On the trip home from a conference last year, it struck me how lonely it was. Yes I talked with people on the train. I had wifi and a phone but I didn’t have anyone who had shared the awesome conference experience I’d just been through, I wanted to keep it going. Returning to my city, I wanted to keep it the momentum rolling there as well.
I happened to have attended an amazing conference named BitNorth. In the case of the crap conferences, the travel back and forth is even more torturous. BitNorth is unique in that it really attempts to leverage what are typically considered the fringe elements of conferences.
All this left me wondering if we could make crappy conferences better and great conferences awesome by explicitly building up the fringes. We, at ThreeFortyNine, are taking our first shot at it this July. We’re cheating by starting with an amazing conference with The International Startup Festival in Montreal. We’re getting ourselves our own first class car on a Via train to travel to the conference and back from Toronto, Guelph, or Kitchener-Waterloo. We’re filling the car with founders, funders and startup junkies. For us this experience starts when we hop on the train and it doesn’t end when the conference ends. It won’t even end when we get off the train since you’ll be returning to your city with a group of friends who’ve shared this experience with you. We’ll conspire, plan, meet and keep the momentum going.
In the case of the best roadtrips of my youth, I can hardly recall what our destination was. It’s the getting there I remember. It’s the getting there that was the starting point of something bigger.
Join us this July as we bring the Ontario startup scene to Montreal and give them a peek at who we are and what we’re building. Clearly we have limited seats on our train car so when we sell out, we’re sold out for realz.
I’ve booked my seat. I still have to pay @Brydon:twitter but I’m looking forward to the train.
Entrepreneurs can think about this as a way to develop relationships with local investors, other startups, and use it as an opportunity to gather feedback and find ways to start business development conversations.
I’m hoping @spelton:twitter @briankobus:twitter @goldenvp:twitter @howardgwin:twitter @derekjsmyth:twitter will join us for some good times.
I’m 100% in! When Brydon told me about this idea of an organized train ride to Startup Festival, it only confirmed what I already knew – the man is a genius.
I’m really looking forward to talking all things startups and about disruptive trends creating opportunities for entrepreneurs to shake things up. But even more than that, I think it’ll be a great way to get to know some awesome new people who are passionate about the startup scene in Canada. If you haven’t bought your ticket yet, get one before they’re gone!
Wish I could make it .. Fundraising is keeping me too busy. Have fun chaps
I hear we added @aprildunford:twitter to the travel roster. This is shaping up to be an excellent 4-6 hours of travel.
Let’s see, fundraising or finding kickass entrepreneurs. I say let your partners fundraise and inspire the entrepreneurs. ;-)
Good luck i hope the @round13capital fund closes soon.
I’m totally in! It sure beats having to make small talk with a plumbing salesman on the airplane :)
Yes. would be great to have @round13capital joining the Canadian investment landscape
Perhaps we should petition the dragon for @spelton ‘s time!
@kenseto:twitter is in and I’m working on @danmartell:twitter and @missrogue:twitter as well…Oh and @michaellitt:twitter. please apply pressure accordingly!!
how do you petition a dragon? Does this mean @kevinolearytv:twitter just yells at me about how stupid this idea is?