the toronto startup environment - a talk for the 2014 sage canada conference
Post on 17-Oct-2014
262 views
DESCRIPTION
I delivered this talk on the Toronto Startup Environment at the SAGE Canada conference on March 1 2014. If you're unable to view it due to the PowerPoint 2013 format, connect with me for an original copy.TRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: The Toronto Startup Environment - a talk for the 2014 SAGE Canada conference](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022051608/54418071afaf9f36248b4710/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
THE TORONTO STARTUP ENVIRONMENTAn Insider Perspective from SoJo’s Zainab Habib
![Page 2: The Toronto Startup Environment - a talk for the 2014 SAGE Canada conference](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022051608/54418071afaf9f36248b4710/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
WHAT IS A STARTUP?
![Page 3: The Toronto Startup Environment - a talk for the 2014 SAGE Canada conference](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022051608/54418071afaf9f36248b4710/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
THE DICTIONARY DEFINITIONS…“… a fledgling business enterprise”
- Merriam-Webster
“… a business or undertaking that has recently begun operation”
The American Heritage Dictionary
![Page 4: The Toronto Startup Environment - a talk for the 2014 SAGE Canada conference](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022051608/54418071afaf9f36248b4710/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
… OR THIS ONE FOR TECHNICAL PURPOSES“… categorically that after about three years in business, most startups cease being startups. This often coincides with other factors that indicate a graduation from startup-dom: acquisition by a larger company, more than one office, revenues greater than $20 million, more than 80 employees, over five people on the board, and founders who have personally sold shares. Somewhat ironically, when a startup becomes profitable it is likely moving away from startuphood.”
Natalie Robehmed at Forbes, “What is a Startup?”
![Page 5: The Toronto Startup Environment - a talk for the 2014 SAGE Canada conference](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022051608/54418071afaf9f36248b4710/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
AND WHERE DO I FIT ON THIS MAP?
![Page 6: The Toronto Startup Environment - a talk for the 2014 SAGE Canada conference](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022051608/54418071afaf9f36248b4710/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
ENTREPRENEUR AT SOJO…SoJo is about helping you take your ideas into action.
![Page 7: The Toronto Startup Environment - a talk for the 2014 SAGE Canada conference](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022051608/54418071afaf9f36248b4710/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
… AND AT THE DIGITAL MEDIA ZONEThe DMZ is an incubator for tech startups like us, where we can get the resources and business support we need to grow.
![Page 8: The Toronto Startup Environment - a talk for the 2014 SAGE Canada conference](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022051608/54418071afaf9f36248b4710/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
AT SOJO, I DO ALL THINGS CONTENT AND COMMUNITYMy job is to connect our users to ideas, resources, and other people!
![Page 9: The Toronto Startup Environment - a talk for the 2014 SAGE Canada conference](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022051608/54418071afaf9f36248b4710/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
BUT FIRST, WE NEED TO CLEAR UP SOME MYTHS…1. You have to be a white male Ivy-League school
dropout to make it.
2. It’s all about the money and the competition.
3. There’s nothing left to invent/change.
4. Startups live only in Silicon Valley, New York, and London.
![Page 10: The Toronto Startup Environment - a talk for the 2014 SAGE Canada conference](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022051608/54418071afaf9f36248b4710/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
BUT THERE’S A REASON TORONTO RANKS #4 WORLDWIDE
At least according to Startup Genome, a California-based research organization…
![Page 11: The Toronto Startup Environment - a talk for the 2014 SAGE Canada conference](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022051608/54418071afaf9f36248b4710/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
TORONTO’S GREATEST ASSET: DIVERSITY
![Page 12: The Toronto Startup Environment - a talk for the 2014 SAGE Canada conference](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022051608/54418071afaf9f36248b4710/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
1. DIVERSITY OF PEOPLE… AND ENTREPRENEURS
“Our world is not homogeneous, so why should startups and the
products/services that are being created be so vanilla?”
