CNA Insurance’s Post

7 founders joining this year's Alt Funding School👇 We've got some incredible founders joining us this year. These 7 are just for starters—with many more amazing startups coming soon (50% of seats are sold already) Reema Vadoliya, People of Data | empowering and providing a voice to underrepresented people whose voices are often lost in data Marie Carlisle, Goldfinger | a design-led social enterprise crafting sustainable and high-quality furniture for individuals and businesses Stiliyana Minkovska, Matrix Health & Care | transforming the gynaecological health and care processes through human-centred design innovation Collette Philip, Brand by Me, | helping social justice-focused organisations embed anti-racism and equity into their brand and communications Leyla Nasib, HappyFam | helping humans be more human through empowering families with children to grow stronger and happier Maddy Alexander-Grout & Vix Munro, Mad About Money App | the Neuroinclusive Money App helping people achieve their money and well-being goals through the power of community Georgia Bondy Well Adapt | An online platform transforming the chronic illness journey by empowering chronically ill people with mentorship, community support, and practical courses to become active managers and experts in their own health and well-being Nothing brings more joy than bringing 40 founders together for seven weeks of practical, hands-on support. It's a shortcut that founders didn't know they needed. I can't wait to get started! 

Last week SXSW EDU held the Launch Competition, an opportunity for seven EdTech start-ups to pitch their products and their impact. Julia Rivard Dexter, OLY, ICD.D represented Shoelace Learning (builders of Dreamscape). The company (or, competition, one might say 😉) was so impressive! During presentations from Cuentología, Maro, Culture Crate, Keenious, NaTakallam, and Struggly, I recognized in real time how their solutions will address problems of practice that many in my circle face in their roles. In fact, if I have your phone number, I may have already texted you a recommendation. 😂 If we haven't chatted yet, please DM me if you're... working on a dissertation, teaching elementary or middle school math, trying to better identify and respond to mental health issues in your student population, or looking to introduce culturally responsive pedagogy via an inquiry-based approach. I've now got knowledge of great products and implementation ideas for all of the above! 🤩

📈 ScaleUp Week 2024! - Programming Highlights 🎥 That's a wrap (for 2024). Last week we experienced an incredible journey of learning, networking, and growth. Watch the highlight reel to relive the first three days (Gala highlight reel to come!). ScaleUp Week's 2024 Program included: 🔹 24 x 1-hour sessions (recordings will be shared, so watch this space!) 🔹 65 x inspiring speakers 🔹 Over 800 registrants across the whole week! Here's a quick recap of what happened during the first 3 days: 📅 Day 1: Evidence Day (virtual): We examined the latest evidence on scaling up, debunking many of the myths with global thought leaders. 📅 Day 2: Ecosystem Day (in-person): We met as an ecosystem to discuss how the Greater Calgary region ecosystem needs to evolve to support scaling and growth stage ventures. 📅 Day 3: Practice Day (virtual): We discussed and shared the latest best practice on scaling up with those who have been there and done it. Thank you to our fantastic organizing team: Dr. Simon Raby, Tammy Rousseau, Ray DePaul, Maii Ko, Robert Fooks, Sarah Cubillan, Robin Lokhorst, Emily Robitaille, Peter Fenwick, Kassidy Gerhardi, Caitlin McCarthy, Clark Lai, Mariya Besedina, Pietro Breviglieri, Marc Arumi, Adriano Leite, Kathryn Graham, Jennifer Jensen, Brenda Beckedorf Gratitude and appreciation to our 2024 partners for their support in making this event a success: The Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Mount Royal University, McLeod Law LLP, Motiv, Growth Catalyst, Calgary Economic Development, The Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund, Calgary Innovation Coalition, Alberta Innovates Impact Action Lab, ZayZoon, Copoint, The New Network, Bissett School of Business, Viewpoint Investment Partners, VistaVu Solutions, ARC Financial Corp., Business-National Bank of Canada, Miller Thomson LLP, BDC, Nexix Inc. Stay tuned for the highlight reel of the Gala, which will be released shortly. You won't want to miss it! #GrowthCompass #ScaleUpWeek #ScalingUp #Ecosystem #Growth #Innovation #Entrepreneurship

"It’s one thing to have a brilliant idea, but it’s another to bring it to life."   This 2023 INCubatoredu National Pitch winning team from Westlake High School, EANES ISD, are the innovators behind Notifeye, a cutting-edge dashboard camera designed to combat driver fatigue. They share their inspiring journey in this Getting Smart article. They reflect on the help they received along the way, and the invaluable skills they've gained that will serve them well as they transition to higher education and beyond. #studentinnovation #studententrepreneurs #studententrepreneurship https://lnkd.in/gqAQ3xGC

How I Judge Early-Stage Startup Pitch Competitions: --- The Problem: Have they convinced us the problem they set out to solve is real - worthy of a business? --- The Solution: Is their solution to the problem sufficiently unique from what's available today or, if not, do they have a distinct point of difference that will attract customers? --- Founder confidence: From a potential investor's perspective - do they have a grasp of the industry, grasp of business, ability to be convincing, ability to lead this startup to success. --- Investible: Likelihood - given all that was shared in the pitch - someone would invest in this startup. Good luck founders! https://lnkd.in/eZtiX4JM

An event that has left its mark 💜   The magic of learning by doing - Slidesgo teamed up with Genyus School & Movimiento Future Minds to host the Junior Entrepreneurship and Personal Development Hackathon. More than 150 students came together to tackle real-world problems and explore Slidesgo tools. Here’s a snapshot of what happened and the lessons they learned: 🌟 Students engaged in hands-on learning, facing real challenges with creativity and teamwork. They developed essential skills like leadership, problem-solving, and collaboration. 🎨 Creativity flourished as young innovators created outside-the-box prototypes, learning the importance of materials, labor, and feasibility. 🗣️ Communication and emotional intelligence were key focuses, helping students articulate ideas clearly and manage emotions effectively. 💪 Empowerment was everywhere, with students gaining confidence and the ability to tackle future challenges head-on. This hackathon showcased the transformative power of learning by doing. We are excited to see what these future leaders will achieve next! 🤗

And thank you to Dcode for having us! If you want to learn to enter and scale in the SLED market, connect with me and follow Elucid8. We're hosting our first SLED Immersion program in February. Fill out this form (linked in the comments) to get your name on the list. #govtech #localgovernment #governmentinnovation

Loving tonight’s educational webinar from Venture For America on Launch your Startup & Biz Development Career w/ VFA featuring the multi-talented Clara Gustafson and MaryCatherine Wright telling us all about VFA’s impactful fellowship program!

How old were you when you first pitched a go-to-market strategy to a VC? Code2College is based on several principles - one of them being that early exposure is essential to life-changing impact. Throwback to our 2nd Annual Vision 2024 Summit when 100 girls between the ages of 14 - 17 took a leap to learn about and implement business frameworks. What's one early experience that positively impacted your trajectory and career? #girlsinSTEM #communityimpact #mentorshipmatters

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