77. Charting a course with Chris Barnard of Points.com

Some founders don't have "entrepreneur" as part of their plan. They slowly evolve into one.

That's what Chris Barnard shared with students at Ivy's New Venture project. After a slew of jobs, including investing money for other companies, Barnard wondered, 'why not invest in his own venture?'

That venture became Points.com, one of the earliest loyalty programs in the world. 

Barnard, his co-founder, Rob McLean, and Points.com, would go on to weather a series of world-changing storms, including the dotcom bubble , 9/11, and the War on Terror, before settling into cruising altitude.

Barnard would go on to take Points.com public, and in 2022, the venture was acquired for half a billion dollars.

In this episode, Barnard speaks with Ivey faculty member Eric Janssen about his incredible journey of building a startup in tumultuous times, the importance of travel, and how to navigate technological change as entrepreneurs.