LaunchYU has partnered with York University’s Division of Advancement to present an at at-home edition of the LaunchYU Entrepreneurial Alumni Speaker Series.
Each part of the series will aim to capture the real stories, challenges, successes and failures that top York University alumni entrepreneurs have encountered in their journeys.
The Entrepreneurial Alumni Speaker Series @Home talks are meant to inspire, motivate and educate students, alumni and community members, on the realities of entrepreneurship in today’s world.
The format of the series will encourage conversation, allowing time for questions from the audience, including an Entrepreneurs Panel where pre-selected audience members have the opportunity to engage with the speaker live during the event. This unique opportunity to engage with entrepreneurs who have succeeded in the startup world is extremely valuable to those interested in launching their own startup, established entrepreneurs or even those thinking about pursing entrepreneurship.
The series will premiere on July 23 with a presentation by Richard Reiner, executive chairman of dfuse Platform Inc. The free event will begin at 12 p.m. on Zoom.
Since completing his PhD in philosophy, after a few years in academia, Reiner has spent his time growing and successfully exiting a series of high tech companies including PasswordBox (sold to Intel), Enomaly (now part of Dell), Assurent (now part of Trend Micro) and several others. Today he is chairman of the leading blockchain platform company, dfuse, chairman of Cybeats, a venture-funded company in cybersecurity as well as a senior advisor to the Portag3 investment fund.
Reiner will tell a handful of stories from the lives of his five successful (and a few unsuccessful) tech startups, highlighting some of the opportunities, and the challenges, that come with creating and growing a new tech company in Canada.
Subjects will include finding and dealing with investors, what to do when no one wants your product (and how to avoid getting into that situation in the first place) and how to navigate exit opportunities.
The series will continue through the summer, with a talk on “the power of purpose” from Fight to End Cancer CEO Jennifer Huggins on Aug. 6, and will conclude with a presentation on Aug. 20 with a yet-to-be-announced speaker.
Those interested in asking questions and engaging with the speaker during the August 6 event can email launchyu@yorku.ca and apply by July 27 at 5 p.m. Panelists must be willing to have their camera turned on while asking their question.
To learn more about the LaunchYU Entrepreneurial Alumni Speaker Series @Home series or to register, visit https://launchyu.ca/event/entrepreneurial-alumni-speaker-series-home-building-startups-in-canada-tales-from-the-trenches/?instance_id=5.