Startup Weekend Toronto

Some rights reserved photo by Seattle Municipal Archives

Startup Weekend Toronto, which kicks off June 3, is almost sold out; if you’re on the fence, don’t wait much longer, StartupNorth readers can save 20% by using discount code: STARTUPNORTHSW

This June’s event will have a strong focus on lean startup principles. A fantastic set of speakers are lined up to provide practical advice so you can take what you learn well beyond the weekend itself. While there is no “right” way to start a company, Startup Weekend is here to help provide you with as many tools and connections as possible to help you succeed.

A great set of speakers for Friday night will kick things off and prepare you for what’s ahead. Throughout the weekend there will be mentors dropping in helping teams with their projects. Saturday night, founders will share war stories. The judging panel includes experienced investors and entrepreneurs who you will have a chance to connect with. Startup Weekend  will round up with dinner and awards at an awesome venue to be announced shortly.

The winner of Startup Weekend will enjoy more than just street cred, in addition there will be a cash award to help move the project forward, entry into the Ryerson DMZ for 4 months, video production to help on the marketing front, pro bono legal services, a chance to demo at the next Democamp Toronto (June 9), and more.

 

The Art of the Pitch

There are a lot of different formats and presentations about how to create a pitch for investors. I’ve included my favourites about the structure and template – the resources include Viagra, Sequencing, Hacks and the Art of it all. These are great resources about the structure of your presentation and about what to do (or not to do) in your presentation.

“Give me your tired, your poor/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus

For me one of the best ways to learn is to see real world examples and to rip, mix and burn these into my one words and formats. And we are trying to gather a list of great sample pitches. I’ve included Mint.com, Zapmeals, and an awesome angel pitch from Ali Asaria at Well.ca. But we’re looking for additional examples of great pitch decks to help entrepreneurs see what has worked for others.

The Art, Hacks and Dysfunctional Love of the Pitch

Sample Pitch Decks

Submit example pitches

Week in Review