A Great Idea Isn’t Enough — Get Clarity on Who Will Pay For It

Emile Maamary, Co-founder of Steadiwear

Who's going to pay for this?

It sounds straightforward, but it separates hobby projects from real businesses. I explored this in depth on The Unsure Entrepreneur Podcast with Emile Maamary, co-founder of Steadiwear — a Canadian health-tech company making wearable devices that reduce hand tremors for people living with Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor.

Steadiwear’s story is, at its core, rooted in empathy. It began not in a lab or on a whiteboard, but at a kitchen table with two grandmothers struggling to hold a cup of coffee without spilling. That frustration was real. The loss of autonomy was profound. What started as a personal observation became a persistent mission: to restore dignity in everyday interactions that most of us take for granted.

In solving that problem, Emile and his co-founder Mark Elias embarked on a journey that would span years, evolve through multiple iterations of product design, and require more than $5 million in funding — a journey that illustrates something every entrepreneur must understand: great solutions must first solve real problems for real payers.

You must validate deeply before you scale

The first prototypes from Steadiwear were neither elegant nor ready for market, but they were real enough to test with real people. The team engaged with support groups, foundations, clinicians, and individuals living with tremors. Instead of assuming what users needed, they asked, listened, and iterated.

"Users taught us what needed to change"

Emile told me, “We started with very rough iterations, and we learned incredibly fast. Our early prototypes were heavy, awkward, and sometimes frustrating for users but they taught us what needed to change.”

That early validation did something incredibly important: it shifted the conversation from assumptions to evidence. Each adjustment — lighter materials, refined mechanics, easier wearability — came directly from insights gathered at the front lines. This is the difference between building something you think people want and building something people genuinely value.

Manufacturing isn’t a detail — it’s a strategic capability

For many founders, hardware is a leap into the unknown. And a tough slog. Emile described long timelines that stretched beyond expectations, the complexity of coordinating international suppliers, and the persistent challenges of communication with manufacturing partners.

“Language barriers and timeline expectations were harder than the engineering itself,” he said. “There were weeks we thought we’d be done, and then we weren’t.”

This hands-on involvement was not accidental. It was necessary. Hardware isn’t just a product, it's a network of supply, quality control, regulatory compliance, and relationship management. Staying close to the process accelerated learning, reduced risk, and ultimately kept quality where it needed to be.

Build for your payer, not just your user

This lesson often surprises founders — especially those building in healthcare or enterprise sectors.

“For the first few years, we were only thinking about the patient,” Emile said. “We assumed if the technology helped, the healthcare system would figure out how to pay for it. It didn’t work that way.”

In Canada, devices like Steadiwear’s are not broadly reimbursed. That reality forced the team to think differently about their business model: they introduced payment plans, a 30-day money-back guarantee, and other structures that reduced risk for the buyer.

This shift — from building solely for the user to building for the payer — is where good businesses start to outpace good ideas. If the value you create cannot be captured by those who pay, you may be building something admirable but not something sustainable.

Steadiwear raised more than $5 million

Perhaps one of the most instructive parts of Steadiwear’s story is not just that they raised over $5 million, but how they did it.

They combined strategic non-dilutive funding with traditional investment, a path that many founders misunderstand or overlook.

Leveraged $2M funding to get $3M from investors

Steadiwear secured over $2 million in grants, tax credits, and government funding before turning to investors. That non-dilutive capital did something invaluable: it funded early prototypes and provided credible validation in a way that was visible to the market.

“Those initial grants were like signal flares,” Emile told me. “They told other stakeholders — clinicians, partners, investors — that we were solving a real problem and making measurable progress.”

By the time they approached angel investors, Steadiwear had real data, real user feedback, and real momentum. That combination made the story investable.

Why the Zensurance Small Business Grant was important

Steadiwear’s success in funding also included winning the 2025 Zensurance Small Business Grant, a $10,000 award that offered more than money. The grant provided visibility, credibility, and a moment of validation in a crowded field of early-stage ventures. For Steadiwear, it came at the right time and the company plans to use the funds to make its next hire in operations.

“Winning the Zensurance Grant gave us more than capital,” Emile reflected. “It gave us confidence that our work resonated beyond our immediate community.”

If you are building a business in Canada and looking for some funding, note that the next Zensurance Small Business Grant deadline is March 3, 2026 — application details are available here.

Momentum is not accidental

Steadiwear’s progress is not a story of chance. It is a story of discipline, iteration, strategic funding, and sustained focus on value creation.

For founders unsure about starting a venture, this is a reminder that meaningful work requires time, rigour, and strategic capital choices. And if you can answer clearly the question of who will pay for what you are building, you have taken the most important step toward something that can scale.

Resources

Listen to the podcast interview.

Apply for the $10,000 Zensurance Small Business Grant.

Visit Steadiwear's website to learn about the company.

[Photo credit: Emile Maamary]