BetaKit, TechTO, and Sage have teamed up to host one of the many decentralized tech events taking place in Montréal between Oct. 18 and 24.
As part of Open House Montréal (OHMTL), the three organizations will bring together two of the city’s iconic entrepreneurs: Shopify president Harley Finkelstein and DavidsTea founder David Segal.
“If you have an established startup, then you fit into some of the moulds, but there are so many people who don’t fit into some of the moulds that are still figuring it out.”
Simran Kanda, Elantech
The duo will share the lessons, challenges, and pivotal moments that shaped their entrepreneurial journeys in a fireside chat at HEC Montréal on Oct. 20. Free registration for the event is available here.
Open House Montréal attendees will also have a chance to hear from several Canadian tech leaders at more TechTO events throughout the week, including a Venture Showcase, the Boast Funding Stage, the Together With Women panel, and market overviews of gaming tech and travel tech. All of TechTO’s OHMTL events are free, but spots are limited.
“Montréal has such a vibrant tech community,” TechTO CEO Marie Chevrier Schwartz said in a statement. “We’re excited to host seven events that spotlight inspiring leaders and create meaningful opportunities to learn and connect.”
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Open House Montréal is an extension of Startup Open House, which the non-profit MTL NewTech (now known as Elantech) acquired the rights to last year. Since then, the event has been experimenting with expanding its decentralized format beyond a startup showcase, Elantech executive director Simran Kanda told BetaKit in an interview. In planning for OHMTL, she noted that the organizers want to maintain the hype generated by other decentralized “tech weeks” and turn it into momentum.
To achieve that goal, Kanda said next month’s event will focus more on builders than startups and capital.
“If you have an established startup, then you fit into some of the moulds, but there are so many people who don’t fit into some of the moulds that are still figuring it out,” Kanda said. “Hopefully, by next year, we’ll create enough momentum that we see the dynamic Montréal back, and we see a lot of people who are on the verge of entrepreneurship and tech still testing the waters.”
Open House Montréal has more than 60 events on the docket, with more rolling out by the end of the month, Kanda said. This includes build days, hackathons, networking events, and the classic Startup Open House showcase.
Disclosure: BetaKit majority owner Good Future is the family office of two former Shopify leaders, Arati Sharma and Satish Kanwar.
Feature image courtesy TechTO.