On the TechTO stage ×1
First seen on the TechTO stage in 2015. Every talk is searchable — ask the archive about Dan ↗
In their words
the border is imaginary it's not a real thing
you might think you're joining a nice Canadian company here at Dills and Eglington but you're not — you're joining an American company because our customers are American and our Ambitions are American
Around the web ×3
Quick answers
What does Dan Debow do now?
He is founder and CEO of Debow Musical Instruments, a Toronto venture building wooden instruments, and chair of the board of Build Canada, which publishes policy memos written by Canadian founders. He left Shopify in February 2025.
What companies has Dan Debow founded?
He was an early executive at Workbrain, then co-founded Rypple with David Stein, which Salesforce acquired in 2012 and folded into Work.com. He later co-founded Helpful, whose team joined Shopify in 2019.
What did he argue at TechTO?
That the Canada-US border is an imaginary line Canadian founders let cap their ambition. He named the symptoms he saw as an angel investor: building the Canadian version of an American product, and planning to be acquired rather than to win.