GRIT Ed. 9 | Family Matters - Flipbook - Page 42
GRIT Ed. 9 “Family Matters”
LAKE
FAMILY
THE
expertise as Google continues to invest in their hardware efforts and ambient
computing future. “I was a bit different in that it was Next 36 that opened my
PARTNERSHIP
OF A
eyes to the world of entrepreneurship, and I never looked back.”
Balancing Act
As NEXT alumni, that relentless entrepreneurial spirit lives within the Lakes, but
running businesses and a family isn’t easy to balance. “I don’t think we have it
perfectly figured out.” Says Lake. Stephen and Lauren have two young kids,
aged four and almost two, so life, as you can imagine, is very busy! “Although
life is hectic right now, I also think our kids have helped to ground us,” Lauren
speaks to having children as a means of providing a different perspective. As
difficult as it can be to manage a healthy work-life balance within their family,
Lauren Lake , COO & Co-Founder, Bridgit (Next 36, 2013)
Stephen Lake , Advisor, Google (Next 36, 2011)
Lauren says her children are what have given them that balance. “Although we
work hard, we prioritize our kids and family. We don’t work on weekends, and
Stephen drops off our eldest daughter at school every day. We spend a lot of
Business partners are two people establishing a
vision — the people who carry it out and love that
mission make the biggest difference. NEXT Canada
program participants often meet their business
partners, best friends, mentors and more.
time skiing, hiking, etc., with them.”
With both parents leading successful careers, separating the successes and
struggles from work into your family and home life can be difficult. This is
something the Lake family can agree on. “It definitely can at times (and still
does), but we’ve gotten better at separating it too. It’s never going to be
T
perfectly separate, but as much as possible, I do make an effort to leave work
here’s nothing more inspiring than feeling the excitement of NEXT
at work because I find it too overwhelming otherwise.”
founders who are passionate, all-in and eager to work hard to
make their vision a reality. — from learning how to compete with
The nature of any startup is that there are always highs and lows. According
established competitors to how to read a term sheet and beyond.
to the Lake family, in some ways, they seem to alternate in their ups and
downs. This synchronization has helped balance each other out and overcome
It’s what’s beyond that counts. at NEXT, you are not in it alone but
comparisons when both partners are working ambitiously towards their
surrounded by a group of like-minded motivated, intelligent people
ventures. The married couple both work in very different sectors; Stephen in
aiming to lift their business idea off the ground, and sometimes that
B2C hardware and Lauren in B2B enterprise SaaS where both have excellent
can lead to something more. Lauren Lake, a civil engineer and the Chief
relationships with their co-founders and receive a lot of support from them.
Operating Officer of Bridgit– a leading provider of construction workforce
intelligence, made some of the most important partnerships while in the
Bridgit is currently going through a rapid growth phase, keeping Lauren very
Next 36 program in 2013; a business partner and a partner in life.
busy and away from home, which has been hard on her. “I’m so thankful that
Stephen has been there to pick up the pieces at home. He’s been taking a way
Next Connections
bigger share of our home responsibilities, and I would not be able to do what
Through NEXT Canada, Lauren connected with Mallorie Brodie, COO &
I’m doing now without that.”
Co-Founder, who both come from families with construction backgrounds
and saw the opportunity to carry on their families’ traditions. It was in that
same year that she met her future husband, Stephen Lake, a Next 36, 2011
alumnus and, at the time, Thalmic Labs CEO.
In the case of this love story, business came first. “We met through
the Next 36 program in 2013. I was in the program with Mallorie, and
Stephen was an alumnus,” says Lauren.
Stephen Lake, who founded North (then Thalmic Labs) in 2012 –a pioneer
in human-computer interfaces and smart glasses, has always been an
entrepreneur. On June 30th, 2020, North announced that it had been
acquired by Google. Today, Stephen works with the Google team based
in Kitchener-Waterloo as the Advisor, Product & Business Strategy, and
Senior Director of Product, Devices & Services, bringing their technical
“It’s UNREALISTIC
TO BE PERFECTLY
BALANCED all
the time, and you
need that person
there to back you
up when WORK
BECOMES EXTRA
DEMANDING.”
- LAUREN LAKE
When their first daughter was born, Stephen travelled a lot, and Lauren was
the one that spent more time with their daughter. Now it’s the opposite, and
Stephen is supporting Lauren while Bridgit goes through a lot of growth and
change. “I don’t think either of us would be successful without that support
and commitment. As much as we try to balance everything, it’s unrealistic to
be perfectly balanced all the time, and you need that person there to back you
up when work becomes extra demanding.”
→ BRIDGIT | @THEKSOCIETY | NEXT 36, 2010
Bridgit is a construction software company which makes construction less
complicated with their workforce management, punch list and inspection
management tools.