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If you read Part 1, you may want some positive news to balance things out... A rollercoaster ride is certainly shout-out-loud fun, but it can also make you feel sick, dizzy, stressed and fearful. Welcome to being a StartUp Founder.
I certainly generated some of the best career-related memories during my startup journey. It's important to relish, record, and share them! The best of times: 'You can camp out in my facility for months if you wish, if you can do what you say, it will be incredibly valuable!' - Beta Client upon hearing about our Yield Prediction Solution 'We don't even do things the way we used to, we have been relying on your solution for weeks now!' - Beta Client who was sending our data directly to a billion-dollar company that pre-sold all produce from their 170+ acres of greenhouse production. 'Sure I'll help you furnish the new office, drive around in a U-Haul, and get it ready for the new team' - A team member who spent days finding, collecting, and assembling all the used office furniture in our first proper office location. 'Would you be interested in giving a TED Talk about your startup journey?' - TED Talk organizer 'OK we're in - congratulations!' - Desjardins - Real Ventures - FLUXUNIT / ams-OSRAM Ventures - BDC - FounderFuel - and all our Angel Investors. 'We'll introduce you to our client base and get this moving - come see us in the Netherlands' - Saint-Gobain Cultilene Bonny Heeren - Global Distributors 'I still remember your DemoDay presentation' - Industry Professional 2 years after demo day. 'Don't worry, we'll lock up -go home!' - The first time our office was full of new staff, and I wasn't the last one leaving. 'You're all here because you're entrepreneurs. You likely always will be. You will have to do the impossible' - Sylvain Carle welcoming the new FounderFuel accelerator cohort, and the first time anyone called me an entrepreneur 'Could we come by the office and interview you?' - The Globe and Mail, Canada's national newspaper - who allowed Floyd our office dog in the photo! 'Japan just signed!' - Japan's largest greenhouse operator joins our client list 'So you're joking right?' - Upon being seated within a Montreal family office, we didn't quite prepare as well as we should, by not knowing whose money was behind the fund. Turned out to be the Bronfman's via Claridge Inc.!! Coming from the UK - I had never heard of the Bronfmans.... oops! :) 'Would you come to Japan and speak at our event?' - Japan's first AgTech conference, who kindly paid for our flights and accommodation, rude to say no... right? 'Happy to accept, I'm looking at flights - see you soon' - Our awesome Product Director who moved 4800 KM (3000 miles) to join our team. Lastly, and by no means least: 'I'm really proud of you' - various friends & family. Due to my history, having arrived in Montreal knowing no one, with $500 and a backpack to my name - this meant everything.
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Part 1
'Sticks & Stones may break my Bones, but Words can never Hurt me' - probably one of the sayings we heard, understood, and repeated from a very early age... right? I've recently had some time to digest the latest (final) chapter in Motorleaf's story - the company I co-founded in 2016. Last summer, the management team put in place after the Founders left the company was unable to raise additional capital, and Motorleaf went bust. This was 7 years after lighting up the Pre-Seed Startup ecosystem in Montreal, combining AI, AgTech & SaaS, and employing 18 full-time staff after 18 months. Motorleaf was a tech company focused on helping #growers #greenhouses and #IndoorFarms utilize data to predict their future Yields, and was, what I believed to be the best move I had ever made. I've looked back at the words that helped dictate the path(s) I would walk down. Not all the words I received were harmless. I would say that some were downright dangerous. If my experience can help any existing or future early-stage Founders, I'll be happy. If you've read this far, thanks - this is no clickbait post, it's just me at my laptop with something to share... 'All investors are Sharks with teeth, just not all choose to use them,' said one of our great investors (most were excellent) - after it became clear one of the investors did indeed want to use their teeth (post-close), and by no means was this a nibble that my other investors or I could brush off. By that time, wrenching ourselves out of the shark's mouth was going to do as much damage as letting it chomp away.. Here are a few choice sentences that I remember, if you hear something similar - stop what you're doing and take note.. 'Hate to say it, but I think (shark) has a plan, and it's not good. Can you replace him/pause fundraising?' - a Lawyer, just days before closing. The founders had put their homes up as collateral for a bridge loan, so we had to close. 'He must have Google Street viewed my top floor Condo, and has directly told me it would be a great shame if I lost it, (due to legal action threat)' - Board Member relaying a recent exchange with 'the Shark' "My team and I had looked through all the Shareholder Agreements and Company ByLaws, we just didn't see that clause until now - it was very well hidden..." - Said a well-respected, international Law firm, that had not flagged (or in fact, even noticed) v important clauses related to removing key personnel. '________________' - the sound of silence, after reaching out to other portfolio companies that had received investment from 'the Shark', when asking for feedback from the founders. 'You need to convince the other (Angel) investors to waive their rights on this round, we want to limit investment to institutional investors only' - instructions I acted upon, depriving those who first believed in us, reinvesting via legal agreements already in place. As CEO, the buck stopped with me. After two amazing years, I'm back full-time in Canada, and I have finished my time working for Priva Horticulture, which was an amazing journey. ; I wish the team at Priva's Horticulture Innovation Lab nothing but continued success and a big, special, warm thanks to Meiny Prins Ton Wallast and Walter Doorduin for the opportunity.
