Entre-preneur: Interview with Philippe Telio from Startupfest
From technology to the event industry
After studying engineering at the University of Western Ontario, Phillipe Telio worked at one of the first multimedia and technology firms in Montreal. He was involved in a pioneering voice recognition company as the director responsible for this technology. The crash that took place in 2001 when the “internet bubble” burst ended this adventure and left him no choice but to create his own company, a consulting firm in strategy, marketing, and export support. The project was a success. After seizing several opportunities, his journey that he describes as “organic” will finally lead him to found the Startupfest in 2011 and then FWD50 in 2017.
Personally, what does entrepreneurship bring to you?
“A lot of stress and little sleep, but I am more in control of my destiny! People believe that being an entrepreneur is being free. That’s true in a way, but in reality, you have many more attachments and responsibilities to your clients, employees, etc. I love it because I love making decisions and I love the stress you have when you operate a business. It’s a pretty special feeling to be responsible for other people’s lives. Trying to make other people’s dreams come true is also very rewarding.”
What is your definition of an entrepreneur?
“Someone who has a high level of tolerance for risk and stress. Someone who is willing to put everything on the line to achieve a goal; who has ambitions to succeed and do great things.”
Is passion vital when you want to start a business?
“Yes, because in the beginning, you have nothing! You only have passion. If you are not passionate about what you are going to undertake, it is so difficult to go through each step. You’re going to hear “no” 100 times before you hear “yes”. Without passion, it’s impossible. Some people are passionate about money, but when you’re really passionate about what you do, it’s different.”
An entrepreneur who inspires you?
“Locally, I would say Dax Dasilva from Lightspeed. He is a person who is not in a typical entrepreneurial norm. He has created a unique and differentiated corporate culture and I think what he has done is really impressive.
Across Canada, I would say Tobias Lütke of Shopify. In 10–12 years, he created the company with the highest valuation in Canada. It all started from a passion to equip entrepreneurs to sell themselves. I find that very inspiring.”
How do you think an entrepreneur should consider failure?
“Failure is essential. Making mistakes is normal. I don’t know of any entrepreneur who has never failed. I think we have a problem: too often we want to avoid failure. You can’t innovate without failing, because innovation requires a certain level of experimentation. By experimenting, you’re bound to fail at times.”
Startupfest, events and business ecosystem
This year, the Startupfest had to face the pandemic and saw its organization disrupted like many events. Before looking at what has been put in place to deal with the health risks, let’s first go back to the origins of the event.
The objective of the Startupfest is to bring together the entrepreneurial ecosystem by attracting startups from Montreal, but also from Canada and abroad. We want to create more and better entrepreneurs. We do this by connecting entrepreneurs with others, educating them and providing resources that are necessary for their success.
Constantly testing new formulas and ideas (pitching competitions in the elevators of the world’s tallest towers with the Elevator World Tour for example), the innovation that had to be put forward to organize the 2020 edition was a fairly natural process for Phillipe Telio and his team.
Please tell me how this year’s edition went?
“Our instinct was to get back to the basics of who we are, what we do, and why we do it. Then the question was “How? ». Usually, we organize the event outdoors and we wanted to continue and not just move to an online format, because there are not many possibilities of differentiation in this format. Even though it was with 50 people (the number of participants allowed by the government at the time), we wanted to make it a physical event. Finally, thanks to a studio we got in the old port, we were able to organize the event in a hybrid format (the participants had the option to follow the event online in a classical way or with virtual reality)”.
With the pandemic, how can the event industry reinvent itself?
“Reinvention must be total. Most events will not return to their usual form for a long time, especially those that welcome thousands of people (Jazzfest, Just for Laughs Festival, etc). They have to reinvent themselves. This is the time to use a lot of technology to reach a larger audience. At times like these, it is crucial to stay in touch with your community so that you don’t leave it in the unknown.”
Entrepreneurial Ecosystem and Risk-Taking
Through several events and contests, the Startupfest participates in the expansion of Montreal entrepreneurship internationally. Although it has great potential, the ecosystem must nevertheless accentuate its dynamics in order to become more attractive on the international scene.s
Do you think the Montreal ecosystem is favorable for starting a business?
“Yes. Its multicultural character offers a particularly interesting diversity of ideas. The quality of its resources and talents also encourages people to get started. Finally, the cost of living. If we had good weather it would be perfect!”
How do you see the place of Montreal’s entrepreneurial ecosystem on the international scene?
“I don’t think it’s present enough yet, there aren’t enough ‘big successes’. The entrepreneurial community is dynamic but doesn’t have enough international connections, people haven’t taken the time to travel. There is work to be done to be more recognized. Recognition comes purely through the success of our companies (for example, what would Seattle be without Microsoft, what would Bolder be without Techstars?) In Montreal, we’re starting to get some (Lightspeed, Element AI), but after 10 years, I expected more evolution.”
Do you have any advice for students who want to go into business?
“Nike says it very well: “Just do It”. Once you have an idea in mind, don’t be afraid to take on the challenge. Job security doesn’t exist, it exists when you create your own opportunity. When you’re young, it’s time to take risks. You never feel comfortable, but young is the best time to take risks. Take risks when you’re young because it’s harder to take risks when you’re older.”
Many thanks to Phillipe Telio for this interview.
