Founders Day started from a simple idea: what would happen if we put up-and-coming founders in the same room with dozens of experienced founders from startups past?

The day consists of four parts:

1. Founders-only “master class” sessions with experienced founders and VCs sharing insights from their startup journeys

2. Founders-only office hours, where founders can meet and ask questions of the speakers and dozens of other experienced founders

3. An afternoon of fireside chats with some of BC’s leading tech founders

4. An onsite networking event where founders, investors and supporters of BC’s startup ecosystem can celebrate together

The first half of Founders Day (the morning master classes and founder office hours) is open to current, past and aspiring founders of technology startups (including students!).

The second half of Founders Day (the afternoon fireside chats and the onsite networking event) is open to both founders and supporters of BC’s startup ecosystem.

YES.

As part of the registration, you are required to provide your LinkedIn profile. Our team will review every application to make sure that you are a real founder of a technology startup.

Investors, recruiters, consultants, government employees and other service providers are welcome to purchase an “Ecosystem Supporter” ticket and join us for the afternoon fireside chats and the networking event.

Office hours are one of the most unique parts of Founders Day.

All Founders Day speakers, as well as dozens of other experienced founders, will wear bright Hawaiian leis — so they’ll stick out! Introduce yourself to anyone wearing a lei and ask them questions about your startup.

Everyone is there to help.

Founders Day office hours are open to verified founders only. Only attendees with a “Founder” ticket will be permitted to enter the venue prior to 12:30pm.

Attendees with an “Ecosystem Supporter” ticket are welcome to join for the afternoon fireside chats and the networking event starting at 12:30pm.

There are two types of tickets for Founders Day:

1. Verified founders of technology startups and current students can purchase a “Founder” ticket, which provides access to the morning master classes, office hours, afternoon fireside chats and networking event.

2. Investors, recruiters, consultants, government employees and other service providers can purchase an “Ecosystem Supporter” ticket, which provides access to the afternoon fireside chats and the networking event.

(Food and drinks will be available for purchase from onsite vendors throughout the day.)

For our first few years, we were able to offer tickets for free. This year, Founders Day is evolving with a new outdoor venue and additional amenities. With that comes higher costs, so we are now charging for all tickets (Founder tickets are still highly subsidized thanks to the generous support of our partners).

Founders Day was created by Chris Neumann, a 4x founder-turned-VC.

Chris writes a weekly newsletter on startups, the business of venture capital and startup ecosystems at chrisneumann.com/newsletter.

Founders Day is produced by Game On Ventures ULC.