As one of Canada’s most inspirational young business leaders, Braden Ream has revolutionized the way businesses develop, implement, and grow conversational AI. As the co-founder and CEO of Voiceflow, Ream’s transformation from university entrepreneur to international tech pioneer is a prime example of the new breed of Canadian leadership: fearless, team-oriented, and unwaveringly forward-thinking.
Early Ambitions and Entrepreneurial Drive
Early on, it was clear that Ream had an entrepreneurial mentality. He started several businesses while attending Western University’s Ivey Business School, most notably the social networking software company Flare. He learned the importance of creating solutions that address actual issues and strengthen communities from these early encounters. Ream’s preoccupation with leverage and scalable impact is evident in his description of entrepreneurship as “creating a thing that builds things.”
The Birth of Voiceflow
Ream and his co-founders began experimenting with interactive children’s stories for Amazon Alexa in 2018, marking the start of Voiceflow. The company immediately realized a larger opportunity: the dearth of user-friendly tools for creating intricate conversational experiences. Their first product, Storyflow, swiftly rose to the top of the Alexa skill rankings in Canada. The existing solutions were disjointed and relied on spreadsheets, flowcharts, and Word documents, which were not suitable for the nonlinear nature of talks.
Ream and his colleagues were determined to democratize conversational AI, so they turned their focus to Voiceflow, a collaborative platform that enables anyone, from developers to designers, to visually design, prototype, and launch chat and voice assistants. Both inexperienced and seasoned developers appreciated the platform due to its robust features and ease of use.
Scaling a Global Platform
Voiceflow has expanded from a Canadian company to a major player in conversational AI under Ream’s direction. By 2025, Voiceflow is expected to power over 300 million messages per month and is projected to be utilized by more than 75,000 teams globally, including Fortune 500 organizations such as BMW, USAA, and McDonald’s. Top-tier investors, including Google, Amazon, Felicis Ventures, and True Ventures, have contributed $35 million USD to the company, which has seen a sevenfold increase in revenue over the past year.
The popularity of Voiceflow stems from its goal of enabling everyone, not just those with highly developed technical abilities, to create digital assistants. Voiceflow has accelerated innovation in a fast-changing area by facilitating seamless collaboration amongst cross-functional teams through the application of user experience (UX) principles to conversational AI.
Leadership Style and Impact
Ream’s dedication to community, openness, and lifelong learning are hallmarks of his leadership. He works to connect the Canadian tech scene with Silicon Valley, dividing his time between Toronto and San Francisco. Ream is committed to fostering the next wave of entrepreneurs as an active angel investor and board member at NEXT Canada.
He also strongly supports product-led growth, stressing the value of user feedback and rapid iteration. Ream said in a recent interview, emphasizing the fortitude and positivity needed to run a rapidly expanding firm, “Your job as a founder is to keep the energy high.”
Recognition and Influence
The accomplishments of Ream have not gone unnoticed. As evidence of his influence on the global tech scene, Forbes included him in its 2022 30 Under 30 list in the Enterprise Software category. Several academic and business honours have also been bestowed upon him, including the Jackson Family HBA Entrepreneurship Scholarship and Western University’s highest admission scholarship.
The Future of Conversational AI
According to Ream, conversational AI will be the next big thing in computer interfaces. The capacity to create organic, productive dialogues is becoming a crucial business skill as smart speakers, chatbots, and AI agents proliferate. Leading this change is Voiceflow, which helps businesses automate customer service, optimize internal procedures, and create digital experiences that are more human-like.
Ream has a bigger picture in mind than just technology. He is a proponent of creating ecosystems and platforms that enable people to innovate, build, and address critical issues. This philosophy is evident in Ream’s continuous mentoring and investment in Canadian entrepreneurs, as well as in Voiceflow’s thriving community of creators.
Braden Ream’s story is an inspiration, a true example of Canadian ingenuity and global leadership. He is encouraging a new generation of entrepreneurs to think bigger, act more quickly, and create for impact by democratizing the accessibility, collaboration, and scalability of conversational AI.
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