The Canadian Trade Commissioner Service,

in partnership with Canadian IT cluster organizations is pleased to invite you to the

Canadian Regional Boot Camp for Technology Start-Ups featuring Silicon Valley experts and investors

March 16-20, 2009

Is your start-up looking to have enhanced access to Silicon Valley and US  venture capital, angel networks and Fortune 500 ICT companies? If the answer is yes, we want to hear from you!

The first round of Canadian Regional Boot Camps will include stops in the following ICT cluster regions:

Monday, March 16, World Trade & Convention Centre, Halifax
Tuesday, March 17, CEIM, Montréal
Wednesday, March 18, OCRI, Ottawa
Thursday, March 19, MaRS, Toronto
Friday, March 20, University of Waterloo Accelerator Centre, Waterloo

This one-day boot camp will feature Silicon Valley and other US investors and is specifically designed to facilitate your market access to the US and Silicon Valley venture capital, angel networks and Fortune 500 ICT companies.

Program at a Glance:

Facilitated by Mr. Chris Gill, President of Silicon Valley Association of Start-up Entrepreneurs

• Funding Pitch Preparation. Topics will include:
• • What are US investors looking for?
  • Is your business fundable?
  • How to effectively present the problem, the opportunity and the solution.
  • Presenting your go to market strategy and your business model.
  • Presenting who’s on your team, establishing credibility etc.
  • How to present your evaluation of the competition.
  • How to present your financial projections.

• Pitching Session to a Review Board
• • 10-minute company pitch to local, US and Silicon Valley VC investors
  • Instant pitch feedback by the Board

• Networking Event

What's next for my company?

Following the Regional Boot Camp, the Board will identify the companies/ start-ups with the best chances for success in the US and in the Silicon Valley for the next phase of the program, which is scheduled to take place later in May 2009, in California .

Next phase will enable selected start-ups and SMEs to get maximum exposure to VCs, Angels and strategic partners in order to secure the financing and the commercial alliances they need to accelerate their growth.

Three programs would be made available:

• In the upcoming spring, start-ups would participate in the first Canada Investor day at the Plug and Play Tech Center;
• In the upcoming spring, more established companies would participate in “Launch Silicon Valley”, a key global product launch platform for SMEs.
• Subsidized access for three months to the Canadian Incubator in the Silicon Valley (at Plug and Play Tech Center), with full access to Plug and Play’s services (meeting rooms, coaching, seed financing, financing search, talent acquisition, etc.) as well as the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service specialized support.

Canadian incubator in the Silicon Valley and overview:

The Canadian Incubator will be located at Plug and Play, a successful high-tech incubator in the heart of Silicon Valley where over 150 technology start-ups from over 20 countries work closely together to build innovative companies. The Canadian Incubator’s purpose is to accelerate the success of start-ups by leveraging a strong network of mentors and advisors. Companies in the incubator, in collaboration with Plug and Play Tech Center, will have access to:

• Seed funding from top tier Venture Capitalist firms
• Corporate partnerships with Sun Microsystems, Microsoft, Lenovo, Orrick
• Experienced mentors and advisors to sit on company boards
• Dedicated recruitment team to help start-ups source for talent
• Full service and flexible office facilities in three campuses located in the San Francisco Bay area
• Event and conference facilities
• Full data-center facilities with on-site IT services
• The Canadian Trade Commissioner Service suite of specialized services

Government of Canada Trade Office in Palo Alto :

http://www.tradecommissioner.gc.ca/eng/office.jsp?oid=A72

More information on Plug and Play may be found here : http://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/

General Information, Please Contact:

Guillaume Parent
Trade Commissioner
Consulate General of Canada , San Francisco l Silicon Valley

Tel.: 613-996-1758
Guillaume.Parent@international.gc.ca