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Sean O'Dowda Stephens

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Sean Stephens
Born (1974-09-14) September 14, 1974 (age 50)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Occupations
  • Entrepreneur
  • software developer
  • musician
Known for
  • CEO of Treefrog Inc.
  • Perfect framework
  • Viral musician
Websitewww.seanstephens.com

Sean Stephens (born September 14, 1974) is a Canadian entrepreneur, software developer, and musician.[1] He is the chief executive officer of Treefrog Inc., a digital transformation agency, and a founder of PerfectlySoft Inc., the company that created the open-source Perfect framework for server-side Swift.[2][3]

As a musician, Stephens gained viral media attention in 2023 for his song "I Am Rectangular", which became a meme on TikTok and led to a collaboration with Geordie Greep of the band Black Midi.[4][5] In January 2024, Stephens was the victim of a widely reported kidnapping in South Africa along with his two children.[6]

Early life and education

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Sean Stephens was born in Toronto, Ontario, and spent his early years on a dairy farm in Warkworth.[1] His family went bankrupt during the recession of the early 1980s, after which they became missionaries and moved abroad, living in Portugal, Angola, and Zimbabwe.[7] During the Angolan Civil War, Stephens was home-schooled, later attending a British-style boarding school in Harare.[1] He returned to Canada as a teenager, completing high school in Winnipeg before studying religion, politics, and English literature at several Canadian universities.[2][7]

Career

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Treefrog Inc.

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Stephens co-founded the company that would become Treefrog Inc. and became its CEO in 2001.[1] Under his leadership, the company evolved from a web design firm into a digital transformation agency offering services in branding, software development, and AI strategy.[2] Treefrog has received multiple business awards, and Stephens was named Entrepreneur of the Year by the Newmarket Chamber of Commerce in 2015.[8] He is known for his personal brand which includes green hair and grey suits.[1][2]

Technology Ventures

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In 2015, Stephens founded PerfectlySoft Inc. to launch Perfect, an open-source, server-side web framework for the Swift programming language.[9][3] The framework enabled developers to build full-stack applications using only Swift, following Apple's decision to make the language open source.[3] He also acquired the Lasso programming language under the company LassoSoft Inc.[10]

Stephens also founded Ubiqweus, an IoT company that created the qBiq, a compact environmental sensor.[11] The project launched a Kickstarter campaign in 2016.[11] He is also involved in venture capital and mentorship through Treefrog Ventures and Treefrog Accelerator.[12]

Public speaking

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Stephens is a professional speaker on topics of entrepreneurship and artificial intelligence.[13] He has delivered a TEDx talk and in 2024 received a Speaker Award from TEC Canada, a Canadian leadership development organization.[14]

Music career

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Stephens began his music career in the 1990s, releasing several albums that achieved top 10 positions on Canadian campus radio charts.[15][16]

In 2023, he gained significant viral attention for his song "I Am Rectangular".[5] A music video of him performing the song in New York's Times Square became a meme and was viewed millions of times on TikTok and Instagram.[17][18] The renewed interest in his music led to a live on-stage collaboration in January 2025 with Geordie Greep, frontman of the band Black Midi, to perform the song.[4]

Personal life

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Stephens is an accomplished bachata dancer and a promoter of Latin dance events.[19] He is also the Tánaiste (heir-apparent) of the Ó Dubhda Clan, an Irish heritage organization.[20][16]

2024 kidnapping in South Africa

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In January 2024, Stephens and his two children were kidnapped and robbed at gunpoint by armed men posing as police in Mbombela, South Africa.[6] The family was assaulted and held for several hours while the perpetrators withdrew cash from their bank accounts.[21] The event was widely reported in Canadian media.[22][23]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Risk-taking, fun-loving, green-haired CEO at heart of Treefrog's success". NewmarketToday.ca. August 16, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d "Sean Stephens: The Green-Haired CEO Transforming AI Strategy". Disruption Magazine Digital. No. 24. 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c "Perfect Framework Brings Swift to the Server". InfoQ. March 17, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Black Midi's Geordie Greep Covers "I Am Rectangular" With Green-Haired Canadian Software Executive Sean Stephens". Stereogum. January 14, 2025. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Knocked out of the park: Treefrog CEO goes viral with catchy video". YorkRegion.com. August 11, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Ontario man, children kidnapped and robbed in South Africa". CTV News. January 10, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  7. ^ a b "Interview with Sean Stephens". Natfluence. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  8. ^ "Treefrog CEO Sean Stephens named Entrepreneur of the Year". YorkRegion.com. November 6, 2015. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  9. ^ "Media Resources". Perfect.org. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  10. ^ "Sean Stephens – Executive Profile". Clay.earth. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  11. ^ a b "Kickstarter Launch: qBiq Social Sensors". Engineering.com. September 29, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  12. ^ "The Team". Treefrog Ventures. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  13. ^ "Sean Stephens – Speaker Bio". Business Transitions Forum. 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  14. ^ "And the 2024 TEC Canada Speaker Award Winners Are..." TEC Canada. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  15. ^ "Sean Stephens – Artist Profile". Spotify. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  16. ^ a b "Sean's Artist Bio – The Band". SeanStephens.com. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  17. ^ "Sean Stephens performs "I Am Rectangular" in Times Square". YouTube. July 28, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  18. ^ "@seanstephens.music – Sean Stephens Music Page". Instagram. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  19. ^ "Sean Stephens – Profile". Perfect.org. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  20. ^ "Homepage and Clan Structure". ODubhda.org. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  21. ^ "Traumatized Newmarket Treefrog CEO and children kidnapped, threatened with death and rape in South Africa". YorkRegion.com. January 10, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  22. ^ "Newmarket business owner overwhelmed with support after kidnapping in South Africa". NewmarketToday.ca. January 11, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  23. ^ "Live Now: Top Story — Treefrog CEO and children kidnapped". YorkRegion.com. January 12, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
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