It’s difficult to say who transmitted the most valuable information at the first Atlantic Venture Forum — the tech experts and investors who flew into Halifax to deliver speeches, or the 22 Atlantic Canadian entrepreneurs who pitched their companies?

The two-day event wrapped up Thursday after presenting the 200-plus delegates with a wealth of wisdom and information from tech gurus like Paul Singh, venture partner at 500 Startups, and investors like Charley Lax, managing general partner of GrandBanks Capital in Boston.

But it has become standard fair that these conferences feature advice sessions from internationally known experts in technology and entrepreneurship. What was interesting about the AVF was that the investors who flew in from other places gained just as much insight or more because they learned about the high standards of entrepreneurship in the region.

A huge part of the program featured 11 early-stage companies and the same number of growth-stage companies presenting to the audience and, by and large, impressing venture capital and angel investors who have sat through thousands of pitches.

“There’s a great quality of companies here and, to tell you the truth, I am surprised by the quality,” said Steve Kurylo, a partner with GrandBanks Capital.

Halifax’s Oris4, which has developed a cloud-based document-organization system, was voted the best presenter among the growth-stage companies.

Two other Halifax companies were runners-up: CarbonCure Technologies, a clean tech company dedicated to low-carbon concrete products, and BlueLight Analytics, whose technology ensures dentists apply the right amount of heat when curing resin-based fillings.

TheRounds (formerly BoonDoc), a Halifax company developing a social network for doctors, was the winner among the younger companies.

It was followed by RUMAnalytics, a Quispamsis, N.B., company that helps speed up the processing of e-commerce systems, and Halifax’s Analyze Re, which is developing risk-assessment software for the reinsurance industry.

The highlight of the conference was the interplay between the Atlantic Canadian startups (including attendees who were not officially presenting) and the out-of-town investors. This conference has raised the bar so it’s safe to say that from now on, all major startup conferences will be judged by their ability to link strong local entrepreneurs with an array of come-from-away investors.

The AVF had the added bonus of hosting the official launch of Canadian Entrepreneurs in New England, a group organized by Canadian expats in the Boston area who will mentor and make introductions for Canadian startups.

Already, the links between that group and the Atlantic Canadian startup community are growing because it launched in Halifax and because so many of its steering committee members witnessed the strength of the companies in the region.

The group plans to differentiate itself from C100, an existing group that serves the same function in Silicon Valley, by supporting life sciences companies.