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 these startup and small business 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.
Golden Horseshoe Venture Forum
The GHVF is a non-profit organization that fosters the growth of entrepreneurs by connecting new businesses to investors and business service providers across the Golden Horseshoe. Since 2000, the GHVF has connected 139 new businesses to local investors and featured 55 amazing keynote speakers.
Event: GHVF Breakfast Session Ft. Apollonia Health, KPDi, and Shifthub
When: April 3, 2013, 7:15 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Where: The Burlington Golf and Country Club, Burlington, ON
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: April 2, 2013, 6:00 p.m.
Where: Chainsaw, 28 King Street North, Waterloo
Event: Startup Drinks Hamilton
When: April 10, 2013, at 6:00 p.m.
Where: The Winking Judge, 25 Augusta Street, Hamilton
Event: Startup Drinks Toronto
When: April 24, 2013, 8:00 p.m.
Where: Hotel Ocho, 195 Spadina Avenue, Toronto
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.
Event: Startup Weekend Kitchener-Waterloo
When: April 5, 2013
Where: Bingemans Conference Centre – Marshall Hall, 425 Bingemans Centre Drive, Kitchener
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 helping to plan events.
Event: The Big DiF
When: April 9, 2013, 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Where: The Atrium @ MIP, 175 Longwood Road South, Hamilton
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: DemoCampGuelph21
When: April 12, 2013, 6:30 p.m.
Where: The eBar, 41 Quebec Street, Guelph
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: N2K Finance – Due Diligence Preparation for Entrepreneurs
When: April 12, 2013, 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Where: Ron Joyce Centre – DeGroote School of Business, 4350 South Service Road, Burlington
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: Meetup #42: The Future of Silicon Halton
When: April 12, 2013, 7:00 p.m.
Where: Ned Devines, 575 Ontario Street South, Milton, ON
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.
Event: Innovator Introductions: Pitches & Networking Event
When:April 12, 2013, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Where: Metro Hall – Room #308, Toronto
Hamilton Chamber of Commerce
The Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, the “Voice of Hamilton Business” is committed to making the City of Hamilton a great place to live, work, play, visit and invest. The Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, in concert with other community groups and various local businesses, regularly puts on a number of great events.
Event: Executive Briefing – The Top Five Threats Facing Business Today
When: April 15, 2013, 7:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Where: 175 Longwood Road South, Hamilton
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: April 15, 2013 7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Where: The Rhino, 1249 Queen Street West, Toronto
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: Entrepreneur’s Toolkit Workshop: The MarCom Toolkit
When: April 15, 2013, 8:30 a.m.
Where: MaRS Centre, CR-2, 101 College Street, Toronto
PwC will be hosting a premier event featuring CEO’s of emerging Canadian technology companies. Leading entrepreneurs and innovators will take the stage for a series of insightful and inspirational talks. The conference provides a great opportunity to forge new relationships and meet new potential business partners and fellow founders. This year’s event will feature a keynote address by Stewart Butterfield, co-founder of Flickr. New this year is that some of Canada’s most successful entrepreneurs will be leading mentorship workshops. Contributors include Allen Lau, Dan Martell, Mike McDerment, Steve Woods, Ben Yoskovitz, Jevon MacDonald, and Brice Scheschuk.
Event: Vision to Reality Conference 2013
When: April 18, 2013
Where: Arcadian Court, 401 Bay Street, Simpson Tower, 8th Floor, Toronto
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.
Featured Event: #InboundTO 4: What Your Brand Needs: Voice and Visibility
When: April 18, 2013, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Where: BNOTIONS Office, 106 Front Street East, Suite 200, room YMC, Toronto
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: nGen Launching Customer Development Workshop
When: April 25 & May 2, 2013, 12:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Where: Contact nGen at [email protected]
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 #4
When: April 25, 2013, 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Where:Fionn MacCools, 494 Edinburgh Road South, Guelph
FP REACH 2013 brings together successful entrepreneurs and experts in media, marketing, social media, and communications to help businesses overcome marketing and branding challenges. Gain access to expert tips, advice, best practices and case studies along with great networking promises to help increase your brand exposure, get noticed by the media, reach customers and increase sales.
Event: FP REACH 2013 with Gary Vaynerchuk
When: April 26, 2013, 7:30 a.m. – 6:15 p.m.
Where: The Fairmont Royal York, 100 Front Street West, Toronto
Startup Weekend is a community building startup event. Participants get together with local developers, marketers, designers, and enthusiasts, and start companies in just 54 hours.
Event: Hamilton Startup Weekend
When: April 26 – April 28, 2013 (weekend event)
Where: Radius Café, 151 James Street South, Hamilton
Did we forget a startup or small business event you’re attending? Let us know and we’ll add it to the list!
For further information about any of these startup or small business events or to meet up at one of them, contact our team and don’t forget to sign up for next month’s newsletter for more great events around the GTA.
