action conference 2015 program
DESCRIPTION
Conference program for the ACTION Conference, taking place in Burlington, ON on November 21, 2015.TRANSCRIPT
CONTENTSSPONSORS
ADDRESS FROM THE CHAIRPERSON
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
FACILITATORS
SESSIONS
CONFERENCE VENUE
CONFERENCE WEEKEND
COMMITTEE
CONTACT US
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FROM THE CHAIR
It is my great pleasure to welcome all of you to the 2015 ACTION Conference. To our returning
speakers and delegates: thank you for joining us again. Your continual feedback has directly
shaped this conference.
ACTION and its underlying philosophies are based on my experiences at Stanford University’s
Graduate School of Business and my desire to help imbue the Canadian startup movement
with the essences of what has made west coast innovation so successful. Over time, we have
adjusted our offerings to reflect your current needs. This year, you will find an incredible
offering of immersive workshops ranging from the ideation stage to investor engagement but
only four slots for them!
Amidst all the excitement today, do not forget those around you. We have deliberately
punctuated the agenda with plenty of time for networking. Do not be shy about yourself and
your ideas! Be sure to introduce yourself to the speakers, fellow conference attendees, and
members of the organizing committee.
This conference would not have been possible without the generous financial support of our
many sponsors, in addition to the intellectual generosity of our talented facilitators. Their strong
interests in positively shaping Canada’s entrepreneurial ecosystem as leaders and mentors
have brought them here today.
Finally, remember that we live in both challenging and fortuitous times. There is no shortage of
daily perturbing news stories. At the same time, the tools to create solutions to these problems
and creatively collaborate have never been more abundant or accessible. It truly comes down
to our perspectives and how we capitalize on events around us.
Enjoy this year’s conference! I hope that it helps you develop your startup skills, improve your
knowledge, and expand your network.
Best wishes,
Nikolaus Jewell
ACTION Conference Chair
WELCOME TO ACTION CONFERENCE 2015!
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KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Bjoern was born in Germany, and hasbecome a recognized entrepreneur andan expert on data products forbusinesses, performance benchmarking,and business ecosystems. He hasextensive business experience, both inthe corporate realm, as an executive inRussia, and in the startup world, as afounder of five for- and non-profitventures in Germany, Bangladesh, andthe United States. Most recently, his teamand him have set out to decrease themassive failure rate of businesses bytransforming the business world frominstinct to data-driven. The first productCompass.co now serves tens of thousandsof software businesses around the world.Its success has been covered in theEconomist, WSJ, PBS, ARD, Techcrunch,Wired, and Forbes.
Gerald Weiner, in 1971, founded anational company to work exclusivelywith the middle and high risk self-employed which became PennCorp LifeInsurance Company and La CapitaleFinancial Services in 2004 purchasedthe company. In 2005 he helpeddevelop eLogic Learning and in 2006founded Landmark ASP Solutions. Jerry,as he likes to be called, believes inmaintaining harmony with mind, bodyand spirit, and works out forapproximately two hours everymorning. He strives to be in his US orCanadian office by 7 a.m. “Havingpurpose and passion is what keeps anyentrepreneur moving forward andhaving fun”
GERALD WEINER
BJOERN HERRMANN
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FACILITATORS
LOTFI BELKHIR CAROL CHONG MUSTAFA DOSSAJEE
Founder & CEOJaguar Capital
Chief Education OfficerQuanser
GERARD BUCKLEY TOM LEE
Associate ProfessorMcMaster University
DirectorSklar Wilton & Associates
PartnerSB Partners LLP
HOME GROWN TALENT
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FACILITATORS
CHARLES MIRE RON NEUMANN
DirectorSklar, Wilton & Associates
CEOSPEAK & IMPRESS!
