Category Archives: Fintech and Networking Events

Montreal Event (July 11-13, 2013): International Start-up Festival

International Start-up Festival  via NCFA Ambassadors SeedingFactory |  by Heri Rakotomala​la

 international startup festival in montreal

Welcome to Startupfest 2013!

For the third year in a row, the International Startup Festival is bringing together aspiring founders, groundbreaking innovators, and veteran entrepreneurs from around the world. Happening July 10th-13th in Montreal, it’s the global startup community’s chance to share thoughts, do business and have a blast!

Check Out the Crowdfunding Tent (#12) Hosted by SeedingFactory

NEW this year

This year, Startupfest is bringing you TWO extra days of startup fun.

July 10th — the past two years we’ve kicked off the first day of the festival with an evening launch party. This year we’re switching it up: we’re giving you a FULL DAY of activities before the launch. Don’t forget to register for our Lean Workshop and our Accelerator Rally happening on the Wednesday!

July 13th – Anyone and everyone is welcome to come connect at our FREE Open House initiative on Saturday, July 13th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For the first time, we’ll be opening our doors to the public after the festival takes place!

What else do we have planned?

Still in the historic Old Port on Montreal, the event will be taking place in a new, larger location at the Montreal Science Center (featuring an outdoors “Startupfest Village”!).

For the first time we’re bringing over 50 speakers to the event!

The hugely popular Tent Expo is back!

Check out the Crowdfunding Tent (#12) Hosted by SeedingFactory

Event Montreal (Jul 2, 2013): Crowdfund Night #3 – Creatives Edition

Seeding Factory | Posted by Heri Rakotomala​la | Jun 24, 2013

Crowdfund Night

NCFA Canada Ambassadors, Seeding Factory, are hosting a number of Crowdfunding related events this summer including Crowdfund Night #3!

NCFA Canada Members Click to Receive a 30% discount


What’s Crowdfund Night?

Crowdfund Night audience

Crowdfunding is the next big thing for all doers and makers. Crowdfund Night is a unique event in Montreal you need to attend if you want to learn and share about that revolution. Industry experts and successful crowdfunders will share hands-on advice on how to prepare and manage a crowdfunding campaign to kickstart your project.

 

Who should attend?

  • Artists (filmmakers, musicians)
  • Hackers & Developers
  • Entrepreneurs
  • Individual investors
  • Small Business Owners
  • Lawyers

Venue

Crowdfund Night 3 will be hosted at Notman House, in the very heart of Montreal. It’s easily accessible by car and by metro (200m from Saint Laurent station).

 

EVENT DATE: Tuesday, July 2nd (6:00pm - 8:00pm EDT)

6.00 : REGISTRATION

Refreshment served

6:30 : INTRODUCTORY TALK

Gil Michel Garcia, CEO of WafuFirst equity crowdfunding round by a Canadian company in the United States.

GIL MICHEL GARCIA, WAFU INC. (Linkedin / Twitter)

WAFU is a Montreal-based food company developing, producing and distributing a line of Japanese dressings and Japanese mayos. In June 2013 WAFU has closed the first ever accredited investor equity crowdfunding by a Canadian company in the United States via CircleUp, a leading U.S. equity crowdfunding platform for accredited investors.

6.30 : KEYNOTE

FrancoisAlain-SauropodTips and advices from the most crowdfunded Canadian project ever ($700,000+)

FRANCOIS ALAIN, SAUROPOD STUDIO (Site Web / Twitter)

Sauropod Studio is a three man team based in Montréal, Canada. Established recently after the two founders graduated from game design studies in 2010, the studio managed to raise $700,000+ thanks to an incredible Kickstarter campaign in 2012 to release their first video game, Castle Story.

Catalina_Briceno

Why crowdfunding is a gamebreaker in the Canadian media industry?

CATALINA BRICENO, CANADA MEDIA FUND (Linkedin / Twitter).

Catalina is Director of Industry and Market trends at Canadia Media Fund. They recently developed a microsite to promote crowdfunding in Canada following a previous high level report analysis on the topic.


7.10 : FIRESIDE CHAT

Ariel-Nasr

From Kickstarter to the Oscar red carpet

ARIEL NASR, WRITER & DIRECTOR at NATIONAL FILM BOARD of CANADA (Linkedin / Twitter)

An interactive discussion with Ariel Nasr, Oscar nominee in 2013 for his last production, ”Buzkashi Boys“, partly funded on Kickstarter . Ariel work focuses on documenting contemporary Afghan society. He’s also Director of award-winning documentaries “The Boxing Girls of Kabul” and “Good Morning Kandahar” (National Film Board of Canada).

