AccelerateOTT: Revving Up Ottawas Startup Engine; a Community Led Event Hosted by Invest Ottawa and the C100
Ottawa, ON (PRWEB) May 22, 2013
AccelerateOTT will bring together entrepreneurs, students, researchers, investors and thought leaders to celebrate the past, present, and future of Ottawa’s startup community.
Entrepreneurs and innovators are wealth creators and the keystone to Ottawa’s future economic prosperity.
Keynote speakers include: Jason Calacanis, founder and CEO of Inside.com, an active angel investor and host of the popular podcast “This Week in Startups”; Chamath Palihapitiya, Founder and Managing Partner of The Social+Capital Partnership, who was previously a long-term member of Facebook’s senior executive team and C100 Charter Member; branding guru Jeff Swystun, President and CMO, Swystun Communications and formerly head of DDB Worldwide’s branding and marketing; and Tobi Lütke, CEO and Founder, Shopify.
“Sharing ‘war stories’, best practices, and inspiration from others who have been there before is invaluable for any entrepreneur,” said Harley Finkelstein, Chief Platform Officer at Shopify and the lead of the AccelerateOTT planning committee. “Entrepreneurs take risks every day. Having someone share their experiences can help validate assumptions and provide others with the motivation needed to keep ‘hustling’, even when things aren’t always going as planned. This event will provide incredible value to our startup community.”
The event program on June 14th also includes a “lessons learned” panel discussion featuring three local startup successes – Blaze Software’s Michael Weider, FastLane Technologies’ Eric Kitchen and TravelPod’s Luc Levesque.
A celebration of Ottawa’s startup community wouldn’t be complete without a showcase of the city’s promising and high-potential new companies. The ‘Startup Showcase’ will open the event and pitch sessions are incorporated throughout the day’s agenda. Companies interested in participating in the showcase should contact Invest Ottawa.
“We are excited to host our first C100 Accelerate event in Ottawa,” said Atlee Clark, Executive Director, The C100. “Ottawa is prime to breakthrough as one of Canada’s top startup communities. The city’s history as a technology hub combined with the new technology leaders that now call it home make for an exciting time and place. We’re happy to celebrate and support that ecosystem in any way that we can.”
About The C100
The C100 is a Silicon Valley-based, non-profit organization that supports Canadian technology entrepreneurship through mentorship, partnership and investment. The C100 Charter Membership is a vibrant and highly sought-after network of successful Canadian technology leaders. C100 Charter Members include startup CEOs, top executives from technology leaders like Google, Salesforce.com, Oracle and Apple and venture investors representing more than $ 17 billion in capital. C100 members are passionate about leveraging their collective experience, expertise and relationships to help grow the next generation of global, billion dollar Canadian technology companies. For more information on The C100 visit: http://www.thec100.org
Media contact: Atlee Clark, Executive Director, C100, 415-781-9093
About Invest Ottawa
Invest Ottawa delivers export-oriented economic development programs and initiatives that increase entrepreneurial momentum, wealth and jobs in the City of Ottawa and its surrounding region. Its goal is to make Ottawa the best place in Canada to start and grow a knowledge-based business. Invest Ottawa services include startup incubation and mentorship, acceleration for existing companies, global business attraction and local business retention, targeted sector development, commercialization, and marketing Ottawa’s diversified economy and high quality of life. http://www.investottawa.ca
Media contact: Jon Milne, Director of Marketing, Invest Ottawa, 613-828-6274 x201