The Ledger
Every statement that passed quotation and attribution checks. Mix any filter with any other: certainty 1/5, debate potential 5/5, or both at once.
why aren't all 19 resolved? a statement only gets an assessment when the public record can support or contradict it. opinions and what-ifs never can, and 0 checkable ones are still open, waiting for their date. predictions held up or didn't; assertions are supported or contradicted. on every card: ▮▮▮▮▮ certainty · ▮▮▮▮▮ debate potential. speakers are clickable
Martell: At-Risk Youth Develop Unusually High EQ to Survive
“Some of the smartest kids, and I have the privilege of working with them today, these at-risk youth their EQ is off the charts because they've just, you know, they've really had to develop that muscle just to even stay alive.”
Martell: Syncrude spent $2M on Plumtree licenses without in-house operating expertise
“There was this oil company called Syncrude that just bought this enterprise portal software called Plumtree and spent like two million dollars on licenses, but they didn't have anybody that knew how it worked.”
Martell: Mark Cuban invested $250K in Clarity after 13 emails
“It was literally 13 email questions. And then the last one was like, I'm in for 250.”
Martell: Clarity.fm required an enterprise expert-network pivot to reach $1B
“Couldn't figure out the business model at scale to be a billion dollar company. Knew what it would have to take, which would be totally different than what we were doing. Essentially, we would have to go more enterprise and start selling licenses to like big h…”
Martell: At 16, led police on high-speed chase with a handgun
“When I was 16, I had a backpack with a handgun because the police were looking for me and I decided to steal a car. And while I was making my way out of the province, I figured I'd go to Montreal. I pulled off the highway to get gas and a routine roadblock and…”
Dan Martell: Served 5–6 Months in Adult Jail Before Rehabilitation
“I ended up doing five to six months in an adult jail due to the severity of my crime. I got released out of there for good behavior to finish off my sentence at a rehab center called Fortage New Brunswick, which was in the middle of nowhere as an old church ca…”
Martell: Sold receivables at a 27% discount to meet Spheric's payroll
“So I ended up having to sell my receivables to a factory company for like, I want to say, 27%. I gave them for like 90 days.”
Martell: Spheric did $1M first year, grew 150% annually for four years
“We ended up doing about a million the first year and then just kept doubling every year for four years, a 150% year over year.”
Martell: Would have kept Spheric Holdings and hired a CEO instead of selling
“That's probably the one decision I would have done differently. Like now that I know what I know about business and assets and scaling teams, I would have kept it hire a CEO because it was a great business.”
Martell: Bought back 21% equity from initial partners before Spheric exit
“A hundred percent. And when I started it with three initial guys, yeah, I gave them 21% each, seven, seven each and 21% total. And then over the first two years, I ended up buying their equity back because I learned there's a difference between being a founder…”
Martell: Demandforce Was Acquired by Intuit for $550 Million
“But, and then when Demandforce got acquired by Into it. That's when my investors, you know, they got bought for five hundred fifty million.”
Martell: Clarity.fm raised $1.6M seed anchored by Baseline's Steve Anderson
“Originally I was only gonna raise seven 50 K, ended up one of my previous investors, Steve Anderson at Baseline, Decided he wants to write a check for seven 50 and then, and convinces me to go one six or one four. We ended up closing at one six.”
Martell: Mark Cuban thoughtfully replied to every Clarity investor update
“Every six weeks I send an investor update and he's one of the only investors I can say has always replied to everyone with something thoughtful. Very short, but always replied.”
Martell: Clarity.fm acquisition by Startups.co featured a zero-day earnout
“A zero day earn out. So I got to give Will props on the negotiation. I still remember the moment I was sitting, standing in my pacing in my driveway and he goes, Hey, I just want you to know, I don't expect you to stay more than a day.”
Martell: Introduced to drugs at 13, joined motorbike gangs at 15
“I got introduced to drugs when I was 13, but what happened at 15 was meeting people that were in motorbike gangs and dealing quantities of drugs”
Martell: Maritime Vacation made $50K before losing to AttheCottage.com
“And I did that probably made 50 grand building the site cause I opened up the size of it. But after about a year, I got crushed by the guy who had at the cottage.com who obviously had a better domain focus was all of Canada, more features.”