An entrepreneur with two successful start-ups to his name, Mike talks faster than he writes and can deftly juggle and keep his eye on hundreds of balls at one time. Mike is a founder of the mesh conference, lecturer at Humber College and a frequent speaker at Internet conferences. See what Mike's up to by reading his blog or catching his latest Twitter updates. Mike loves his work, and would rather be outdoors than inside.
In addition to being a co-founder of FreshBooks, Joe is also a tenured professor at an Ontario University. In 2000 Joe received his PhD in Computer Science from the University of Victoria, specializing in the development of efficient algorithms. Following his degree, he spent two years on a prestigious NSERC post-doc visiting Charles University (Czech Republic), the University of Sydney (Australia), and the University of Toronto (Canada). Joe's most important role at FB: making sure the beer fridge remains well stocked.
Levi is a professional engineer with a BEng from the University of Victoria. Before joining FreshBooks, Levi managed projects at Apex Systems Integrators Inc., where his clients included Canadian Tire, Nestlé, and Parmalat. Levi is a systems integration specialist and has led multi-platform integrations with technologies such as: Oracle, SAP, .NET, Windows CE and Pocket PC. An ultimate frisbee, volleyball and basketball player, we suspect he may have stuffed toy dinosaurs hidden in his condo, such is the level of his support for the Toronto Raptors.
Mitch is a marketing guy that loves to grow companies, build killer teams and connect with customers. He started out at P&G before heading to Lavalife as their first marketing hire - he stayed for nine years, the last two as their VP Marketing. Mitch makes marketing and business sing. When he is not thinking about work Mitch spends time building his collection of magic books, playing Hold'em and thinking about work (he can't help it).
Cat Herding requires a wide range of skills -- Corey brings years of experience and a skillset that pretty much defines "wide-ranging": an instructor of Japanese swordsmanship who designs tabletop role-playing games and writes reasonably competent ottava rima, he remains bemused that an English degree has been useful in this industry. He writes about software development management, swordfighting and games on his website, and at FreshBooks, is expanding the hotshot development team to meet the challenges of the company's rapid growth. He has pretty crazy ideas on what makes a great software team, mostly involving "Making Sure Developers Are Insanely Happy".
Mic has over fifteen years broad-based experience in working with technology focused companies and has held senior marketing, business development, product or general management roles at Yahoo, Mozilla, CGI, itemus, in her own company - B-Innovative, Inc - and spent her earlier career at McKinsey & Company. Mic actively advises FreshBooks on its strategic, marketing and operations initiatives. When she's not doing that - or working with the handful of other start-ups in her roster - she's been known to sneak in games of backyard badminton whenever weather permits.
Jeff is a consummate perfectionist and ace designer. He was snapped up after finishing a Web Design and Internet Software Programming degree at Humber College. Jeff-fun includes creating awesome web sites, hockey and snowboarding, where he will not hesitate to take on any double black diamond he comes across. Jeff is also obsessed with washing his car (some say his left arm is twice the size of his right arm because of this). See what Jeff's up to by visiting his website or checking his twitter updates.
Daniel supports the FreshBooks team by coordinating customer feedback and marketing initiatives into each release. Daniel graduated from the U of T's Computer Science program and also worked for Biz-zone Internet Group Inc. before joining the FreshBooks team. In his spare time, Daniel likes to tweak his computer, work on his tennis game, and hit the local Cineplex for the latest blockbusters.
Sunir has led many lives. He recently shed his software development background by attaining a Masters in Knowledge Media Design at the University of Toronto. He is most well-known for building up the wiki community through MeatballWiki, including his most recent project, BibWiki. He hails from Deep River, Ontario, and consequently he is an Ottawa Senators fan.
Rich is our systems and network infrastructure guy, keeping the webservers and databases running smoothly. Rich has spent the past decade honing his skills with Web applications on open-source platforms, and recently moved with his wife from Ottawa to Toronto in order to get closer to the heart of Canada's Internet industry. In his free time, he blogs, plays the cello and Irish flute, and throws rocks at houses.
Taavi is of two worlds: music and machine. So far, though, the machine has been winning the bread! After graduating in Computer Engineering from the UofA, he spent four years working as a systems C programmer. Needless to say, working at FreshBooks is a breath of Fresh Air! He hopes that it will give him an excuse to experiment with more new technologies than ever before. He also randomly bikes, cooks, does yoga...
Resourceful, humane and armed with a degree in psychology, Zoë is in charge of keeping FreshBooks' unruly employees in check. She's also the first point of contact for potential new hires, so beware - she has the grammar police on speed dial. Off the clock, Zoë enjoys running in High Park with her fuzzy dog Hildegard, making noise (by playing piano, singing and strumming the guitar, in that order) and espousing the unbridled joys of vegetarianism.
Fresh out of the University of Waterloo, equipped with a math degree and boundless enthusiasm, Grace is our first FreshBooks employee dedicated entirely to helping our customers. I guess you could call her the 'invoice of reason'. When she isn’t answering your questions, you can usually find her playing outside, talking to strangers, playing for the Argonotes or making her co-workers groan with her witty one-liners. She’s game for anything and flies by the seat of her own pants because she knows life is short. After all, time flies like an arrow and fruit flies like a banana.
