The countdown is on: Two weeks until #AccelerateOTT returns to the Capital.
The list of speakers, which includes local champions as well as global leaders in entrepreneurship, is highlighted by a keynote address from Eamonn Carey, managing director of Techstars. Carey has advised, mentored and invested in startups across Asia, the Middle East and Europe, and in a release says he’s excited about the caliber of talent he sees in Ottawa.
“We’ve had so many amazing Canadian companies go through Techstars over the last few years – including Ottawa’s own Zighra and Hyre. I am excited to work with Invest Ottawa, meeting one-on-one with many of the local companies and taking in such a dynamic ecosystem.”
Just before you grab your ticket to the annual conference for startup connection and inspiration, check out the full lineup of speakers below.
Keynote Fireside Chat with Harley Finkelstein – COO, Shopify:
You know who Harley Finkelstein is. Quick refresher: Studied at McGill while starting a t-shirt company; member of the C100 Board of Directors; advisor to both Omers and Felicis Ventures; 2017 Angel Investor of the Year; chief operating officer of a billion-dollar company. Boom.
OBJ360 (Sponsored)
How the uOttawa faculty of engineering instills an ‘entrepreneurial mindset’ in students
A decade ago, Terrafixing chief operating officer Vida Gabriel was a chemistry-loving student in high school with little to no interest in business or entrepreneurship. “I didn’t like the sales
The value of an Algonquin College degree: Experiential learning, taught by industry experts
Zaahra Mehsen was three years into a biology degree at a local university when she realized she wanted to take a different path. “I realized that it’s not my thing,”
Allan Wille – Founder, CEO of Klipfolio:
Klipfolio is making waves every other day it seems, including most recently announcing a series-B funding round of $12 million, bringing the total investment in the Ottawa SaaS company to date up to $19.4 million. Founder Allan Wille is a community-minded entrepreneur, coming to AccelerateOTT to share his tips to make small and medium-size businesses smarter.
Sean Sheppard – Founding Partner, GrowthX:
Few people embody the “serial entrepreneur” moniker as well as Sean Sheppard. He has been behind dozens of early-stage high-growth companies, including selling five of his own venutres. At GrowthX Academy, he endeavours to teach the best practices that help startups find sales across a variety of markets.
Jessica Scorpio – Founder, Getaround:
Before she founded Getaround, Jessica Scorpio started her education her in Ottawa, earning a political science degree from Carleton University. She later attended Singularity University (a collaborative initiative from Google, NASA, and tech execs to inspire and train future leaders), and founded Getaround to help people, you guessed it, get around and make a bit of extra cash by sharing their cars.
Mark Organ – Founder, Influitive:
Mark Organ got his start in B2B marketing automation by selling a company to Oracle for $871 million. Woah. Influitive, his current company, redefines a B2B approach to marketing again through an advocate network of peers designed to give your firm more promising and productive leads. Organ believes the key to marketing your business and onboarding customers lies in an understanding of the way people think and behave.
Alain Goubau – Co-founder, COO, FarmLead:
Born in Belgium, raised on a farm and transplanted to Ottawa, Alain Goubau is building a agritech beast in the form of FarmLead. The firm recently landed $6.5 million in series-A funding, and is on a path to build the go-to online grain marketplace, recently passing 4,000 farmers after just a few years on the market.
Among these heavy-hitters will be Amber MacArthur of AmberMac Media, Shopify head of marketing Hana Abaza, Co-founder of Givopoly Susan Richards, Mistral VP managing director Code Cubitt, Lixar data scientist Jim Provost, Celtic House partner Tom Valis, 500 Startups Partner Neha Khera and UOIT executive in residence David Pamenter.
The full day event is May 11, 8am to 8pm.
Tickets are still available for the event, and reduced tickets are available for entrepreneurs and startups under five years old! (They probably mean the startup should be under five years old, not the entrepreneur.)
