by Maura Rodgers (@Maurar)
Another Launch Party is under our belt. Our 8th Launch Party to be exact. Aside from finding a venue with a PA system that doesn’t make us sound like Charlie Brown’s Teacher or has sufficient AC to keep all 400+ of us a little cooler, I would call it a success. I enjoyed seeing many familiar faces as well as meeting visitors from Seattle, Ontario, Kelowna, California and abroad. We hope you left with a smile on your face and a pocket overflowing with new business cards that lead to meaningful relationships.
If the PA system had actually worked at the event, there were a few things we really wanted to say:
First of all – thank you very much for coming out to celebrate and support the entrepreneurs in our digital media community. As Danny has said many times before, we believe Entrepreneurs are the Superheroes for our economy. Entrepreneurs are the ones, who will lead us out of the tough times. The ones who understand that in order to solve a problem and change the world, you need to take a risk and go where no one else has gone before. (hence, the Superhero Trophies!) And that is why LPV exists – to salute entrepreneurs for their innovation and surround them with the right people, who can help them take their idea to the next level.
Speaking of the right people…
Many thanks to Debbie Landa from Dealmaker Media for flying up from San Francisco to co-host our 8th event. Debbie founded Dealmaker Media in 2000 and organizes a number of high quality conferences and events in the Valley, LA and NY each year. When it comes to the digital media and VC landscape in the States, Debbie is plugged in. 49% of the companies that have been selected to pitch at her events have gone on to raise funding or be acquired. Not only is she an experienced entrepreneur, who knows how to spot a winner, she’s also Canadian! Debbie is @deblanda on Twitter.
Check out Dealmaker’s next event Under the Radar on November 19 in Mountain View, CA
And if it wasn’t for…
Sun has always been a big supporter of our Launch Party events and the Vancouver technology community. We hope that you had a chance to meet with Jeremiah from Sun Start-up Essentials, who flew in from San Francisco for the event. As many of you already know, for your startup to succeed, you need more than a good business plan–you need a way to implement it quickly and cost-effectively. If the mic actually worked on Wednesday, Jeremiah would have told you that the Sun Start-up Essential Program provides you with discounted hardware and services, free support and training, and access to a network of investors and startups around the globe. If you are interested in learning more, you can Apply online or follow-up with Jeremiah directly. You can also find him on Twitter @jshack.
Big Thanks to:
Our media sponsor, Techvibes, Layer 7 and all the crew at Strutta, who designed and managed the LPV8 Start-up Competition. Thanks to Sonia, Jordan, Tina, and all of the volunteers, who worked the door. Your support and enthusiasm are what make each and every event so wicked awesome (that’s Bostonian for really good!).
Just Bootup
You may have heard that Strutta hired Ben Pickering as their new CEO, which means I am now working as the Executive Director of the Bootup Entrepreneurial Society with Sonia Ryan as my wingman.
The Bootup Entrepreneurial Society (BES) may share the Bootup in the Bootup Labs name (and their coffee maker) but it is NOT part of Bootup Labs. While they help early stage companies too, BL is all about turning a profit. BES is a non-profit that exists to build a solid infrastructure to help all entrepreneurs (not just BL companies) take a brilliant idea and turn it into a real business. BES is thrilled to have Leonard Brody, Boris Wertz, Danny Robinson and Boris Mann on our Board. All of these Superheroes want to see more digital media companies take root and flourish in BC and are investing their time and passion to make this happen.
Launch Party, which was founded by Danny, Dimitri and I and will now be managed by BES. In addition, BES will be organizing a number of events and workshops on a monthly basis to help digital media entrepreneurs start, build and grow their business. Stay tuned for more.
Thanks again for coming!
– Kirsten was demo’ing Hootsuite, and perhaps remarking on the fact that it was the temperature was a *little* high last night