2016-2017

News Release

REF NO.: 124

SUBJECT: Memorial University's Genesis Centre to host premier startup event

DATE: August 30, 2017

Memorial University’s Genesis Centre will host Atlantic Canada’s premier startup conference from Sept. 19-20.

Invest Atlantic brings together the entrepreneurial spirit of Atlantic Canada.

The conference, which begins on Tuesday, Sept. 19, at 8:30 a.m. at the Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland, has three main goals: collaboration, innovation and globalization.

Interactive speakers will coach entrepreneurs in pitching and building their business; connect angel investors with Atlantic Canadian startups; and encourage collaboration among attendees.

Now in its second year, Invest Atlantic will offer the ever-popular Pitch Camp, which invites entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas to a room packed with hundreds of investors, potential partners and seasoned entrepreneurs.

The highlight of this year’s conference is keynote speaker and self-proclaimed tech guru, Alistair Croll, who will explore the topics of incremental innovation, the destruction of disruption and revolutionizing technologies, such as the printing press, the smartphone and artificial intelligence.

Mr. Croll has more than 20 years’ experience as an entrepreneur, launching companies such as Rednod and Coradiant and consulting for international groups from Google to the White House. He is also the author of three books on the subject of technology and entrepreneurship, including the bestseller Lean Analytics, which has been translated into eight languages. For more information, visit here.

The Genesis Centre, Memorial University’s innovation hub for technology startups, accelerates startups through all stages of idea development from pre-incubation and business model development to investor readiness.

The Jameson Group is a founding partner of Invest Atlantic, as well as the Investment Opportunities Program, Smart Energy and the Pitch 101/201 programs that run in various locations in Atlantic Canada.

“If you’re serious about growing your business, Invest Atlantic is where you want to be,” said David Finlayson, event manager, Jameson Group. “This year’s lineup will blow your mind. We’ve got everyone from Ross Finlay, business and equity finance specialist with the First Angel Network, to Paul Antle, president and CEO of Pluto Investments, to Jill Curran, founder of the Ferryland Lighthouse Picnics. It’s a cross-section of investors, partners and serial entrepreneurs that you won’t often find in one room.”

Government support for Invest Atlantic comes from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation. Strategic partners include Springboard, Dal Lean Start-up, Stewart McKelvey, New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, Innovacorp, Pelorus Venture Capital, PSPC, TD Bank, Smart & Biggar/Fetherstonhaugh, Killick Capital, First Angel Network, Futurpreneur, Business Development Bank of Canada, City of St. John’s, Metro Business Opportunities, Venn Innovations and Succession MMXX.

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