On the TechVancouver stage ×1
First seen on the TechVancouver stage in 2016. Every talk is searchable — ask the archive about Dan ↗
In their words
you can be cheap and available to everyone or you can be an innovator and a driver of change and you cannot be both
pick a price that allows you the flexibility to grow on a 10 year time horizon to adapt your Evangelist user base to be able to listen and react to the marketplace invest in research and development and choose which company you want to be
don't be afraid to price yourself at a point where you're asking your user to invest in you because once they make that investment they're gonna feel a lot more confident
Around the web ×2
Quick answers
What does Dan Sutton do now?
He is co-founder and CEO of Syntholene Energy, which makes synthetic aviation fuel by pairing geothermal heat with electrolysis. It began trading on the TSX Venture Exchange under ESAF in December 2025 and produced its first hydrogen in Iceland in July 2026.
What happened to Tantalus Labs?
It entered insolvency proceedings in June 2023 and laid off more than 50 workers at its Maple Ridge site. Atlantic Cultivation acquired the brand and remaining inventory in August 2023, so the name now belongs to another company.
What did he argue at TechVancouver?
Against cost-plus pricing. Using specialty coffee as the analogy, he argued for pricing high enough to fund research and a ten-year horizon: you can be cheap and available to everyone or you can be an innovator, and you cannot be both.