Invited Seminars

I thought I would blog about a couple of seminars I was recently invited to give.

First, I was asked to deliver a seminar on Oct. 24 to this year's group of VenturePrize entrepreneurs-in-training. Specifically, I was asked to talk about the VenturePrize process, and the lessons learned along the way. This wound up being a two-part seminar. First, I deconstructed our 12-minute business plan pitch, in order to give the students useful insights into the how's and why's of a successful pitch. Then, in the second part of the seminar, I outlined 10 Tips From The Trenches (ok, there were actually 11 tips). In this context I was able to share a few war stories, which everyone seemed to appreciate.

It's an honour and a privilege to have the opportunity to give something back to the VenturePrize program. And I'm happy to say the seminar generated very positive response from the students, which was very gratifying (especially since I had a cold and was off my game).

In fact, the response from the first seminar was so positive I was invited to present the same seminar to Prof. Lloyd Steier's MBA class in the School of Business at the University of Alberta. This second presentation was earlier today. Once again, the MBA students seemed to really appreciate my focus on practical lessons they could adapt in their own careers. As a result, I have a couple of new, and potentially very significant, contacts. And a spiffy new mug. Could honoraria be far behind? (just kidding)

Anybody who wants an electronic copy of the seminar, just ask!