The New Face of Funding

It takes money to make money, but for fledgling companies, it also takes the right kind of money. And finding the right source of financing to fuel business development can be just as important as the financing itself.

We talked to a couple of people who know a lot about the current funding environment for technology companies – Debi Rosati and Michelle Van Tol – and asked them for their thoughts on the subject, and for things that emerging companies should keep in mind as they consider sources of funding.

Anyone who’s been in business in Ottawa knows that the sea of funding that washed over this city’s technology sector in the late 1990s and early 2000s (and dried up during the tech bust of 2001-02) has been replaced by a number of much smaller cash streams, meandering through specific sectors or stages of corporate development. But the face of funding has changed, and companies looking for investors need to understand the differences between the streams into which they dip. Read on...

Michelle Masson on
Common Failures

The April 23 edition of Ottawa Business Journal celebrates Ottawa’s 10 fastest growing companies. For obvious reasons, this list is always of interest to REI. However, what really caught my attention was seeing this list in combination with an article in the same edition by Pat DiPietro, called “Crossing the chasm to market success.”

DiPietro points out that while it’s true that fewer venture-backed startups are getting going, the more distressing issue is that not many of our local companies get ‘completed.’ I thought “how true!” As I read on, I found myself agreeing with some of the issues cited regarding rounds of financing, and it got me thinking.
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On April 12, Peter Eddison was in Toronto as the invited speaker for the York Technology Association’s CEO Peer Group, a monthly forum for CEOs to discuss issues they consider to be 5 key strategic planning mistakes....

The topic in April was strategic planning. Although almost every company’s planning process involves some form of annual “offsite strategic planning session”, many CEOs will privately admit that they are not sure they are getting real value from their strategic planning efforts. Peter was invited to share his thoughts on why, despite good intentions, many strategic planning sessions are ineffective, and to suggest steps that companies can take to help ensure that their planning efforts generate meaningful results. Learn more...