27 Jan 2020 Spotlight on BrainStation

Describe your company and its product.

BrainStation is the global leader in digital skills training and workforce transformation, with corporate training, diploma programs, certificate courses, industry-leading events, and more, both online and at state-of-the-art campuses in cities such as New York, Toronto, Chicago, Vancouver, and Boston. Established in 2012, BrainStation works with over 350 industry leaders from the most innovative companies, developing cutting-edge digital education that has empowered more than 75,000 professionals and some of the largest corporations in the world, including Hootsuite, Amazon, Tesla, Microsoft, Google, Johnson & Johnson, and Telus, among others.

What year did your company start?

2012

Which city (or cities) are you located? 

New York, Toronto, Chicago, Vancouver, and Boston.

Describe your company culture in three words.

Committed, ambitious, and fun

How do you celebrate company or employee wins? 

We use a mix of quarterly team outings, email call outs, monthly socials, promotions, and raises.

What is the problem that you are trying to solve?

We are reducing the digital skills gap.

What is your biggest milestone to date? 

We have empowered over 75,000 professionals around the world with digital skills training.

What is your biggest challenge?

Keeping up with demand!

What is your motto?

Instead of a motto, we have a brand statement: BrainStation will empower one million professionals by 2025.

How are you making an impact?

Empowering professionals to pursue a career that is relevant, pays well, and better supports sustainable, long-term economic growth.

What is your hope for the future of tech in BC?

Since opening our Vancouver campus, we’ve seen firsthand how the city’s and province’s tech sector has grown. Our hope is that it continues to blossom into a global tech hub, and we are doing our part to make sure that the local workforce has the digital skills it needs.

Lightning Round with Jason Field, Founder & CEO of BrainStation

What excites you about your job?

My team is fantastic. They are just as motivated as I am in our mission and the work that we do every day.

What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome?

Being 23 when we started BrainStation, it has been an uphill battle to mature fast enough and keep up with the hyper-growth of the organization. This will continue to be an obstacle that I’ll have to overcome.

If you can give advice to your 20 year-old self, what would you say?

You don’t have to know everything, surround yourself with great people. Be yourself.

What are your pet peeves?

When someone is late and doesn’t provide a reason!

Words of wisdom to other tech CEOs or founders?

Buckle up. Be in this for the right reasons. Build something that you care about and that will change the world and you’ll get through the ups and downs.

Favourite city you visited?

London.

What is your formula for success?

ABL. Always be learning.

Name one book that everyone should read.

Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fate of Human Societies.

How do you decompress?

I stretch for 45 minutes a day. I have also been using Headspace more recently before bed.

Favourite movie?

There are a few across various categories, but I’ll go with The Godfather.