February 4, 2025
I was recently honored alongside Andrew Wilkinson as Distinguished Entrepreneurs of the Year by UVic’s Gustavson School of Business.
Being recognized for our work at Tiny, which has grown to own over 40 businesses including Letterboxd and AeroPress, is truly humbling.
Here are a few highlights from the article, but I highly recommend reading the full story here.
The Recognition
Here’s what Pete Gustavson, chair of the DEYA committee, had to say:
“We are pleased to recognize Andrew Wilkinson and Chris Sparling as our 2025 DEYA recipients. They have created many opportunities for businesses to grow and thrive.”
Our Entrepreneurial Journey
Our partnership began at MetaLab in 2009. Like many entrepreneurs, we learned through trial and error:
Some of our journey:
“We started everything from productivity apps to skincare brands. Some worked, many didn’t. But each failure taught us something valuable about capital allocation and what makes businesses actually work.”
Building Tiny
Our approach was inspired by studying Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger:
How we went about it:
“We realized we were doing it all wrong. Instead of starting new businesses from scratch, we could apply Berkshire Hathaway’s model to internet businesses—finding great companies with proven track records and holding them forever.”
This philosophy has become core to how we operate, and I’m particularly proud of how we’ve maintained it:
“Most companies get worse after they’re acquired. We built Tiny to be different—we buy profitable businesses and then stay out of their way. No unnecessary meetings, no forced synergies, just support when it’s needed.”
Community Impact
The article recognizes our commitment to Victoria’s growth:
We’re proud of building a world-class company while committing to Victoria’s growth and supporting its business ecosystem.
Mia Maki, Associate Dean External at Gustavson had a few words to share.
“Andrew and Chris represent a new model of entrepreneurship. They’ve shown you can build a world-class company from Victoria while actively supporting our local business ecosystem.”
The full announcement goes into more detail about our journey and impact on the Victoria business community.
The award ceremony will take place on June 10 at the Victoria Conference Centre.
For ticket details and more information about previous recipients, visit our website here.
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