By Paul Slaby
The Equity Crowdfunding Alliance of Canada is bringing its travelling roadshow to Ottawa in June with a local edition of a cross-Canada series of one-day conferences that will provide participants with a unique opportunity to learn about and discuss the current state of the equity crowdfunding industry.
The topic is timely for entrepreneurs, startup founders and investor because the new set of regulations proposed in March by the Ontario Securities Commission could potentially open the floodgates onto the dry and barren land of seed funding. At the very least, it should offer new options for cash-starved startups and early-stage businesses.
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By Francis Moran
The Network of Angel Organizations – Ontario is having its annual follow-on investment forum in two weeks and eight Ontario companies that previously received angel investment will be looking for additional funding to continue their growth. The eight are:
- Brain FX, which creates web-and-tablet-based clinical assessment tools that help healthcare professionals measure the effects of brain disorders on a person’s ability to function in real life.
- ChangeIt, a new and innovative way to automatically round up your payment card purchases, creating virtual change that can automatically be directed to a charitable organisation of your choice. Read More
By Francis Moran
It was freezing cold, often quite dark, and always utterly decrepit at the Bayview Yards a couple of weeks ago, but it didn’t take an imagination any more potent than the woeful propane heaters that were bravely trying to heat up the chilly space to share the city’s vision that this broken-down and vividly graffiti-tagged former works garage will soon be transformed into a funky, design-rich, entrepreneur-friendly, sunshiny bright and — most critically — welcoming space for Ottawa’s startup and technology communities.
We’ve had a few posts on this blog about the city’s plans to turn the old Bayview Yards into an innovation complex for Ottawa’s startup communities, but earlier this month saw the first chance many people had to eyeball the actual space, as well as the enticing draft conceptual design plan developed by local design firm protoypeD.
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By Daylin Mantyka 
Even though we took our usual holiday break in December, we still covered a lot of ground on the blog throughout the month. Leading the pack was a well-received piece by our resident neuromarker, Bob Bailly, followed by a to-the-point post on improving your presentation skills in the new year.
In case you missed any of it, here is a handy recap of our posts, as ranked by the enthusiasm of our readers:
December 11: Would you kill the Fat Man?, by Bob Bailly
December 18: Five keys to your presentation success in 2014, by Anil Dilawri
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By Leo Valiquette
Happy New Year.
The holidays are behind us and it’s time to get back to the grindstone. But while routines are a good thing, slipping back into poor habits, biases, and preconceptions that limit our professional success are not. Consider this a time to wipe the slate clean and make a fresh start.
I personally don’t care to make resolutions. Instead, I look back and consider what lessons I learned over the past year and how I can apply these in a positive way to my life and work over the next 12 months.
So in the spirit of a new year, here are some thoughts to guide founders, executives, and managers of any growing concern as they work to bring their technology to market and earn their time in the spotlight.
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Happy holidays
December 24, 2013 by Daylin Mantyka
From all of us here at Francis Moran and Associates, happy holidays and the very best for 2014. We will resume our regular blog postings on January 2.
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Planning for the New Year
December 23, 2013 by David French
I was recently sitting at a hotel bar and overheard a circle of businessmen talking at a nearby table. I couldn’t help listening in. What I heard spaced over about an hour was strangely familiar [...]
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Great articles roundup: Social media, content marketing, marketing strategy and startups
December 20, 2013 by Daylin Mantyka
It’s Friday, yet again, which means it’s time for our weekly roundup. This one happens to be the last of 2013. Over the week, we’ve read great content from Social Media Explorer, Marketing Sherpa and Startup Professional Musings [...]
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Damn it, Beyoncé: Now all the pundits will say marketing is unnecessary
December 19, 2013 by Francis Moran
It didn’t take long after music megastar Beyoncé dropped her latest release onto Apple iTunes with no advance warning or usual hype-fest for the armchair pundits and marketing deniers to trumpet that marketing was now dead [...]
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Five keys to your presentation success in 2014
December 18, 2013 by Anil Dilawri
The good news – 2013 was a good year for most businesses. The bad news – most business presentations delivered in 2013 still sucked. Whether it’s an investor pitch, an elevator pitch, a customer update, or an important sales presentation, here are five ideas to help make your presentations remarkable in 2014 [...]
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Becoming a more successful you in 2014
December 17, 2013 by Leo Valiquette
It’s that time of year again, when pundits and armchair quarterbacks of every stripe offer up their insights on the year past and their predictions for the year to come. This isn’t one of those posts [...]
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Best of: I’m sick and tired of hearing that Canadians don’t take risks
December 16, 2013 by Francis Moran
This is the next entry in our “Best of” series, in which we venture deep into the vault to replay blog opinion and insight that has withstood the test of time. Today’s post hails from December 2011. We welcome your feedback [...]
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Great articles roundup: Social media, Gen Y, communications and entrepreneurship
December 13, 2013 by Daylin Mantyka
It’s officially the end of the working week, which means that it’s time for the Friday roundup where we’ve compiled a short list of the top articles we read and loved [...]
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By Paul Slaby
Twitter
Tweets by @FrancisMoranRecent Comments
Final Fling in the news and media : [...] 10: Canadian marketing experts blog on Fling taking on the ultimate marketing [...]
The best of the web | How to Be Creative (and Why it’s Necessary) : [...] Moran recently likened the current state of content marketing to the early state of radio. Anyone with access to the tools could claim expertise in radio, but as it evolved, it was apparent [...]
Francis Moran : Glad you liked the piece, Paul. I don't think you've ever been a client, so you are not directly referenced in any of my examples. But these shortcomings are common afflictions among marketing companies, so the shoe probably fits. :) As for your question about the Ottawa tech community being more marketing savvy? Yes, I believe it is.