation shifts. Caring about your dreams is not the same as caring about you as a person. That was a tough lesson for me. In November 2019, I first conceived the idea of the Wheel of Games and a multi-game competition. When I shared this with some of my closest people, they didn’t believe in it—they saw it as “just another one of my ideas.” I felt hurt, but I later realized that this vision wasn’t meant for them. It was for the world, and I needed to have faith in that vision. By February 2020, we were moving into our first location—until my partners and investors backed out because I wouldn’t compromise on the Wheel. We lost the location because the landlord saw me as too much of a risk. The second location fell through due to legal issues around gaming tournaments. But in March 2020, we finally secured a spot. Even then, the last remaining investors backed out. When faced with this level of adversity, the only thing that can keep you going is faith in the dream you’ve been given. We opened in July 2020 during a government lockdown, making it impossible to be profitable. On our opening day, we had just three people show up—but they’re still with us today. From that humble beginning, we hosted our first pre-season tournament with eight players. It was the first-ever multi-game tournament where players had to compete in multiple games, not just play them. That was when I first saw what was possible, even though most people still didn’t fully understand it. Season by season, we grew: -Season 1:14 players, 5-10 viewers, $10k prize - **Season 2:** 20 players, 10-12 viewers, $15k prize - **Season 3:** 40 players, 15-20 viewers, $20k prize - **Season 4:** 60 players, 20-25 viewers, $20k prize - **Season 5:** 150 players, 30-35 viewers, $20k prize - **Season 6:** 300 players, 70-80 viewers, $40k prize - **Season 7:** 800 players, 300-400 viewers, $100k prize By Season 8, we were hosting events outside of our own arena at Capital One, drawing 750 viewers and over 2,000 participants, with a $100k prize. And now, in our current season, we’ve reached a $1,000,000 prize pool, with millions of views and over 200,000 people on our email list. Photo credit Esports Trade Association Continued in the comments below

🏒 Hockey is back! And you know what that means, the #KPMGCalgary Saddledome Suite is rockin’ again. We had a great time with the Platform Calgary Team as we took in the Calgary Hitmen game. 🚨🥅 There’s so many things the #PlatformCalgary Team is hard at work preparing for, like #InnovationWeek, #LaunchParty2024, plus all the accelerator, incubator, and peer to peer programs going on. 🚀 These Platform Team members are actively working with founders and helping support the impact Platform has in our community. 👏 Let’s learn a little bit about what they do: 👋 Terry Rock, President and CEO - Terry leads Platform Calgary. Fun Fact: Terry’s from Melfort, Saskatchewan and has been given the nickname Doc Rock because of his PhD. 👋 Karam-Ali Talakshi, Director of Growth - Ali's helping grow Platform through strategic partnerships, the National Bank Investor Hub, donors, and more. Fun Fact: He's a massive West Wing fan 👋 Taylor C., Coordinator of Growth - Taylor is awesome! Helping support Platform’s growth and working hard on the upcoming #PropTechShowcase on October 28th. 👋 Jordy Grant, Program Coordinator Platform Incubator - The Platform Incubator program provides high-potential founders with the resources and connections needed to build world-class companies. Fun Fact:  Jordy’s produced music, is a DJ, and launch a massive music festival in Costa Rica. 👋 Kaitlyn Carr, Program Specialist, Alberta Catalyzer - If you’re not already familiar, Alberta Catalyzer it’s is a pre-accelerator that offers company support, resources, and coaching to #entrepreneurs aiming to launch and grow their tech-enabled companies, preparing them for advancement to the scale-up and acceleration stages. 👋 Renu Chandarana, Program Manager, Peer-to-Peer - The Peer-to-Peer Program provides an opportunity for individuals working in similar roles at local tech companies to learn from each other through a facilitated discussion and exchanging experiential advice. 👋 Nora Rudenko, Membership Lead - Reach out to Nora if you’re looking to become a member of Platform. Fun Fact: This was Nora’s first hockey game. 👋 Madeline Kendrew, Director, Academy - What doesn’t Madeline do?! She oversees all of the programming and has been with Platform for almost 7 years. 👋 Paula Canas, Advisor - Paula’s a startup advisor working with many Platform members. Fun Fact: This was Paula’s first hockey game, she’s originally from Argentina and a soccer fan Thank you Reinier Deurwaarder for hosting and supporting the Platform Calgary Team as they help support our local #startups and #tech ecosystem. 🤝🙌 #yyctech #yycbusiness #yycbiz #yycstartups #yycinnovation #calgarytech #calgarybusiness #calgarystartups #calgaryinnovation #abtech #albertatech #albertabusiness #albertastartups #albertainnovation #tech #technology #innovation #business #startup #startups #scaleups #prairiestartups #BlueSkyCity #PrairiePower #KPMGCalgary #KPMGHGVCanada #KPMGHighGrowthVentures

