The Best Startup Events in Canada

Good startup events will be home to a room full of people that will help you grow as an entrepreneur. They will be working through or have already solved a lot of problems you face.

A bad startup event, on the other hand, will be excessively marketed and likely promise a lot of things that are difficult to deliver. Trust us, you don’t want to waste your time at one of these events.

If your startup is based in Canada, you’re in luck. This article will take a look at some of the best startup events in Canada.
 

What Makes Startup Events Good Or Bad?

If you are in the startup world, you’d be hard-pressed to find a way better than attending startup events to network with people, learn new things, and grow as a professional.

The key is finding the right event.

These 4 guidelines should help you determine if a startup event is high-quality or not:

• You want to be in a room full of highly-qualified professionals.
• You want to be in a structured environment that facilitates networking.
• You want to hear people speak that might influence future business decisions
• You want it to be fun!

It’s easy to get stuck in your own ways when your life revolves around a business that you’ve created, but startup events can help.

Here are the best startup events in Canada:
 

1. Startup Canada

A combination of weekly online webinars and signature in-person events, Startup Canada is a great option available to you.

As described on their website:

“Startup Canada is a grassroots network of entrepreneurs working together to build an environment for entrepreneurship in Canada.

Through online platforms, grassroots Startup Communities and cross-sector initiatives, Startup Canada is advancing entrepreneurial momentum and a culture of entrepreneurship, as the voice of Canadian entrepreneurs.”

Their cornerstone event, Startup Day Canada, boasts an attendance of 1,100 of Canada’s leading entrepreneurs, innovators, investors, and industry executives.

With the diverse crowd of professionals at this event, who knows? You’re as likely to bump into someone that could seed your next round of funding as you are someone that can help innovate the tech-side of your project.
 

Digital Events/Resources

Besides their in-person events, Startup Canada features a weekly online webinar called #StartupChats. Perusing through their site, you’ll find tips on anything from digital marketing to bookkeeping services, to paying taxes.

Whether you plan to join a live networking event or not, these weekly webinars could be very beneficial to the success of your startup company.

And if you’re the type that likes to learn while you work, they also host a weekly podcast, too.
 

2. Startup Grind Toronto

Next on our list of startup events is Startup Grind Toronto. Where the previous event boasted features specific to Canadian entrepreneurs, this Toronto event is part of a larger network of Startup Grinds that showcase in cities across the world. They even host seminars as far as Cape Town, South Africa!

Covering 350 cities, 120 countries, and reaching over 1 million entrepreneurs worldwide, this startup event might seem a little overwhelming.

But you can be assured that their reputation is upheld by the large number of people they consistently serve.

You can see a list of their upcoming events here. Topics ranging from crowdfunding, creating innovation labs for your business, and net neutrality populates the page currently.

As you can see, they cover wide ranges of content, which in turn could connect you to a wide range of people.
 

Digital Events/Resources

Being one branch of a larger entity has its perks when it comes to digital resources available to consumers. Startup Grind Toronto displays many of their worldwide events as focal points for their online resources, including their blog.

They also offer video resources for starting a business in Canada and a podcast, too. Many of their live events are converted directly into podcast episodes and cover a wide range of material.
 

3. Canadian Colleges and Startups

Believe it or not, one of the best resources for startup events in Canada is through some of the colleges, universities, and already established businesses

Many bright young entrepreneurs are still in school, and the ones that have made it work are putting their foot forward to give back to others.

That’s why, when push comes to shove, you can find high-quality startup events that spark innovation and creativity simply by looking at events across Canada.

You will find specific topics being discussed by industry-leading professionals. And to top it all off, they are usually reasonably-priced to cater to the university crowd they are serving.

Suffice to say that it would be wise for a budding entrepreneur to at least keep some of these one-off events on their radar.
 

Conclusion

What is the goal of your startup? Do you hope to innovate an industry or tackle a problem that, to date, hasn’t been solved?

Attending a startup event could help you achieve that goal. A good startup event will have people you can network with, learn from, and rely on in the future as your business becomes more established.

Be wary of startup events that seem too salesy or market heavily. Because the nature of these gatherings is that it should be effective for entrepeneurs, the good ones don’t have to tell you how great they are.

Their numbers and topics should speak for themselves. Like Startup Canada or Startup Grind Toronto. Both events are trusted, innovative, and home to a lot of rising entrepreneurs.

And if those aren’t near you, at least keep an eye on what local businesses may be doing in your area. You’re bound to stumble on something good!

As you get started with registering your business, don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions. And don’t forget to take a look at some of our other blog posts, too.

Happy networking!