Founders Week YQG (beta) – a collaboration between WEtech Alliance, WindsorEssex Small Business and Entrepreneurship Centre, EPICentre and Genesis Entrepreneurship Centre – was a free, week-long celebration that brought together entrepreneurs, startups, innovators, changemakers, entrepreneurial support organizations, local leaders, and community to celebrate, educate, connect and build momentum and opportunity around our region’s startup community.
It was an action-packed week, featuring over 30 events, +60 speakers, free prizes, giveaways, and fun activities from November 8th – 13th, 2021.
Whether you missed a session, didn’t quite catch that link/tool/book/resource a speaker mentioned, or just want to watch it again, we’ve got you covered. We’ve created this Founders Toolkit and filled it with tangible takeaways, tools, resources and video replays from all of this year’s Founders Week YQG (beta) sessions.
MONDAY SESSIONS
Founders Week YQG Kickoff with Associate Minister Nina Tangri
The kickoff to Global Entrepreneurship Week and our first-ever Founder Week YQG, with special guest Minister Nina Tangri, Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Mississauga-Streetsville and Ontario’s Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction.
Links to some of the things talked about in this session:
What Businesses Need to Know About Cybersecurity & Law
In this session Myra Tawfik and Jade Buchanan explain the importance of #Cybersecurity and how to effectively use to protect your business. Without adequate cybersecurity, any business can face a large range of potentially catastrophic consequences. Businesses that are believed to have not done enough to protect customer information could face legal repercussions for a data breach. Attendees learned how to protect their business and find the right legal advice when you need it.
Links to some of the things talked about in this session:
Fireside Chat with Kat Pasquach
A chat with Kat Pasquach, Founder, Culture Shock Bead Co. Moderated by Sarah Haefling, Founder, Made It Happen Podcast.
Links to some of the things talked about in this session:
• Mental Health Supports for Entrepreneurs & Small Business Owners in Windsor-Essex & Chatham-Kent
Looking to Raise Money? AMA with Investor, Mike Labiak
Learn how startup funding works, how investors evaluate pitches, the types of founders investors are looking for, and more in this Ask Me Anything session with Investor, Mike Labiak. Moderated by Yvonne Pilon, President & CEO, WEtech Alliance.
Links to some of the things talked about in this session:
Leveraging an Informed Online Presence to Grow Your Business
In this session, Kevin Gervais and Noah Campbell of Touchless explain how revolutionary web #technology can be used to generate more leads, connect you to customers, make date-informed decisions, and ultimately, grow your business regardless of its age and stage. Attendees learned how this was achieved for a local business, and got a thorough overview of how to utilize small business benefits like Digital Main Street to get started.
Links to some of the things talked about in this session:
• Pocketed Grant Funding info sheet
• Pocketed portal (use referral code: WETECHX)
• How Touchless Helped WaveDirect 4X Leads with RudderStack & Dynamically Generated SEO Landing Pages
• Leveraging Data Design to 4X Leads and Dominate Search Results
• What is Data Design? Podcast with Kevin Gervais of Touchless
• Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS)
TUESDAY SESSIONS
Fireside Chat with Sawyer Telegdy
A chat with Sawyer Telegdy, Founder, Shred Shop. Moderated by Sarah Haefling, Founder, Made It Happen Podcast.
Links to some of the things talked about in this session:
Leveraging Branding and Content Across Platforms to Accelerate your Business Growth
The struggle is real when it comes to creating consistent branding and constant content for your business’s social media. Especially when you are the Chief Everything Officer! Learn more about branding and content creation across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and TikTok.
Links to some of the things talked about in this session:
• Canva
Fireside Chat with Dr. Derek Anderson and Jordan & Heather Scott
A chat with Founders, Dr. Derek Anderson of Ignite Health and Jordan & Heather Scott of Estate of Health. Moderated by Sue Taylor, Program Manager of Genesis Entrepreneurship Centre.
Links to some of the things talked about in this session:
Fireside Chat with Marlee Narain
A chat with Marlee Narain, Founder of Miss Buttercups. Moderated by Kayla Reid, Coordinator of Entrepreneur & Network Growth at COOK-UP.
Links to some of the things talked about in this session:
• COOK-UP
• How I Built This podcast with Guy Raz
• Toggl
• Typeform
• Later
Fireside Chat with Connor Presland
A chat with Connor Presland, Founder of Connor’s Cookies. Moderated by: Adam Castle, Director of Venture Services, WEtech Alliance
Links to some of the things talked about in this session:
WEDNESDAY SESSIONS
Fireside Chat with Surria Fadel
A chat with Surria Fadel, Co-Founder of Cedar Valley Selections. Moderated by Jordynne Ropat, Founder of Plant Joy.
Links to some of the things talked about in this session:
Fireside Chat with Hash Aboulhosn
A chat with Hash Aboulhosn, President and Founder of Edison Financial. Moderated by Bekim Merdita, VP, Sales and Business Development, Edison Financial.
