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- CONNECT '09
Did You Know
Want to know if there is a need for your product in the marketplace? The Vancouver Public Library has researchers on staff that will help you research your idea for a fee. Read more
Panelists
Get Fundable:
Access to capital in the current economic climate
Need money? Local legends from the angel and VC investment community, along with the CEO of one of Canada's hottest start-ups will deliver an update on the current status of early stage fundraising including some tips and tricks of the trade. It's all about connecting you with leaders in your community so bring your questions and your notepad too. Get yourself fundable!
- Amielle Lake
CEO, Tagga Media - Basil Peters
Angel Investor and Exit Strategist - Mike Satterfield
Co-founder and General Partner, IT Investments, Yaletown Venture Partners - Moderator: Mike Volker
President, Western Universities Technology Innovation Fund
Founder, Vancouver Angel Technology Network
Director of Industry Liaison Office, SFU
The Accelerator Factor:
Case studies on the benefits and value of accelerators
Launching a start-up? You don't have to do it alone. Technology business accelerators are a growing phenomenon worldwide and they're right here in BC. Learn about their services and business models. Find out first hand from recent accelerator graduate companies how these programs helped them go from concept to company, faster than they would have on their own.
- Sharon Barnes
CEO, RFind
Graduate, Okanagan Research and Innovation Center accelerator - Danny Robinson
Managing Director, Bootup Labs
Co-founder, Launch Party Vancouver - James Sherrett
Founder and CEO, AdHack
Graduate, Bootup Labs accelerator - Moderator: Martin Yuill
Director, Okanagan Research & Innovation Centre, Kelowna
Friends in High Places:
Leveraging partnerships to accelerate growth
Need customers? Accelerate your growth by leveraging the market presence of larger companies among your target market. Find out how to partner with companies with firmly established sales channels. Select this session to learn firsthand how some exciting Vancouver-based, early-stage companies are getting the job done with thriving global partnerships. Don't just take their word for it. Hear how one of Canada's most successful technology giants is actually on the street searching for exciting partnership opportunities with emerging technology companies just like yours.
- Andrew Carryer
Business Development Engineer, MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates - Moe Kermani
President and CEO, Bycast - Irfhan Rajani
Serial Entrepreneur
Co-founder & CEO (past), Apparent Networks
Co-Founder, TeleBackup Systems - Dimitri Sirota
Founder, VP Alliances, Layer 7 Technologies - Moderator: Jim Mutter
Lawyer
The Design Imperative:
Optimizing commercialization through product design
Need viral customer adoption? Whether you're building software or hardware, digital bits and bytes or metal boxes, the way your customer interacts with your product can make or break your success in the market. Join some of BC's and Canada's brightest industry experts in industrial design and user interface design and learn how to emphasize the user experience early in the product design process. Build a product your customers love using right out of the gate and will tell their friends about!
- Adam Binnie
VP Product Management, Intelligence Platform Group, SAP BusinessObjects - Ryan Holmes
CEO, Invoke Media (Creators of Hootsuite) - Chris Wheeler
President, BCID Professional Industrial Designer
Founder and CEO, Unique:ID - Steve Woodside
Senior Scientist, Stemcell Technologies - Moderator: Douglas MacLeod
Executive Director, Okanagan Science and Technology Council
