The GetFresh Story : Journey to Growth by Design

The journey that led to the founding of GetFresh Ventures (GFV) wasn’t a straightforward path, but rather a series of experiences and lessons learned, beginning in the most unexpected places—on quiet weekend mornings in Vancouver. My father, once an accomplished engineer at Texas Instruments in Singapore, found himself assembling PCs in Canada after we moved there in the early ’90s. It wasn’t a glamorous job, but it was steady work, and on weekends, he pursued a side hustle that revealed the true depth of his engineering mind and problem-solving skills.

Those weekends became my classroom. I was fifteen, but as I accompanied my father to small businesses around Vancouver, I began to understand the true power of technology—not only as a tool but as a lifeline for these businesses. They relied on it to stay afloat, yet they often didn’t fully understand it. My father would sit with these business owners, listening patiently as they explained their frustrations—computers that wouldn’t start, networks that wouldn’t connect, software that seemed impossible to navigate. Then, with the quiet confidence of a man who had seen and solved a thousand problems before, he would sketch out solutions on the back of a napkin, walking them through each step until the issue was resolved.

My Dad and I in 2007

These experiences left a deep impression on me. Technology wasn’t solely about machines; it was about people, understanding their needs, and finding practical solutions that made their lives easier. By the time I graduated high school in 1995, I was already running my own consultancy, helping small businesses in Vancouver navigate their own technological challenges. My company, Orbital Systems—later rebranded as Covalent Systems—was born out of these early lessons in empathy, problem-solving, and the importance of understanding the customer’s perspective.

Leaving University for the Startup World

University seemed like the logical next step, so in 1995, I enrolled at Simon Fraser University, diving into a diverse array of subjects—business, psychology, computer science, archaeology, and advanced mathematics. I was eager to learn, to explore all the possibilities the academic world had to offer. But as I moved deeper into my studies, I found myself increasingly drawn back to the world of entrepreneurship. The idea of building something tangible, something that could grow and evolve in the rapidly changing technological landscape, was far more exciting than anything I was learning in the classroom.

By 2000, in my fourth year, I made the decision to leave university and focus full-time on my business. It was a bold move, driven by the lessons I had learned during those weekends with my father—the importance of practical problem-solving, the value of understanding your customer’s needs, and the belief that technology, when used correctly, could be a powerful force for good. Orbital Systems, now Covalent Systems, became my full-time pursuit, and the decision to focus on building something from the ground up would define the rest of my career.

WebCT: Building Under Constraints in the Dotcom Era

In 2000, I joined WebCT as the head of technology operations. WebCT, developed by Murray Goldberg at the University of British Columbia, was a pioneering course management system that significantly impacted higher education. At its peak, WebCT served approximately 14 million students annually across 4,000 universities in 80 countries. My role was to build the infrastructure needed to support this rapid growth, but with minimal capital—a challenge that was only exacerbated by the ongoing dotcom crash.

The early 2000s were a time of great uncertainty. Money was tight, and every decision had to be strategic, every dollar stretched to its limit. We had to be resourceful, leveraging open-source solutions and a lot of elbow grease to build a system that could handle the scale of our operations. This was a crash course in hyper-growth during a downturn, and it taught me invaluable lessons about resourcefulness, scalability, and the importance of a strong operational backbone in any tech company.

Diraj, with his now wife, Tas in 2005

When WebCT was acquired by Blackboard in 2006 for $180 million, I was deeply involved in the integration process. This wasn’t merely about merging technologies; it was about integrating cultures, combining the startup spirit of WebCT with the more established, corporate environment of Blackboard, which was already a public company. I spent significant time in Washington, D.C., working closely with the Blackboard team to ensure a smooth transition for our clients and to maintain the robustness of our technology infrastructure. I was even offered a VP position at Blackboard, but Vancouver had become my home, and I chose to stay, guided by the lessons and the community I had grown to love.

On one of visit to Washington, DC at the Blackboard HQ in 2006

Sophos: Integrating Cultures and Technologies

In 2006, I transitioned to Sophos, a British cybersecurity company that was expanding its global footprint. As the head of global technology operations, my role was to integrate newly acquired companies into the Sophos ecosystem—a task that required not only technical expertise but also a deep understanding of the different cultures within these organizations.

One of the most significant challenges was integrating ActiveState, a Vancouver-based company known for its anti-spam software, which Sophos had acquired in 2003. ActiveState had a startup culture—agile, innovative, and slightly chaotic—while Sophos was more stoic, focused on security and controls. My job was to bridge these two worlds, ensuring that we retained ActiveState’s innovative edge while meeting the stringent security standards that Sophos was known for.