Here's a quick rundown of what the last couple of years involved while living and working in the Netherlands and enjoying the Dutch experience .... > Formed internal startup team of 20 within first 12 months (mix of existing internal team members and new hires) www.meetphil.com. >Created a new workspace/office that has become the flagship innovation hub within the company building - product demo’s, shared desks and a casual ambience. >Successfully managed the team that (after two prior failed attempts), got Plantonomy (the market-leading autonomous growing digital service) off the ground and into the market. >Created two additional new digital services, both in Beta with active clients around the world. >Launched initiatives to welcome other startups into our ecosystem. >Created a Digital Service vision to inspire new and existing staff, while working closely with internal stakeholders to position the company in executing the vision. >Formed meaningful relationships that continue after leaving Priva. >Proved that change does not need to be ‘my way or the highway’ - our team quickly bonded via a determination to create an atmosphere unique within Priva. I miss my team at the DeLier HQ, and especially meetings involving 'The Rocket' - - - shhhhh! This post was written in 2017 while we were fundraising.
We went on to raise over 5MM Dollars... There is a fairly good chance only my wife, 2 of my employees and perhaps a curious stranger will read this late night bit of writing. I may not care - as this may just serve as a written reminder to myself as to the importance of WHAT our company actually does, and why it's important to know the essence of this for all those conversations with investors, potential hires, potential customers and maybe even potential acquirers of our company... (everyone can dream - right?)I mean - any tech company CEO should know what they're doing / why they're doing it - it's fairly simple, right? WRONG! Since we quit our jobs to work on Motorleaf in 2016, the number of ways we describe our company has changed more times than I care to remember. Not in 'SHIT! it's not working.. let's pivot!!" kind of ways - more the top line - 1 paragraph to wrap up all the blood sweat and tears we've put in, and visions of grandeur we've discussed, argued and agreed upon (only to rethink the next month) WHY do I do this? Could I not find something else to focus on? Right now - the 3 people I know are reading this will likely be thinking: "Jeezus Ally - you know what Motorleaf is all about, it's ALL you talk about - focus on something else - like your kids, terrible haircut, constant crankiness when you sleep badly at the office - - etc' But NONONO - it's one of the hardest things to get right - as there are SO many ways to describe yourself that could all pass as 'good enough'- but won't infuse the reader/audience with a spark - that could light a fuse and send them into orbit with you and your team on your adventure.... So why work on it? Well - no one has any attention to give you, certainly not enough to listen to 7 paragraphs spoken or written about what you do/why you do it. Even now - you may be thinking - "I'll give this article only a few more seconds before I'll check my phone and look at cats on the internet". Who can blame you? - that's about as much use as cats can provide any one of us - help the little chats out by watching them online right now.... (french word for cats is a mix of shits and cats - mind blown...?) Anyhow - if you think about your company - you normally zip to the meat and potatoes - "we make widgets for people to allow for XYZ to happen" - B O R I N G S N O R I N G. Then your brain wakes up - and then you try again - "We enable people to feel XYZ from using our widget, and achieve XYZ in their lives" - aspirational - a bit fluffy and touchy-feely. But if you want to light a spark in your audience/reader - can you give them just enough of a narrative - where their brain starts making connections, coming to their own 'this is where I think this could go' statement? It's like magic when you get it right. You can see the cogs quickly turn, see a look of surprise (not because what you said is surprising, but because they themselves have just come up with ideas on a subject they may never have considered before... It's a well worn example - but memorable because it was so good. What was apple making when the iPod first came out? "1000 songs in your pocket". Hat's off to Mr Jobs - that nailed it and sparked everyone's imagination! As I write this I can think of at least 7 different statements as to how we described what Motorleaf 'does' in the past 12 months. 1) Produce Hardware + Software automation for indoor farming 2) Redefine indoor farming automation 3) Supply modular wireless hardware to monitor any size indoor farm 4) Turn any indoor farm into a smart, connected farm 5) Deliver AI powered farming 6) Monitor, Control, & Predict services for your controlled environment farm 7) Bring to life essential data, to make the best decisions for your indoor farm All of the above is true - but it just doesn't encapsulate the bigger picture. So as of today we think differently. We talk about ourselves like this: "Motorleaf is providing every greenhouse & indoor farm with an artificial intelligence powered virtual agronomist". until we improve it again that is... ;) Check out my TEDx talk - where I use one of the above examples (which I'm no longer happy with) to explain what we do... Please feel free to share this - - and happy to engage on the subject if you like! Ally |
AuthorAlastair <Ally> Monk Archives
May 2026
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