Every month our team compiles a list of startup and small business events that we’re interested in attending that are highly useful to the startup and small business community. A few of the organizations listed host a number of great events, but we’ve chosen to feature one event that we feel will be particularity interesting and useful. This blog is posted during the first week of every month.
The events we focus on are in Toronto, the GTA, Guelph, Kitchener, Waterloo, Niagara, St. Catharines and Hamilton. Please note that the events may sell out fast, so if you are interested in attending please contact the organization to register quickly. If you’re hosting an event or have come across one you think we should mention, please feel free to contact us with your suggestions and event information.
Based in Waterloo, Communitech events are focused on being engaging and interactive, providing useful information for companies of many sizes. Communitech’s Tech Leadership Conference is the largest annual all-day gathering of tech community professionals in Waterloo Region, drawn together to hear from thought leadership in business and tech and to network with peers. Speakers include Seth Godin and Thorsten Heins.
Event: Tech Leadership Conference
When: March 7, 2013, 8:00 a.m. – 4:40 p.m.
Where: Bingemans Conference Centre – Marshall Hall, 425 Bingemans Centre Drive, Kitchener
Startup Drinks
Startup Drinks provides an open space for entrepreneurs and small business owners to connect and share ideas. There are no presentations or pitches, just conversation and networking. To meet some of the up-and-coming people in the startup community, this is a great event to attend. These events are held regularly in a number of locations, including Toronto, Hamilton, and Waterloo.
Event: Startup Drinks Waterloo
When: March 5, 2013, 6:00 p.m.
Where: Chainsaw, 28 King Street North, Waterloo
Event: Startup Drinks Hamilton
When: March 13, 2013, 6:00 p.m.
Where: The Winking Judge, 25 Augusta Street, Hamilton
Event: Startup Drinks Toronto
When: March 27, 2013, 8:00 p.m.
Where: Hotel Ocho, 195 Spadina Avenue, Toronto
HalTech’s mission is to act as a catalyst for innovation and commercialization by delivering services to help Halton-based enterprises start, grow and succeed.
Event: Marketing P2P: Google Me This
When: March 8, 2013, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Where: Sheridan Applied Research and Innovation Centre – Boardroom J114, 1430 Trafalgar Road, Oakville
nGen
nGen is a hub for innovation, incubation and business development in Niagara. nGen is Niagara’s Regional Innovation Centre and a member of the Ontario Network of Excellence, which connects technology-based business, entrepreneurs and researchers with services and programs to help innovate and gain a competitive advantage.
Event: Interactive Digital Media Mashup
When: March 12, 2013, from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Where: Red Hot Chili Pepper, 1 St. Paul Street West, St. Catherines
Startup Grind is a 30-city event series hosted in 13-countries that educates, inspires, and connects entrepreneurs. Rooted in the heart of Silicon Valley, Startup Grind brings the world's greatest founders and investors to tell their stories on stage and share it with our global startup community.
Event: Social Entrepreneurship with Kevin Doyle Jones and Eli Malinsky
When: March 13, 2013, 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Where: CSI Annex, 720 Bathurst Street, Toronto
This informal social event in Toronto is perfect for anyone interesting in web development. People in the industry are able to gather along with both recruits as people in the web development start up community.
Event: Toronto Rails Pub Night
When: March 18, 2013 7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Where: The Rhino, 1249 Queen Street West, Toronto
Innovation Factory helps advance Hamilton's innovation community and serves as an inspiring, expert resource for entrepreneurs that fosters connections across the community and accelerates growth. VA Partners’ own Mark Elliott is heavily involved with the Innovation Factory’s Sales Peer to Peer group, frequently planning events.
Event: 2013 LiFT Conference: Driving Innovation-Based Growth
When: March 19, 2013, 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Where: 175 Longwood Road South, Hamilton
MaRS is where entrepreneurs get the help they need, where all kinds of people meet to spark new ideas, and where a global reputation for innovation is being earned, one success story at a time.The often-free events at MaRS are ideal for start-ups, science, technology and social entrepreneurs looking to make connections and learn more about a particular aspect of business.
Event: Entrepreneurship 101: Financing Planning/Budgeting
When: March 20, 2013 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Where: MaRS Centre Auditorium, 101 College Street, Toronto
Innovation Guelph provides educational programs, events, and services to help entrepreneurs, community organizations, researchers and business leaders develop their ideas. They also have expert advisors to help with your development.
Featured Event: Entrepreneur Soapbox
When: March 21, 2013, 4:00 p.m.
Where: Fionn MacCools, 494 Edinburgh Road South, Guelph
Silicon Halton organizes a number of events throughout the year in the region Halton which including Burlington, Oakville, and Milton. Their monthly meetups and Peer2Peer include three main components; a key notes presentation, a get to know a member presentation, and time set out for networking. These events are catered to anyone at a startup – especially in the tech industry – that want to learn more about business best practices.
Event: SoloPreneur Peer 2 Peer
When: March 21, 2013, 8:30 a.m.
Where: Hampton’s Restaurant (Civitan Room), Quality Suites Hotel, Oakville
Inbound Marketing Toronto is a monthly meetup group that focuses its discussion on hot topics within the world of Inbound Marketing. It brings together Digital Marketing, SEO, Social Media, Content Marketing, Media Relations, Start-up Founders, and Online Business Development professionals.
Event: InboundTO #3: Drive Massive Growth with Enterprise SEO & PPC
When: March 21, 2013, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Where: Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto
EntrepreneursDen
EntrepreneursDen takes a keen interest in exploring entrepreneurship related issues. Expect to participate in activities, review recent trends and industry news, hear from dynamic guest speakers, participate in Q&A, and a host of quality networking opportunities.
Featured Event: Innovator Introductions: Pitches & Networking Event
When: March 22, 2013, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Where: Metro Hall – Room #308, Toronto
DemoCamp is an event format that involves a keynote speaker, about 5 software demos which each consist of 5 minutes of actually demoing the software and 5 minutes of Q&A, followed by general socializing with the good company in attendance.
Event: DemoCamphHamilton11
When: March 25, 2013, 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Where: McMaster University – Twelve Eight Student Pub, Hamilton
Did we forget your event or an event that you’re attending? Let us know and we’ll add it to the list!
