Archive for category Events

Vancouver’s 1st Cloud Camp, March 13

Posted by Maura Rodgers in Events on March 10th, 2010

The first CloudCamp Vancouver will be held this Saturday, March 13 at Discovery Park.  CloudCamp is a free full-day “unconference” where early adopters of Cloud Computing technologies exchange ideas. With the rapid change occurring in the industry, this is our chance to meet and share our experiences, challenges and solutions. At CloudCamp, you are encouraged to share your thoughts in several open discussions, as we strive for the advancement of Cloud Computing.

What will we do at Cloud Camp?

  • Learn the differences between public cloud, private cloud, and hybrid clouds.
  • Hear from your peers, who are building and developing on the cloud about how they have stopped buying and installing and maintaining physical servers.
  • Get your questions answered about compliance, security and privacy.

AGENDA: (this may change)

  • 9:00-9:30am Registration
  • 9:30-9:45am Welcome & Intros
  • 9:45-10:00am Lightning Talk
  • 10:00-10:30am Unpanel
  • 10:30-11:00am Organize Unconference
  • 11:15-12:00pm Session 1
  • 1:00-1:15pm Lunch
  • 1:15-2:00pm Breakout Session #2
  • 2:00-3:00pm Breakout Session #3
  • 3:00-3:30pm Wrap-up Session
  • Evening – ad-hoc dinner/drinks somewhere??? (at your own expense!)

Coffee and lunch will be provided.  There are a few spots still available, so Sign-up now.

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Geo Edition of DemoCamp Vancouver

Posted by bmann in DemoCamp Vancouver on February 17th, 2010

Events

We just pushed publish confirming March 4th as the date for DemoCamp Vancouver 10: Geo Edition – #democampyvr10.

This edition will also be using the theme of “geo”. From the growth of GPS in virtually every phone to location aware applications of all kinds, we’ll be focusing on showcasing demos that connect around space in some way.

Matt Galligan will be coming to town to tell us about his new platform SimpleGeo for easily running your location infrastructure for you rather than building it from scratch.

Interested in doing a 6 minute demo / presentation? Contact us – we’ve got room for about 5 people to present.

Read on for full outline and presenters »

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Bootup Bus to 140conf in Seattle

Posted by Daniel Wolfe in Community, Events on February 16th, 2010

On March 8th, 2010 at the Bell Harbor Conference Center in Seattle, The Parnassus Group is hosting 140 | The Twitter Conference.

The conference will feature several interesting speakers, including Ben Parr (co-editor of Mashable), Jennifer Leggio from ZDNet, Shauna Causey (communications and social media manager at Comcast), and many others.

We (that is, Zedmo and the Bootup Entrepreneurial Society) would like to organize a trip down to Seattle on March 7th, to spend the night in Seattle and head to the conference for 9:00am on March 8th. The Tweetup is scheduled to end at 7:30pm that evening, at which point the Bootup Bus (last people to show interest sit upside down) will head back up north.

To get into the conference you can use this code to get 25% off the $199 reg fee: SMC140 (thanks to Shauna Causey via Plancast)

If you are interested in joining us, please let us know ASAP by leaving a comment on this post. As we see how much interest there is we’ll make the appropriate arrangements for transportation and accommodation deals and inform you of the rates.

We’ve been quite successful in getting great rates on hotel accomodation in the past, and piling Canadians into a bus and running for the border is always good times.

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Mentor Speed Dating Recap

Posted by lyal in Events on February 11th, 2010

Lyal Avery of Outcome3 was one of the mentors at yesterday mornings first Mentor Speed Dating event. His recap is below, as well as posted on Techvibes.

I think we can count this first event as a success, and we’ll be doing more of them. In the mean time, head over to mentors.bootup.ca to continue the discussion. If you’re a mentor or a company, sign up and add your profile, and feel free to connect with people directly. Just because there isn’t an active event doesn’t mean you can’t reach out online.

This was also the first event that was community suggested AND organized. Have an idea for an event? Head over to wantit.bootup.ca and add your suggestion.

This morning, Bootup Entrepreneurial Society had their first Mentor Speed Dating event. Graciously hosted by Clark Wilson, LLP, the event took place at the ungodly hour of 7:30am… although the finance guys and lawyers seemed to think it was a late start, us technology folk weren’t nearly as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Plenty of coffee and food to be had more than perked me up though (a big thank you to the Clark Wilson folks for that!)

Ten Mentors were on one side of the table, with about thirty visiting entrepreneurs from fifteen companies looking for wisdom. As one of the ten mentors, it was really thrilling for me to see so many early startups looking to showcase their five-minute pitch.

