West Coast Story
February 14, 2011
I’ve just returned from a trip to Vancouver and was really happy to be able to meet some of the people working in the social media / startup space in that city.
I started the week on Monday with a great lunch with David Eaves. We brainstormed a few further ideas around EatSure and some other projects with great potential for London so stay tuned on that front.
On Tuesday I stopped by BootUp Labs and chatted with Maura Rodgers, their Executive Director. I learned about the startup culture that’s very active in the city and what BootUp is doing to foster that. I was also very pleased to hear about the level of collaboration that exists in Vancouver. There are a number of cool companies coming out of BootUp that I’m sure we’ll hear more about soon!
In the evening, I stopped by the Vancouver Hack Space (VHS) and watched as they rolled out some really interesting projects, including seeing their MakerBot in action!
Finally on Wednesday morning I was able to have a long chat with David Olson from HootSuite. It was very encouraging to hear about the successes they’ve had with their products and some of the plans for the future. One of their biggest challenges is that many people aren’t aware that they’re a Canadian company!
The team at HootSuite is one that truly “understands” the storytelling aspect of Social Media and are providing a tool that
makes that easier for businesses and organizations of all sizes to interact with their communities.
I left their office with a bag full of stickers and pins, so they next time you see me be sure to grab some for yourself!
Over the next week I’m going to talk more about these companies and individuals and what lessons I’m excited to bring home and implement here. There are many opportunities here in London and lots of potential to add a bit of West Coast flavour to the Forest City.
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