Letter from Laura Buhler, Executive Director at C100
It is no secret that Canada’s technology sector is booming, but what’s also notable is the number of influential Canadians having significant impact in tech all over the world. Just this year, 4 of the 19 US tech companies expected to go public in 2019 were founded by Canadians (Slack, PagerDuty, Cloudflare, Uber). That’s over 20%! We know that these leaders aren’t alone: there is a whole generation coming up from behind them, and as they scale and grow their companies, they must also grow their network of scale-up talent, customers, and champions.
That’s why today I’m excited to announce C100 is launching a new membership program. This new membership represents an expansion of C100’s historical membership roster, a by-invitation cohort of just 100 impact-driven leaders we call “Charter Members”, or as tech reporter for The Logic, Julia Scott put it the “Who’s Who of Canadian technorati”. The recruitment of Charter Members was (and is still) based on their experience, influence, expertise, and availability to be active contributors to our program and community, to which they commit time and financial support for a three-year term. By contrast, this new membership is application-based and is more accessible for up-and-coming leaders.
For better or for worse, the gears of the technology world are greased by the behind-the-scenes forces of “tribes”. We know that the Canadian “tribe” exists for the better, and we’re here to help them find each other, learn from each other, and do work together.
What has made C100 successful and impactful in the life of Canadian entrepreneurs is the people involved and our high-accountability model. Since its start in 2010, C100’s largest program, 48Hrs in the Valley, has helped 250+ Canadian-led startups, which today employ over 12,000 people and have cumulatively raised $2.4B+ in equity capital (see C100 2018 Impact Report). C100 doesn’t take the credit for the success of these ambitious and talented founders. We do, however, take credit for finding some of the best, and activating a savvy network around them to give them an extra leg up.
“C100 was instrumental in helping us raise our Series A and kicking off our expansion into the U.S.” — Francis Davidson, Founder & CEO of Sonder (48Hrs, 2015)
C100 will evolve to become the global network that supports these incredible Canadians in their careers. By giving our community a membership to which they can belong, we can keep them close to opportunities emerging out of the entrepreneurship scene in Canada, too. For some, this means advising or investing in companies emerging back home. For others in the membership, this means helping Canadian startups partner and sell into their organization. For others still, we hope this means a taking a bold career move to a high-growth Canadian tech company (and I’m seeing this more than you’d think!)
“Canada’s diaspora in key markets around the world is one of the country’s greatest assets. C100 helps to mobilize us Canadians in tech hubs outside of Canada so that we can have an impact in Canada” — Andre Charoo, C100 Board Co-Chair
So, what does the Membership involve and how can you join?
This new paid membership aims to offer a robust calendar of intimate events and deeper engagement for Canadians leading or operating in technology companies (product, marketing, growth, sales/BD, finance) who may have previously not been involved as Charter Members, mentors or investors.
People who have benefited from C100 events in the past will now be able to apply to the new membership and enjoy an enhanced experience.
Prospective members must be sponsored by two current members, agree to C100’s membership principles, and work in technology as a founder or operator. The first market is the San Francisco Bay Area, which represents one of the largest Canadian technology communities in the world. Those who either live here or find themselves here frequently will gain the most from the membership in its early days.
Learn more about C100’s Members, Charter Members and apply for membership here.
About C100
C100 is the preeminent global community of Canadians in tech, a mission-driven network committed to supporting, inspiring, and connecting the most promising Canadian entrepreneurial leaders. C100 and its members — individual and organizational — support Canadian-led technology businesses and their leaders through mentorship, investment, partnership, and talent.
C100 is a privately-funded, not-for-profit member association, headquartered in San Francisco, California, with members across the major technology hubs of the US, Canada, and beyond.
For media inquiries, please write to us at connect@thec100.org.
