"Barb Stegemann opened the day with the kind of energy that sets the tone for everything that followed. A Nova Scotia native, Barb brought her full story to the stage, and the room felt every word of it. Growing up hearing impaired and on assisted living in rural Nova Scotia, Barb did not frame these as hardships. She reframed them as the foundation. Being hearing impaired sharpened her other senses. Growing up without excess taught her to be scrappy, the same scrappiness that led her to launch her business on a credit card."
"What looked like a struggle from the outside was actually her superpower being built in real time. She reminded us that the path to building something meaningful is rarely linear, and that rejection is not a full stop but a detour. From being dismissed on national television to building a globally recognized brand, Barb proved that the people who do not believe in your idea are not the ones you are building it for. As Barb put it, Just when you are about to give up, it is right there. Do not give up on your darkest day. You are about to have a breakthrough."
"Moderator: Cathy Menear (District Vice President, Scotiabank) Panellists: Dani Lynn Warren (Team Lead, Business Banking Halifax and Northeast Nova Scotia, Scotiaba"
The 2026 Startup Canada Tour began in Halifax, Nova Scotia, at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. A keynote by Barb Stegemann connected personal challenges to business strength, reframing hearing impairment and rural upbringing as foundations for sharper senses and scrappiness. She described launching a business on a credit card and emphasized that progress is rarely linear, with rejection acting as a detour rather than an end. She also highlighted that people who dismiss an idea are not the intended audience. The mainstage sessions included financial guidance moderated by Cathy Menear with panelists from Scotiabank, focusing on financial strategies across different entrepreneurial stages.
Read at www.startupcan.ca
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