Built for Serial Entrepreneurs: How Ian Paterson found the perfect financial stack

Introduction

Client Name: Ian Paterson

Expertise: Founder, Advisor and Investor

About Ian Paterson

Ian Paterson is a seasoned entrepreneur with 15+ years of experience in the tech startup scene. He began by leading the enterprise division at a venture-backed e-commerce analytics startup, which paved the way for launching startups in the big data analytics space. Since then, he’s worn many hats as a founder, advisor, and investor, helping entrepreneurs across Canada.

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The Problem

An outdated banking system that slows down modern Canadian startups

In his experience, Ian Paterson has seen the same issue play out across dozens of companies: Canada’s financial infrastructure simply isn’t built for modern, high-growth businesses.

“One of the challenges has always been the lack of good financial rails or fintech capabilities, it’s a key stumbling block for pretty much everybody operating in the Canadian venture landscape.”
_{– Ian Paterson, Serial Entrepreneur}

Startups often face significant difficulties opening and managing business bank accounts, business chequing accounts, and chequing accounts, which are essential for separating business and personal finances. Many business accounts and business bank accounts also come with restrictive account fees and monthly fees, making it harder for small businesses to manage funds efficiently.

The most simple banking tasks, such as getting a corporate credit card, integrating accounts with SaaS tools, or wiring money without an in-person visit, were unnecessarily overcomplicated. Compared to the growing U.S. tech-forward ecosystem, Canada’s system felt outdated and built more for brick-and-mortar businesses, not fast-moving startups. Big banks often charge higher fees, monthly fees, and account fees, and offer less flexibility for small business needs. As a result, many small businesses struggle to find suitable business accounts that support their growth. Venn bridges that gap by combining the reliability of traditional banking tools with the speed and flexibility modern teams need.

The core issue went beyond just missing features. With the big five banks facing little pressure to innovate, founders are stuck wasting time on basics. Failed initiatives like open banking have exposed how far behind Canada’s financial system really is. In addition, managing cash flow, payments, and international transfers is challenging due to high fees and unfavorable exchange rates, which can significantly impact business operations. And without the infrastructure to support even simple workflows, scaling becomes harder than it needs to be.

Although, Many financial institutions and services are available, only a few are tailored to the needs of startups and small businesses.

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The Business Banking Solution

A modern financial platform that finally gets the basics right for Canadian startups

Venn wasn’t built to have flashy features, it was built to solve the core financial needs of Canadian founders, and to do them exceptionally well. Venn offers the best business bank account options for Canadian founders, including multi currency accounts and accounts denominated in Canadian dollars.

Ian needed a financial platform that could support multiple companies without the usual friction. Venn provided a seamless solution for the fundamentals. From logging in and exporting data, to setting up virtual cards and managing budgets, Venn delivered the core infrastructure that Canadian banks struggled to provide.

”It actually sounds kinda silly at the end of the day, but just being able to do those basics really well allows me to function. And I can say that the same can be true for some of my peers that I’ve recommended Venn to as well.”
_{– Ian Paterson, Serial Entrepreneur}

Instant, Non-Personal Guaranteed Cards

With Venn, Ian was able to issue both physical and virtual corporate cards, without tying them to his personal credit. Unlike traditional business credit cards, Venn offers unlimited virtual cards, higher limits, and powerful spend management tools that give startups real financial control. Ian could instantly allocate budgets, set spend limits, and assign cards to team members in just a few clicks. For early-stage teams looking to separate personal and business finances, this was a game changer.

Frictionless Access to Financial Data

Venn allowed Ian to have immediate access to clean, exportable transaction data – no PDF statements, no outdated portals. Thanks to Venn’s two-way sync with QuickBooks and Xero, records stayed consistent across platforms without manual re-entry. This sync didn’t just streamline accounting, it allowed Ian to generate investor-ready reports, stay audit-ready, and make faster decisions across all his companies. Any time he needed historical data or details for a specific payment, it was just a few clicks away.

Built for Founders, Not Bureaucracy

The entire Venn experience, from onboarding to support, was designed for businesses and founders moving fast. Unlike traditional banks that expect founders to conform to outdated processes, Venn is built for speed and autonomy. Ian was able to get started in minutes. No in-branch appointments, and no mailed forms. Onboarding was fully digital, and took only about 5 minutes to set up. Immediately after activating his account, he could issue corporate cards instantly, grant custom access to employees or bookkeepers, and move money without delays or approval bottlenecks. For a founder managing multiple entities at once, Venn didn’t just simplify banking. It let him run finance on his terms.

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Who is Venn For?

Canadian businesses that are scaling fast, and tired of fighting their bank

Put simply, Venn serves as the financial stack of choice for Canadian operators who want to handle their essentials without battling outdated systems. Whether you're growing a tech startup or running multiple teams, Venn gives you the infrastructure to grow without friction.

For teams managing SaaS tools, cross-border vendors, or department-level budgets, Venn delivers what the banks still can't: control without the red tape, and flexibility without compromise. No more support tickets, PDF exports, or holding the line to send a wire. This is what modern business banking should look like.

Join Ian and thousands of others who’ve switched to a system built for them. Get started today and simplify the way you move and manage money.