For our newsletter, our team compiles a list of events that we are interested in attending for the upcoming month, which we also believe to be useful to the startup and small business industry. A number of organizations listed are involved in a variety of events, but we have chosen to feature one event that we feel will be particularity useful for startups. We will be posting this blog with featured events the first week of every month.
The events we focus on are primarily in Toronto, the GTA, Guelph, Kitchener, Waterloo, Niagara, St. Catharines and Hamilton, so take a look through the events we are suggesting For April. Please note that the following events may get sold out fast, so if you are interested in attending contact the organization 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.
Mobile Monday
Mobile Monday offers events for people in the mobile industry who are looking to connect and share ideas with others, develop their products, and continue to expand their business. Mobile Mondays are held at a central location in Toronto. Attendees are able to interact with local and international professionals in the industry through networking and demo events.
Event: VA Panel Pitch
When: April 2, 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Where: MaRS Discovery District, 101 College Street, Toronto
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 are looking to learn more about business practices.
Event: Lean Startup Workshop
When: Tuesday, April 3, 2012 @ 6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Where: Club e-Spot, 353 Iroquios Shore Rd. Oakville
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 in a number of locations such as Toronto, Hamilton, and Waterloo.
Event: Startup Drinks Waterloo
When: Tuesday, April 3, 6:00 p.m.
Where: Chainsaw, 28 King Street North, Waterloo
Event: Startup Drinks Toronto
When: April 25, 8:00 p.m.
Where: Hotel Ocho, 195 Spadina Avenue, Toronto
Event: Startup Drinks Hamilton
When: April 12, 6:00 p.m.
Where: The Winking Judge, 25 Augusta Street, Hamilton
Golden Horseshoe Venture Forum
The main goal of the breakfast sessions hosted by Golden Horseshoe Venture Forum is to help startups connect with potential investors and service providers in the business. Breakfast events are hosted 5 times a year in Burlington and feature presentations from three firms, followed by a guest speaker who will present on a chosen topic of interest. The GHVF is a great event to make valuable connections. Steve and Stephanie from the VA Partners team will be attending this event.
Event: Breakfast Session with Duncan Stewart: Deloitte’s Predictions for Tech, Media & Telecom for 2012 and Beyond!
When: April 4, 7:15 a.m. 10:00 a.m.
Where: Burlington Gold and Country Club, 422 North Shore Blvd E, Burlington
Communitech events are focused on being engaging and interactive, providing useful information for companies of many sizes. Communitech is based in the Waterloo region and these events are varied and include peer2peer, Hub for Grub, Techworking Breakfast and Communitech Connect and more.
Event: 2012 Tech Leadership Conference
This day-long forum is designed exclusively for information leaders from across industry in Waterloo Region. Keynotes, professional development and practical information provide CIOs with the latest trends and more. Mark and Stephanie from the team will be attending this event
When: April 10, 7:30 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Where:Bingemans Conference Centre – Marshall Hall, 425 Bingemans Centre Drive, Kitchener
The 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 101: Bootstraping
When: April 4, 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Where: MaRS Discovery District Auditorium, 101 College St, Toronto
Events at Haltech target startup businesses in the technology industry that are looking to develop new ideas, establish their business or continue to grow it. The events by Haltech are held in the region of Halton, and provide training for entrepreneurs as well as a chance to network.
Event: The MarCom Toolkit Workshop: 3 Part Series
When: April 11, 18, 25, 8:30 a.m.
Where: SPARK Centre for Research & Innovation 1430 Trafalgar Road, Oakville
Innovation Guelph
Innovation Guelph is an organization that provides programs, events, and services to help entrepreneurs, community organizations, researchers and business leaders develop their ideas. They also have expert advisors to help in your development.
Event: 60-Second Pitch
When: April 13, 12:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Where: Innovation Guelph, 42 Wyndham st. N #402, Guelph
Rails Pub Night
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.
When: Monday, April 16, 7:00 p.m.
Where: The Rhino, 1249 Queen St. West, Toronto
Sprout Up is a monthly event for forward-thinking entrepreneurs to gather and mind-meld. It’s a great chance for startups to get friendly, discuss current trends, and network in a casual, open, and focused setting.
When: April 18, 6:00 p.m.
Where: The Courthouse, 57 Adelaide St. East, Toronto
The event features an impressive lineup of more than 2,000 delegates from around the world coming from a variety of industry, government and academic fields all gathered in Stratford. These are the people who make innovations in Canada happen. The main topics that will be discussed are the benefits of digital media as it enriches communications, facilitates knowledge transfer, improves productivity and drives innovation. The two day event will feature interactive showcases, pitch off competitions, keynote speakers, panel discussions and extensive networking.
When: April 25 – April 26
Where: Stratford Rotary Complex, 353 McCarthy Road, Stratford
Hamilton Startup Weekend strives to create an environment to bring together like mined individuals with a focus on web and mobile application for a 54-hour event that allows collaboration and networking to develop working startups. Participants will also get a chance to feature their ideas, listen to industry professionals and receive feedback from local entrepreneurs. Mark from the VA Partners team will be attending this event.
When: April 27, 6:00 p.m. – April 29, 7:00 p.m.
Where: Mohawk college, 135 Fennell Ave. W, Hamilton
For further information about any of these events contact our team, and don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter for more events.
