Front Row Ventures

☝️ Not only was last week Startupfest 2024, but it was also the first edition of the Women Founders Project’s one-day intensive Leadership Bootcamp. 💪💡 Talk about a week filled with growth and innovation! 🚀 Last Tuesday, WFP Founders and keynote speakers came together in-person at FRV hq and remotely to unpack what leadership looks like as a founder. We hosted 4 workshops with 4 amazing women speakers from the Canadian VC ecosystem: 🧠 The Founder Mindset ~ Sanka K., CEO & Founder at Trendsetting@Work 🤝 Inclusive Leadership ~ Lise Birikundavyi, CFA, Managing Partner at BKR Capital ✊ Battling Imposter Syndrome ~ Gabrielle Hurtubise-Radet, Principal Program Manager at Mila - Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute 🔨 Building a Purpose-Driven Organization ~ Roxanne Leduc, CEO & Founder at Cap Inclusive 🙏 A huge shoutout to our speakers for coming out and imparting their words of wisdom on our Women Founders. THANK YOU! #WomenFoundersProject #WFP2024 #WomenSupportingWomen #WomenFounders #WomenLeadership #WomenLeaders #WomensEmpowerment -- WFP 2024 is proudly sponsored by Fasken and the BDC Thrive Lab. Isabelle Dummer Grace Zhang Lejla S. Nicole Pinto, MPH Adriana Salerno Gwendoline Marbach Chisom Ezeh, MBA Sarah Gonder Laila Mahmoudi Kelly Godbout Quynh Huynh

⭐ Sponsor Highlight: Pinch Talent ⭐ We’re excited to announce a new partnership with Pinch Talent! Pinch Talent is your Deep Tech embedded recruiter. They understand the unique dynamics of Series A (or earlier) Deep Tech startups and tailor their services to fit your specific needs. We extend a heartfelt thanks to Pinch Talent for supporting our community, portfolio and helping further our mission to promote entrepreneurship and drive the tech ecosystem forward. To learn more about Pinch Talent and how they can serve your business please visit pinchtalent.com 

After three exhilarating days at Startupfest, the second edition of our $50K Student Entrepreneur Investment Prize has wrapped up, and the excitement is still palpable 🚀 In case you missed it… 👥 22 FRV team members from three provinces joined thousands at Startupfest to forge new relationships and immerse themselves in the cutting-edge of Canadian tech 🦄 70+ student startups from various industries across Canada pitched their innovative ideas at our booth (a new record!) 🏅 5 student startups were shortlisted for the final round of pitches to our esteemed jury A heartfelt thank you to all the brilliant student founders for their creativity and enthusiasm! After intense deliberations, we are excited to announce the winner… Congratulations to Xatoms for securing the $50K Student Entrepreneur Investment Prize! 🏆 We are proud to support Diana Virgovicova, Shirley Zhong, and the entire Xatoms team on their mission to clean polluted water around the world 💧 We are grateful to everyone who contributed to making our prize a resounding success – your dedication and passion drive innovation and shape the future in Canada 🇨🇦 Special thanks to Philippe Telio and the Startupfest team for hosting us at yet another remarkable edition of Startupfest 🙌 See you again at next year’s event! cc: Pamela Perrotti, Katherine Johnsen, Keon Smith, Alexandre Le Bouthillier, Ph.D., Jim Texier, Emmanuelle Coppinger, Neha Lalany, Gabriel Dannenbaum, Christian Levan, Martin Chaperot-Merino, Eunice Pu, Ethan Wu, Helenna Swift, Jeanin O., Tasmia Abbas, Constantin Bretonneau, Antoine Jutras-Carignan

Front Row Ventures $50k Prize Pitch Competition is back at Startupfest this year! Last year, Vega BioImaging Technologies Inc. took home the prize, and we can't wait to see who will shine this year. Here's how it works: 🔹 Phase 1: Qualification Pitches When: Wednesday from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Thursday from 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Where: Our tent at Startupfest. Format: 2-minute pitch + 3-minute Q&A. No visual aids or slides, just your brilliant idea! 🔹 Phase 2: Final Round When: Friday for shortlisted companies. Format: 5-10 minute pitch + Q&A. Judges will have access to your pitch deck slides on their devices. Interested in participating? Complete the pre-registration form here: https://lnkd.in/eqEmrmmQ Eligibility: At least one co-founder must be currently enrolled at a Canadian university or have graduated no longer than 6 months ago. 🎟️ Startupfest Tickets: Students can access an exclusive 50% off ticket pricing through this link: https://lnkd.in/eDRWNPjC Join us in supporting the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs. See you at Startupfest! #Startupfest #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #VentureCapital #StudentStartups #FRV #PitchCompetition #Investment

