“One of the things I think [innovation] is supposed to do is make our life better,” says Shawn Mahoney, co-founder of consulting firm Spare Parts & Gasoline.
With Canada at an economic crossroads of sorts, Mahoney says it is time to ask hard questions about whether the country’s talk of innovation is translating into real economic impact. For him, tying ideas back to GDP is not about abstract numbers but about what communities can afford, from cars to healthcare and education.
“GDP talks about what we can afford,” he says, in a sit-down interview with Digital Journal at Inventures 2025. “I like to think of GDP as a good measure for successful innovation.”
In a global market where competition is rising fast, he believes Canada’s innovation community must push further. His challenge is blunt: being busy is not the same as being bold.
Rethinking how startups, enterprise, and people connect
Mahoney sees the innovation economy as a braid, with three strands that need to work together. The first strand is what he calls “fierce startups.” He says it is not just about launching more companies but building founders who aim for big, meaningful change.
“A fierce startup is kind of bold, stands up, and is striving for big change,” says Mahoney. “I think we aren’t always ambitious enough, and we’re not always bold enough in the way we approach startups.”
The second strand is a change-ready enterprise. Mahoney points to established industries that have supported communities like Calgary’s for decades. He says they need to adapt and thrive, not stay stuck in old ways, if they want to remain anchors for economic growth.
The third strand — “probably the one that hits me in the heart the most,” he adds — is people. Mahoney stresses that behind every business plan are people who need support to navigate how work is changing. He says helping people work with purpose and at their full potential will keep communities resilient.
“Together, these three things braided together make quite a strong rope that I think can actually be the anchor for our economy,” says Mahoney.
Measuring real impact
Connecting innovation to GDP is one thing. Actually measuring that impact is another. Mahoney says too many entrepreneurs and leaders get stuck in the day-to-day and miss the bigger picture of whether they are creating real value.
“We measure the value we create, we measure the jobs that we actually help create in the people we work with,” says Mahoney. “Because if more people have jobs, that is actually affecting GDP.”
He does not think the government should over-protect founders or flood them with funding. Instead, he says leaders need space to fail, adapt and build resilience.
“It’s a bit like a parent,” he says. “If you protect your kids from all the hard things in life, they don’t get the experience or the knowledge that’s so critical for them to be resilient and adaptive.”
Pushing beyond local wins
Mahoney’s message to other founders is clear: stop defining success by local milestones alone. He wants Canadian entrepreneurs to think globally and measure their impact at a scale that truly moves the needle.
“Winning Calgary is not big enough. Really strive for the biggest ambition you can imagine,” says Mahoney. “Do I have time to do something mediocre? I have a finite life. I have one Halley’s Comet cycle to go through, and how am I going to use that time?”
In a country that still faces structural barriers and urgent social challenges, Mahoney believes economic and moral ambition must go hand in hand. For him, innovation is not just about new ideas — it is about building the capacity for Canadians to solve the problems that shape their future.
“Commit to a big thing,” he says. “Total failure is okay. Learn, try again.”
Watch the full interview:
