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Bruce Croxon

CBC Dragon and Co-Founder of Lavalife

Bruce Croxon is the newest Dragon on the hit CBC series Dragons' Den and a co-founder of Lavalife.com.  He draws his business enthusiasm from venturing off the beaten path and approaching potential opportunities from unique angles. Whether it's seeing an opportunity with a nascent technology or seizing an idea "off piste" in the wilds of Whistler, BC, Bruce defines his entrepreneurial philosophy as "serendipity mixed with smarts."


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Bruce Croxon is the newest Dragon on the hit CBC series Dragons' Den and a co-founder of Lavalife.com.  He draws his business enthusiasm from venturing off the beaten path and approaching potential opportunities from unique angles. Whether it’s seeing an opportunity with a nascent technology or seizing an idea “off piste” in the wilds of Whistler, BC, Bruce defines his entrepreneurial philosophy as “serendipity mixed with smarts.” He credits his upbringing with a Jamaican mother and a British father as part of the motivation that drove him towards success and he celebrates his mixed-race heritage.

Bruce started his fortune by being an early adapter in the digital realm. Capitalizing on the growing interest in phone telepersonals combined with the timely development of the internet, he spotted an opportunity to earn some serious coin. In 1987, Bruce co-founded Lavalife, the internationally recognized online dating service. He wore many different hats at the company, including Partner, Chairman and CEO and guided Lavalife to the position of category leader, achieving revenues of close to $100 million prior to its sale in 2004.

Bruce is an active outdoorsman and an avid skier. After spending a number of years in Whistler, he realized that the path to a healthy and fulfilling life was through sport and wellness, founding Vida Spas through his West Coast Company. His interest in wellness and technology remains strong and his current ventures include Sprigg Software, Walkaway Canada and Mobilemiser.com. He also sits on the board of the Trans Canada Trail and Points.com.

Bruce currently lives in Toronto with his wife and two children. He stays connected to his Jamaican roots and has a fondness for reggae music, spicy food and warm weather.

  • 1. Entrepreneurship by Collaboration

    There are successful maverick entrepreneurs - but they are the exception and stand out because of it. Most successful businesses are built of partnership and collaboration.  "The results of the group far outweigh those of the individual, every time." So says, Bruce Croxon, digital pioneer and co-founder of Lavalife. Bruce guides the audience along the exciting and intense entrepreneurial path describing through his own experiences and informed insight what it takes to achieve success in today's ever faster and demanding entrepreneurial environment.

  • 2. 51/49: The Formula for Innovative Success

    Innovation and risk-taking go hand in hand. In order for an organization to continuously innovate and succeed, they must be willing to take calculated risks, make mistakes and most importantly learn from them. In this talk, Bruce reveals how continuous innovation and collaboration built Lavalife into a 100 million dollar company. The aim isn't perfection, it's to be right more than you're wrong and to capitalize on these small, incremental gains that over time lead to breakthrough results.

  • 3. Building a Corporate Culture by Design, not Default

    Clear vision and unwavering values are the driving force that built Lavalife into a 100 million dollar business. Often entrepreneurial success is defined retrospectively. Not so with Lavalife, whose executive team were early adopters, not only of technology, but of organizational development strategy. Bruce shares his philosophy for business growth and success, and how the impact of decisions guided by core values, benefits recruitment, culture, innovation, and ultimately success.

  • 4. Marketing Lessons from a Social Networking Pioneer

    Bruce Croxon shares marketing strategies and tales from the trenches from his vantage point at the helm of the very first on-line social network. Having navigated Lavalife from its start in the 80s as Telepersonals, a telephone-based dating service, Bruce recounts how getting on-side emerging trends and influencing societal shifts revolutionized how people connect and led to Lavalife's 97 per cent brand recognition in Canada.

  • 5. Celebrity Endorsements

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