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Entrepreneurs, Persistence and Impact on the Economy
We work everyday with entrepreneurs who are battling on the frontlines of this economy. It seems that as the news gets worse and worse, these entrepreneurs and management teams are getting even stronger, more focused, and more creative.
It has never been more apparent to me that entrepreneurs and people who choose to work for emerging technology companies thrive in challenging situations, and they do not frighten easily.
Entrepreneurs are going to build Canada out of this recession and they are using everything they can as ammunition.
I thought I’d start a list of “weapons” available to Canadian entrepreneurs:
- There is amazing talent on the street right now. Many of these folks have received severance packages and are approaching the job market with “flexibility” in mind. Reach out to these people and engage with them as advisors, employees who are interested in working for equity, and/or potential co-founders/partners.
- Map your industry ecosystem, identify strategic partners and customers, prioritize them, and use FREE social media tools (LinkedIn, Twitter) to reach out, ask for introductions, and ask for help — shorten your path to market any way you can.
- Attend the “unconferences” (StartupCamp, BarCamp, DemoCamp, mesh) to meet people like you who are wanting to roll up their sleeves and help others (and themselves) build companies with limited resources. These entrepreneurs are not waiting around for venture capital, they are building in the absence of financing with customers, value propositions, revenue and profits in mind.
- Look to existing government programs for support. Make sure you are filing for SR&ED Credits and applying for the Ontario Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit. Introduce yourself to your local IRAP and OCE representatives to see if they have any programs you might qualify for.
- Reach out to MaRS, Communitech, and OCRI and hook in to their Entrepreneur-In-Residence programs. These organizations are very knowledgeable about tools that are available to entrepreneurs and they know how to efficiently access a number of government programs.
- Check out the Microsoft BizSpark program for free development resources and support.
I will be adding to this list as I come across other resources — please do the same.
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February 9th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
I would certainly like to add a few weapons to you armory.
Founders and Funders events:
-these are excellent events that bring together top notch entrepreneurs and investors. Such events have taken place out west, Montreal, Waterloo, Toronto and Ottawa. These are by invitation only so get yourself invited. email me for more info allan.isfan [at] gmail.com (I organize the events in Ottawa)
Startup Club:
-i just kicked this off in the new year with Ian Graham the owner of the Codefactory. This is a startup entrepreneur group set up to help entrepreneurs connect and assist each other.
-you can join the linkedin group as well (you need to reach out to me for this as well)
Social Media Breakfast:
-these are happening in multiple cities and tend to be very well attended. a great networking opportunity and also learn lots from panels and presentations
The Ottawa Network (TON)
-an organization specifically in Ottawa that runs multiple events and is structured to help entrepreneurs
Third Tuesday
-great networking opportunity, often in a pub or bar. Note: not always on Tuesdays
Startup Drop-In (Ottawa)
-regular startup networking opportunity sponsored by The Ottawa Network. Typically on Wednesday’s with each session having a specific theme. This coming Wednesday (Feb 9) is on mobile applications.
Google away … or contact me for more info.
Allan Isfan
@isfan
February 9th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Great list, thanks Jacqui. I am saving it for my own use and that of clients. I would only add that there is a number of private consultants like me who are interested in helping out early-stage companies, usually taking it where MaRS and Communitech leave it. In fact, that made me realize there is no ‘unconference’ or other forum that caters to the more business-side of things. Maybe time to start a “MarketCamp”?
February 9th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
Hi Jacqui,
Great list – I particularly like how they’re more about the business than the technology choice. So, along that vein, here are some resources that may help start-ups get some low-cost infrastructure and tools:
Collaboration Tools
http://www.calliflower.com/ – Low Cost conferencing
http://www.getdropbox.com/ – Great file sharing tool
Scalable Workforce for Mundane Tasks
https://www.mturk.com/mturk/welcome
Software Source Hosting & Community Development
https://launchpad.net/
http://github.com/
February 9th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Allan – thanks for adding the Ottawa (and beyond) perspective. I really need to get out to some of these events soon!
Greg – Love the idea of MarketCamp. Markets do get discussed at the other camps but would be neat to get everyone focused on helping each other get to market quickly and efficiently.
Joseph – Great infrastructure suggestions, we’ve been using calliflower lately… so far so good! And thanks again for not running me over the other day.
February 9th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
I agree, Jacqui, I think we need to work out the MarketCamp concept, but we agree, there may be something there. Perhaps a MarketCorner or MarketMinute in the other camps?
February 9th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
[...] Murphy of Tech Capital wrote a fascinating blog post today, listing the top resources any venture in Canada should be aware and possibly take advantage [...]
February 9th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
Great list Jacqui! I might add that, even though not quite as generous as Microsoft and their BizSpark program, many of the other multi national orgasnizations like RIM, Google and Sun Microsystems have partner programs that can expedite the creation and deployment of applications and content.
February 10th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
Kevin — Can entrepreneurs work through you for intros to these organizations?
February 10th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
[...] http://blog.techcapital.com/2009/02/09/entrepreneurs-persistence-and-impact-on-the-economy/ [...]
February 10th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
Sure thing Jacqui. Of course it depends on who they would like to get to but I will do my best.
February 15th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
There are always tons events going on across the different tech communities in Canada. http://www.Techvibes.com is a great resource for staying plugged in to local events, companies, and opportunities.
February 20th, 2009 at 8:37 am
“You’re only as good as your people” so why not hire one of the many talented new grads coming out of Ontario’s Colleges and Universities. The Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) “First Job” program http://www.oce-ontario.org/Pages/Tjob.aspx provides awards of up to 80% of the salary of a new grad to a max of $50K.
Young entrepreneurs should also check out the Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF)
http://www.cybf.ca/entrepreneurs/cybf_bdc.htm
CYBF is a national charity providing start-up mentoring, financing and business resources to help young people between 18-34 start their own successful business. CYBF provides business start-up loans up to $15,000. Loan repayments of three or five years are available.
February 20th, 2009 at 9:17 am
If you need a summer student check out:
Services Canada – Summer Job Program
http://www1.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/epb/yi/yep/programs/scpp.shtml
Canada Summer Jobs is an initiative of the Summer Work Experience program. It provides funding for not-for-profit organizations, public-sector employers, and small businesses with 50 or fewer employees to create high-quality summer job opportunities for students between the ages of 15 and 30. Feb 27 Registration Deadline.
March 24th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
It is great to read all of your posts as they are all very informative for new start ups like mine. Are there any events scheduled for the Toronto area that anyone knows of? Thanks in advance.
March 24th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Paul – check out mesh (coming up in a couple of weeks)
http://www.meshconference.com/
Also http://startupindex.ca/ is a good place to go for Canadian startup news.