Category Archives: Startups
The Elevator Pitch: What do You do? Why Should I Care?
Most people have heard about the “elevator pitch”, which succinctly describes what your company does and the benefits it offers users. It’s a two or three-line statement that, in theory, compels people to ask for more information. Now, you would … Continue reading
Why Startups Shouldn’t be Afraid of Competition
When I jumped into the startup world in 2000 with Blanketware, we truly believed we had an idea no one else had discovered. So, it was a shock when we stumbled on other startups also focused on the giving users … Continue reading
More Powder for Canadian Startups
It seems fitting that as 2011 winds down and the Canadian startup landscape celebrates an amazing year of activity, iNovia has unveiled a new $110-million fund. Inovia III will focus on investments ranging from a few hundred thousand to as much … Continue reading
Rypple, Revenue and Canada’s Startup Ecosystem
Another day, another acquisition within the Canadian high-tech community as Rypple gets acquired for a reported $65-million by Salesforce.com. It’s great news for Dan Debow and David Stein, the company’s venture investors Edgestone, Bridgescale and Extreme Ventures) and the Canada’s … Continue reading
Should We Drink the Local Kool-Aid?
In the post I wrote earlier this week about the demise of Thoora, there was a comment suggesting that “Toronto failed Thoora” due to a lack of community support to make it a “winning formula”. It was a puzzling comment … Continue reading
The Sad and Positive Side of Startup Failures
As the Canadian startup landscape becomes increasingly active and entrepreneurs get more bullish about their prospects for success, it’s important to remember startups are also high-risk propositions. It means there are far more failures than successes. I was reminded of … Continue reading