Financial services and technology tend to dominate board directors discussions. So why did E.L.F. BEAUTY pervade conversations among 1500+ directors at the 2024 NACD (National Association of Corporate Directors) Summit? A beauty, tech, and entertainment company, elf is proof you can excel in business by focusing on solid biz fundamentals, doing things the right way, and doing good. Their numbers make directors ask- how the elf did they do it? Q1 FY 25 Key Highlights: ✨ 22 consecutive quarters of both net sales growth and market share gains. ✨ Grew net sales by 50% ✨Gained 260 basis points of cosmetics category share. ✨Jumped to the #2 ranked US mass color cosmetics brand in $ share and #1 US mass color cosmetics brand in unit share [Nielsen XAOC latest 12 weeks ending 6/15/24] ✨Expanded unaided brand awareness from 13% in 2020 to 33% in 2024 ✨They’ve engaged, listened, democratized access for consumers, winning the hearts of GenZ through meeting them where they are - TikTok, Twitch, Roblox, VR, and in the process, have a pulse on our next gen consumers and leaders. They did it built on the idea of democratization of access - to beauty, to equity (every elfz own equity), and now, to boards. This has been the consistent and backed by action narrative ever since I’ve known Tarang Amin, elf chairman’s and CEO nearly a decade ago. So, why boards? Tarang and team points the diversity of elf’s board as a cornerstone of their biz success. e.l.f. Beauty is the only publicly traded company out of more than 4,100 in the U.S. with a Board of Directors that is 78% women and 44% diverse. And because business is a driver of society, they want to help share their not so secret sauce. In their Change the Board Game Initiative- they ✨ teamed up with Billie Jean King to serve up facts ✨jolted our awareness with their So Many Dicks Campaign (there are more men named Richard, Rich, or Dick on boards than entire categories of women- it’s ok to be a Dick, just make room for everyone else too) ✨ sponsored 20 diverse board ready candidates in the NACD board accelerator They also released the Not So White Paper in a jampacked session with Mandy Fields (CFO), Kory Marchisotto (CMO), Dr. Elimelda Moige Ongeri , moderated by Alice Korngold Key research finding include: -Diverse Boards show a 15% higher return on equity. -There’s a 50% reduction in earnings risk when Boards are more diverse -Women on Boards are linked to better price-to-earnings ratios Read here: https://lnkd.in/eci9du6M Congrats to the elf team for electrifying the conversation - Scott Milsten, Ekta Chopra, Melinda Fried, Samantha Critchell , and so many others. And elf board directors Maureen Watson, Lori Keith, Tiffany Daniele were present to engage and champion. I’m so elfing proud to be a partner/advisor to elf and be part of the elf family. #leadership #boards Therese O'Higgins 50/50 Women on Boards #changingtheboardgame

The rise of Latino entrepreneurs in the United States is reshaping the business landscape and making significant strides in the sports industry. One notable example is the recent initiative led by the NHL's Coyotes CEO and other Latino executives, who have launched a platform to promote Hispanics in sports. This groundbreaking platform, designed to foster more excellent representation and opportunities for Hispanics, highlights Latino professionals' growing influence and leadership across various sectors. The initiative is a testament to the entrepreneurial spirit and determination that characterize the Latino community. We want continued progress and success stories that benefit the Latino community and the nation. Let's celebrate and support the dynamic growth of Latino entrepreneurs making waves and setting new standards in the business and sports worlds. Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/gT9KFUnm #LatinoEntrepreneurs #DiversityInSports #HispanicLeadership #Entrepreneurship #EconomicGrowth #Inclusion #RoleModels #Innovation #BusinessLeadership #LatinoSuccessStories

