Derek Jouppi

Derek Jouppi, P. Eng, is the ex-COO & co-founder of Suncayr (2014-2020, the inventors of SPOTMYUV). A nanotechnology engineer by trade, his entrepreneurial journey started in the lab, filing patents, to clinical trials, and then finishing up in retail sales & e-commerce before being acquired by Dig It in late-2020. Some major accomplishments include a granted US patent, selling into 7000+ retail stores including Walmart, CVS, Boots, and 40+ major retail chains, as well as winning over 50+ pitch and technology awards.

Derek’s been featured in just-about every major news outlet in the world, including CBC, NBC, Fox, BBC, Forbes Under-30, as well as having received almost every major pitch award (a Dyson award, a J&J Innovation award, the 43 North Prize, and a HotDesQ grant). Once he was recruited to be a high-fashion jewelry model. He has a gold medal in dragon boat racing nationally in Australia. He’s been paid to speak about science entrepreneurship at the Commonwealth Games, and at conferences with Alexis Ohanian (Reddit), Steve Wozniak (Apple), and Biz Stone (Twitter).

At EF, Derek is a Program Lead – meaning that he’s bringing in the right speakers and right advice at the right time so that you can focus on what matters most in the earliest days of starting your own business. He has “made every mistake”, and promises to help you avoid the key errors he made along his journey.