Links to some of the things talked about in this session:
• A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
• How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton Christensen
Ask Us Anything: IP Strategy presented by OCI & CIPO
Intellectual Property (I.P.) is a valuable business asset that gives you edge over the competition, and help build a reputation and goodwill with your partners and clients. Learn about tools and information you need to better acquire, manage, and leverage your #IP assets from Andreas Waller, Business Development & Commercialization, Ontario Centre of Innovation and Dumitru Olariu, Intellectual Property Advisor, Canadian Intellectual Property Office!
Links to some of the things talked about in this session:
Leveraging the Windsor-Essex Entrepreneurship Support Ecosystem
It starts with an idea. You see an opportunity in your community but are not sure how to turn this opportunity into a business. Perhaps you have a side hustle or hobby that you want to grow into a full-time endeavor. How do you start? What do you need to get started? How do you grow your idea? How will you fund it?
Windsor-Essex is home to several organizations, programs, and supports to assist people interested in starting their own business. These includes community partners, business supports, and incubator programs.
Links to some of the things talked about in this session:
• Windsor-Essex Small Business and Entrepreneurship Centre
• Genesis Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (St. Clair College)
• EPICentre (University of Windsor)
• Mental Health Supports for Entrepreneurs & Small Business Owners in Windsor-Essex & Chatham-Kent
Founders Week YQG Town Hall
A dynamic Founders Week YQG Town Hall facilitated by WEtech Alliance, Libro Credit Union and special guests where entrepreneurs, innovators, leaders and ecosystem partners from across Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent came together to develop action plans and accelerate the growth of entrepreneurship in #YQG, #CKONT and Canada.
Links to some of the things talked about in this session:
• Mental Health Supports for Entrepreneurs & Small Business Owners in Windsor-Essex & Chatham-Kent
THURSDAY SESSIONS
Jump Start Your Morning with Muna Skips
Jump rope is a super fun and innovative way to get into fitness and it may be the thing you were looking for this whole time. Join Muna Fadel, an online jump rope transformation coach that teaches people how to develop healthier, life changing habits through the power of jump rope, in a fun session to get you moving!
Links to some of the things talked about in this session:
Coping with Stress: Strategies from Entrepreneurs
Learn from entrepreneurs and professionals about how they manage their day-to -day stress! This panel discussion brought together unique perspectives of entrepreneurs to share resources to help you business and mental health.
Links to some of the things talked about in this session:
• Mental Health Supports for Entrepreneurs & Small Business Owners in Windsor-Essex & Chatham-Kent
Fireside Chat with Jeff Musson
A chat with Jeff Musson Founder, Coding for Veterans and North of 41. Moderated by Yvonne Pilon, President/CEO, WEtech Alliance.
Links to some of the things talked about in this session:
Fireside Chat with Pina Ciotoli
A chat with Pina Ciotoli, Co-Founder of WindsorEats. Moderated by Harley Gillis, Founder of Screen to Table.
Links to some of the things talked about in this session:
FRIDAY SESSIONS
Ask Me Anything: Designing Your Funding Roadmap: Debt, Equity and Bootstrapping
As an entrepreneur, it’s critical to be intentional about your funding roadmap. How quickly do you aim to grow? What are the business’s cash flow needs? Who should be around the table? These are all important questions to answer when deciding whether to grow your business with debt, equity, organically with cash flows from sales, or a mix of all of the above. Join Mallory McKewen from BDC as she answers your questions and discusses these following topics.
Links to some of the things talked about in this session:
Fireside Chat with George Kalivas
Does Windsor deserve to be mentioned among great pizza cities like New York and Chicago? George Kalivas believes so, to such an extent that he wrote and produced a new documentary – The Pizza City You’ve Never Heard Of – all about our enduring pride in our local pie.
Join us for a (virtual) fireside chat with Executive Producer George Kalivas as he discusses the inspiration behind entering the world of film and upcoming documentary releases. We’ll also talk about George’s entrepreneurial journey as a filmmaker. He’ll be sharing different tips as well as resources for aspiring filmmakers and entrepreneurs!
Links to some of the things talked about in this session:
From Freelancer to Small Business Owner: Hiring Your First Employee
Your business is growing, and it’s finally time to take the step and hire your first employee. Join Jennifer Charron, Founder of Logic Executive Search, as she shares what you need to know (and do) when making your first hire.
Links to some of the things talked about in this session:
Machine Learning Meets Bioart
In this workshop from INCUBATOR art lab, Nate Talbot teaches you how to assemble a dataset of images, how to train an AI on those images, and how to make a completed artwork out of the results. As machine learning becomes more accessible and advanced it will change the way we think about life, as well as art. Will bioart processes show us a way forward?
Links to some of the things talked about in this session:
Failure Night | I Got Knocked Down But I Got Up Again!
Unlike THE “f-word”, we don’t believe that “failure” is a dirty word. In fact, we think that it should be celebrated. That’s why we’ve invited a group of founders to share their stories of failure in one of Founders Week YQG’s signature events.
Virtual attendees heard from regional Founders and Entrepreneurs as they get real about their mistakes, failures and successes.
Links to some of the things talked about in this session:
