The living history of Canadian tech

I have successfully returned (and recovered) from summer camp for Canadian tech: Startupfest.

I’m quite fond of that moniker, but what does it mean? More broadly, how is Startupfest different from any other tech event?

“History never stops. It’s a living reality.”
Phil Telio
Startupfest founder

Well, Startupfest is an event where grandmas are the most popular pitch competition judges and dragon boat races or inclement weather can interrupt your plans. But the whole point is to get Canadian tech on Montréal’s beautiful waterfront in the summer and actually spend time connecting.

I’ve been to Startupfest 11 times, but this year was Startupfest’s 15th anniversary. We’ve had Startupfest organizers Alistair Croll and Rebecca Croll on the podcast before, but never founder Phil Telio. So he joins us this week to talk about the history of Startupfest, which turned into a conversation about the history of Canadian tech.

History (along with ambition) was a big theme of Startupfest this year: the event featured a hall of fame wall celebrating 45 people instrumental in helping Startupfest over the last decade and a half, and a door taken from the now shuttered Montréal tech hub Notman House, filled with stickers of the many startups that had passed through its halls.

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But this episode isn’t a museum exhibit. As Phil says, “History never stops. It’s a living reality.”

This podcast is about the origins of Canadian tech community and how that community evolves with each generation. Sometimes a door can be a bridge.

Let’s dig in.

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Edited by Darian MacDonald. Feature image courtesy Douglas Soltys for BetaKit.