The ninth annual Invest Atlantic conference will take place in Charlottetown this year, checking off all four provinces as hosts of the pan-Atlantic conference.

Invest Atlantic, which started in 2010, was initially based in Halifax. This September, it will be hosted by Startup Zone, Prince Edward Island’s Startup incubator.

"It's exciting to have Invest Atlantic here on the island for the first time," said Patrick Farrar, the new CEO of StartupZone in an email.

"No event is complete without the right audience, which is why we've partnered with the local universities to bring in the energetic, motivated talent to help fuel this strong wave of innovation on the east coast."

The conference has three main goals: to coach entrepreneurs in pitching and building their businesses; to connect angel investors with the start-ups in Atlantic Canada and to foster collaboration among attendees.

Attendees will have access to networking opportunities with investors and venture capitalists from the region.

Patrick Farrar Takes the Helm at Startup Zone

Invest Atlantic is an initiative of the Jameson Group, the organization responsible for PitchCamp, Pitch101/201, the Investment Opportunities Program and Smart Energy.

The day before the conference, about 40 startups from the Pitch101/201 cohorts will attend the PitchCamp workshops. These will wrap up with each venture delivering one and two minute pitches. The top five companies from each cohort will be chosen to present at the conference before investors and a crowd of 200+.

This year, those who don’t make it through the pitching round will have the chance to “busk” their ideas between sessions. Last year’s pitchers included Peachy, Aba Access, and Trip Ninja.

Bob Williamson, the Organizing Chair of Invest Atlantic, also said in an email: "Invest Atlantic has grown from having 18 startups, 125 attendees, seven investors with a total capital pool of $7 million in 2010 to having over 150 startups, 307 attendees, 36 investors with a total capital pool in excess of $500 million in 2017. Over 200 companies have been funded as a result of networking at an Invest Atlantic event.” 

The conference will also include seminars called: Preparing for First Money; Meet the Angels; Block-chaining Your Business; Discovering Your Customer; and Scaling A Startup thru to Planning the Exit.

Invest Atlantic 2018 will take place Sept. 19 and 20 in the Charlottetown downtown core at the Confederation Centre and Holman Grand Hotel.

Click here to register.