Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 6 days ago
Moderated by Jason Goldlist, this fireside chat brings together Michele Romanow (Dragon, Dragons' Den and Co-Founder & Executive Chairman, Clearco) and Tyler Handley (Co-Founder, Olauto) for a candid conversation about building, scaling, and exiting consumer brands. The discussion reflects on Handley’s journey from Inkbox into his next venture and Romanow’s perspective on what founders need to understand about growth in today’s market.
The conversation covers early traction, what Dragon’s Den did and didn’t change, how acquisition strategy really plays out, and why repeat purchase rate is one of the most important metrics in brand-building. Michele and Tyler also get into pricing, changing consumer behavior, the knockoff era in consumer products, the limits of AI in creativity, and why distribution can matter more than community as a durable advantage.
Essential viewing for CPG founders, ecommerce operators, and entrepreneurs looking for a practical perspective on scaling, exiting, and launching a second act in consumer business.
🔔 Subscribe for more real founder stories from TechTO
📅 Explore upcoming TechTO events: techto.org/events Watch more talks: youtube.com/c/TechTorontoOrg
Upcoming events: techto.org/events
Events calendar: luma.com/TechTO-Events
Newsletter — The read on Canadian tech: blog.techto.org
Membership: techto.org/memberships
Moderated by Jason Goldlist, this fireside chat brings together Michele Romanow (Dragon, Dragons' Den and Co-Founder & Executive Chairman, Clearco) and Tyler Handley (Co-Founder, Olauto) for a candid conversation about building, scaling, and exiting consumer brands. The discussion reflects on Handley’s journey from Inkbox into his next venture and Romanow’s perspective on what founders need to understand about growth in today’s market.
The conversation covers early traction, what Dragon’s Den did and didn’t change, how acquisition strategy really plays out, and why repeat purchase rate is one of the most important metrics in brand-building. Michele and Tyler also get into pricing, changing consumer behavior, the knockoff era in consumer products, the limits of AI in creativity, and why distribution can matter more than community as a durable advantage.
Essential viewing for CPG founders, ecommerce operators, and entrepreneurs looking for a practical perspective on scaling, exiting, and launching a second act in consumer business.
🔔 Subscribe for more real founder stories from TechTO
📅 Explore upcoming TechTO events: techto.org/events Watch more talks: youtube.com/c/TechTorontoOrg
Upcoming events: techto.org/events
Events calendar: luma.com/TechTO-Events
Newsletter — The read on Canadian tech: blog.techto.org
Membership: techto.org/memberships
