With the support of BDO, Entrevestor will once again this year host a series of Entrevestor Luncheons, beginning with an event in Moncton on April 15.

BDO, the accountancy and tax advisory consultancy, has agreed to sponsor four Entrevestor Luncheons this year. The luncheons are an opportunity for members of the startup community can come together to discuss ways to improve the regional ecosystem.

Last year, partnering with Entrepreneurs’ Forum, we held luncheons or dinners in each provincial capital in the region. The topics we discussed ranged from finding early adopters to mentorship to attracting capital to young companies.

Entrevestor Luncheons are not events that feature a keynote speaker. They are forums for discussion at which everyone present is encouraged to join in. We ask two community leaders to each lead a discussion, and after they introduce their topic, we throw it open to the house for a lively debate.

“Like many others, we’re impressed by the tremendous growth of startups in Atlantic Canada,” said Dan Jennings, a partner at BDO’s Bedford office. “At BDO, we want to help improve the ecosystem for these companies, so we’ve decided to work with Entrevestor in hosting these conversations about possible enhancements.”

The luncheon in Moncton features two veterans of startup mentorship as moderators:

--  How do we get more women launching startups? Led by Sally Ng. There has been a lot of discussion and analysis – and action, come to think of it – on how to attract women to careers in technology. The ICT segment is a predominantly male enclave and more must be done to encourage women to learn coding and work in this space. But the same could be said about women in startups. Too few women are launching and developing companies. Sally Ng, the Executive Director of Planet Hatch in Fredericton, will discuss the problem, suggest some solutions and ask for the views of the participants.

--  How can we increase international sales? Led by Doug Robertson. East Valley Ventures Co-Founder Gerry Pond has identified problems with international sales as a factor that is preventing startups from scaling. Doug Robertson, the CEO of Venn Innovation in Moncton, will examine what can be done to address the situation. While Pond has called for a sales institute in the region, other solutions might be international mentor networks or local mentorship groups made up of people who have experience in other countries. We hope other suggestions will come out during the discussion.

The Entrevestor Luncheon will be held from 11 am to 2 pm at the Future Inns Moncton. We’ll get started with a brief presentation on the latest data produced by the Entrevestor survey, followed by the two one-hour discussions and lunch. Tickets for the event are available here.

Last year, we found that the Entrevestor events were public opportunities to discuss the matters that usually get attention in private conversations in coffee shops or board rooms.

We hope as many people as possible will join us for the luncheon on April 15.