Željko R.

CheddarList

A hired poacher who gets things done. Our working world needs some reworking. That’s why we’re fixing a broken system by flipping the hiring process on its head: We empower employers to apply to vetted talent. 

Fire the old way of hiring. Apply to vetted talent instead of hoping they'll find you.

Founder

The Big Red Balloon

The Big Red Balloon started as a small boutique digital footprint firm that I founded and managed. Since our inception, we have been developing hybrid mobile and web-based applications.

Managing Director

Founder at CheddarList / bootstrapper / I'm pro-opera and love APIs

Hi I'm Željko an entrepreneur on a mission to fire the old way of hiring. Founder of CheddarList and passionate amateur winemaker.

At CheddarList "you're hired" without the tired means that you will escape the hamster wheel of phantom job postings. We believe when people are hired with respect for their time and value, everyone wins.

For both talent and employers, the current hiring process can make medieval torture seem like a Sunday stroll.

Our Mission 
‍To remove the friction from the hiring process.

Our Vision
‍A world where nothing gets between the right opportunity and the right talent.

Ranked #1 in the industry by the owner of the company and his mother. 

Weekdays at around 8PM I write spaghetti code.

Before anything, I am an Orthodox Christian. Revelation 1:8 

P.S. I enjoy playing chess and am quite crafty with the ♞. DM me if you want to play a round.

Auto Agentic AI

Auto Intelligence is the go-to podcast for anyone tracking the seismic shifts happening across the mobility landscape. Hosted by AI colleagues Steve and Claire from Auto Agentic, each episode cuts through the noise to explore the forces redefining how we move—electrification, autonomy, AI, consumer trends, policy changes, and more.

From EVs and batteries to micromobility, subscription models, and urban transport ecosystems, we dive deep into what’s next for the auto industry—and why it matters. With fresh episodes every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, we bring you global insight, timely analysis, and bold conversations in just 15 to 30 minutes.

☕ Smart thinking, over coffee.
🎧 True information, well told.

Subscribe today and stay ahead of the curve:

🎙️ Buzzsprout: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2470718
📬 LinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7312836032557629440
🍏 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/auto-intelligence/id1748445224
🎵 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5T0V0PbXT0ENJJHhxh5vPP
📱 Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8yNDcwNzE4LnJzcw

**Produced by Auto Agentic—**the most human AI company in automotive.
🔗 Learn more: https://www.autoagentic.ai

Producer: Auto Intelligence (AI) Podcast

After many years away from the automotive and tech sectors, I never thought I'd be back. But the incredible advancements in AI over the past year and a half have shown me the immense possibilities that lie ahead. Today, I'm thrilled to announce my involvement as a minority co-founder and investor in Auto Agentic (https://www.autoagentic.ai/).

Auto Agentic is set to revolutionize the automotive retail landscape through cutting-edge AI technology. We're not just changing how cars are sold; we're transforming the entire dealership experience:

Auto Agentic is your dealership's key to joining the ranks of top performers. Our comprehensive AI team - including a Sales Manager, Budget Analyst, Data Analyst, HR Expert, and Growth Marketing Strategist - works seamlessly with your staff to accelerate every aspect of your business.

Our advanced AI team doesn't replace your staff - it enhances their capabilities, allowing you to fine-tune every aspect of your business for maximum efficiency and profitability.

From optimizing inventory, boosting sales, enhancing customer service, and streamlining HR processes. Our AI experts work in harmony with your team, providing deep insights and data-driven strategies that drive real results.

I'm honored to be part of such an exciting team, alongside industry veterans and tech visionaries like Karla Congson, Barry Hillier, Michael Carrick, and Bill Playford. Together, we're bringing a powerful blend of automotive expertise, AI innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit to address the unique challenges and opportunities in the automotive retail sector.

Our collective vision? To empower dealerships with intelligent solutions that enhance efficiency, boost sales, and deliver unparalleled customer satisfaction.

🎉 We're currently onboarding dealerships and dealer groups for our Alpha program. If you're in the automotive industry and want to be at the forefront of this AI revolution, sign up at www.autoagentic.ai.

Co-Founder, Investor, CEO

Perplexity

Selected as a Perplexity Business Fellow for their first ever six month cohort, joining a network of leaders exploring the intersection of AI, business, and research. Engaging in discussions on the future of AI-driven decision-making and innovation, while leveraging Perplexity’s cutting-edge tools for strategic insights and knowledge discovery.

Perplexity Business Fellow

Barry Hillier

Serial entrepreneur and strategic innovator with 25+ years of transforming ideas into market-leading ventures. As a co-founder of Bumper, Neighbourhood Coffee, Auto Agentic and Kebaonish, and founder of Dashboard, Glovebox, Strategy Mob and eQuo, I bridge technology, sustainability, and social impact to create meaningful business solutions.