We developed Sophos PureMessage, a consolidated email protection system that integrated anti-virus and anti-spam capabilities, and expanded Sophos’s presence on the West Coast of North America. This integration wasn’t just a technical challenge; it was a cultural one, requiring careful management of teams and expectations across different locations and time zones.

In 2007, Sophos acquired ENDFORCE, an Ohio-based company specializing in security policy compliance and network access control (NAC) software. Once again, I was tasked with the integration, which involved not just aligning technologies but also harmonizing operations across different geographies and corporate cultures.

IPS: Securing Critical Infrastructure During the Great Recession

After Sophos, I joined IPS, a company providing security and infrastructure solutions for mid to large enterprises. This was during the Great Recession, a time when budgets were tight, and every dollar spent had to be justified. Our clients included some of the most critical infrastructure in Canada—YVR Airport, the Vancouver Olympics Organizing Committee (VANOC), and major financial institutions like ATB Financial and RBC.

As the lead on security strategy and road mapping, I was responsible for ensuring that these organizations had the resilience and security needed to withstand potential threats. This wasn’t only about installing firewalls or running penetration tests; it was about developing comprehensive security strategies that aligned with their overall business objectives. I was deeply involved in building out security operations centers, conducting audits, and performing technical analysis of their security posture. This role required a blend of technical expertise and strategic thinking, helping clients navigate the complexities of securing their data and systems in an increasingly interconnected world.

Getting engaged and married before starting at Vision Critical in 2009

Vision Critical: Navigating Growth, Turmoil, and Investor Dynamics

In 2009, I joined Vision Critical, a company specializing in customer intelligence software, as the head of business technology and operations. The company was experiencing rapid growth, fueled by its innovative approach to market research and customer engagement. My role was to ensure that our go-to-market (GTM) strategy was seamlessly integrated with our processes and technology, enabling the company to scale effectively.

Vision Critical was an eye-opening experience in many ways. The company was led by Angus Reid, a well-known figure in the Canadian tech community, and it was backed by a group of venture capitalists who had high expectations for growth and returns. My position gave me a front-row seat to the often complex and sometimes conflicting dynamics between founders, management, and investors.

One of the key challenges we faced was maintaining operational efficiency while keeping pace with the aggressive growth targets set by our investors. The company’s rapid expansion into new markets and the constant pressure to innovate meant that we were frequently pushing our systems and processes to their limits. This was a time of constant change, with new products being developed, new markets being entered, and new challenges arising almost daily.

The tension between the need for sustainable growth and the demands of our investors became increasingly apparent as we moved closer to a potential IPO. The venture capitalists backing Vision Critical were focused on maximizing the company’s valuation, often pushing for strategies that would deliver quick returns but could jeopardize long-term sustainability. As the head of business technology and operations, I was responsible for ensuring that our infrastructure could support this growth, while also advocating for a more balanced approach that would protect the company’s future.

Working overnight in at the Vision Critical Offices in 2011

This period was marked by significant internal debate and strategic decision-making. We knew that to achieve the valuation needed for a successful IPO, we would need to streamline our operations, focus on our core strengths, and possibly divest from non-core areas of the business. This led to the decision to sell Vision Critical’s services business to MARU in 2016. While I didn’t spearhead the sale, I was deeply involved as the right hand to our CFO, working to ensure that the transition was smooth and that our core software business could thrive post-sale.

The sale to MARU was a pivotal moment for Vision Critical. It allowed the company to refocus on its software offerings, which were the true drivers of its growth. This move was also a strategic play to position the company for its next phase of growth, with an eye towards a future IPO. However, the process was not without its challenges. Divesting a significant part of the business required careful planning, not only to ensure that the deal was financially advantageous but also to maintain morale and keep the remaining teams focused on the path ahead.

Throughout this period, I learned invaluable lessons about the importance of aligning operational capabilities with strategic goals, the complexities of managing investor relations, and the delicate balance needed to scale a company sustainably. These experiences would later inform the development of GetFresh Ventures and our Growth by Design model, which emphasizes sustainable growth, operational efficiency, and a deep understanding of both the market and the unique needs of each business.

Hootsuite: Re-Engineering for Growth

In early 2016, I joined Hootsuite, a social media management platform that had raised approximately $279.9 million over 15 funding rounds. Hootsuite was a product of market and investor exuberance in social media, much like the trends we’ve seen in cannabis, the creator economy, web3, and AI. By the time I arrived, the company had grown rapidly but was facing significant challenges. Operations were fragmented and inefficient, and the company was running out of runway with a few months of cash left, operating cash flow negative.