Jesse Martinez, cofounder of Spark America, a non profit that also consists of the Latino Startup
Alliance
![Page 13: The Toronto Startup Environment - a talk for the 2014 SAGE Canada conference](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022051608/54418071afaf9f36248b4710/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
2. DIVERSITY OF STARTUPS… AND MOTIVATIONS
“If you’re passionate about something and you work hard, then I think you
will be successful.”
Pierre Omidyar, Ebay founder and chairman
![Page 14: The Toronto Startup Environment - a talk for the 2014 SAGE Canada conference](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022051608/54418071afaf9f36248b4710/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
DIFFERENT TYPES OF STARTUPS Lifestyle startups work to live their passion
Small-business startups work to feed the family
Scalable startups born to be big
Buyable startups acquisition targets
Social startups driven to make a difference
Large-company startups innovate or evaporate
Steve Blanks, serial entrepreneur, author, and lecturer in “Steve Blanks: The 6 Types of Startups”
![Page 15: The Toronto Startup Environment - a talk for the 2014 SAGE Canada conference](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022051608/54418071afaf9f36248b4710/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
3. DIVERSITY OF PROBLEMS… AND OPPORTUNITIES
“The beautiful thing about innovation is that it moves industries forward, often times taking standard ways of doing
things in other industries or cultures and applying them in new ways.”
Angela Benton, founder of the NewMe Accelerator
![Page 16: The Toronto Startup Environment - a talk for the 2014 SAGE Canada conference](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022051608/54418071afaf9f36248b4710/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
![Page 17: The Toronto Startup Environment - a talk for the 2014 SAGE Canada conference](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022051608/54418071afaf9f36248b4710/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
4. DIVERSITY OF RESOURCES… AND POSSIBILITIES
“Don’t worry about funding if you don’t need it. Today it’s cheaper to
start a business than ever.”
Noah Everett, Twitpic founder
![Page 18: The Toronto Startup Environment - a talk for the 2014 SAGE Canada conference](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022051608/54418071afaf9f36248b4710/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
THERE’S SO MANY RESOURCES! BUT…
![Page 19: The Toronto Startup Environment - a talk for the 2014 SAGE Canada conference](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022051608/54418071afaf9f36248b4710/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
ONE STUDENT’S JOURNEY WITH SOJOWollette Brown, C.W. Jeffries
From the DMZ’s YouTube channel, uploaded on January 24 2014
![Page 20: The Toronto Startup Environment - a talk for the 2014 SAGE Canada conference](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022051608/54418071afaf9f36248b4710/html5/thumbnails/20.jpg)
BUT WHAT ABOUT IT?
![Page 21: The Toronto Startup Environment - a talk for the 2014 SAGE Canada conference](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022051608/54418071afaf9f36248b4710/html5/thumbnails/21.jpg)
IT’S ABOUT THE MINDSET
“Startup is a state of mind. It’s when people join your company and are still making the
explicit decision to forgo stability in exchange for the promise of tremendous
growth and the excitement of making immediate impact.”
Adora Cheung, cofounder and CEO of Homejoy, one of the Hottest U.S. Startups of 2013
![Page 22: The Toronto Startup Environment - a talk for the 2014 SAGE Canada conference](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022051608/54418071afaf9f36248b4710/html5/thumbnails/22.jpg)
MY CHALLENGE TO YOU?Pick a statement or two (or more) that resonates with you.
Then knowing what I’ve told you today about the startup environment in Toronto, do something about it.
![Page 23: The Toronto Startup Environment - a talk for the 2014 SAGE Canada conference](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022051608/54418071afaf9f36248b4710/html5/thumbnails/23.jpg)
![Page 24: The Toronto Startup Environment - a talk for the 2014 SAGE Canada conference](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022051608/54418071afaf9f36248b4710/html5/thumbnails/24.jpg)
THANK YOU!
I mean it. I really do.
![Page 25: The Toronto Startup Environment - a talk for the 2014 SAGE Canada conference](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022051608/54418071afaf9f36248b4710/html5/thumbnails/25.jpg)
TWITTER/INSTAGRAM: @THE_SOJO
Or come see me at the SoJo booth here today!