Innovation and Entrepreneurship are two things Canada is good at, and Mani Rahnama is one of the most recognized names there. Not a newcomer to entrepreneurship, Rahnama has been an early linen recognizing opportunities and generating value in industries ranging from technology, to reality, to renewable energy. Operating as a proud Canadian entrepreneur, he is committed to cultivating innovation, sustainability and leadership in his businesses as well as the wider community.
I recently interviewed him to learn more about his journey as an entrepreneur, what it takes to build a successful business and about his latest startup in the tech world: A link shortener company.
Q1: Tell us about your early entrepreneurship journey and what made you an entrepreneur in Canada.
Mani Rahnama: I started my entrepreneurship at a young age. I was always fascinated by how business worked and had an uncanny sense for problem-solving. I would love to say it was more than my upbringing and just having such a lucky upbringing in Canada, I had unlimited opportunity but I always gravitated towards technology. Seeing firsthand the impact technology had on how businesses were run is what first drove me to follow tech. I started my first company, which was a small tech business that built software solutions for businesses to help them streamline the way they worked. During that time, I learned a lot, which ultimately led me to explore other ventures in several new industries.
Q: What got you into the tech industry and your first big break?
Mani Rahnama: I have always been fascinated by technology. I viewed it as a bridge; a way to highly increase the efficiency of processes. The first big win in tech for me, was launching software that automated an entire CRM and business-operations process for startup & SMEs. Our product had allowed those companies to automate many admin jobs and therefore saved time and money. It was really not about technology but solving a real-world problem, and that got me my first big victory. There was a great response, and it drove me toward this change in the tech world.
Q: As a Canadian entrepreneur, why do you think Canada is such a great place for startups?
Mani Rahnama: For a few reasons Canada is an amazing country for startups. To begin with, the start-up ecosystem in India is very collaborative. From a wide variety of incubators, accelerators and government programs to help startups grow. Canada is a diverse country, increasingly segmented so there are unique innovation opportunities. Entrepreneurs come from all walks of life, which means the landscape is just as varied but also demands different types of supply. Plus, Canadians consumers are techie and early adopters – a massive win for tech entrepreneurs like myself.
Q: You’ve broadened your business interests to real estate and renewables. So why the move away from tech and into other industries now?
Mani Rahnama: Although my background was in tech, I have always cared deeply about sustainability and lasting impact. It was my plan to mix business skillset and the passion of developing eco-housing — thus real estate. Building profitable ventures isn’t all I wanted to do; I wanted my ventures to deliver a future. And this is the specific reason why I make real estate projects with eco-friendly behaviour.
Thoughts/ advice for young Canadian entrepreneurs that are just starting out?
Mani Rahnama: I think my advice will be to keep pushing, keep going and do not be afraid to fail. You see, entrepreneurship is difficult and fraught with many challenges along the way — so failure happens. Business is always changing, be flexible and you will thrive in such a fast paced environment. Lastly, immerse yourself in the environment that is filled with people who believe and share otherwise. Having a good team around you is critical for sustainable success.
Q: You recently launched a new tech startup — a link shortener firm. Will you expand on that, and what was the inspiration behind it?
Mani Rahnama: Absolutely! I have recently started a link shortener company meant to assist all businesses & people handle their online profiles better. Simple tool, but very powerful. We found that it was a common experience for businesses to have difficulty managing long, unwieldy URLs in their marketing campaigns, most notably on social media platforms where character counts are at a premium. One of the best ways to do this is with a link shortener that offers users the ability to create short, branded URLs that not only look professional but also give you tracking and analytics features. It started based on the observation that social media and digital marketing are really important elements for businesses, so I wanted to make more feasible and thereby easier this integration process.
The journey of Mani Rahnama in Canada as an entrepreneur is a heartening example to pursue, resilience and adaptation. Mani Rahnama is a name that we should keep an eye open for in building the entrepreneurial field of Canada and even beyond.
