Tech Capital Partners Blog

A few years ago, we (as a community) strategically decided that we would no longer have “pitch competition” events in Waterloo. Pitch competitions are events where a number of technology company founders/CEOs come together to “pitch” their companies to a panel of investors.

Canadian technology companies believe they might secure financing by participating in these events. The reality is, VCs don’t typically fund companies that participate in these events because the companies have already pitched (unsuccessfully) most of the VCs prior to the competition…

Rather than pitch competitions, we need events that provide support for our entrepreneurs. If we give entrepreneurs the education and tools they need to build successful companies, the money will come. We need to stop focusing on pitching and financing, and start focusing on education, networks and revenue.

There are some events in Canada that I would like to shine a spotlight on. These events are focused on entrepreneurs as opposed to VCs — which, in my opinion, is how it should be. Events like mesh, StartupEmpire and Entrepreneur Week provide opportunities for entrepreneurs to learn, build their networks, and develop strategic partnerships. I am also a huge fan of the “Camp” un-conferences (BarCamp, DemoCamp, StartupCamp, etc.) where entrepreneurs support and encourage each other.

VCs are at these events looking for entrepreneurs who are focused on building their companies. A couple of weeks ago, almost every VC firm in Canada was represented at StartupEmpire and the Founders & Funders dinner during Entrepreneur Week was packed with VCs — all of whom were working the room. Build a great company and we will be there (of course, by then, you might not need us, which is great).

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