The 2011 International Start-Up Festival
Written by Chris Smith // July 5, 2011 // Business // 2 Comments
What is the International Start-Up Festival? More importantly, who will be attending? The roster of speakers who will be addressing the first ever two-day conference on all things start-up come from a variety of different backgrounds. Some of these CEO’s and company heads display a considerable amount of commercial expertise, while others still have a distinct side-business-in-the-garage feel. This inaugural conference is focused on the business cycle of a technology company, which makes the inclusion of both commercially viable companies and emerging businesses vital.
Some of the companies in attendance, such as the Guidewire Group, have already identified their target demographics: corporate partners, development agencies, and fellow emerging start-ups. Others, like FREEjit, are still refining their vision and product deployment after having secured outside investors less than a year ago. Not surprisingly, most of these start-ups are focused on how to efficiently parse existing data, whether it is archival emails (Xobni), the effectiveness of new start-ups based on a so-called “G Score” (Guidewire), or the opportunities and corresponding profitability of “freemium” services (FREEjit).
Guidewire is headed by Chris Shipley, whose 25 years of experience as a business analyst have helped her to rapidly identify the marks of a successful venture versus a misguided (and frequently expensive) adventure. Sean Ellis, the CEO and founder of FREEjit, has run several different start-ups and helped bring them to a successful IPO unveiling, including Xobni. In addition to the heads of start-up companies, several venture capital firms that specialize in developing new internet-based start-ups will also be in attendance, including SoftTech VC. SoftTech VC has invested in at least 15 to 20 new ventures a year since 2004, regardless of the relative health of the economy. Founder Jeff Clavier gained his experience in venture capital on both Wall Street and in European markets.
Twelve emerging start-up companies have also won a shot at pitching their business model in front of the crowd. The winners of the pitch contest hail from a variety of international locales, including Israel, India and France. Each company will have 5 minutes to present their business, followed by a 5 minute Q&A period. The Montreal-based conference holders estimate that 700 people will be in attendance, making the event an ideal size for networking and information sharing.
As part of our conference series, check out these interviews:
2 Comments on "The 2011 International Start-Up Festival"
Trackbacks for this post