The resounding theme of the day was “be louder”. Local entrepreneur met Valley investor and the message became pretty clear, we all need to shout a little louder about what we’re doing.
And stop being so Canadian about it.
In what is fast becoming a cornerstone event in the Alberta Tech community, local entrepreneurs got a rare chance for investors to come to them, instead of the typical trip that is required down to the valley.
The messages became clear, in to particular order.
“Swing Big.”
“Shout.”
“Don’t Make Excuses.”
“Give Back.”
They all seem like common sense, whether you’re an investor or an entrepreneur, but sometimes you need someone yelling from a stage to give you a little reminder. We often take lower valuations, hesitate to make contacts and move through open doors and accept it as “The Canadian” thing to do.
The reality of the situation is that the startup community, and because of it, the early stage investing community is alive and well in Canada and growing by leaps and bounds in Alberta.
The next step in growing that community is growing this event and keeping the community tight and sharing. The quality of people attracted to the event was incredible, from not only those speaking and the entrepreneurs, but the investors and sponsors in attendance.
For communities to grow people need to come together in environments that dispel most facets of competition. It has to be present, but there are times when sharing a story and simply talking and making a connection is far more important than pitching your product or talking about your own successes, and the Alberta Tech community had that on display for Accelerate Alberta.
Now it’s a matter of building it up again next year and proving that Alberta is far more than just the energy sector. The tech scene is vibrant and there are dedicated entrepreneurs, startups and investors continually pushing it to the world stage.
Jamie Clarke