Today's the day! 📢 Come out to enjoy the sunny weather and meet new people at Young People in Tech (Startupfest Edition) this evening at 6:00 PM at Terrasse St-Ambroise, Montreal ☀️ ➡️ Register now at: https://lu.ma/098gn0r1 ⬅️ See you there and at Startupfest! 👋

📢 Introducing the All-Star Jury for our $50K Student Entrepreneur Investment Prize at Startupfest 2024, happening next week! 🌟 We're thrilled to reveal the esteemed panel of judges who will be selecting the winning student startup for our Prize! These industry leaders and rising stars bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the table, ensuring a fair and insightful evaluation of the participating startups 🚀 Meet our All-Star Jury: 🌟 Jim Texier, Partner & CTO at Framework Venture Partners 🌟 Alexandre Le Bouthillier, Ph.D., Co-Founder & General Partner at Linearis 🌟 Emmanuelle Coppinger, Managing Director at Front Row Ventures 🌟 Eunice Pu, Ontario Director of Investments at Front Row Ventures 🌟 Martin Chaperot-Merino, Quebec Director of Investments at Front Row Ventures 🌟 Christian Levan, Director of Portfolio Support at Front Row Ventures Our judges are eager to discover and support the next wave of student-led innovations – if you’re a student founder working on something big, join us at Startupfest and take your chance to compete for the $50K Student Entrepreneur Investment Prize by pre-registering here: https://lnkd.in/etFkUSWY Still don't have a ticket for Startupfest? Students can use our exclusive discount to get 50% off their ticket here: https://lnkd.in/eC_czXin

Wonder what it’s like to win our $50K Student Entrepreneur Investment Prize at Startupfest? 💫 Meet Arnaud Latreille, COO of Vega BioImaging Technologies Inc., last year’s winner! 🔬   Hear how the Prize has impacted his startup and what advice he has for this year’s student founders pitching 💡   Don't miss your chance to connect with our VC judges, receive feedback, and secure $50K in funding just like Arnaud – pre-register here to pitch us at Startupfest: https://lnkd.in/etFkUSWY    Still don't have a ticket for Startupfest? Students can use our exclusive coupon code to get 50% off their ticket: https://lnkd.in/eC_czXin

Swipe to check out our Women Founders Project speaker and workshop recap for June! ✨ 🎤 Thank you to our inspiring speakers for sharing their insights at our workshops. Thank you to Philippe Thompson, Chloë Ryan, Anna Ciprick, Sarah Fallah, Nadia Ragbir and Isaac Souweine. 📝 We've compiled a summary of key takeaways for all aspiring founders. 🌟👩💼💼 FRV’s Women Founders Project, a 9-week pre-accelerator and founder development program supports women-identifying student founders in their innovative business ventures. 🤝 Thank you to our sponsors, BDC Thrive Lab and Fasken, for making this program possible. ... #womeninbusiness #entrepreneurship #founderdevelopment #innovation #startuplife #womenentrepreneurs #preaccelerator #communitysupport #womenwholead #empowerment #businessgrowth

In town for Startupfest? Interested in tech, innovation, and entrepreneurship? Young founders? 🚀 Front Row Ventures is excited to welcome you to Young People in Tech (Startupfest Edition), in anticipation of the $50K Student Entrepreneurship Prize we're hosting at Startupfest! ➡️ Register now for free at: https://lu.ma/098gn0r1 ⬅️ Whether you're a student, investor, founder, super-connector, or simply curious about learning and meeting new people in the industry, we can't wait to see you (and anyone who feels "young at heart")! ❤️ Come out and enjoy the sunny day at Terrasse St-Ambroise (5080 Saint Ambroise St, Montreal), on Monday, July 8, from 6 PM to 9 PM ☀️ Spots are limited. Food and drinks will be available for purchase. 18+

Pitching can be daunting, especially for student founders 🎤 That’s why we partnered with Startupfest to offer any student the opportunity to practice their pitch, receive feedback, and connect with our expert judges 🌟 And who knows, you might even win $50K in funding 💰 Interested? 👀 Find more details about our Student Entrepreneur Investment Prize and sign up to secure your pitch slot here (pre-registration required): bit.ly/frvstudentprize Know a student founder who might be interested? Pass it on!