LAURIE THOMPSON ROBERT VALLEE
CEOStructur3D Printing
Founder & CEOVistaShift
PartnerRidout & Maybee LLP
STEVE LEACH
HOME GROWN TALENT
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FACILITATORS
CHRIS LIPPPitch CoachPitchpower
Chief Technology OfficerOmniPhy
CLAUDE GAUTHIERCEO
Recovery Record
JENNA TREGARTHEN
TALENT FROM THE VALLEY
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SESSIONS
Launching and Growing a Hardware Startup
This session will discuss groundwork for launching a hardware startup, from earlyvalidation to working prototype to product launch, manufacturing, and shipping.Growing your hardware company after the initial stage will be covered, along withfundraising (crowdfunding and investment). Many topical startup lessons will beshared.
You want to grow your personal brand. Every time you present yourself, you wantpeople to say: "That was impressive!". Your 30-seconds story is all you have tocapture interest in what you offer. This session will enable you to introduce yourselfand showcase your value to potential clients and business associates. It is only thebeginning of your rise to recognition and fame. Learn and enjoy.
Wouldn't it be great to nurture your start-up without giving it away to investorsbefore even having a prototype? To have a customer on board from day one? Thissession will focus on a unique blueprint for creating and leveraging strategicpartnerships - a blueprint that Dr. Gauthier applied when he co-founded OmniPhy, aprivately held semiconductor company he launched in 2012. OmniPhy started with asingle strategic customer and has grown to become a multi-million dollar business,with 75 employees, servicing technology giants in the consumer, automotive, andindustrial markets.
Ever wish there was an opportunity to quickly learn design thinking? Roll up yoursleeves for an experiential design-challenge. Follow a human-centered designapproach that emphasizes empathy-building and action-oriented prototyping asmechanisms for deeply and accurately understanding users’ needs, and buildingcreative solutions to address them. Attendees will work in multidisciplinary teams tolearn how to design new services that achieve product-market-fit by addressing areal-world problem.
Speak & Impress While Networking!
Bootstrapped! The Art of Creating Strategic Growth Partnerships
Design‐Thinking and Business Model Development (1 hour)
Charles Mire, PhD - CEO, Structur3D Printing
Robert Vallee - CEO, SPEAK & IMPRESS!
Claude Gauthier, PhD - CTO, OmniPhy
Jenna Tregarthen - CEO and Founder, Recovery Record
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SESSIONS
Negotiating Term Sheets
This workshop will break down the essentials of a term sheet, examine commonsticking points and ways in which you can lose control of your company and prepareyou to negotiate the the terms you can lose control of your company this workshopwill break down the essentials of a term sheet, examine common sticking points andways in which you can lose control of your company and prepare you to negotiate theterms yourself.
The session will provide a general overview of Canadian patent disclosurerequirements, followed by a detailed analysis of the concepts of reasonablespeculation and overclaiming, and an overview of experimental design.
Cash is the fuel for building a strong business. Many companies are profitable withrevenue on the books but with no money in the bank they’re cash poor. By notrespecting that ‘cash is king’, business owners can miss payments, payroll or evenendure bankruptcy. Adequate cash flow is integral to ensuring a business is actuallyoperating as strongly as it may look on income statements and balance sheets.Join Mustafa Dossajee from SB Partners who will share what you need to know tokeep on top of cash flow. How are you generating it? Where is it being used and howmuch do you really have?
How will you differentiate yourself from the competition? In this workshop, Carol &Laurie will leverage their experience in developing strategic plans for some of theworld’s biggest brands to help you build your startup brand. Using relevant casestudies to illustrate the importance of branding, you will create a draft of your brandvision, your key target, their needs & wants, and what differentiates you from thecompetition.
Invention Disclosures for Maximum Effect
Cash is King: Practical Cash Flow Management in Startups
Building a Kick‐A@#! Brand Strategy
Lotfi Belkir, PhD - Associate Professor, McMaster University
Steven Leach, JD - Partner, Ridout & Maybee
Mustafa Dossajee, CPA, CA - Partner, SB Partners LLB
Carol Chong & Laurie Thompson - Director, Sklar Wilton & Associates
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SESSIONS
The Ins and Outs of Money ‐ Planning for Funding and Exits
Money makes the world go round - it is the life blood of a business. There are manypotential sources of funding for your business and each has different advantages anddisadvantages. Which one should you choose? In this session, Ron, a serial Canadianentrepreneur with multiple successful exits, including ones to RIM and Google, willdistill his decades of experience in building, funding, and selling companies. He willexplore what helps and hinders efforts to procure these different sources of funding,the subtleties of such dealmaking, and what investors look for in these case.
