Starting on Monday, Toronto will play host to one of the largest and most important tech industry conferences in the world, Collision 2019. With an expected attendance of over 20,000 people, it will be the place to be next week, especially if you are connected to the tech world here in Toronto.
Why is this important? Toronto has been a wildfire of tech innovation and growth over the past decade, but it has largely gone unnoticed outside of industry circles. Having a world-renowned event in the city will shine a spotlight on how Toronto has gone from a host city for large US tech companies to a booming city on the forefront of the next wave of technology. It is the culmination of years of hard work by organizations like Tech Toronto and universities like Ryerson and UofT to foster and build a community that supports entrepreneurs in technology.
Collision is a time to shine for Toronto’s tech community, and shine they will. I have met some incredible people in the tech industry that are building businesses that seem out of a dream world. I look forward to seeing them show their stuff to the world!
Here are some of the other parts of Collision I am looking forward to:
Networking - A massive conference like this is a great time to connect with old contacts and make new ones from across the industry. Networking is never about trying to sell myself; rather, it is a great way for me to understand what is happening now and where we might be going in the future. The knowledge and connections I make at any conference only help me do better for my clients. If you want to connect with me, you can contact me here or find me at the conference.
PITCH - One of the more unique parts of the schedule are the “pitch battles”, live and onstage sessions for startup founders and teams pitch their idea to investors. We have all seen Dragons' Den and Shark Tank, but this will be a unique event that will help me understand this important process in any tech startup’s life.
Venture - I may spend most of Tuesday at this stage. It will be a day chock full of interesting discussions about venture capital and building a successful business from seed to Series A. Understanding this area is important for any founder because errors made in early stage funding can really hurt at the end, when you have grown to a public company but gave up a bit too much control.
I will have a full report next week on the highlights of Collision 2019. If you are attending the conference and want to chat about how I help tech entrepreneurs and C-suite employees with planning for their financial future, reach out to me here or via LinkedIn.
Sam Rook
Investment Advisor