Toronto – Ontario’s most promising investors and technology startups will gather at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management on May 12 for DemoCampToronto 2015.
"There are few events in the province that allow you to pitch and demo before 450 people of consequence," says startup founder, Khanjan Desai, of his experience with DemoCampToronto, Creative Destruction Lab's yearly event that brings together founders, researchers, academics, VCs, and thought leaders in research commercialization. "I was impressed by the quality of the feedback from the audience, both during our on-stage demo and chatting with visitors to our booth: professors, investors, inventors, eager MBAs. The quality of the other pitches was also very high. It was an extremely well-run event that put founders front and centre."
Desai is co-founder of Neverfrost, a Y Combinator-backed nanotechnology startup that's about to graduate from the Creative Destruction Lab's third cohort of ventures. Desai and his partner, Chong Shen, have developed a product that will delight frustrated drivers in cold climates: a film that changes the fundamental properties of windshields, rendering them resistant to both chipping and frost formation.
Desai has come full circle. He pitched at last year's event, which gave him a "taste of what the Creative Destruction Lab would be like: the high standards, the demanding process, the results focus." That motivated him to apply for the Lab's eight-month-long, milestones-based accelerator program, which helps technology startups scale their businesses. There, he received critical strategic advice, mentorship, and early investment from some of the country's top technology entrepreneurs (branded the G7 Fellows), including Dan Debow, Rotman JD/MBA’00, founder of Rypple and one of Toronto's leading angel investors.
At this year's DemoCampToronto, Debow and Desai will participate in a panel on the challenges and rewards of technology and entrepreneurship in Canada. Also taking part is the ‘Father of Wearables’, Steve Mann, prolific inventor (HDR processing, META AR glasses, and Muse), professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Toronto, and the Creative Destruction Lab's Chief Scientist. The Lab will also host a class of middle schoolers at the event, hoping that the demos and speakers ignite their passion for science and technology.
Desai likes that the organizers seek to highlight not only the accomplishments of the Creative Destruction Lab's startups, but of the region's most promising ventures, incubators, and accelerators. The goal is to continue building a community of founders, investors, and difference-makers and to showcase the brilliant young talent clustered along the Waterloo-Toronto corridor and beyond.
DemoCampToronto 2015 will take place in Desautels Hall at UofT’s Rotman School of Management from 2:00 to 5:00 pm. Registration is available
online. Hear interesting speakers, experience cutting-edge demos by those shaping the future of tech, and learn more about the region’s dynamic startup ecosystem, including the Creative Destruction Lab.
About the Creative Destruction Lab
Founded by Professor Ajay Agrawal, the Creative Destruction Lab is a program based at Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. The Lab leverages the University’s leading faculty and industry network as well as its location in the heart of Canada’s business capital to accelerate massively scalable, technology-based ventures that have the potential to transform our social, industrial, and economic landscape. The Lab has helped many nascent startups, including Atomwise, BridgIt, Minuum, Nymi, NVBots, OTI Lumionics, Push, Thalmic Labs, Perceptiv Labs, Neverfrost, Chargespot, and VoteCompass, among others.
The Lab provides a unique style of milestone-based coaching with the goal of maximizing equity-value creation. Its mentors - the G7 Fellows - are some of Canada's most successful entrepreneurs, with years of experience in building and scaling technology-based companies. The current group of G7 Fellows includes the founders of BlueCat Networks, D-Wave Systems, GoInstant, Kik, Kobo, Rypple, Sysomos, TraderMedia, WIND Mobile, and WorkBrain.
To learn more about the Creative Destruction Lab, visit
www.creativedestructionlab.com.
The Rotman School of Management is located in the heart of Canada's commercial and cultural capital and is part of the University of Toronto, one of the world's top 20 research universities. The Rotman School fosters a new to think that enables our graduates to tackle today's global business challenges. For more information, visit
www.rotman.utoronto.ca.
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Rotman School of Management
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