Core Impact Areas:
• Mission-Driven Enterprise Development
• Inclusive Business Strategy & Growth
• Indigenous-led Ventures & Social Enterprise
• Brand Development & Marketing Innovation
• Strategic Growth & Technology Integration

Track Record:
• Successfully launched and exited multiple ventures including Dashboard, GloveboxCMS, and Bumper
• Created platforms supporting diverse entrepreneurs and communities
• Led innovative campaigns for global brands
• Recognized Branding Subject Matter Expert
• Over 50 National and Global awards for Branding, Marketing and business performance

As a consultant and fractional CMO/CMTO, I specialize in empowering change makers from underrepresented communities - Indigenous peoples, Black entrepreneurs, women leaders, 2SLGBTQ+ founders, and immigrant innovators. My approach combines strategic growth expertise with a deep commitment to social justice and economic inclusion.

Currently focused on supporting entrepreneurs and enterprises driven by founders from the visible majority, helping them create positive systemic change across society, environment, and economy. I believe in the power of business as a force for good, where profit meets purpose.

Looking to connect with:
• Mission-driven founders and enterprises
• Change makers focused on social impact
• Organizations supporting diverse entrepreneurs
• Impact investors and social innovation partners

Let's explore how we can create meaningful change together.

Consultant and Advisor

eQuo

Not all of us have the same opportunities. And when some of us miss out, we all miss out on our chance to realize our collective potential.

We're creating a community initiative to provide small businesses with the financial, mental, and operational support they often struggle to find. We're primarily focused on supporting small businesses led by individuals from eight key communities: Indigenous, women, black, other visible majority persons, 2SLGBTQ+, persons with disabilities, individuals over 60, and immigrants. 

Our mission is to empower small businesses to bring about positive social, economic, and cultural changes in our world, and it's free to join. To learn more about how we're working together, I invite you to go to www.timetogosmall.com and see how you can get involved and join us in building a supportive community for small businesses! We intend to make our platform the biggest small business directory in Canada, allowing founders to access capital, other founders, customers and experts.

Founder, Investor, Chief Promoter

Kebaonish Inc.

At Kebaonish, we take pride in being an Indigenous beverage company that highlights the spirit of sharing in Indigenous cultures and communities worldwide. We promote generations of well-being by embracing Indigenous traditional knowledge systems, wisdom, and worldview(s) inspired by the Anishinaabe concept of Mino-Bimaadiziwin ("living the good life") and the Haudenosaunee principle of Ka'nikonhrí:yo ("the good mind"). We believe that by incorporating these teachings of a good mind and a good heart, we can bring people closer to harmony in the world, and it all starts with a cup of coffee or tea.

A key aspect of Kebaonish's philosophy is the concept of interconnectedness between individuals and the environment. Our goal is to assist in restoring the connections between people, land, and water that have resulted in the degradation of our planet and the loss of our cultural heritage. Through stories, Kebaonish embodies the spirit of relationships that connect people. Our responsibility as company owners is to respect the ecological rhythms of our planet and the interactions that define us as citizens of Mother Earth.

We aim to create a better future for ourselves and future generations by promoting responsibility and accountability in our actions.

A good story combined with a hot beverage creates an all-encompassing moment that helps us live a healthier and more fulfilling life. In honouring Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee worldviews and knowledge systems, Kebaonish promotes a good life and a good mind so that we can once again find harmony in the world. Come and be part of a grand story yet to be told.

Initial Brand Architect, Investor, Partner

Neighbourhood Coffee

Neighbourhood Coffee celebrates Toronto and the many neighbourhoods that make our city home. With coffee, we want to bring Toronto together (at a safe social-distance of course) so people can connect, converse and turn our Toronto neighbours into friends.

Roasted in small batches using a unique blend of beans, our roast captures the diversity of Toronto while maintaining a sophisticated and robust full flavour that only dedicated artisanal roasters, like ours, can create.

Sophisticated, energizing, silky and earthy, this is a blend that exemplifies the eclectic and diverse nature of Toronto. 

From the highlands of Colombia, Nicaragua, Honduras and Peru comes a blend tailored for richness and deep flavour with a complexity that only a master roaster could capture. By selecting prime Central and South American beans we’ve captured an exceptional coffee experience.

The aroma is complex with a unique nuance of smoke, spices and flower notes. This roast provides a smooth, yet bold flavour with rich hints of chocolate and sweet molasses. The aftertaste is a full body and a gentle and rich overall cacao.

Brand Architect, Partner, Investor

Ethnicity Matters

Ethnicity is a dynamic, integrated, multicultural marketing and advertising agency dedicated to driving new growth and sales by engaging North America’s fast-growing, big-spending ethnic communities.

