David Segal is a serial entrepreneur and retail thought-leader. He is best known for bringing radical innovation to a 5,000-year-old product category with the launch of DAVIDsTEA, where he helped popularize premium tea across North America. Segal walks audiences through his entrepreneurial journey, delving into the brand experience, growth at scale, managing the digital and retail waters, and more.
During his time at DAVIDsTEA, Segal grew the company from a single store on Toronto’s Queen Street West to a $200M retail giant. In June 2015, DAVIDsTEA became a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ, and since launching, the brand has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Women’s Wear Daily, The Globe and Mail, and Fast Company.
Since leaving DAVIDsTEA in 2016, Segal founded Mad Radish, a healthy fast-casual restaurant chain, and was named one of Canada’s “Top 40 Under 40” in 2017. Today, Segal is the co-founder of Firebelly Tea, a modern organic tea brand co-founded with Shopify President Harley Finkelstein, which creates exceptional loose-leaf teas and beautiful tea accessories tailored to modern living.
Segal is also the co-host of the podcast Big Shot, where he interviews top entrepreneurs and leaders. In addition, Segal is currently championing the banking and finance platform Highbeam — a company he joined first as a customer, then as an investor and advisor, and ultimately as President. He has seen firsthand the enormous impact that better cash management has on the bottom line. Highbeam recently raised $30M in a Series A funding round and is on a mission to help consumer brands run more profitably.