Laleh is a recent U of T graduate who also spent a year in George Brown College. Her various degrees include Computer Science, Finance and Philosophy. Laleh is known for being able to make a great cup of coffee and is trying very hard to make sure her pet cat Jake, is well provided for. In addition to constantly singing, she enjoys playing the piano and reading.
Randy is here to help you spend less time managing your finances and invoices so you can spend more time on your business and what you love doing. He follows a simple rule that helps him be a rockstar at his job - treat people right and everything usually works out. Outside of the office, his two main loves include low-light/high-speed photography and dancing, both of which are highly encouraged in FreshBooks. Randy is also an aspiring vagabond, having travelled to sixteen different cities and four countries in his first year at FreshBooks.
Diana doesn’t drive which ruled out midwifery. Can’t really sing either, so code monkey it is, although she has been known to birth the odd baby in her bedroom, and is currently seeking venture capital for Ani-Oke. A blurb about Diana lacking the coolest f-word ever just wouldn’t be complete. Oh, and ornery, and beer.
Originally from Africa - the land of the Maasai and where the big game roam free. Asmita studied in Nairobi before moving to Canada and brings extensive office administration experience to her position as she has worked for several multinational corporations in Toronto. In her free time, you can find her at the gym or volunteering for charitable organizations.
Momchil brings plenty of quality assurance experience to the FreshBooks team, having worked for Bodog, amongst others. He works alongside developers and managers to constantly improve the awesome FreshBooks product by flushing out existing glitches and ensuring new functionality integrates smoothly into the existing system. Momchil is a UofT graduate with degrees in Computer Science, Criminology and Mathematics. Alongside his fascination for computers and modern technology, Momchil is also extremely passionate about cars. In his free time Momchil builds websites, bikes along the lake and practices TaeKwon-Do.
Owen arrived at FreshBooks HQ with nothing but assorted piercings and a beautifully streamlined head. He’s useful in that his head reflects light around the office, handy in our dark Canadian winters. His black leather jacket cannot be removed from his body without invasive surgery, and he feels no pain but the pain of changing requirements. He also writes software.
Jessamyn grew up in the wilds of British Columbia, but the life of a gentle lumberjack was not for her. She ran away to the city to become a burly computer engineer and web developer. This wide range of life experiences allows her to bridge the gap between computers and the people who use them. In her spare time, Jessamyn maintains her burly figure through athletic endeavors such as swimming across lakes and playing men's (flag) football.
Since kindergarten, Jon's report cards have all said that he's a smart kid, but doesn't know how to stop talking. Joining the fabulous Support Team, Jon is hoping to apply his gift of gab to help our users save time on their billing, and get back to doing what they do best - being awesome. When he's not rocking the support line, you can find him on the couch, playing video games, or strutting around downtown Toronto with his headphones on.
Kasey joins FreshBooks as a Sales Consultant, coming from the world of technology marketing. A U of T business grad with a ton of enthusiasm, Kasey is looking forward to helping our customers succeed. When she's not happily working or coming up with her latest new idea, Kasey can be found out on the deck, with her nose in a book, or planning her next travel adventure.
Tim's mesolimbic pathway is constantly flooded with dopamine when he's at Freshbooks — That is to say, he's elated to be here. Studying and working in a variety of fields and locations on planet Earth has allowed Tim to develop a sharp brain for interpersonal communication and a knack for empathy. Add his experiences in tech into the mix, and you've got yourself a support rock-star. When not figuring out the functions and bio-pathway of the Inward Rectifier Potassium Ion Channels, you can usually find Tim perfecting techniques on the piano, volunteering and singing in a choir, playing video games, practice photography, blog, watching Disney movies, and drinking down a pint of Dole Whip with friends.
John is a recent HBA graduate of the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario and also spent a term abroad at University of Manchester. When he is not conversing with customers to convince them of the awesomeness of FreshBooks, he is usually trying to go as fast as he can on either a bicycle or skies. Or he is throwing discs during a game of Ultimate or Disc Golf. He also likes to travel, share marketing blog posts on his Tumblr or drink the most exotic and tasty beers he can find at Volo.
Beatriz brings to the table a wide range of experience in the IT/Tech world. As a self-proclaimed geek she loves technology, media and video games. Still a kid-at-heart, she enjoys to be silly and random. With an inquisitive-mind and a love of people she wants to know what makes your business tick. To relax and calm the chattering monkeys in her head she enjoys reading (her favourite is Latin American literature) and watching movies, especially foreign films.
Ben hit the snooze button on life, and spent a couple years working on his M.Sc. His research areas included Natural Language, Web-Services, and Cognition. He's always had a panache for programming, with interests spanning: AI, new media, compiler design, the semantic web, and countless other buzz words. In his spare time Ben loves climbing, playing the Guitar/Bass, and sitting on patios.
