Founder Institute launch in Calgary https://fi.co/event/startup-pitch-bootcamp-learn-from-calgary-s-top-entrepreneurs @workhaus

1. How to Create an Impactful Company
in Calgary
Alex Gault
Small World Ventures
alex@smallworldventures.com
February 11, 2020
Workhaus
www.workhaus.ca

2. Markets
Base long term revenue projections on market size &
opportunities in the USA
❑ California alone has a larger population than Canada – and a GDP
over 50% higher
Canadian tech success stories
❑ Blackberry, Shopify, OpenText, Mitel, Hootsuite, Wealthsimple &
Solium Capital
❑ All succeeded by capturing market opportunities, securing
financing or exiting in the USA

3. Canada’s GDP: Less than both California & Texas

4. Platforms
Platforms are reshaping industry ecosystems
❑ If you’re not building a platform, design and optimize your service to
integrate with leading platforms and leverage associated network effects
❑ Ramp up your development game plan with innovation platforms
Industries based on sharing information – which can be digitized
with lower production and distribution costs – are prime for
platform transformation
❑ A high proportion of value from information – Media
❑ Precise, modular output – Retail
❑ Few regulations – Twitter
❑ Spare capacity – Empty passenger seats enabled Uber;
spare rooms created Airbnb

7. Business Intelligence and Networking
Thought Leaders
❑ Create a real-time list (Twitter, Medium, YouTube, Linkedin, etc)
❑ Share with team members
Common Online Narratives
❑ Examine narratives shared via social media & content marketing by
leading industry brands
❑ Identify common value propositions, pain points & stories
Events
❑ Create a calendar of leading conferences and gatherings for target
industries

8. Shred
Artificial Intelligence
Factor AI and Associated Vernacular into Your Plan

10. Collaborative Work Culture
Transparency and self-initiative
❑ Team members who are programming, handling marketing or selling
should all be talking to each other – sharing ideas and feedback, and
reactions from their networks and social media
❑ Everybody needs to be flexible enough to take on tasks and roles that
they aren’t formally qualified for
For early stage start-ups, as most investment available is spent on
product development, marketing should be a team effort
❑ All team members should be empowered to share the company story –
on social media in particular
❑ Research confirms that content shared by employees is as trusted as that
shared by companies or brands

11. Multi-Channel Marketing Strategy
Channels
SEO
❑ Reach audiences actively engaged in the
discovery process of searching for content
relevant to your website
Paid Search
❑ Highlight relevant content when searches
are underway
Social Media
❑ With content and ads, target users whose
interests and preferences are synergistic
with your company’s products, value
proposition and messaging
Creative & Administration
Content
❑ Short form text for social media
❑ Blogs & articles (300-1,500 words)
❑ Photos
❑ Video
Dashboard
❑ Use a service like the Hootsuite
Dashboard for managing and scheduling
content – and enabling a holistic team
distribution strategy

13. Marketing Analytics
Use data to understand
❑ The best-performing channels
❑ The channels with the highest ROI
❑ How each channel contributes to a
specific goal
❑ The best-converting channels
❑ How your target audience responds
to marketing efforts on each channel
Predict which marketing strategies
deliver the highest results
❑ Customer retention rates by
demographic
❑ Lead scoring – rank sales prospects
❑ Personalized recommendations
❑ Personalized advertising

14. Government Grants & Incentives
Federal
❑ IRAP – Industrial Research Assistance Program
❑ SR&ED – Scientific Research and Experimental Development
❑ CIIP – Canadian International Innovation Program
❑ CMF – Canada Media Fund (Experimental Stream)
❑ BDC – Business Development Bank of Canada
❑ SIF – Strategic Innovation Fund
Provincial
❑ Alberta Innovates – multiple programs
❑ ATB – ATB BoostR
Shortlist of federal and provincial funding agencies
For which pre-seed and early stage start-ups are eligible

15. Government Grants & Incentives
Example
Track record of success my team had
with the Canada Media Fund
$1,380,486 in funding secured - 2011-2013

16. Final Note: Agtech
RBC Report – August 2019
Farmer 2.0: How the Coming Skills Revolution Can
Transform Agriculture
“… with the correct skills mix, agriculture could add
another $11 billion to Canada’s GDP and make the
sector more productive than auto manufacturing and
aerospace combined.”