BES Mentor Speed Dating

So today is the day for MSD 2.0! All companies, founders and entrepreneurs please note that the event starts at 3:30 sharp so you need to get there early to sign in and navigate the halls of Clark Wilson. Let me know if you have any questions. Look forward to seeing you there. Mack

Wonder no more! In by April 30th if you want to play. MentorSpeedDating@gmail.com

A pet peeve of mine has long been business networking groups that are too industry specific. Or association events where a whole bunch of people from one industry gather and bitch or socialize, but no real connections are made. And as much as conferences can be terrific learning and socializing experiences, they also seldom offer new relationships that lead to perspective shifts, enlightened discoveries, employment opportunities or generally crea... [read more]

McElroy Flavelle: Looks very cool. I will be tied up this month but will definitely be at the next one. I've heard good things about likemind.

Mark Busse: Just a reminder that if any of you are able, please do join us tomorrow morning at W2 Culture + Media house for some good coffee and conversation with interesting people from a variety of industries and backgrounds. Everyone is welcome. Mark

Well the first Mentor Speed Dating was a fantastic success. Thanks to everybody who helped organize and who came out. Of course we are very grateful to Clark Wilson LLP for the venue. A review of the event, written by Lyal Avery (one of the mentors) can be found here: http://www.techvibes.com/blog/bes-mentor-speed-dating Because things went so well we plan on running another one in a couple of months. If you would like to help us organize or get ... [read more]

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Simon Wilson: I'm glad that so many mentors decided to show up and give their time and feedback to the companies on-hand. There were some very gifted people at the event and I hope that both companies and mentors got a chance to meet some new people and form some ... [read more]

Jerry Chang: very interested about the next one. anyone have any idea yet about when it would be? in the meantime, i'm looking for a mentor or just a fellow startup founder to talk and bounce ideas off each other!

McElroy Flavelle: Hi Jerry, The next Mentor Speed Dating will probably be in two months. So the beginning of May. Actually, thanks for reminding me. We need to get the ball rolling again.

We are thrilled by your enthusiasm and look forward to your experience but only have room for 10 of you. For this first session you must have been emailed by an organizer to attend. If you we're not emailed then we have already filled all the spots but are REALLY looking forward to your participation experience for the next iteration.

Simon Koldyk: Who are they 10 mentors?

McElroy Flavelle: Hey Simon, We are just finalizing the list now. There will be two lawyers, some design guys, some sales and biz dev people and at least one technical guru. See you tomorrow, M.

Simon Wilson: Simon, since this is the first Mentor Speed Dating Event in our area (to my knowledge!) we are also looking use tomorrow's event as a test to see what the future will bring. If a particular mentor is missing from the list, we will look to fill that g... [read more]

The good people at Clark Wilson LLP have offered to host Mentor Speed Dating for us. They are also providing coffee, tea and juice! Where: 800 - 885 West Georgia. (Go to the 8th floor and you will be escorted to the board room.) When: Wednesday February 10th. Registration starts at 7:30, the event itself is from 8:00 - 10:00. We have a limited number of spots for companies so arrive early as we have a firm capacity limit and participation is on a... [read more]

Hey everyone, we’re getting closer to the date for our Mentor Speed Dating event and with it come some thoughts. Having spent my career in technology and the staffing business, I have gained an appreciation for the unprecedented ability we have in today’s uber-connected world to leverage our networks to get things done. I’m sure that like me, you too have reached out to your network to solve a problem or help with a sale or complete a project tha... [read more]

We're kicking the tires on this system for the Mentor Speed Dating event, but having a social space to ask questions and connect is something that many people have asked us about. Please leave a comment in particular about the questions / information on the user profiles. Is there other information that you'd like to see? Were any of the questions confusing? BTW, once you've signed up for a Crowdvine powered site, you don't need to refill out you... [read more]

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Boris Mann: Hi Johnny -- I notice you've already entered yourself as a mentor, which is great: you've done all you need to. We plan on continuing to use and build this site, and people can use it even when there aren't events. Once we do plan the next event (let... [read more]

Simon Wilson: Blog posting with details up at bootup.ca!

Simon Wilson: Garland, were you thinking of an LI group for Mentor Speed Dating? We are using this site to aggregate mentors and companies for the event so an LI group may be something we could use after the event to keep participants connected and updated. Was th... [read more]