The particular entrepreneurs will give a much better version, but the 140-character summary pitch of the companies I had a chance to speak with are:

  • Scallable – A quality/location/other-metric based brokerage system for medium-sized VOIP providers.
  • CompassEngine – A geolocation platform service for mobile developers in the gaming space.
  • FoodTree – A directory service providing point of purchase information on the ethics and other consideration of food providers.
  • InnovationCamp – A consulting service providing guidance and training in the area of personal expertise for departments in business organizations.
  • Viira – A Getting Things Done consolidation application for the Blackberry, spanning projects through contact management.
  • SpottedDoing – A middleware component for mobile cause marketing.
  • ReadFu – A link preview system to provide a summary of a link’s destination on roll over without having to leave the linking page.
  • Redrovr – Helps artists and speakers book more gigs by connecting them directly with their audiences through an auction system.
  • Contextual Search Inc – An innovative search model that “brings the content to you.”
  • Bitmain Studios – Pointkit is half Unfuddle, half Freshbooks – a project management tool with invoicing built in.

Unfortunately, due to time constraints, I didn’t have a chance to meet with all of the entrepreneurs, but if they were anything like the eleven I did get to meet with, I’m sure they were fantastic.

Overall, the event was a huge success. I believe the structure as presented was really clear – particularly the overall session question of “What are the 3 things you need help with.” Both the mentors and potential mentees I surveyed after-wards had a fantastic time. The good news is that this event will likely be happening again in a few months. In the interim, there’s a social networking site built around the topic that is anything but static. If you’re a mentor looking to talk to early stage entrepreneurs, or a founder looking for business advice or support, register at mentors.bootup.ca and start connecting!

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Event Announcement: Mentor Speed Dating! Feb 10th

Posted by Simon Wilson in Events on January 19th, 2010

Vancouver’s technology scene is thriving! But who among us has the time to stop and find that special someone? With all the challenges of working on a technology startup, it’s hard to find Mr.-or-Mrs. Right (now?)!

The Bootup Entrepreneurial Society is looking to help.

Not sure where to find that advisor you’ve been seeking? Mentor Speed Dating may be just the event you’re looking for. If you are a startup-phase company with a problem you need help solving, clear up some space on your calendar for two hours on the morning of Wednesday, February 10th.  Bootup is looking to help connect thirty local companies with interested mentors.

The format for the event will follow the speed dating model — after giving a brief introduction to the attendees, each mentor will hear from the companies.

The goal of Mentor Speed Dating is to set follow-up ‘dates’ between mentors and companies.

Companies should expect to come to Mentor Speed Dating prepared with a one-minute summary of the company, founders, and product. Additionally, companies should have a good grasp of the areas where the mentors can help them — legal, fundraising, technology, business development, sales, accounting, etc.; advice particular to a specific problem. Or two!

Mentors at the event will have a two-minute bio prepared which highlights what companies can expect from their expertise, and be ready to keep track of the companies they meet for follow up after the event.

Mentor Speed Dating is NOT a Q&A session or a venture capital pitch forum! Our goal is to focus on the meetings as a means to stimulate the local startup ecosystem.

Here’s how you can get involved: visit http://mentors.bootup.ca and fill out a brief profile, and then show up the morning of February 10th.

Who: Startup-phase Companies and Mentors
When: 8-10 AM, Wednesday February 10th
What: Mentor Speed Dating
Why: Connect mentors with startup companies. Come to the event prepared to find opportunities!
How: Register at http://mentors.bootup.ca!

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Jan 2010 Bootup Demo Days Companies Selected

Posted by Maura Rodgers in Demo Days, Events, News on January 17th, 2010

Congratulations to the companies selected to participate in the Bootup Demo Days. All companies will present at the Canadian Financing Forum on January 28th, and again at a special event at the Plug and Play Tech Centre in Silicon Valley on February 3rd.

  • Coincidence Labs: a stealth social commerce platform, with Giftolicious being the first platform app
  • Mobify: a hosted platform for publishers to provide mobile views of their content
  • Strutta: a hosted promotion platform that makes for easy online contests
  • Unbounce: self-serve hosted landing pages with A/B testing and no developers required

The selected companies will give 10 minute investment presentations in front of angel and early stage investors, and will be joined by the 2009 graduating class from the Bootup Labs portfolio.

Are you an investor interested in attending or a member of the press wanting to cover the event? Please sign up to attend »

Companies and entrepreneurs interested in future opportunities like this, make sure you are subscribed to the Bootup Startup Event Notification List.

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Bootup Demo Days Announced

Posted by Maura Rodgers in Demo Days, Events, News on December 10th, 2009

The Bootup Entrepreneurial Society is teaming up with Bootup Labs, in partnership with BCIC to host the first Bootup Demo Days event.

Demo Days is a pre-paid, 2-part, pitch event, for 10 early stage BC start-ups, who are ready to pitch their company to an audience of sophisticated pre-screened investors. Part 1 will be in Vancouver, and part 2 will be in Silicon Valley.  In addition to the 5 portfolio companies from Bootup Labs, a BES advisory panel will review and select 5 additional digital media companies from BC.

Part 1 – Vancouver Demo Days – January 28th, 2010
We’re partnering with the Canadian Financing Forum to integrate our Demo Days event within the Financing Forum schedule. The Canadian Financing Forum will be taking place on January 28th, 2010, and has two presenting streams; Information Technology and Cleantech.  Bootup will be running a dedicated track for early stage digital media companies in the afternoon from 1:30-4:30pm, followed by a joint reception with the Canadian Financing Forum.  Qualified investors who are only interested in attending the Bootup track, may register free of charge.

