It’s only 9 days until Founders & Funders Toronto. The challenge is to find a group of companies, in Toronto in the software and media spaces that are high growth, and high potential to raise venture capital. We have an excellent group of attendees. Think you should be attending? Nominate your company, we’re looking to bring together the people that start high-potential-growth companies and the people that fund them.
- AGORACOM
- Well.ca
- Homecourt
- Refresh Analytics
- Able Networks
- Civiside, Inc.
- eSUNTech
- clearRoot
- SmartHippo
- Sweet Caesar
- Influitive
- Viigo
- ParkVu Inc.
- Wild Apricot
- Avvasi Inc.
- Mukodu, Inc.
- Metranome
- Suited Media Inc.
- nearlyeveryone.com
- AideRSS Inc.
- Idee Inc.
- FreshBooks
- BrainPark, Inc.
- Octopz Inc.
- TripHarbour.com
What set’s these companies apart? Their ability to explain their business in 140 characters. Maybe. Are they connected to the power players in this industry? Calling Jevon and I power players is flattering, but untrue. The Founders & Funders event is not a training event, it is not a sales event, t is not a recruiting event. It is not for service providers looking to sell services to these ventures.
“Lots of folks didn’t really understand the venture capitalist are in the business of making money and that means investing into an idea that will turn itself into a pile of money with a 5-7 year timeframe; sooner would be better. Lots of questions about how to buy us out causes me to make the point here I made in meetings: If you aren’t into taking an idea, giving up some equity and getting to a liquidity event, we shouldn’t be an option for your funding.” – Rick Segal
It is a networking event focused on the people that start high-potential-growth companies and those people that fund them.
VC’s and entrepreneurs need to talk early. I made the case that the early you speak with me the better which apparently was counter to everything others are saying.
Founders & Funders is designed to provide a social forum to help the money and the talent talk. As I used to say to Sutha at Ambient Vector, “it’s not that I don’t think there will be a YouTube for mobile, just convince me why you’re going to win”. Don’t tell me that your exit strategies are one of the following:
- IPO
- Acquisition
- Diversification
- Failure (please don’t let it be failure)
Help me understand why you’d be a candidate for IPO or acquisition. Is a would be acquirer buying your team? Your technology? Your customers? What business development are you doing to get acquired? Have you talked to the M&A folks at RIM? Or Yahoo? Your job is to get people excited about your company and your product offering(s). These aren’t questions that I ask because I like to hear myself talk, I want to know that you’re building a high-potential-growth business. I want to understand your business, market, product, business model, customers, strategic relationships, competition, barriers to entry, etc.
Nominate your company to attend Founders & Funders.