Reflection of CN Tower
uploaded by: Born Sleepy
I totally agree with the David Crow’s blog and related comments – Toronto lacks a cohesive presence in the world of emerging technologies. Yes, there are visible attempts from all sides of the community: local governments and existing membership driven organizations. But, do we need one more?
Creating a brand new entity offers an advantage of a fresh start, possibly attracting new people, momentum, etc. Yet existing organizations are putting forward new initiatives aimed at attracting new members and being responsive to the needs of the community. The field appears crowded, if one looks at it from the standpoint of the government and philanthropic funders. What will allow Tech T.O. to stand out?
I believe SDForum owes its longevity to its organizational structure: yes, there is a representative Board of Directors but real action is at the Special Interest Group or “SIG� level.
SIGs are as fluid as emerging technologies, they offer opportunities to explore new fields, and they become mini-communities of action once they set out to organize an event. There are many SIGs, they meet in many locations across the Valley, and the org chart is more like this: http://socialwrite.com/2006/12/19/the-new-org-chart/
Effectively, many tech-related grassroots activities in the GTA are SIGs. However, these initiatives would gain scope, publicity and, more importantly, continuity with a bit of funding, a board and a couple of paid staff.
One of the distinct advantages of MaRS is its neutrality (all 3 levels of government funded MaRS, AFTER a group of private individuals put significant cash towards starting MaRS). Also, the MaRS board and management team bring to the table significant corporate experience but MaRS is not “owned� by any one vendor.
MaRS already works with many GTA-based tech start-ups, we are engaged with the VCs, and cashed-out CEOs often come to MaRS Venture Group in search of a next gig. We also host many educational and networking events and with the right resources could expand. Becoming a more useful and even integral part of the local tech community is a natural extension of MaRS’ current activities. Just HOW we do that is still under discussion – but part of our role has to be supporting the energy and initiative that democamp and barcamp and MESH exemplify….
Veronika Litinski provides advisory services to entrepreneurs and high growth companies, with a special focus on life sciences markets, specializing in corporate finance and business development.
