Canadian Entrepreneurs in New England, a Boston-based group dedicated to helping Canadian tech and biotech companies navigate the New England startup community, will be launched at the Atlantic Venture Forum in Halifax in June.
Critical Path, the Vancouver-based organizer of the Venture Forum, issued a brochure this week that shows the group, modelled on C100 of San Francisco, that will be unveiled at the event, June 19 and 20.
Though it shares a name with the Halifax radio station, C100 in the startup world is the name of a group of Canadian tech professionals working in Silicon Valley who are devoted to helping young Canadian companies in the valley. Though only three years old, the group has made a name for itself by helping leading Canadian startups make connections and gain mentorship in the world’s hottest tech market. Its signature event is 48 Hours in the Valley, which hosts a range of tech startups in northern California twice a year.
CENE -- pronounced the same as "scene" -- is clearly modelled on the West Coast organization in that it is a non-for-profit group whose members will help Canadian companies that need to make connections in the booming Boston market.
“CENE members are passionate about leveraging their experience, expertise and relationships to help mentor and grow a new generation of successful Canadian-led technology/life sciences companies,” notes a position paper outlining the role of the new enterprise.
The big difference in the two C100s is that the East Coast version will have a much greater emphasis on life sciences, mirroring Boston’s dominant position in medical and life sciences innovation in the U.S. But that’s not to say there won’t also be a strong emphasis on the city’s tech segment and venture capital institutions.
In the first year, CENE will comprise as many as 100 charter members, who are Canadians holding leadership positions in innovation, entrepreneurship or investment in the Boston startup community. The charter members will mentor and advise promising companies and help them build relationships in New England.
The organization will also offer open membership, which qualified people can attain by joining the CE-NE group on LinkedIn.
As well as selecting promising startups to participate, the organization will hold regular events, which range from individual mentoring sessions to networking socials to online discussions.
The group will be financed by membership dues and private and public sponsorship.
Boston is becoming a more active centre for Canadian startups. The Canadian government last month launched its Canadian Technology Accelerator in Boston, and two of the first eight companies entering the program are from Halifax: Mindful Scientific and Equals6.
The Atlantic Venture Forum is designed as a showcase for regional startups to get in front of potential investors from across Canada and the U.S.