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David Segal

Founder of DAVIDsTEA and Mad Radish | Retail Visionary and Branding Expert

David Segal
Virtual: A Lifelong Passion for Entrepreneurship
"Interesting" is a Terrible Word in Business
Not Everyone Can Check Their Ego at the Door
Business Succeeds When Everyone Challenges the Status Quo
David
David Segal
Virtual: A Lifelong Passion for Entrepreneurship
"Interesting" is a Terrible Word in Business
Not Everyone Can Check Their Ego at the Door
Business Succeeds When Everyone Challenges the Status Quo

David Segal is an 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 in 2008. 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 $200 million retail giant. In June 2015, DAVIDsTEA became a publicly-traded company on the NASDAQ, and since launch, 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 quick service restaurant concept that provides healthy, gourmet fast foods. He was named one Canada’s “Top 40 Under 40” in 2017. Today, Segal is the co-founder of Firebelly Tea, which creates exceptional loose leaf teas and gorgeous tea accessories tailored to modern living.

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Speaking topics

Presentations listed below include in-person and virtual keynotes, as well as workshops, fireside chats, and other presentation formats.

  • Are You Stuck in Business Purgatory? Escaping the Trap Between Success and Failure

    Building a successful business is amazing. Watching a business fail is hard — but honest failures can make you stronger. The worst fate in business, argues David Segal, the founder of DAVIDsTEA, is purgatory, when every day is a battle to make ends meet and gain an inch of ground you gain.

    As both an entrepreneur and an investor, Segal has experienced purgatory first-hand. And he’s identified three primary causes of purgatory: your product, your people and your ego.

    In this compelling talk, Segal takes audiences through the five criteria that make for a compelling product; the most important qualities to look for in your people (hint: it’s not about skills or experience); and share tips on how you can put your own ego aside to move your business forward.

    An energetic and passionate speaker, Segal brings his concepts to life with real-world examples, including tales from his own experience leading a $200 million brand.

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Client reviews

  • Flagstaff County

    David engaged our audience from start to finish with a presentation that was infused with two key ingredients: entrepreneurial passion and business savvy. He carefully catered his message to our niche markets, leaving a lasting impression on the entire audience. David is humble, relatable, and down-to-earth while clearly communicating a powerful message on today’s business world – and yet his words resonate far beyond the business community as well. I strongly encourage you to book David for your next event – his message is one that needs to be heard!

  • Dx3

    Between his enthusiasm to deliver valuable insights in his session, his rigorous preparation, and his charismatic delivery, we couldn’t have asked for a better speaker at Dx3. We were so thrilled to have David speak and would highly recommend him as a guest speaker.

  • Director, David Sobey Centre for Innovation in Retailing and Services, Saint Mary's University

    David Segal is an entertaining, insightful and inspirational speaker. In his talk, David draws from his  entrepreneurial and venture capital experience. He draws from both his successes and failures. He weaves stories and anecdotes throughout his talk and links them to valuable takeaways for the audience.  He held the audience for an hour without any visual aids, which is a rarity.  David comes across as someone with great humility and a terrific sense of humour. It was a pleasure hosting David as our distinguished speaker.

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