Learn the pitch Silicon Valley startups use to win funding. Over 90% of fundedstartups use the same formula. It's almost impossible to win funding without it. Thissession shares the formula and gives you the chance to improve your pitch during theworkshop.
Valuation is a blend of art and science. Its subjective nature can lead to largevariations in estimates amongst different interested parties. In this session, you willexplore common situations in which a pre-revenue company requires a valuation.You will also become will familiar with factors that impact an investor’s valuation andsome of the popular methods used to estimate a valuation.
How do you sell? What does success look like? What would you like on your pizza?These three questions have guided me throughout my career as a niche technologymarketer. This session will introduce young entrepreneurs to ways to deal with someof the most challenging aspects of marketing. Much is drawn from my 30+ yearsapplying my engineering background to business. As often as possible, I'll engage theaudience in open discussion to make the session as productive as possible.
The Startup Pitch: A Proven Formula to Win Funding
Venture Valuation: Reality Check
The Three most Profound Questions in my Marketing Career
Ron Neumann - CEO & Founder, VistaShift
Chris Lipp, Author of "The Startup Pitch" - Pitch Coach, Pitchpower
Gerard Buckley, BBA, FICB, CMC, ICD.D, Acc. Dir. - Managing Director, Jaguar Capital Inc.
Tom Lee, PhD - Chief Education Officer, Quanser
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VENUE4350 South Service Rd, Burlington, ON(between Appleby Line and Walker's Line)
Ron Joyce Centre
Shuttle buses will be provided
from Appleby Go station,
McMaster University's DeGroote
School of Business, and Hamilton
Go station. Buses will leave at
7:30AM and 7:45AM from each of
these locations in efforts to arrive
on time.
From Toronto: Take the QEW or
407 Westbound. Take the
Appleby Line exit and turn left and
head south (toward Lake Ontario).
At the traffic signal turn right onto
Harvester Road. Next, turn right
onto South Service Road (street
after Zelco Drive).
Free parking is available at the
Ron Joyce Centre. Should the lot
be full, please notify one of the
event organizers.
Shuttle Bus
Driving Directions
Parking
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WEEKEND EVENTSPre‐Conference Networking EventFriday, November 20th, 8-10pm
3330 S Service Rd, Burlington, ON
Join us at one of Burlington's premiere nightlife spotsto meet fellow the committee members, a fewspeakers, and your fellow conference delegates! Thereis a cash bar available, but we will provide some lightsnacks on us!
Please note that this venue has a dress code (businesscasual/classy; no ripped jeans, t-shirtsa, hats, runningshoes), and the venue becomes 25+ after 10pm.
Post‐Conference After‐PartySaturday, November 21, 9:30pm107 George St, Hess Village, Hamilton, ON
Once the excitement dies down and the lights go outin the RJC, there's no reason to stop the party! Takethe shuttle bus back to Hamilton, and meet yourcolleagues at legendary Hess Village for a night ofsocializing and snacks!
Please note that while the shuttle bus will drop youoff at Hamilton GO or McMaster University, theshuttle will not be available for post-partytransportation.
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COMMITTEE
ZACK MUQTADIR PHILIP ZIMNYSocial Media Coordinator Quebec Relations Coordinator
ChairpersonNIK JEWELL ANDREW SCULLION MELANIE RODRIGUES
Website Coordinator Manager
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Registration CoordinatorLIS MELO DANIEL DINIZO DILLON MULCAHY
Marketing Coordinator Speakers Coordinator
If you have anyquestions or issues on
the day of theconference, find oneof us and let us know!
CONTACT US
WEBSITE:EMAIL:
ACTION Conference 2015
@ACTIONConf2015
Actionconference
ACTION Conference
Have any questions or comments?Drop us a line! We would love to hear your feedback on wentwent well and not-so-well in this year's conference. We arealways happy to chat about new ideas, interests, andopportunities!
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