It's NOT Wednesday... It’s Windays! 🎉 The midweek point where we celebrate our wins because that’s what keeps us motivated and moving in purpose. I’m thrilled to share that yesterday, I wrapped up my last leadership development session for the 2024 cohort of Blk Tech Founders at 1871, featuring founders from Chicago to Long Beach and as far as Lagos, Nigeria. Truly making a global impact! Over the past 8 weeks, we didn’t just cover the basics; we illuminated the brilliance within and disrupted the doubts that held us back. From identifying North Stars and dreaming big to creating actionable plans amidst uncertainty and making value-driven decisions, we did it all. We explored mindset shifts around securing funding, betting on ourselves for revenue generation, and controlling the controllables. The founders’ takeaways filled my cup, and the words they used to describe our journey—introspective, strategic, and community-driven—were incredibly impactful. My favorite word? Blessing. 🌟 It’s been a blessing to work with nearly 50 founders, my biggest cohort to date, and to have the support of Betsy Ziegler, Alysha-Aubrey Bursey, and to partner with Jeffrey Osuji in leading the cohort. Check out the amazing work these founders are bringing into the world—I’ll tag them in the comments! I’m excited to see the impact they will make and to continue serving in 2025. Here’s to the next chapter of growth and innovation! 🚀 What are you and your team celebrating today?

I am a proud New York Rangers fan, and one of the big stories of this year is a kid named Matt Rempe, who is just a big ol’ lug of a guy who skates (reasonably) well and hits hard. He’s kind of a throwback player to a previous time—he’s incredibly helpful in the playoffs where the ice seems to shrink a little bit and the big guys have a job to open up some lanes. And I’ve been reflecting on the movement of Rempe’s year (started the year in the minors) and I’ve been reflecting that we all go through stages of life—and that our businesses go through stages of life—and if we understand those stages we have a better opportunity to take advantage of them. When you play in the minors you’re making under six figures; when you play in the NHL you’re making $700,000 minimum. It’s a big jump, and it happens the minute you’re on the NHL roster. Suddenly, you can buy a house. In business similar things happen. You try your tail off to start a new idea—fund it, market it, research it, sell it, deliver it, and maybe you’re pulling in 500K or 1M per year, built from nothing—built from effort. Then someone says: I’ll buy it from you. Or parts of it. $3M or $5M in a day. In a moment. Then someone says let’s take it public: depending how much you have left, another $3M, $5M that day. And I mention this because if we understand the stages of movement of a business, we know when to get in—right before the movement. Right before the river hits the ocean. At WealthColony, that’s our goal. We partner with companies before the big movement. That’s where our ecosystem flourishes—if you see the future, you can make money as it unfolds. The trick, of course, is seeing the future. With business deals, we look for the pre-sale businesses to introduce you to. In Web3 and cryptocurrencies—we help you see, and profit from, upcoming mainstream adoption. The human brain is a prediction machine—and the market relies on predictions. When businesses match the movements of—not just the market—but the movements of the avenues of the market—you reduce risk while seeking higher rewards. If a conversation about some of these companies or mainstream adoption of Web3 interest you, please DM me. #NewYorkRangers #Hockey #NHL #BusinessStages #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #WealthColony #BusinessPartnerships #Web3 #Cryptocurrencies

From boardrooms to arenas, excellence transcends every domain. While sports legends dominate the field, our very own Shane Shin (شين شن) 유근 has been making equally seismic moves off it. 🚀 As a Forbes 30 Under 30 alumnus, Shane exemplifies how leadership and vision in venture capital can rival the passion and grit of any championship performance. 🏆 Shane is not just playing the game—he's redefining the rules, building legacies, and empowering innovators to shape the future. In a list filled with trailblazers, his impact resonates beyond borders, proving that greatness knows no bounds—whether it’s on the court or in the startup ecosystem. 💫 Thank you Forbes for the special feature among legends such as Achraf Hakimi, Farida Osman and Mutaz Barshim! ✨ Go through this special Alumnus list here: https://lnkd.in/eNYctR8A With Founders. For Investors. #shorooq #leadership #excellence #investments

Yolo Group’s Leadership Moves: What Could It Mean for the Future? Yolo Group has introduced four senior appointments that could reshape its trajectory in the crypto-first gaming industry: Sandra Vask steps in as COO to oversee daily operations and streamline collaboration. #AnthonyCabrera, with two decades of gaming experience, takes charge as Director of Bitcasino. Amy Howard, now Director of Retention, focuses on customer engagement and loyalty. #AlexanderMcLoughlin brings his expertise to strengthen operations in Asia as Director of CORE Markets. These leadership changes come at a crucial time for the group as it continues to build on the success of its brands like Bitcasino and Sportsbet.io. With a diverse mix of experience and skills, this team could potentially enhance operational efficiency, boost customer retention, and expand their market presence. However, leadership transitions can also pose challenges. Adapting to new strategies and ensuring alignment across teams is never without its hurdles. What do you think will these appointments lead to a stronger Yolo Group, or do such transitions come with growing pains? #LeadershipMatters #CryptoGaming #YoloGroup #BusinessGrowth #EsportsMark