MaRS Captures Entrepreneurial Spirit

MaRS experienced tech in a whole new way this spring, welcoming 300 participants to a dynamic day-long event designed to create engaging dialogue between entrepreneurial and academic talent, market analysts, investors and the industry leaders who know how to build successful tech companies.

The inaugural Experience!Tech event brought together state-of-the-industry market commentary – broadcast from IDC’s annual Directions Conference in Boston – with local industry perspective through MaRS “Master Classes”, creating just the right mix of conference and un-conference for Toronto’s tech community. The day’s sessions combined to successfully distill the macro-level of an exploding industry down to tangible, realistic opportunities for on-the-ground entrepreneurs.

Grover Righter, noted San Francisco tech guru, did just that in his live keynote address by drilling down and focusing the entrepreneur on how to get from $0 to exit with less capital. Righter mapped out a step-by-step playbook on how to advance a tech venture in a new age of lower technology costs, outsourcing options and conservative financiers.

MaRS “Master Classes” mentor sessions in the afternoon gave rise to authentic, colourful discussion on opportunities in enterprise, Web 2.0, social networks and mobile sectors from a variety of experts speaking from the trenches. And the laidback feel of the Tech Showcase cafe invited attendees to sit with leaders of emerging companies and their laptops to uncover the next killer app or algorithm.

In the closing keynote broadcast from Boston, Palo Alto design legend Tom Kelley, General Manager of IDEO, shared some insights on innovation from his latest book Ten Faces of Innovation: Managing in a Market of Continuous Change. Kelley reminded us to be the anthropologist – to turn our heads away from our screens, now and then, and ensure we design for our customer’s real pain points.

For more information on this event, visit www.marsdd.com/exptech08.

MORE INFORMATION

• First we take Boston... then we take Berlin
• Experience!Tech 2008 Photos (Flickr)

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MaRS FACTS

MaRS provides advisory services to entrepreneurs – from market intelligence and financing, to partnership building, sales and PR advice – through its team of Venture Group advisors.