CTI Presents: Cool Connector on October 28th

Calgary Technologies Inc. (CTI) is holding their 11th Annual Technology Showcase and Open House Thursday, October 28th from 3:00pm to 6:00 pm.  The annual event, which draws 400+ attendees yearly, will be held at the Alastair Ross Technology Centre located at 3553 31 Street NW in Calgary.

Cool Connector Banner

This year, CTI has rounded up 30 of the coolest tech companies in Calgary who will be exhibiting.  To get a little ‘blood in the water’ the Go Forth Institute is sponsoring a ‘perfect pitch’ contest.  Each exhibitor has 45 seconds to make their pitch.  The winning pitch will get a cheque for $1000.

In support of the larger community, CTI has also organized a Silent Auction.  All proceeds  will be donated to the United Way (so bring lots of $$). RSVP online.

Fresh-faced, forward-thinking community building organization seeks hot, exciting new businesses to showcase...

It's been a while now since Startup Edmonton burst onto the scene, so I'm very excited to help spread the news that Calgary finally has a startup community group to call our own!  

If you know of, or are part of a startup that would like to be featured at their Launch Party on November 23rd keep reading below...

"Fresh-faced, forward-thinking community building organization seeks hot, exciting new businesses to showcase..."

Startup Calgary is all about community building - our primary goal is to help pull the IT based, startup related communities in Calgary closer together.  We know that's a pretty tall order - there's a lot of get togethers, basement startups, and technologies being dreamed up here in our city that no one is aware of.  We want to make sure everyone has the support and exposure they need.

To get started on the right foot, we're having a party - November 23rd is Startup Calgary's Launch Party at the Hotel Arts!  This party's not just about us though - we're looking to showcase 10 fresh, up-and-coming startups.  The rules are simple;  your company must be no more than two years old, have a product that's in the market (or almost ready to market), and be in information, communications, or media technology.  And Calgarian of course!

If you're one of the lucky 10 picked, you'll be covered by our media sponsor Techvibes, get direct mentorship from the judging panel, and lots of great exposure to the entire Calgary startup community (including full bragging rights).  To apply just fill out this form before November 5th.  Tell us why you're the hot new thing - we're looking forward to hearing from all the great new companies in Calgary!

Don't forget to visit our website and sign up for our mailing list.  We're also on Twitter -  @startupcalgary and LinkedIn. We'll also be releasing more Launch Party details soon,  including times, and where to get tickets.  Hope to see you at a DemoCamp, Startup Drinks, or community event soon!

Road to Banff Venture Forum Bootcamp announced

Thinking you might need additional venture financing in the near future?  Not sure about how to meet and connect with the right Angels and VCs?  Wanting to know more about the current venture capital market?

The PricewaterhouseCoopers Banff Venture Forum Boot Camp brought to you by Calgary Technologies just might be the best investment decision you make this fall. 

Join Lew Turnquist of Kirchner Private Capital Group, Kevin Swan of iNovia Capital, Henry Kutarna of Alberta Deal Generator, and special advisors from PricewaterhouseCoopers for this one day workshop featuring the latest on fundraising in Western Canada, including valuations, deal structures, tips and trends.  Hear an Alberta Entrepreneur’s story on raising financing over the last few years.  Meet and network with fellow entrepreneurs in the trenches.

Hosted by Alex Raczenko, Laura Sullivan, and myself, this pre-conference workshop gives you the opportunity to meet and network with fellow entrepreneurs, investors and advisors who can also support you during the conference itself. 

  • Date: Wednesday September 22, 2010
  • Time: 8:30 am to 6:00 pm
  • Location: Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, Banff, Alberta
  • Cost: $300 plus GST

Register online. Boot Camp includes breakfast, lunch and an after camp cocktail reception. Boot Camp participants will receive a 30% discount for the Banff Venture Forum – a $360 value (limit one per company).

The Fabler delivers Comics 2.0 and the Evolution of an Industry

When I met Bruno Steppuhn to chat about his new Venture, The Fabler, he started out by describing the site as “Youtube meets Threadless” for the Comic book Industry.   Talk about a great elevator pitch…my interest was peaked!  At its heart, The Fabler is an online community for Comic book Enthusiasts.  Artists can upload and share their works directly with customers.  Content can be searched, rated and purchased by people within the community which in turn drives the hottest content to the top of Fabler’s landing page.  Customers can even order a hard-copy of the comic through the site’s print on demand services…allowing hardcore enthusiasts to still enjoy that fresh ink smell and un-creased goodness of a virgin comic book.

 

Bruno isn’t new to the Calgary Entrepreneurial Scene.  He is the founder of Zensoft Studios, a Calgary based interactive software and serious game development studio.  He teamed up with Medium Rare, owned by Mike Tighe and Bryan Maniotakis to develop the current Fabler platform. Bruno has been successfully running his company for over 7 years now, so the first words out of my mouth were “why comics?”.   He explained that ever since he picked up his first comic and put down the 300 page novels that take forever to read he was hooked.  Comics are easy to pick up and get into, don’t require a huge investment of time, and quite simply are more fun to read.  You can’t argue with that!