Part 2 – Silicon Valley Demo Days – February 3, 2010
On February 3, Bootup will be hitting the road and heading to Silicon Valley with the same 10 companies that presented in Vancouver.  This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to showcase our best companies in front of world-class VC and Angel investors.  We will be releasing the list of RSVP investors to the selected companies as we get them.

Company Selection Process
Digital Media companies that are interested in this opportunity need to complete our online application form by December 23, 2009.  To be eligible, companies must have already received an initial seed investment of at least $30K.  All applications will be reviewed by our Selection Panel.

<< —  COMPANIES APPLY HERE  – >>

The package includes one-on-one pitch prep with local mentors, accommodations and airfare from YVR to SFO, and introductions to local and International investors.

Investor Only Event
The Bootup Demo Days event is open, free of charge, to interested Investors, participating companies and press.  Investors are asked to register for the Bootup Demo Days Event.  Investors are also encouraged to also register to attend the Canadian Financing Forum in the morning.

<< —  INVESTORS APPLY HERE  – >>

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“Facebook’s #1 Marketing Plan: Build An Awesome Experience” with Jonathan Ehrlich, Director of Consumer Marketing

Posted by Jon Chui in Events, International Mentor Program on December 7th, 2009

Jonathan Erhlich, Director of Consumer Marketing at Facebook, was in town last friday to talk about effective product marketing. Set in the intimate Harbor View Room at Steamworks, it was an energetic & engaging talk. In the words of Boris Mann:

“Jonathan is rocking the room – forcing people to pay attention, think & respond” – @bmann

However, the comedic highlight of the evening occurred after Jonathan told the room that “Facebook ads work.” To which someone replied:

“Ads convert fans, but I can’t eat fans. Any tips on converting fans into money?”

Even Jonathan had to laugh at that.

Though it’s easy to summarize the key points as follows:

  1. Build something great.
  2. Acquire and engage users intelligently.
  3. Iterate like hell.

It simply does not do Jonathan justice. Therefore, read on if you want to hear those key points fleshed out with more salient quotes and examples, as well as Jonathan’s response on how to convert fans into revenue.

Read the rest of this entry »

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This Week in Tech Events – November 30-Dec.4, 2009

Posted by Maura Rodgers in Events, Uncategorized on November 30th, 2009

November has been a busy one!  As we move into December, I think tech events will take a back seat to company holiday parties.  But before the season kicks itself in high gear, there are a few events on our calendar this week you may want to check out:

FutureHosting – Presented by GigaOm & Peer 1

BC Innovation Council Soundboard: Legal Speak-Easy with Clark Wilson

  • Thursday, December 3rd
  • 3:00pm
  • The Lion’s Pub – 888 West Cordova Street
  • Free

UXCampVancouver 2009

  • Saturday, December 5th
  • 8:30-5pm
  • Vancouver Film School Downtown
  • Free

Bootup presents a Marketing Conversation with Jonathan Ehrlich

  • Friday, December 4
  • 3-5pm
  • Harbour View Room, Steamworks – 375 Water Street
  • $20
Upcoming Bootup Events
If you would like to be notified of upcoming Bootup only events, please sign-up. You can choose what type of events you want to be notified about from networking to investment pitch opportunities.  We’ll email you several weeks before events to let you know about registration deadlines and other important dates.

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Key Takeaways from the Freshbooks Workshop

Posted by Maura Rodgers in Events on November 30th, 2009

Mike McDerment was in town last week to give his first How to Build a Web App Workshop in Vancouver in partnership with us.  He kicked things off around 9:30am with a poll to find out how many attendees were currently building a web app business or thinking about it.  Upon a show of hands, I would say approximately 40% of the audience was in the process of building a web app.

Mike’s workshop was about setting up your business to provide you with the best chance of success and was more marketing/business focused than technical.  He shared stories and lessons learned from the early days of starting Freshbooks (originally named 2ndSite) in his parent’s basement until today (1.25M customers and growing!).  Here are a just a few key takeaways from his workshop:

  • Build the least number of features you can. Until you get it out there and get people using it, you know nothing!
  • Set a deadline for launch and stick to it.  There will always be a feature to add but you are lying to yourself if you say “we can’t launch without this.”
  • Invest your time and energy into customer development.
  • You can’t go it alone. Find founding team member(s), who are passionate and will be motivated by tiny successes.
  • Own or be a leader in a category.

Here are a few Tweets from workshop attendees:

We didn’t announce a standard #hashtag at the beginning of the workshop so it was hard to find all of your comments online but it is not too late. If you attended, we would love to hear your thoughts about the workshop overall and what you learned or perhaps, wish Mike covered.  So, feel free to comment on this post.

If you have specific questions about Freshbooks or the content of the workshop, you can give them a holler
in Toronto.

Thanks again, Mike for joining us in Vancouver.  Let’s not wait another 10 years to do this again.

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