As summer winds to a close, the Kitchener-Waterloo startup community is preparing for a myriad events for this fall. Highlighting the busy schedule will be Communitech’s annual tech conference, Techtoberfest.
Aligning with North America’s largest Oktoberfest celebration, Techtoberfest is an annual start-up conference bringing together entrepreneurs from across the region, potential investors and an array of speakers. It comes with all the Oktoberfest trimmings such as beer, sauerkraut and sausages.
Starting Oct. 13, the conference kicks off with a party for all attendees to meet, network and enjoy all the Oktoberfest festivities before opening ceremonies the following morning.
Speakers for the event include a keynote by angel investor and venture capitalist Gary Vaynerchuck as well as CEOs Allen Lau of Wattpad, Ilana Ben-Ari of Twenty One Toys and Kurtis McBride of Miovisions.
Related: Accelerator Centre Expands with Reactor
Other events in Kitchener-Waterloo this autumn include a Showcase of the Waterloo Acceleration Center, the Waterloo Innovation Summit, Communitech Center Stage event, Growing Your Sales Team, Women Entrepreneurs Bootcamp and The Man Behind Shopify, a question and answer event featuring Tobias Lutke.
Here’s a quick look at them:
Waterloo Accelerator Center Showcase, Sept. 16 at 4 pm at the Waterloo Accelerator Center.
Ten of the senior companies in the accelerator will pitch their companies.
Waterloo Innovation Summit, Sept. 16-18 across Kitchener-Waterloo.
The conference will feature keynotes from Steve Blank, Salim Ismail and Marianna Mazzucato and fireside chats with John Chen, Jonathon Ortmans and Ajay Royan.
Communitech Center Stage, Sept. 18 at 5 pm at Communitech Hub.
This is a showcase for the companies that have completed the Communitech Rev accelerator, an accelerator focused on growth stage tech companies. It will feature Steve Blank chatting about tech entrepreneurship.
Growing Your Sales Team, Sept. 24 at 9 am at Communitech Hub.
This seminar, facilitated by Jim Estill, will teach attendees how to best manage sales teams for maximum efficiency.
Women in Entrepreneurship Bootcamp, Oct. 1 at 2 pm at Tannery Event Center
This is a pitching competition for $100,000 of seed funding. The presenters are drawn from Communitech’s Women in Entrepreneurship Bootcamp, which includes participants from across Canada and the U.S.
The Man Behind Shopify, Oct. 1, 5:30 pm at Tannery Event Centre
A discussion with Tobias Lutke, founder of Shopify.