 

So why The Fabler?  Bruno’s desire to bring together a community of artists and promote indie exposure…that’s why.  The fact that major distributor publishers like DC, Darkhorse, and Marvel dominate the industry through a single source, Diamond Distribution, and act as barriers for indie artists to gain success played a part also I’m sure.  The Fabler offers a new way for artists to get their work online and in front of the masses.  They have the ability to produce their own work and distribute it directly to the customer.  In short, The Fabler has the potential to change the way people will purchase comics in the future.

 

It’s interesting to note that while comics are being read and purchased online today, those sales appear independent from actual print sales.  It’s too early to tell if this is a stark contrast to the newspaper industry or if there simply hasn’t been a good option like The Fabler available.  Bruno is quick to point out that the print on demand services are a key service that is lacking in the indie comic scene…but don’t worry…if you prefer soft copy there is an iPhone App coming soon as well!

 

For those of you who visited the Calgary Comic Expo this past weekend you had sneak peek of what The Fabler platform looks like.  (Bruno just demo’d at Democamp Calgary also.)  Don’t worry if you missed him though, as you’ll find The Fabler at Comic Con’s across North America starting later this year!

Your Network = Success in 2009

CCAT LogoThey say that in an economic downturn (ok I'll just say it...depression.) a strong network can be the difference between your company's success and failure.  If the packed house at CCAT's Tech Tradeshow last night was any indication, this mantra is alive and well in Calgary.

Close to 20 companies were set up on the main floor of the Alastair Ross Technology Centre, and over 125 people packed the house to mix, mingle and exchange different views on the where the economy is heading in 2009.  If I had to sum up the overall feeling in the room, I'd say people are cautiously optimistic on how they think their business will be effected in the face of an economic downturn.  Businesses still need to operate, and if you can help them do more with less, the purse strings may not be as tightly knotted as mainstream media would have you believe.

To help you stay connected and expand your network CCAT has some great events coming down the pike in 2009...

  • The Future of Internet:  Fighting Cybercrime at Home and around the Globe - Feb. 18th
  • The Future of Gaming:  Serious, Casual & Hardware - March. 18th
  • The Future of Health Care:  Calgary Scientific & Ward of the 21st Century - April 15th

For more information visit www.ccat.org.

Metallica predicts the future for Tech Startups in 2009

I was working at home this past Saturday morning and as I did the usual headline scanning on Digg, Techcrunch, Cleantechnica, and of course Techvibes, I happened to be transferring some new albums onto my iTouch.  One album in particular caught my eye… it was Metallica’s Death Magnetic.

I’ve had the album on my computer for a while now, but I never really looked at the song titles and I certainly never thought of them in the context of Startups and the economy!  I don’t know if it was the caffeine jolt brought on by my Americano or what, but for some reason the tracks seemed to be telling a story.

I know it’s a bit of a stretch, but bear with me and you’ll see what I mean.  Here’s breakdown of the tracks and my commentary:

1.    That Was Just Your Life
2.    The End Of The Line

Entrepreneurs will look back at life before their Startup and think fondly of the days when they could depend on a steady paycheque.  You had to give up that 9 – 5 working for the man to be your own boss from 5 – 9 didn’t you?

3.    Broken, Beat & Scarred
4.    The Day That Never Comes

Now that you’ve gone and started your own business you’ll be looking for financing.  If you’re lucky in 2009 they’ll beat you down on valuation until you break and accept their terms.  If you’re not lucky… well #4 sums that up nicely.

5.    All Nightmare Long
6.    Cyanide
7.    The Unforgiven III

If you received capital in 2008, or are about to in 2009 these three songs are for you.  Expect funders to be watching over your spending like a hawk.  You’ll be scrutinized for the good decisions, and punished for the bad.  The cyanide could be taken yourself… or maybe you’re plotting for that next board meeting?

8.    The Judas Kiss
9.    Suicide & Redemption
10.    My Apocalypse

While I think we are going to see some great Startups rise out of this economic downturn, natural selection must first run its course.  The weak, underfunded companies will fail.  Investors will loose their shirts.  Founders will face their day of reckoning.  Then it will start all over again.

Am I being overly pessimistic?  Probably.  I think the Tech Industry is going to lead us out of this recession, and history has shown that the best Startups are formed when the economy is floundering.  I wonder what James and Lars would think about all this?   They haven’t returned my calls…

Startup School this weekend

Do you want to increase the chances of your Startup's success? If so, you need to sign up for Startup School this weekend!

Startup School is a practical, how-to course about starting, financing, marketing, hiring, growing, and exiting your startup. It is taught by Michael Sikorsky, CEO of Cambrian House and poster-child for the global Crowdsourcing Community.

The thing I like about MJ's approach is that he is not there to inspire you over the two day course...he is there to significantly increase your chances of being successful. Two full servings of reality smothered in steaming facts.

Another great take away are the take aways...Michael provides most of the files, documents, spreadsheets, termsheets, grant applications and presentations he has created over the last 12 years...including ones that worked and ones that didn't. He's raised over $10 million for his ventures so I'd consider this information priceless!

Much more info and how to register can be found on Michael's site here.

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