 

7.30 – 8.00 pm : NETWORKING + FREE CONSULTATION

Talk to other crowdfunders and build great connections!

Grab the opportunity to schedule a free 15-min consultation with Bruno and/or Heri from Seeding Factory to get valuable advice and insights for your next campaign. Click here to schedule now

 

NCFA Canada Members Receive a 30% Discount

Team NCFA Canada Wrap-up: North of 41 hosted Amazing TO Tech Race

Posted by Craig Asano  on June 1, 2013

Thanks to Jeff Musson and Tania at North of 41 and all the sponsors for hosting the 'Amazing TO Tech Race' on May 25, 2013.  The event was well attended by the tech and entrepreneurial community and everyone had loads of fun.  The winning time for the race was around 1hr 45min, which was extraordinarily difficult to beat.  You would have had to take a taxi to beat that time - let alone run all over the city and catch every TTC transit without waiting.  Perhaps we spent too much time at the 6 pints beer academy (we can highly recommend the Hefeweizen on tap)!

Sponsors stops in alphabetical order (excluding registration & the final stop):

1. MaRS (registration)

2. 6 Pints Beer Academy

3. Brushfire North

4. Eventbrite

5. HMV

6. Incubes Incubator

7. KPMG

8. US Consultate

9. YTA/Intelex Office

10. RBC (101 College Branch)

 

Event Pics

Left to right:  Sunny, Rich and Craig at Sponsor Incubes Incubator (Team NCFA Canada)

Team NCFA Canada at Amazing TO Tech Race

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amazing TO Tech Race Registration

Registration Amazing TO Tech Race 2

Left to right:  Pat, Sunny and Craig at the BBQ (pizza)

NCFA at TO Tech Race - Craig, Pat and Sunny

Presentations after the race

Presentations Amazing TO Tech Race

Source:  NCFA Canada

Event Toronto (June 11, 2013): Crowdfunding for Canadian Start-ups, Entrepreneurs, Charities & Enterprise

NCFA Canada | Posted on May 30, 2013

Canadian Crowdfunding Event

EVENT SPONSORS

Hosted by: National Crowdfunding Association of Canada

Venue Sponsor: Digital Media Zone

F&B Sponsor: FundRazr

 

 

 

EVENT DETAILS

Date: Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Time: 3:00 PM to 6:30 PM (EDT)

Place: 10 Dundas St. E. 6th Floor Toronto, ON M5B 2G9 (Digital Media Zone)

* Get there early Max capacity 60-80 (SOLD OUT - Members please see WAITLIST)

* This is a free event for NCFA Canada members (Join Today!)


Register for this event now

 

SESSION #1 (3:00 - 3:45pm) CANADA CAN CROWDFUND!

FundRazr $25 million milestone!

Is Crowdfunding right for you? Hear from the leading Canadian Portal team that has answered that question over 25 million times - that is $25 million raised so far! Hear directly how to strategize, plan, launch and execute a successful crowdfunding campaign including how to use perks and incentives. See examples of successful campaigns and learn why they worked. Tap into Canadian crowdfunding markets to launch your idea or fund your start-up or charity or crowdpower your enterprise.

 

Daryl HattonPresenter: Daryl Hatton, Founder/CEO of FundRazr, Canada's largest crowdfunding platform, has 30 years of industry experience and a passion for building companies from the ground up. One of his earliest ventures had a successful NASDAQ IPO in 1999. Over $200 million in software and services have been sold from products directly related to Daryl's vision. He serves as a board member and mentor to a number of start-ups and works as a social media product advisor to PayPal. FundRazr, his current passion, has been named as a finalist for Most Promising Start-up at the BCTIA Technology Impact Awards.

 

SESSION #2 (3:45 - 4:30pm) CROWDFUNDING EXPERTS PANEL

Discussion Panel: The National Crowdfunding Movement. What are Crowdfunding options and where will you see Made In Canada solutions. What's going on in the industry? Hear about Enterprise applications in Corporate Canada, crowdfunding use in Social Enterprise, and the NCFA's advocacy efforts for equity-based authorizations with Canadian Security Commissions.

Moderator: Craig Asano, Founder and Executive Director of NCFA Canada

Craig AsanoCraig Asano works closely with industry partners, technology platforms, academia, affiliate groups and business associations to create a strong and vibrant crowdfunding industry and voice across Canada. Craig has amassed 15 years of experience as a marketing strategist, software technologist and start-up entrepreneur in technology, finance, manufacturing and real estate sectors. He is a leader, advocate and development professional of interactive web, data, CRM, campaign management, business intelligence and new venture development projects. He’s an exceptional start-up incubator with strong business, analytical and organizational expertise.

