Ex-rivals Bruce Croxon and Markus Frind talk life after Internet dating at Cantech conference

What’s more elusive than a Canadian tech unicorn? There were several in evidence today at the Cantech Investment conference, with panel appearances by Vidyard’s Michael Litt, who only this morning closed a $35 million US funding round announced by John Ruffolo from the stage, as well as great presentations by Frank & Oak’s Ethan Song and Kik Interactive’s Ted Livingston.

So while it is possible to gather several unicorns (or narwhals) in a single room, a startling appearance was also made by one of the most elusive people in Canada’s tech sector, Markus Frind.

Frind, the founder of dating website PlentyOfFish.com, was interviewed by ex-Dragon, Lavalife co-founder and Round13 Capital boss Bruce Croxon, who himself remarked on Frind’s legendary publicity shyness.

Being ex-competitors in the dating website space when Frind launched PlentyOfFish back in 2003, Croxon joked that Lavalife used to have a dartboard with Frind’s picture stuck on the front.

Now, however, these former competitors shared the stage to swap stories, talk about the evolving Canadian tech sector, and Frind’s new role as an investor himself, primarily in furniture e-commerce platform Cymax.

Last July, PlentyOfFish was acquired by The Match Group for $575 million U.S.
Listen to Croxon and Frind’s conversation in the link below.