March update: In like a Lion... and Larry Smith

March started with breakfast hosted at Communitech. Ended with Larry Smith and some Waterloo Alumni. Lots of founders things in-between.

Larry Smith on spotting opportunities in the next five years

The update starts with how the month closed off — thinking about the next five years with Larry Smith. A group of Waterloo Alumni in tech (founders, investors, and builders) gathered at Vidyard (and on Zoom) for an engaging evening with Larry Smith. Over a full three hours, he talked about the current risks and the amazing opportunities in the immediate future.

There were a lot of great quotes and things to think about. His view that cybersecurity is one of the biggest technical challenges today was surprisingly hard for everyone in the room to anticipate… until he said it.

One of the key takeaways was the importance of maintaining the independence of one’s mind. He used the example of how students can see opportunities where experienced people don’t — largely because they aren’t trapped in the things they think they know.

Thank you, Larry. You are a gem and one of the reasons the Waterloo Region has such a huge impact on tech.

Communitech breakfast: Michael Litt (Vidyard) and Kurtis McBride (Miovision)

The month started with a breakfast hosted at Communitech with Michael Litt of Vidyard and Kurtis McBride of Miovision. They sat down with Chris Albinson from Communitech. You might think it would be all about building a successful company, etc. It wasn’t. They talked about the people who live in the Waterloo Region, why they built their companies here, and the important things they have been supporting.

Both founders/CEOs shared some personal stories and their ambitions for the community.

It was followed by a presentation from the Working Centre - an important organization that helps people in the region.

Hub happening

The Communitech Hub is a very large place with many different folks working in and around the building. A lunch was hosted where dozens of people ‘pitched’ what they were working on in 3 minutes. A mix of founders and service providers cycled through.

Early-stage founders on the MondayClub podcast

Over the last 4 months, I have spent time with over 150 early-stage founders. Some are in Waterloo, some in other cities. Everyone is looking to connect with other folks who are building. To help give you an idea of who is out there, we started a minimum viable podcast with the MondayClub.

Only two have been recorded so far but expect a new one every week or so. They are short (5-10 min) discussions about who they are and what they are working on. For now, they will only be posted on Substack.

DevHouseWaterloo

The 3rd DevHouseWaterloo of 2024 happened at Communitech this month. A group of around 70 developers came to share what they were working on and learn from others. Future DevHouseWaterloo’s are posted on the meetup.

Kicking off April with Socratica!

A dedicated team of students has been organizing a huge event for April 2nd. There will be a 1000-strong gathering of builders to celebrate the work that students have been ‘on the side’ while working on their academic term. It is a mix of technology and art with a huge amount of enthusiasm.

Makes me excited for not only April… but the future of tech in Canada!

Looking forward to what April brings!

About StartupBarn

The StartupBarn is a space inside Communitech for students and recent alumni who are building something (usually aiming to be a startup). This newsletter is designed to provide a regular update on tech-related things in the Waterloo Region and highlight the work founders/builders are doing.

Posts are currently once a month and might be bi-weekly when needed. If you would like to see more stuff featured — send me an email!