Celebrating my birthday with my Ops team at Hootsuite

My role was to re-engineer the company’s operations. This meant integrating fragmented teams, understanding the customer journey and touchpoints end-to-end, and building a net new team from key players across the organization. We had to get everyone rowing in the same direction, with a deep understanding of our opportunities and challenges across both the SMB and enterprise segments.

Through a combination of strategic realignment, operational efficiencies, and a renewed focus on the fundamentals of the business, we were able to turn things around. Within six quarters, Hootsuite blew past its $72 million revenue mark, reaching over $100 million. This wasn’t about cutting corners; it was about making smart, data-driven decisions that aligned with the company’s long-term goals.

Hypergrowth Accelerator: Fostering the Next Generation of Leaders

After leaving Hootsuite, I took on the role of leading the Hypergrowth Accelerator at BC Tech in 2017. This was a pivotal moment in my career—a chance to take everything I had learned and apply it to help the next generation of tech leaders build sustainable, high-growth companies. The Hypergrowth Accelerator was designed to provide promising startups with the tools, mentorship, and support they needed to scale rapidly and effectively.

One of the standout successes from that time was Jane App, a healthcare technology platform that was part of our Hypergrowth cohort. Jane App had a strong product and a passionate team, but they needed guidance on scaling their operations and positioning themselves for long-term success. Through the Hypergrowth Accelerator, we worked closely with Jane App’s founders to refine their GTM strategy, streamline their operations, and prepare for the next stage of growth.

Maria Pacella, the General Partner at Pender Ventures and a member of our advisory board, was present for Jane App’s final GTM presentation. She recognized the massive opportunity in what the team had built and soon after invested in the company. Jane App has since grown into a leading platform in the healthcare space, serving thousands of practitioners and millions of patients across North America. Their success is a testament to the power of combining operational excellence with a deep understanding of the market—a core principle of the Growth by Design model.

The Birth of GetFresh Ventures: A New Model for Growth

By the time I left Hootsuite and concluded my role at the Hypergrowth Accelerator, I had a clear vision of what the venture ecosystem needed. The traditional venture capital model, with its relentless focus on scaling at all costs, often pushed companies to grow at unsustainable rates. I had seen this firsthand across various roles in my career—from the intense pressure to deliver rapid returns at Vision Critical to the fragmented, cash-burning operations at Hootsuite. These experiences showed me that the conventional approach to venture capital was fundamentally flawed. It was a system designed to produce a few unicorns, but more often than not, it left a trail of burnout, disillusionment, and failed startups in its wake.

I had spent years navigating the delicate balance between the needs of founders, who were deeply passionate about their products and their teams, and the expectations of investors, who were driven by the need for quick returns. Time and again, I saw how the pressure to meet aggressive growth targets led to unsustainable business practices—cutting corners on operational efficiencies, overlooking the importance of customer experience, and sacrificing long-term stability for short-term gains. These weren’t just business lessons; they were lessons in human dynamics, in understanding the delicate interplay between ambition, pressure, and the harsh realities of the market.

During my time at the Hypergrowth Accelerator, these lessons were reinforced as I worked closely with a new generation of tech founders. The program was designed to help startups scale rapidly, but it also highlighted the same underlying issues I had observed throughout my career. The startups that succeeded weren’t just the ones with the flashiest products or the largest market opportunities—they were the ones that had a deep understanding of their customers, a clear path to profitability, and a commitment to building a sustainable business model. Jane App was a perfect example. The founders had a strong product, but what set them apart was their willingness to learn, to iterate, and to focus relentlessly on creating value for their customers. It was this combination of vision and discipline that attracted Maria Pacella from Pender Ventures, who recognized the potential in what Jane App was building and invested in their future.

These experiences crystallized my belief that what the venture ecosystem needed wasn’t more capital or more aggressive growth strategies—it needed a fundamental shift in how we approach building businesses. What was needed was a model that combined the best aspects of venture capital with deep operational expertise—a model that prioritized sustainable, high-growth companies built from the ground up, with a solid foundation that could withstand the inevitable challenges and fluctuations of the market.

This vision led to the creation of GetFresh Ventures (GFV). I didn’t want to be just another venture capitalist chasing the next big trend; I wanted to be a partner to founders, someone who would work alongside them, roll up my sleeves, and get into the nitty-gritty of building a business. GFV’s Growth by Design model is the embodiment of this approach. It’s about understanding the fundamentals of a business—its market, its customers, its operational strengths and weaknesses—and building from there. It’s about focusing on what truly matters, rather than being distracted by the latest buzzwords or chasing growth for growth’s sake.

We don’t believe in pushing founders to scale at breakneck speeds without regard for the long-term health of their business. Instead, we focus on creating sustainable, scalable companies that are built to last. This means paying attention to the details—refining the product until it’s something customers can’t live without, building operational efficiencies that allow for scalability without burning through resources, and ensuring that every growth strategy is grounded in a deep understanding of the market dynamics.

