Issue #35

April 19th, 2021

Join us – share and network, discover and learn

WEBINAR INVITATION

Entrepreneurship 101 – Pitching to win $

FRIDAY – 4PM MT April 23rd

COPY THIS  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85896241732

To view former webinars CLICK HERE

APRIL – Alberta’s Economic Resilience – PLEASE COMPLETE HERE

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MBJFXB8

Last week’s webinar HERE about what to expect post-Covid featured an outstanding presentation by Todd Hirsch exploding some of the myths about how economies really work. In addition, Malcom Bruce – Edmonton, Dee Ann Benard and Eleanor Miclette – Rural Alberta, and Mary Moran – Calgary, provided an overview of the status and innovations redefining each of Albertas Regions. Each Region complimented the importance of supporting entrepreneurs for achieving the domestic, dynamic, and continuous commercialization of ideas. 

The system of support is referred to as an innovation ecosystem and is viewed as essential for entrepreneurs to transition the valley of death, that is, to overcome the death defying challenges of successfully commercializing emerging technologies. This dynamic is core to Regions needing to diversify, compete, and accelerate the adoption of emerging technologies in industry, the professions and public services.

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FRIDAY APRIL 23rd 4:00 – 5:30PM  MT

Friday’s webinar HERE will feature an exploration of entrepreneurship, specifically the role of pitch sessions and what those who have been organizing pitch sessions have to share about entrepreneurs seeking help to survive, growth, and stay

The transition to the Digital Economy is accelerating – Can you feel it?  It is VERY personal. How are you adapting?

While we are isolating, markets are accelerating. The bull market in technology is capitalizing on the increase in savings fueled by public stimulus benefits, low interest rates and the fact that we are isolating. Industries dependent on public gatherings are suffering including: entertainment, hospitality, tourism, restaurants, transportation, education, NGOs, public services. By contrast, those that serve people individually – personally, are thriving. 

I have been referring to this “personalization” of the economy as the essence of the Digital Economy – where data is employed to customize services and transform/ empower the client, the patient, the consumer. The disruption is still in it’s early stages and while personally liberating it is commercially transformative. Herein lies a paradox, we are being forced into isolation and to take more personal responsibility for our welfare. Isolation has increased our wish/ want/ need to know and also increased the available time to explore using social media.  The liberation of the client and patient has forced traditional markets to adapt, posing significant challenges to established institutions and professions that expect clients and patients, now consumers and shoppers, to be more compliant – and respectful. The disruption while liberating to the person, feels like anarchy to the establishment as former controls governing behaviour dissipate.

The Digital Economy has arrived – featuring a boom in personal, non-public ventures attracting capital on a scale not seen since the dot com boom-bust of the late 1990s.  Are you and your organization prepared?  If you are an entrepreneur wanting to capitalize on the drive for personalization and innovation, do you know how to access help through making a successful pitch? And if you are a new investor or mentor, do you know how to assess a pitch and read an entrepreneur? Learn from the experts, the coaches – those with extensive experience as organizers of pitch sessions for entrepreneurs. Join us this Friday HERE

Mark Benning

MODERATOR

Mark Benning is an experienced entrepreneur and successful investor. He is a general partner with Sprout.vc, a seed-stage venture capital firm that invests in innovative Western Canadian B2B and SaaS companies. He founded Pitchfest.org and was a judge at the startup pitching event in 2019 in Edmonton.

Zackary Storms

PITCH ORGANIZERS

Zack Storms is the founder and chief-organizer of Startup TNT, a community of entrepreneurs, scientists, and innovators that have fun, make friends, and build companies together. Startup TNT is hosted every Thursday for a happy hour and an investment Summit. Startup TNT reports that $1.4 million was invested into 10 Alberta startups by 70 investors in 2020.

Michael Overduin

Michael Overduin is the founder of DiscoveryLab, an independent forum for researchers leading new ventures, spinouts, startups and SMEs to present their plans to business professionals and investors each quarter, with over 230 presentations from a diverse fields and stages over 22 events in the past 4 years.

Rus Matichuk

Rus Matichuk is the Executive Vice-President of Bio-stream Diagnostics. Rus has launched and helped develop several industry associations and programs and has served as a board member of small business and not for profit associations, including: the Alberta Clean Technology Industry Alliance, Deal Generator, VenturePrize, Banff Venture Forum, InfoTech Alberta, and the Innovation Network Collaborative. 

PITCHING TO WIN

THURSDAY APRIL 22nd

PITCH SESSIONS &

SECRETS

Never been to an pitch session?  Want to learn how to invest? What’s it takes to grow BIG?

Discovery Lab – Startups, new ventures and SMEs pitching their business plans. Visit  HERE  1:00-4:50PM MT

Startup TNT –  How to invest in early-stage start-up companies,  Register HERE  6:00-9:00PM MT

Angel Forum – Western Canada battle of the pitch decks – April 21 and May 5th Register HERE

Laurie Schultz – 10 secrets for high scale growth.  Register HERE  12:00PM MT

THE FUTURE

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CREATIVITY Celebrated

HERE

Celebrating Creativity & Innovation Day – April 21

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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

In the MDs office

HERE

Auto insurance claims/ repair

HERE

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BLOCKCHAIN

HERE

Is into everything

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FUSION status report

EVENT    HERE

April 20th 11:00 MT

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WORK – the future

HERE

Arts & humanities

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DIGITAL transformation

HERE

PPT Thank you Yogi Schulz

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UNCERTAINTY

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INFLATION

HERE

Not to worry?

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LEADERSHIP in Crisis

HERE

Restoring lost trust

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AI & ETHICS

EVENT HERE

April 23 12:00 MT

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TEC Edmonton

HERE

Ceasing operations

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COMMENTS RECEIVED

Software is eating the world as Marc Andreeson famously said and anything that can be digitized will be digitized. That includes money, organizations, commerce, professions, freelance work, etc.  In the face of Amazon’s dominance of e-commerce, Ottawa based Shopify built a massive business by providing tools to small businesses to connect directly with their customers. They’re disintermediating Amazon. Redfin, Zillow, and OpenDoor are disintermediating the entire real estate market. Fiverr and UpWork the gig economy. News media by Facebook, Twitter, Substack and the like. SoFi and Upstart in lending. Metromile and Lemonade in insurance. The list goes on. All of these are putting the power into the hands of individuals and undermining the ability of traditional control structures and market leaders to function. Some of the webinars on the Creative Economy did address this. But I think many are still oblivious or just missing the significance of all this. We are in the thick of it – did people in the midst of the agricultural or industrial revolutions recognize the earth was shifting beneath their feet? Probably, not but those were much slower tectonic shifts. What’s happening now is hitting us much faster. Thank you Jeff Uhlich