Ottawa-based entrepreneurs Adam Miron, Sébastien St-Louis, & Julie Beun share $30,000 prize
Toronto, ON November 16, 2022 – The jury for the 37th National Business Book Award today announced that Billion Dollar Start-up: The True Story of How a Couple of 29-Year-Olds Turned $35,000 Into a $1,000,000,000 Cannabis Company has been named the winning book for the 2022 award and its $30,000 prize. The book was co-authored by Adam Miron, Sébastien St-Louis, & Julie Beun, and published by ECW Press. The prize was presented to the authors at an award luncheon in Toronto, hosted by Peter Mansbridge, NBBA Jury Chair and best-selling author and award-winning journalist.
Billion Dollar Start-Up, told in diary format, recounts the story of how two brothers-in-law created a billion-dollar, award-winning cannabis company called HEXO. It also documents the history of Canada’s momentous road to legalization complete with government hurdles, intense competition, limited market data, a high burn rate for capital, and general chaos.
The book also offers a unique, behind-the-scenes view of the myriad of challenges facing an entrepreneurial start-up, which is relevant to all sectors at all times.
Presenting Sponsor Miles S. Nadal of Peerage Capital says, “We are passionate entrepreneurs who partner with other entrepreneurs, providing the resources for them to realize their full potential. Books like Billion Dollar Start-Up celebrate all it takes to beat the odds and achieve success in a fiercely competitive game.”
Today, Adam Miron is a well-known figure in political and media circles across Canada, with at least 20 start-ups under his belt. He is the executive chairman of blockchain innovation company Brane; Sebastien St-Louis is one of the longest-serving and most dynamic CEOs in Canada’s expanding cannabis industry; and Julie Beun had a front-row seat to HEXO’s evolution as its publicist, content strategist, and senior writer from 2014 to 2019.
The 2022 finalists include:
- My Best Mistake: Epic Fails and Silver Linings by Terry O’Reilly
Published by Collins, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
- Opening Doors to Diversity in Leadership by Bobby Siu
Published by Rotman – University of Toronto Press
The NBBA winner is selected by an independent jury which evaluates each submission based on originality, relevance, excellence of writing, thoroughness of research and depth of analysis. In addition to Peter Mansbridge, the jury includes: Wes Hall, The BlackNorth Initiative and Kingsdale Advisors; Deirdre McMurdy, Peerage Capital; Anna Porter, author and publisher; and Senator Pamela Wallin.
Canada’s National Business Book Award is generously sponsored by presenting sponsor Miles S. Nadal and supporting partners Peerage Realty Partners, The Targeted Strategies Group, Stephen J.R. Smith, Manscorp Media Services, The Globe and Mail, The Walrus and Canadian Heritage-Patrimoine Canadien. The Award Ceremony was hosted by FEI Canada – Toronto Chapter.
Follow us on Twitter @NBBAward and visit www.nbbaward.com for more information.
For media information please contact:
Mary Ann Freedman, Freedman & Associates Inc.
Tel: 416-523-8681
Email: maf@freedmanandassociates.com
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