Why we’re going to Startupfest and you should too
Many of us at Dynamo are looking forward to attending Startupfest this week. For us, this event represents an important part of Montreal’s thriving startup ecosystem. In short — it’s not just about tech: it’s a place for angel investors, funds, accelerators, entrepreneurs, potential employees and prospective clients to connect.
Community building (as we know it) doesn’t exist
I hear the term ‘community building’ being thrown around quite extensively these days. The value and desire to do it is obvious. More and more, we find ourselves looking for ways to steer our collective efforts into building communities that can achieve something for the greater good. This shift comes as an alternative to organizations that cannibalize each other, i.e. promoting their individual and immediate profit over a global and more sustainable outcome.
Yet the term ‘community building’ still bugs me: you can’t artificially build a community of practice. Instead, what you can do is provide the tools and environments that will scaffold the development of a community around a particular subject of interest. In other words, the effect isn’t immediate. Communities are built over time — you can’t just hit the proverbial play button, start a Twitter account and build a community. It happens naturally and organically. Moreover, it happens when you create real possibilities of ownership and agency, otherwise people will quickly move away.
Why Startupfest matters
Montreal is an ideal setting for early-stage tech startups to take shape. Our city boasts a lively, cultural milieu, cheap rent, an affordable talent pool and the inimitable Québécois joie-de-vivre.
The startup scene here is vibrant and provides a solid launchpad for entrepreneurs to build a product or start a company. Most insiders agree that what works in Montreal’s tech scene is a strong sense of community, collaboration and collective vision. Places like Notman House, a re-purposed mansion in the heart of downtown, reinforce this point-of-view by renting office and work-space, staging events and fulfilling the role of an incubator. On the other hand,there’s a general sense that Montreal isn’t where the heart of the action is. Many startup founders move to the bigger playgrounds of New York or San Francisco to raise their A- or B-Series rounds.
An event like Startupfest, however, has the power to change this. After three years, the conference has grown into a global gathering of the world’s best entrepreneurs, investors, and mentors — featuring world-class keynote speakers, how-to sessions, thought-provoking predictions and opportunities to connect hungry entrepreneurs with top VCs, angel investors and accelerators. It’s an event carefully tailored to a community that is eager to connect.
What’s in it for us?
So why are we so interested in startups you may be wondering? Of course, there’s a business element that makes startups interesting for us. Beyond this however, for the past few years we’ve learned that partnering with progressive startups is a way for us to actually make an impact in the world. Over our last 15 years in the business, we’ve seen an uptick in the number of startups looking to build products that make the world more efficient, creative, and ultimately, better.
The real turning point that steered us into the startup direction came to us by email. A few years ago, a small, third-wave coffee company approached us, asking if we’d be interested in redesigning their website with GV (formerly Google Ventures). The founder, James Freeman, had a few radical ideas: source single-origin beans, roast coffee with an extensive dedication to craft, and brew the best coffee in the world. Their main motto is to only sell coffee that has been roasted within 48 hours from purchase, so consumers can enjoy the best flavour possible. That company was Blue Bottle Coffee, and after our fruitful collaboration — we were hooked.
Since then, we’ve been lucky to work with many innovative American startups such as Glossier, redesigning how women buy beauty products. Another example we’re quite proud of is Flatiron, helping them to reach partners looking to set new standards for oncology care. Lately we’ve also been working with local innovators such as Goodfood, revisiting their name, brand and packaging design to help Canadians get fresh recipes and ingredients delivered right to their door across the country.
And we’re just getting started. We’re actively looking for ways to forge new partnerships and work opportunities with startups in Montreal. Just as buying local products helps support and sustain local business, we believe that actively partnering with startups in Montreal will strengthen the community. We’d love to see you at Startupfest, and look forward to meeting all kinds of inspiring entrepreneurs. You can learn more about the way we work here, or as always, hit us up on Twitter!