In my years of experience, I’ve seen too many companies falter because they were chasing the wrong metrics. Venture capital, in its traditional form, often emphasizes speed over sustainability, leading to a high failure rate among startups. The pressure to grow quickly and deliver outsized returns to investors can drive companies to make short-sighted decisions—overextending their resources, compromising on product quality, or neglecting customer relationships. But in the long run, these decisions can undermine the very foundations of the business.

At GFV, we take a different approach. Our Growth by Design model is about building companies that are not only capable of scaling but also resilient enough to thrive in the face of adversity. We work closely with founders to develop a deep understanding of their business, their market, and their customers. We help them craft strategies that align with their long-term vision, rather than forcing them into a one-size-fits-all growth plan. And we provide the operational support and mentorship they need to execute those strategies effectively.

One of the key insights that shaped GFV’s approach was the realization that sustainable growth doesn’t come from chasing every opportunity that comes your way. It comes from focusing on the right opportunities—the ones that align with your strengths, your market position, and your long-term goals. This means being selective about where you invest your time, energy, and resources. It means saying no to opportunities that don’t fit your strategic vision, even if they’re tempting in the short term.

Warehoos: E-Commerce Built from the Ground Up

Warehoos, an e-commerce platform founded by a fourth-generation builder in the construction industry, exemplifies how the Growth by Design model works across different business segments. When we started working with Warehoos in 2020, the company was still in the ideation phase. The founder had deep industry knowledge but needed help translating that into a successful e-commerce business. Our first year together was spent designing the business, developing the business model, and starting to build the technology needed to go live.

By late 2021, Warehoos was ready to launch, and we began acquiring customers while refining our understanding of the ideal customer profile (ICP). In 2022, as we continued to serve customers across the spectrum, we did $250K in revenue—a respectable start, but it was clear that we needed to hone our focus further to scale effectively.

The breakthrough came in 2023 when we truly started to understand our customers of value and how to reach them. By aligning our efforts with the ICP, we were able to achieve $1.2M in revenue, a significant jump from the previous year. With this clearer understanding of the market, we developed a strategy for 2024 that focused on scaling around the ICP, with the goal of reaching $4-5M in revenue. The plan for 2025 is even more ambitious, targeting over $10M, but it’s grounded in the same principles that have guided us from the beginning—understanding the market, building sustainable operations, and growing at a pace that the business can support.

MyFO: A SaaS Success Story

MyFO, a B2C/B2B SaaS company, presents a different but equally compelling example of the Growth by Design approach in action. We began working with MyFO in December 2022, at a critical juncture for the company. The founder was struggling to bring the product to market and was running out of money. They needed a clear, tactical go-to-market (GTM) strategy and a compelling story to engage investors and raise the funds necessary to move forward.

Our first step was to help them nail down a GTM strategy that was both tactical and clear. We worked on the messaging, positioning, and overall strategy that would resonate with investors. The result was a successful $1M pre-seed raise, which gave MyFO the runway they needed to release their alpha product in April 2023. This was followed by months of gathering feedback from early users and testers, which informed the full product launch in October 2023.

But our work didn’t stop at the product launch. We also helped MyFO develop an acquisition strategy focused on revenue generation, with clear methods to engage and convert early users. By identifying the segment most likely to close quickly and refer others, we were able to put MyFO on a high-velocity growth curve. The company quickly surpassed $1M in ARR, and the rapid traction they achieved allowed them to close a $3M seed round shortly after.

GetFresh Ventures: Building a New Path Forward

Reflecting on the journey that led to the founding of GetFresh Ventures, it’s clear that every experience—every challenge and every success—has shaped the firm’s philosophy and approach. The traditional venture capital model has its merits, but it often falls short in truly supporting the long-term success of founders and their businesses. Too often, the focus is on rapid growth and quick exits, which can lead to unsustainable practices and, ultimately, failure.

GetFresh Ventures was born out of a desire to do things differently. To provide not only capital but also the operational expertise, mentorship, and strategic guidance that founders need to build companies that last. The Growth by Design model is a reflection of that commitment—a commitment to sustainable growth, to building businesses that can weather the inevitable ups and downs, and to creating value that endures.

Whether it’s helping a fourth-generation builder transition into the e-commerce space or guiding a SaaS company through its early stages of growth, the goal is the same: to partner with founders, roll up our sleeves, and do the hard work necessary to build something truly exceptional. That’s the GetFresh Ventures way, and it’s a path I’m proud to walk with every founder who joins us on this journey.