Chris Neumann spent much of his career in the startup mecca of Silicon Valley. So when the BC native moved back to Vancouver in 2021 to join Panache Ventures, he quickly took note of the differences between the two ecosystems.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c[Vancouver is] one of the only ecosystems that doesn\u2019t have a nexus for startup activity.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cVancouver\u2019s a very unique startup ecosystem in that it is the most fragmented ecosystem that I know of in the whole world,\u201d Neumann told BetaKit. \u201cIt\u2019s one of the only ecosystems that doesn\u2019t have a nexus for startup activity.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But he\u2019s been working at changing that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Neumann started BC Founders Day\u2014an annual event that focuses on bringing Vancouver\u2019s startup community together\u2014after a conversation with Version One founding partner Boris Wertz. Now in its third year, the event was conceived during a conversation on how to reinvigorate the BC startup landscape in the wake of COVID-19.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were noticing how this dynamic became worse post-COVID-19, and we were like, \u2018hey, maybe we can do something about it?\u2019\u201d Neumann said. \u201cI pinged a bunch of notable founders in Vancouver \u2026 and said if I put something together \u2026 would you guys give up half a day, and we\u2019ll do some mentoring and panels?\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer was overwhelmingly supportive, according to Neumann, with more than 400 people registering for the event on the first day.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Neumann designed Founders Day as an event that would ensure collisions between early-career entrepreneurs and established professionals in the startup sector. The event builds on a mentor-mentee relationship where nearly 100 established founders, identified by Hawaiian lei necklaces, indicate to new founders they\u2019re available for mentorship.\u00a0<\/p>\n
RELATED: Panache\u2019s Chris Neumann on FounderFuel\u2019s return and \u201cshitty\u201d VC behaviour<\/p>\n
That portion of the event, which runs in the morning and features panel discussions alongside networking, is for founders only. It\u2019s a rule the organizers rigorously enforce by vetting attendees to ensure the right collisions happen. It\u2019s not all so exclusive, though. Afternoon programming is open to the wider tech ecosystem.<\/p>\n
Since its inception, the conference has grown. Its second year saw attendance jump from around 500 to more than 750. Organizers hope 2026\u2019s attendance will follow a similar trajectory. This year also marks the first time the conference is being held at South Flats, an outdoor venue near Vancouver\u2019s Emily Carr University, rather than the Vancouver Convention Centre.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s theme is \u201cwhat does exceptional look like?\u201d It features seminars from some of BC\u2019s biggest business success stories, including a conversation with Jack Newton of Clio and panel discussions with founders from Koho, Moment Energy, and Soma Energy, as well as VCs from throughout the BC and US ecosystems.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There\u2019s also a debate closing out the event on a topic particularly salient to entrepreneurs from the Lower Mainland: to build in BC, or make the move south of the border?<\/p>\n
For Neumann, the last three years have been evidence the conference is on the right track.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s starting to get there. We\u2019ve had a ton of feedback from people telling us this is a great event to make connections, that they\u2019ve received investment here, [and] that they\u2019ve hired here,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a good reminder that there is a lot of stuff that\u2019s going on in the Vancouver ecosystem \u2026 as founders, you can feel a bit isolated, and it\u2019s a nice reminder that there\u2019s a ton of people doing awesome stuff in this city and province.\u201d<\/p>\n