# Samuel F. Poirier

> Samuel F. Poirier is a Canadian entrepreneur and Mercantile co-founder, documented as CEO at its October 2022 public launch, December 2024 acquisition by Onboard Partners and April 2025 interview. His earlier ventures include Yagi, Retinad and cruise booking. A 2016 Thiel Fellow, he appears on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Finance 2023 list.

- **Role:** Co-founder, Mercantile; CEO documented through April 2025
- **Organizations:** Mercantile, Retinad, Yagi Card, Seahub, Cruisehub, Thiel Fellowship
- **Nationality:** Canadian
- **Education:** Collège de Montréal
- **Known for:** 2016 Thiel Fellow; identified by contemporary coverage as the first French Canadian selected., Forbes 30 Under 30 Finance 2023 honoree., Goldman Sachs Top 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs recognition in October 2019, as listed on his public LinkedIn profile.

## Career timeline

- **Age 14** — Started importing minerals from several countries into Montreal.
- **Teenage years** — Built Bitcoin debit-card venture Yagi, which merged with Mt. Gox; public accounts differ on exact age and dates.
- **2015** — Co-founded VR analytics company Retinad.
- **2016** — Named a Thiel Fellow, reported as the first French Canadian selected.
- **2017–2021** — Co-founder and CEO of Cruisehub; also publicly identified as Seahub CEO during this period.
- **2018** — Retinad acquisition by LumiereVR reported in October Terminal interview.
- **2021** — Began serving as Mercantile CEO according to public professional profiles.
- **2022** — Mercantile publicly launched October 12 with approximately $22 million total funding, including a $15 million Series A led by Index Ventures.
- **2023** — Listed in Forbes 30 Under 30 Finance 2023.
- **2024** — Onboard Partners announced its completed acquisition of Mercantile on December 30.
- **2025** — Appeared on SaaSpasse episode 130 to discuss Mercantile and his entrepreneurial career.

## Achievements

- 2016 Thiel Fellow; identified by contemporary coverage as the first French Canadian selected.
- Forbes 30 Under 30 Finance 2023 honoree.
- Goldman Sachs Top 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs recognition in October 2019, as listed on his public LinkedIn profile.
- Co-founded Mercantile and led it at public launch and acquisition.

## Latest updates

- **2025-04** — SaaSpasse episode 130 featured Poirier discussing Mercantile, the acquisition, business selection and cross-border entrepreneurship; its notes reported approximately $100 million annual transaction volume and about 30 employees before acquisition.
- **2024-12** — Onboard Partners announced its acquisition of Mercantile, naming Poirier as co-founder and CEO.
- **2024-06** — Appeared on the talktank / Founder Friday for an interview on serial entrepreneurship and Mercantile.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelpoirier/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/samuel-poirier
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-25