Ethnicity is more than just a traditional multicultural advertising "agency"​. Ethnicity is structured under four divisions to provide an end-to-end solution for our clients:

• Multicultural Education & Training
• Research & Insights
• Strategy & Business Planning
• Creative & Execution

Website http://www.EthnicityMatters.com

Member Of The Board Of Advisors

Vicimus

Vicimus is an automotive software company that creates solutions that accelerate your business through a deeper understanding of the consumer journey, and the tools to influence and engage those consumers.

Vicimus completed the sale of Dashboard, Strategy Mob, Glovebox and Bumper in June of 2017.

Partner, Chief Innovation Officer

Strategy Mob

Strategy Mob is an affiliate community for automotive professionals. As the industry changes in organizational structure, processes, digital integration and continues to evolve, Strategy Mob provides the resource to understanding these changes. From case studies to best practices and features on individuals who are changing the industry. Anyone who looks to be educated on the evolution in automotive will find Strategy Mob the ultimate resource.

Strategy Mob was fully integrated into Vicimus with the completed Sale of Dashboard in June 2017.

Founder, Publisher

BUMPER App

Bumper App Inc., created by Steve Southin who then partnered with me, is a first-mover fully automated cloud retention marketing tool for car dealers. Bumper empowers dealers with the ability to create Loyalty Sales Events targeting their current customer database. Having an automated online platform drastically reduces the dealer’s usual costs by keeping their retention marketing efforts in-house, while only investing a few minutes effort as the software does all the work. 

Bumper was successfully brought to market in October 2014 and within the first eight months it was embraced by over 10% of the Canadian automotive industry with 300 franchised new car dealers now using the platform. 

100’s of dealerships, 1000’s of leads, millions in profits

Imagine driving a retention tool with the full control to harvest and connect with micro-targeted leads from your customer database on demand… every day, week or month you want them.
Bumper is a one-to-one retention marketing platform that lets you create personalized, hyper-targeted campaigns, and view each recipient’s response in real time. You’ll know their conversion mindset as soon as your message reaches their mailbox, inbox or phone.
This gives you the ability to target the customers who are most likely to be in market with the right Sales or Fixed Ops messaging that connects with them. Each campaign directs recipients to his or her own PURL (Personalized URL) for an ultimate content delivery experience. Track every interaction with a variety of content options: coupons, videos, downloads, SMS tools, brochures and more.

Bumper fully transitioned into Vicimus with the completed sale of Dashboard in June 2017.

Partner

Founder, CEO @ eQuo | CMO @ Kebaonish | Empowering Small Businesses & Entrepreneur

Barry Hillier is a strategist, storyteller, and technologist whose career has been defined by building what's next—from award-winning brand platforms to inclusive economic systems and now leading in agentic AI. Barry brings a rare combination of creative insight, community empowerment expertise, and operational depth that few others possess.

He began crafting emotionally resonant brand stories that moved markets, then evolved to designing inclusive systems that scale economic opportunity across communities, regions, and generations. Today, he's pioneering dual fronts: agentic AI systems that amplify human performance and economic empowerment models that unlock potential for all.

With over 25 years of experience, eight ventures launched, and global recognition for both creative, economic and social impact, Barry's work consistently bridges brand and system, story and scale, innovation and economic empowerment.

Barry's career began in the world's top agencies, including Saatchi & Saatchi, BBDO, and Operex, where he crafted strategy for powerhouse brands: Toyota, Nissan, AXE Body Spray, Hellmann's, Vaseline, Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee, Skittles, Juicy Fruit, Milk, ING Direct, 3M, H&R Block, and Indigo.

Recognizing the need to scale both brand execution and economic opportunity through technology, Barry shifted from agency to entrepreneur—founding platforms that operationalize strategy through intelligent, inclusive infrastructure:

• GloveboxCMS – CMS for automotive networks enabling real-time content delivery at scale
• Bumper – Customer engagement platform unifying data into actionable insight
• RevUps – MarTech platform for integrated asset development across distributed teams
• eQuo – Canada's first inclusive marketplace serving Indigenous, BIPOC, LGBTQ2S+, and women entrepreneurs

Today, Barry co-founded Auto Agentic, reshaping how dealerships and OEMs operate through agentic AI systems: trained digital team members that embed into workflows, act with intention, and evolve alongside business.

At Auto Agentic, the belief is simple: the future belongs to those who combine emotional intelligence and human creativity with AI power. This is why they're building the most human AI company in automotive—one that enhances empathy, unlocks potential, and redefines success.

Barry Hillier transforms business strategy into real-world solutions—aligning corporate goals with community impact, and harnessing AI innovation to unlock human potential.

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Željko R.

Barry Hillier

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