Dan Martell
Dan Martell is a Canadian entrepreneur, author, angel investor, and executive coach. He is the founder of Spheric Technologies, Flowtown, and Clarity.fm. Martell also created SaaS Academy, a coaching program for software-as-a-service founders. He is the author of Buy Back Your Time, which appeared on The Wall Street Journal nonfiction bestseller list.
Early life and education
Martell was born in Moncton, New Brunswick. As a teenager, he faced legal issues and substance use challenges. At the age of 16, he was arrested after a police pursuit involving a stolen vehicle and later spent six months in a youth detention facility. He subsequently completed an 11-month rehabilitation program at Portage in New Brunswick, where he began learning computer programming.Career
Martell's early ventures included a vacation rental website and a web hosting company co-founded with his brother in 1999. After moving to Western Canada in 2001, he worked as a technology consultant.In 2004, he founded Spheric Technologies, a software consulting firm that operated in Canada and the United States. The company was acquired in 2008 by Function1.
In 2009, Martell co-founded Flowtown, a startup that developed marketing tools using social media data. It was acquired by Demandforce in 2011.
He launched Clarity.fm in 2012, a platform that connected entrepreneurs with business mentors. The company was acquired by Fundable in 2015.
Martell has invested in more than 60 companies, including Intercom, Udemy, Hootsuite, Unbounce, and Getaround. In 2012, he was named Canadian Angel of the Year by the Canadian Startup Awards. He has worked with accelerators such as 500 Startups and the C100.
In 2016, he founded SaaS Academy, a coaching organization for B2B SaaS founders. He later established High Speed Ventures, Martell Ventures, and Martell Media, which focus on SaaS business investment and digital content.
In 2024, Martell and his wife donated C$50,000 to BGC Okanagan to support programs addressing youth homelessness in British Columbia. He also launched Kings Club, a mentorship program for high school students in Kelowna. He has volunteered with Portage Atlantic and contributed to Kiva, a nonprofit microfinance platform.