Dan Martell (born December 26, 1979) is a Canadian entrepreneur, author, angel investor, and executive coach.[1] He is the founder of Spheric Technologies, Flowtown, and Clarity.fm.[2][unreliable source?] Martell also created SaaS Academy, a coaching program for software-as-a-service (SaaS) founders.[3][unreliable source?] He is the author of Buy Back Your Time (2023), which appeared on The Wall Street Journal nonfiction bestseller list.
Martell was born in Moncton, New Brunswick.[1] As a teenager, he faced legal issues and substance use challenges.[1] 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.[4][5]
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.[6][7][8]
In 2009, Martell co-founded Flowtown, a startup that developed marketing tools using social media data. It was acquired by Demandforce in 2011.[9][6][7]
He launched Clarity.fm in 2012, a platform that connected entrepreneurs with business mentors. The company was acquired by Fundable in 2015.[10][6][11]
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.[12] He has worked with accelerators such as 500 Startups and the C100.[6][13][14]
In 2016, he founded SaaS Academy, a coaching organization for B2B SaaS founders.[13][15][16][17] 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[18] to support programs addressing youth homelessness in British Columbia.[19][20] He also launched Kings Club, a mentorship program for high school students in Kelowna.[21] He has volunteered with Portage Atlantic and contributed to Kiva, a nonprofit microfinance platform.[13][2][unreliable source?]
Publications
Martell authored Buy Back Your Time, published in 2023 by Penguin Random House,[22][23] which debuted at number two on The Wall Street Journal nonfiction bestseller list.[24] In 2024, he co-authored Software as a Science, published by SaaS Academy Press.[25]
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