Ilse Treurnicht is the CEO of MaRS Discovery District, a leading innovation centre located in Toronto. She oversees both the development and operations of the MaRS Centre and its broad suite of entrepreneurship and innovation programs. Ilse joined MaRS in early 2005 from her role as President & CEO of Primaxis Technology Ventures, a startup-stage venture capital fund focused on the advanced technologies sector. Prior to Primaxis, sheĀ was an entrepreneur with senior management roles in a number of emerging technology companies.Ā Ilse is an active member of Canadaās innovation community. She served as Chair of the Canadian Task Force on Social Finance in 2010, and is a member of the Science, Technology and Innovation Council (STIC). Ilse holds a DPhil in chemistry from Oxford University, which she attended as a Rhodes scholar. Tara Hunt obtained a degree in Communications and Cultural Studies at theĀ University of Calgary. In 2002, she founded a small marketing brand called "Rogue Strategies." She moved, along with her business, to Toronto, Ontario before moving to San Francisco in 2005.[4]Ā She co-founded Citizen Agency in San Francisco,[5]Ā a now-defunct[6]Ā community-marketing consulting firm. Hunt was hired by the San Francisco based visual search engineĀ RiyaĀ to lead their marketing efforts.[7][8]Ā In June 2006, Hunt coined a movement of "post-cluetrain" marketing calledĀ Pinko Marketing.[9]Ā Pinko Marketing picked up whereĀ The Cluetrain ManifestoĀ left off, changing the focus from company to consumer marketing to consumer-to-consumer marketing. She was named one of the most influential women in tech by Fast Company in 2009, as she is an early leader of "user generated conferences" such asĀ BarCamp[10]Ā and is considered to be one of the founders of the co-working movement.[11] Hunt was one of the lead bloggers on the popular Canadian online portal One Degree.[12] She wrote "The Whuffie Factor", published in April 2009.[13]Ā The title of the book refers to the reputation-based currency ofĀ Cory Doctorow's science-fiction novel, 'Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom'. Along with the humorous metaphor implied by the title, the book gives practical guidance for online and social media marketing.[14]Ā The Whuffie Factor has been translated into French and Portuguese. In May 2010, it was reprinted in paperback in May 2010 with the titleĀ The Power of Social Networking: Using the Whuffie Factor to Build Your BusinessĀ . Hunt speaks at a variety of conferences and events such as SXSW Interactive (2008, 2009, 2011),[15]Ā the MESH conference (2006) and TEDxConcordia (2011).[16] In 2010, along with Co-Founders Jerome Paradis and Cassandra Girard, Hunt launched Buyosphere, formerly known as Shwowp, a social site which lets users organize and share buying trends with others.[17][18] Tara is currently Director of Audience Development at Totem.Featuring Guest Interview by Tara Hunt:
Featured Female Founder
DanielleĀ Franz, inventor of āYogaliciousā the first frozen kefir to market in Canada shares her delicious and nutritious frozen dessert. Come hungry!Ā Danielle, an entrepreneur herself, knows that entrepreneurs lead a busy lifestyle with competing commitments translated into a need for āsmart and balancedā food choices ā thatās when Yogalicious makes the most sense. Foods with probiotic benefits offers digestive support making it easier to absorb key nutrients.
Yogalicious got to market to move dessert from optional to optimal ā everyday!Ā Danielleās goal is to support people living happier and healthier lives.Ā Danielleās looking for brand ambassadors, buyers and investment to meet the demand for better for you desserts. Be a part of this exciting story:Ā yogalicious.ca
Community Partner
May 13 ā 14, 2015
10:00 PM ā 1:00 AM UTC
Networking and Food |
Fireside Chat |
Networking |
Startup Grind
Chapter Director
This is Startup Grind. We are the worldās largest startup community.
Our Mission
To give startups everywhere the education and opportunities they need to build, grow, and scale their companies.
Our Values
We believe in making friends, not contacts. We believe in giving first, not taking. We believe in helping others before helping yourself.
Tools & Discounts for Startups
Take advantage of resources and offers provided by organizations we know and love, designed to help you navigate the startup journey.
Global Conference
Our annual flagship event in Silicon Valley brings together thousands of startup teams, investors and organizations from all over the world.
Join the Startup Membership
This membership gives you free access to networking, events, mentorship, office hours, and other exclusive opportunities curated by Startup Grind HQ.