How This Canadian Founder Made a $5,000 Bet on Recovery Tech and Created a Brand Used by Pro Athletes and Sold at Costco
At 23, with just $5,000, Cam Stajer bet on recovery tech. Now, Kala Therapy supplies NHL stars and Olympians — and sits on Costco shelves
Opinions expressed by 91³ÉÈË contributors are their own.
Cam Stajer was 23 years old, one year into his first corporate job and living at home, when he made the decision most people around him considered irrational.
He quit.
With roughly $5,000 to his name — no investors, no family business, no safety net — Stajer launched , a wellness technology company focused on red light therapy and recovery products. Seven years later, Kala is sold through Costco, trusted by NHL players, NFL athletes and Olympians, and has been named an official wellness and recovery partner of Team Canada ahead of upcoming Olympic competition.
Stajer was also named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, which recognizes his work in building one of Canada’s fastest-growing wellness brands.
“I looked at my situation and realized I probably had more freedom than I would ever have again,” Stajer says. “No mortgage. No kids. No major obligations. If I was going to take a risk, that was the time.”
Photo credit: Kala
From niche technology to mainstream market
When Kala launched, red light therapy was largely confined to clinics, professional sports organizations, and niche wellness communities. The science had credibility, but mainstream awareness was limited. Stajer saw a window.
His thesis was straightforward: recovery wouldn’t stay exclusive to elite athletes. Consumers were becoming increasingly interested in performance, longevity, and proactive health — and the technology would follow them into their homes.
Rather than chasing wellness trends, he built around products people would use daily.
The early years tested nearly every aspect of the business. Supply chain disruptions, product development setbacks, manufacturing delays, regulatory hurdles, and cash flow pressure all hit in sequence. Stajer chose to reinvest aggressively rather than seek outside capital, often prioritizing growth over personal income.
Photo credit: Kala
“There were definitely easier ways to spend your twenties,” he says.
One customer led to one hundred, which led to one thousand. One retail partnership opened doors to the next. Over time, professional athletes began taking notice — not because of marketing, but because of results.
“If somebody whose career depends on their body trusts your product, that’s meaningful,” Stajer says. “Athletes don’t care about marketing. They care about results.”
Those relationships eventually led to the Team Canada partnership, which Stajer describes as a milestone that marked Kala’s transition from startup to institution. For a Canadian founder who bootstrapped from a spare room, the symbolism wasn’t lost on him.
Kala continues to expand its product portfolio and pursue new retail and international opportunities. But Stajer’s operating philosophy has remained consistent throughout — act before certainty arrives, commit before the outcome is guaranteed.
“My grandmother used to tell me, ‘Fortune favors the bold,'” he says. “Bold doesn’t mean reckless. It means being willing to act when you have enough information, even if you don’t have all of it.”
It’s a lesson he applied at 23, when he started before he felt ready. And then kept going.
Cam Stajer was 23 years old, one year into his first corporate job and living at home, when he made the decision most people around him considered irrational.
He quit.
With roughly $5,000 to his name — no investors, no family business, no safety net — Stajer launched , a wellness technology company focused on red light therapy and recovery products. Seven years later, Kala is sold through Costco, trusted by NHL players, NFL athletes and Olympians, and has been named an official wellness and recovery partner of Team Canada ahead of upcoming Olympic competition.