Peter joins the FreshBooks team straight out of the University of Waterloo, where he studied Systems Design Engineering. During this time, he also studied abroad at the National University of Singapore. Now, he hopes to combine his technical background with his passion for entrepreneurship. When he’s not working: he’s reading up on something random in order to feed his never ending curiosity, dabbling in photography, cheering on the Toronto Raptors, or (hopefully) travelling.
Eti joins the FreshBooks Team with over 8 years of experience recruiting for companies across North America. Ranging from Big Banks to online start-ups, Eti also spent a year working in San Francisco. Years later, her internal clock is still adjusting to East Coast time with FreshBooks reminiscent of that West Coast tech vibe. In her spare time she enjoys baking and creating new desserts – a passion she discovered at age 6. When she’s not baking up a storm, Eti spends her time online, reading (anything non-fiction) or playing cheesy games.
Sheheryar grew up in the concrete jungles of Space City and is now living his dream in Toronto. A self-described geek, usually found behind a computer monitor or a camera lens, Sheheryar is a University of Houston graduate with degrees in Computer Science and Business. His experience includes developing automated trading systems for stock trading firms and project accounting libraries for various ERPs. In his free time he blogs, plays pool and tries to hack the market.
With a background in both accounting and computing, and an appreciation of fine writing and sentence structure, John can wax poetic about revenue recognition models and scripting languages, but strangely enough is still struggling to find a truly appreciative audience. When not computing, John plays saxophone with the Markham Concert Band and the Argonotes, occasionally plays himself with the Markham Little Theatre, and plays Dad with his kids.
Ashok spent the last 12 years in London, including a worrying amount of time studying performance modelling and queueing theory at Imperial College. When not working or noodling with semantic web things, you'll typically find him drinking craft beer and ideally listening to the blues.
Casey is our Director of Product Management at FreshBooks. He's the guy helping the team prioritize and design all of the great features that go into making FreshBooks so awesome. After 7 years as a Program Manager at Microsoft, Casey has settled in Toronto for the long haul. He has the slogan "Fortunae Nihil" (Leave Nothing to Chance) tattooed on his arm to remind him that great things are made by great teams with focus and planning. He plays a solo rockabilly show every night for his wife and kids, and does not dream of someday being on-stage. Not at all, seriously.
Mark comes to FreshBooks with a background in design and painting from the Ontario College of Art and Design, and a passion for all things code related. A passionate and involved member of the open source community, Mark spends much of free time hacking away on various projects and blogging about what he's learned. In his free time he enjoys a variety of gaming, reading, cycling and snowboarding.
Raj (another aerodynamic challenged employee) has a Computer Science degree from McMaster University. He has over 8 years working as an IT contractor on various data warehousing/business intelligence projects though out Canada and Europe. With a strong background with Oracle, MS SQL, Siebel, data modelling and report building, he plans on taking BI to the next level for FreshBooks and its customers. In his downtime he is an avid sports fan following anything with a ball.
After spending his college years in professional kitchens, Adam joins us as part of the network operations team. He is passionate about shiny new gadgets, online security and cryptography, and conspiracy theory. In his free time Adam enjoys letting his friend poke him repeatedly with needles and can often be found in a pub, pint in hand.
As a fresh Computer Science graduate from the University of Waterloo, Kiet found he was a lot better at breaking code than fixing it - so Quality Assurance it was. He joins the FreshBooks team after having spent over 7 years poking and prodding at all manners of software programs, systems and people. In his spare time, he dabbles at web site development, martial arts and tech gadgets. Kiet is also a closet Bimmer and Toronto Raptors fan.
They say Steve was formed in the bosom of FreshBooks itself - his roar is long and loud. Taught never to give up on a customer and that creating a happy user is the greatest glory you could achieve. Beneath his explosive and elegantly chiselled physique, lives the soft comfort of a harvest night. A place where love radiates like a midnight campfire amongst old friends. Always there with a helping hand - an incredibly massive and powerfully awesome helping hand.
David was born of nuclear winter survivor zombie parents in an alternate reality in which the cold war escalated to a complete and mutual nuclear annihilation. His mutant DNA gave him the power to transcend this nuclear wasteland into your reality and take the form of a regular human boy. He has been commissioned by the FreshBooks corporation to control their fleet of advanced super computers through his astounding radioactive aura. The FreshBooks corporation intends on harnessing these state of the art algorithmic computing machines to overcome biggest threats to mankind. FreshBooks - Your well-being is our top priority (TM).
Jesse’s joins FreshBooks having only worked at software startups before. Through his experiences Jesse has developed a healthy obsession for test-driven development and other highly productive software development techniques. Jesse spends his evenings blogging about what he learns, working on his Spanish, producing techno and, well, developing more software.
Sheikh is a University of Toronto graduate with a Ph.D. in statistics. His interests include application of statistics in solving business problems. He brings experience in developing data mining models for large data sets. He has published a number of research papers in international journals. While not working, he spends time reading books and keeping track of the events happening all around the world; he also likes cooking and is known for making tasty pudding within his circle of friends.
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