Panel Speakers:

Brian Koscak

Brian Koscak is a Partner at the law firm of Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP located in Toronto, Ontario and practices in the area of corporate and securities law. Brian is the Chairman of the Exempt Market Dealers Association of Canada, a national non-for-profit organization representing exempt market dealers, issuers and compliance professionals across Canada. Brian is also a member of the Ontario Securities Commission’s Exempt Market Advisory Committee which is considering new ways to raise capital in Ontario, including through equity crowdfunding.

Christopher CharlesworthChristopher Charlesworth holds an MBA from the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, The University of Toronto, and an Honours Bachelor of Political Science from The University of Western Ontario. Christopher worked as a management consultant in Indonesia, Canada, and the United States across several practice areas, including financial services, marketing, and social media. As Co-Founder of HiveWire Christopher supervises the deal-flow and sales pipeline, and is also responsible for strategic partnerships. He publicly advocates for the wider adoption of crowdfunding within the Canadian context.

Chad McMillanChad McMillan is the President and Director of Canada Gold based out of Vancouver and Toronto. Chad has over 8 years experience in the public markets, having worked with several junior issuers in a variety of capacities including executive management, mergers & acquisitions, and communications. He currently operates private consulting and new media startup firms Animus Ventures Inc. and NewRock Market Advisors, and is a Director of Canada Strategic Metals Inc. (tsx.v: CJC), a junior resource exploration company headquartered in Quebec.

 

Trevor ColemanTrevor Coleman, co-founder and Chief Product Officer, InterAxon Inc., has a passion for designing experiences. His combination of a deeply empathic understanding of customer experience and pragmatic business sense were recognized by Ariel Garten, who was searching for a way to commercialize brain-sensing technology. Trevor also brought with him a background in cognitive science. Since co-founding InteraXon, Trevor has appeared in articles from around the world, including coverage by WIRED and a live appearance on CNN. He has given talks at conferences such as NXNEi and Wisdom 2.0, and has worked with Deutsche Telekom, Proximity/BBDO, Wrigley’s Gum, and more. Trevor’s career has made him an expert in balancing technical, financial and creative priorities. The vast skills he has amassed are put to use in his current role at InteraXon, where he oversees the research, development, marketing and finance teams as the product manager of the first suite of applications for InteraXon’s highly anticipated Muse brain sensing headband.

 

SESSION #3 (4:30 - 5:00pm) - OPEN MIKE Q&A

Open Mike

 

Open Mike. What's on your mind? Hear what the community is talking about today!

 

SESSION #4 (5:00 - 6:30pm) - NETWORKING & DRINKS

Join us for a drink and apps on the Spring Sushi Patio (* same building as event) hosted reception and networking sponsored by Fundrazr and hosted by National Crowdfunding Association of Canada.

*** Thanks for your support and participation ***

 

Register for this event now

 

About NCFA Canada:

The National Crowdfunding Association of Canada (NCFA Canada) is a newly formed cross-Canada non-profit with the mandate to be inclusive in providing education, advocacy and networking opportunities in the emerging crowdfunding industry. NCFA Canada is community-based, membership-driven entity that was formed at a grass-roots level to fill a national need in the market place. Members are industry stakeholders (portals, experts, service providers, and enablers), small businesses and entrepreneurs using crowdfunding to fund their initiatives, and investors seeking to learn more and connect with a dynamic and growing crowd. Learn more eBrochure | Prezi or for more information please visit ncfacanada.org.

About FundRazr:

FundRazr is the quickest, easiest and most effective way to raise money online. As Canada’s largest crowdfunding platform, FundRazr has raised over $25M for over 38,000 campaigns in 18 different countries since July 2010. Our advanced social funding technology helps our customers’ campaigns rise above the noise online to raise more money. FundRazr can be used to fund just about any type of project or cause. Crowdfund Anything Anywhere. FundRazr is also set to launch a revolutionary new CFaaS (crowdfunding as a service) application to enable portals, enterprise, universities, networks and incubators to crowd power their communities. Plug Play Fund. For more information please visit fundrazr.com.

Source: NCFA Canada

Event Vancouver (May 28, 2013): Crowdfunding – Another Option For Start-ups, Charities & Education

VEF | May 14, 2013  Posted by Christine McDonald

Vancouver Enterprise forum

VEF

Event Details

When:   May 28, 2013  (5:00PM - 8:30PM)

Location:  Vancity Theatre (1181 Seymour Street, Vancouver, BC)

Early bird rate of $45 in effect. Register today at www.vef.org/events.

