Made to share my voice

Writing was never my strength. Growing up in an immigrant family in a town of 3,000 people certainly didn't give me an edge in English, never mind in writing.

So showing up to BUSA 250 – the mandatory writing class for Desautels students – was far from exciting. Standing at the front of the class was Dr. Lindsay Holmgren, poised elegantly, commanding the attention of the room with her eloquence.

An English literature professor with a talent for dissecting language, she seemed worlds apart from me. My first writing assignment confirmed this with grades that many would find offensive, though juxtaposed with comments that were designed to soften the blow of her sharp observations.

Noticing the obvious disappointment hanging down my face, she shared her feedback in a passing comment: “Daniel, your writing has a voice. Anyone can be taught technical parts of writing, but no one can teach you to have a voice. Don't lose your voice.”

As much as I’d love to say her comment instantly turned me into a world-class writer, life is a little messier than that. My grades only marginally improved. But what it did was flip a switch in my self-perception: I had a unique voice – it was just a matter of honing the technique. That thought stayed with me, planted like a seed, waiting to grow.

In the years that followed, I had forgotten about writing, starting as a consultant at BCG and Oliver Wyman, before moving on as a venture capitalist at SoftBank Vision Fund, where I invested in and sat on the boards of multi-billion-dollar companies. At the peak of tech valuations, I pursued policy studies at Oxford and launched my own company – for my mission of fair financial access – raising over $4.5M CAD from investors like Y Combinator.

During the hardest moments of being a founder, I turned to writing to organize my thoughts and find clarity. I hadn’t lost my voice – it had only grown stronger. My writing began to resonate with startup founders and tech professionals, eventually catching the attention of Wiley & Sons. They approached me to write a book: The Super Upside Factor.

The book distills my experiences as an investor and founder, formalizing strategies for creating outsized returns – not just in investments, but in life decisions. Early readers, including Nir Eyal (Hooked), the former CEO of Kakao Corp, and zero-to-IPO founders, have endorsed it.

It all started with Lindsay noticing a small potential, and kindling that with words of encouragement. Her encouragement turned potential into reality, culminating in my first book with a major publisher. And her story is just one of many “made by” moments at McGill – like Sujata Madan, who believed in me when my career path was uncertain, or Peter Younkin, whose introduction to decision science shaped the core of my book.

Thank you, McGill.