On October 22, The Upside Foundation, a registered charity that encourages Canadian startups and high-growth companies to “share the upside” through pledged stock options or warrants to the Upside Foundation, is hosting a Meet the Investors and Influencers event.
The event will have up to 40 Canadian venture capitalists and supporters of entrepreneurs — including Salim Teja from MaRS and Narbe Alexandrian from OMERS Ventures — available to talk to aspiring founders and entrepreneurs; already, 400 people are confirmed attending.
The Upside Foundation works by having early-stage companies pledge stock options to the Foundation, and once the company goes through a liquidity event like an IPO or acquisition, the Foundation sells its options and donates the proceeds to registered Canadian charities spanning education, poverty, and technology – chosen with the company’s input. The Upside Foundation is a partner of the Pledge 1% global movement, which encourages companies to pledge one percent of equity, product, and employee time in their communities.
To get tickets for the event, check out the Eventbrite page here. You can also find a full list of the major attendees here.