* Doors open 5pm, main presentation at 6pm


Overview

Crowdfunding - our panel will discuss this rapidly growing way of raising capital which is expected to generate $2.8 billion in 2013 according to Massolution. Our panel will include both crowdfunding companies and those who have used these companies to raise capital as well as an angel
investor at the forefront of equity crowdfunding. Topics the panellists will discuss include;

• How significant is crowdfunding as a means of raising capital?
• What are the different types of crowdfunding?
• What factors maximize crowdfunding success?
• What are the opportunities and risks involved?
• What does the future look like – especially with regards to equity crowdfunding?

Panelists:

Daryl Hatton, Founder & CEO at FundRazr.com
Mike Volker, Director at SFU-Innovation Office and Director for WUTIF
Jay Giraud, Founder & CEO of Mojio
David Geertz, Founder of SoKap

View registration details

Montreal Workshop (May 16, 2013): Crowdfunding Advanced Level

NCFA Canada Ambassadors | Posted by Seeding Factory | April 30, 2013

Seeding Factory Workshop May 16, 2013 (Advanced)

Event Details

Thursday, May 16, 2013 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM (EDT) Montreal, QC

A 3-hour workshop to learn step by step how to prepare, launch and manage a triumphant crowdfunding campaign.

You've decided you will do a crowdfunding campaign to fund your project or launch your new great product and you are wondering how to practically doing it. You want to learn a methodology that will maximize your chances of success, and avoid to be one of the 50% campaigns that fail.

This interactive workshop based on Seeding Factory's methodology will deliver you precious tools to build an action plan, understand key succes factors and bypass major mistakes.

Who should attend?

This workshop is for entrepreneurs, creatives, artists (filmmakers, musicians), hackers & makers, activists, inventors, designers, small business owners, and anyone who wants to make their idea a reality.

This workshop is a great complement to the "Basic level" one organized by Seeding Factory and Spiegel Sohmer.

Finger food and beverages will be served.

>> Limited Capacity: 20 people <<

Register for the Workshop now

NCFA Canada Member Discount

(Limited # of discounted tickets. Email casano@ncfacanada for details)

Workshop Outline

This workshop will be fully bilingual, in French & English

CFW-AdvancedOutline

With a maximum of 20 people in the room we'll focus on qualitative activities during which every participant will have the opportunity to generate a plan customized to its project.

 

Seeding Factory

Bruno Rakotozafy & Heri Rakotomalala are crowdfunding experts, founders of Montreal-based Seeding Factory. They've helped raised more than $100,000 last year for various projects (Build Notman House, J'accorde,...). They are also active evangelists with the critically acclaimed Crowdfund Night event series hosted every 4 months in Montreal.

Spiegel Sohmer

Founded in 1967, Spiegel Sohmer is a firm of attorneys offering state-of-the-art expertise to a diversified business clientele seeking solutions that are innovative, concrete, and pragmatic.

 

About NCFA Canada Ambassadors Program

NCFA Crowdfunding Ambassadors ProgramThe National Crowdfunding Association of Canada Ambassadors Program is a nation-wide initiative aimed at recognizing, supporting and unifying crowdfunding leaders across the country through collaborative events, education and resource sharing.

Expand the range, reach and depth of your voice by interacting with a vibrant and growing network of crowdfunding experts across the country. Contact us at casano@ncfacanada.org to learn more...

Join Team NCFA at the Amazing Toronto Tech Race & BBQ

North of 41  |  Posted on May 7, 2013

Amazing Toronto Tech Race and BBQ - Team NCFA Canada

For information on free race & BBQ tickets with NCFA membership intro please contact casano@ncfacanada.org.

Amazing Toronto Tech Race

North of 41 is excited to present the first annual Amazing Toronto Tech Race to be held on Saturday May 25th, 2013 from 10:00AM until 2:00PM. Breakfast, lunch and drinks throughout the event are included in the registration fee.

Modeled after the widely popular television series, participants will compete in a city wide race with other members of the tech community. The race is organized around 15 checkpoints and simple tasks (such as taking a team picture next to a tech businesses address, or solving a skill testing question at an incubator). Teams will travel via TTC using a day pass provided at the event.

Participants will meet at MaRS Discovery District located at 101 College Street and finish at Toronto City Hall located at 100 Queen St. West.  Register today as an individual to be placed on a team or as a team (four people per team). Please indicate the team name when you register.

Event Details:

Registration Link: http://amazingtorontotechrace.eventbrite.com
Date: Saturday May 25, 2013
Time: 10:00 am until 2:00 pm (rain or shine)
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Contact: Tania@northof41.org or for more information please email info@northof41.org

Prizes will be awarded to the first 3 teams to complete the race.

Proceeds from the event will go towards supporting the Global Artisan Technology Project.

Go Register Now