Are you a founder looking to connect with other Canadian entrepreneurs and potential VCs and a funder looking for the next big Idea?  Then you will be happy to know that Boris Mann from Bootup Labs is organizing the first West Coast Founders & Funders dinner.   This private, invite only networking event is limited to 100 attendees and will take place on June 17th in Vancouver.  

After a successful VC Roadtrip on May 25, Boris expects to have investors fly in from out of town, as well as David Crow, who organized Toronto's inaugural event in January.    Here are a few more details about the event that are listed on the Bootup blog: 

What:	Founders & Funders Vancouver June 17th Founders & Funders is a private, invite only social event. Founders and Funders is dedicated: to helping Canadian entrepreneurs to meet each other; meet potential funders: angel, VC or other money sources; to have fun; and see how we can help each other create the NEXT BIG successful company.
When:	Wednesday, June 17, 2008 5:30 PM to 10:00 PM

 

The fee for the dinner is $100, which will include drinks and dinner.

If you would like to attend, you need to fill out their registration form to be considered.  The first three events in Montreal and Toronto have been a big hit.  Vancouver should be no exception.  

If you are a recent graduate or someone, who wants to find out more about working for a start-up in the city, you should attend Techvibes first Start-up Career Fair, May 21st at the Republic, 958 Granville Street.  Not like a traditional job fair held in a banquet hall with suits in booths, this unconference event gives you a chance to connect and network with the founders and representatives behind the following cool companies:  Strutta , Carrie & Danielle, Lypp, Tagga, Live Current, MovieSet, Vibrant Software, and 6S Marketing

Register for this FREE event on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=48130170656

If you haven't already registered for VIDFEST 2008, you should check it out.  Organized by New Media BC , VIDFEST takes place during digital media week on May 21-24 and "showcases the power of digital media to achieve altruistic goals from tackling climate change to enabling entrepreneurs in the development world." 

From their opening reception at the Vancouver Art Gallery to a digital recruiting fair,  the Festival is jam-packed with 11 events over 4 days and many insightful speakers as noted on their website including: 

• Chris Anderson, Editor-in-Chief of Wired Magazine will address VIDFEST on the model of “giving it away” as a key business strategy for generating revenue
• Tom Williams, CEO of GiveMeaning.com, an online charitable foundation that brings people together to support a charity of their choice
• Erik Karjaluoto, founder of DesignCanChange.org, an online movement to unite designers to collectively address climate change
• Dylan Higgins, from Kiva.org, the first person-to-person micro-lending website that enables entrepreneurs in the developing world
• Jason Mogus, the developer behind NothingButNets.net, a website dedicated to preventing the spread of Malaria throughout the African continent
• Super-star bloggers Heather Armstrong of Dooce.com and Maggie Mason of Mightygirl.com
  

 Check out the highlights of VIDFEST 2007:

If it is not already on your calendar, the Massive Technology Show will be coming to our city Tuesday, April 1st at the Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre.  No foolin'!   Speaker presentations begin at 8:30am and the tradeshow opens at 9am.     

How are new media technologies reshaping the way we produce, distribute and consume media? What are some of the ways that broadcasters can leverage new media to connect with their audience online? From copyright issues and content delivery to monetization, media is undergoing a major transformation right now that is inciting a lot of questions and a very interesting debate. Recognizing this, Erica Hargreave and Megan Cole thought that all of the questions that were floating around "deserved a day." A day, where experts on both sides of the media debate could come together to share knowledge, address challenges and work together to develop solutions. After a few conversations and a bit of a planning, Erica, Megan and team created Bridging Media:

Bridging media is an event designed to open the channels of communication between the broadcast and digital media communities. We aim to increase an understanding of our respective industries and strengthen our approach to building multi-platform projects.

Briding Media's first community sponsored event is coming up this Saturday, March 29 at the Centre For Digital Media at the Great Northern Way Campus. They have a bunch of great speakers lined up, so if you are an investor or an active member of the broadcast or digital communities, register now.