• Plenary

What Nobody Tells You: Life on the Other Side of the Deal

October 1, 2026 · 04:00 PM – 04:35 PM
Main Room (Palomino A-D)

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Moderator

Marcos Lopez

Marcos Lopez

CEO

CreditApp

Former CEO

Solium Capital Inc.

Acquired by Morgan Stanley for $1.1B CAD

Panelists

Brian Heath

Brian Heath

Founder

Drivewyze

Acquired By Bestpass

Bobbie Racette

Bobbie Racette

Founder

Tapwi

Founder

Virtual Gurus

Acquired by Zirtual

You spend years chasing the outcome. Then the papers are signed, the money lands, and the thing that defined you is no longer yours, and almost no one talks honestly about what happens next. In this closing conversation, two founders who took very different roads to very different exits reflect on what the deal actually changed, and what it did not. One built a venture-backed category leader in transportation tech and sold to a global strategic; the other built a people-powered company from the ground up and became one of the most recognized founders in the country. Both know what it feels like the morning after, the identity shift, the second-guessing, the unexpected questions, and the freedom, and neither will give you the polished version. 

A candid, human end to the day, from two people who have stood where every founder in the room is trying to get to. 

Session Focus: 

  • What actually changes the day after the deal closes 

  • The identity shift when the company is no longer yours 

  • What the outcome solved, and what it didn't 

  • The parts of the journey they would do differently 

  • Life, purpose, and the second act after an exit 

  • What they wish someone had told them before they signed 

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