See you at Acceleratorfest 2023

Last week, we announced with startupfest the program for acceleratorfest 2023, a premium festival for accelerators. This year, as in previous editions, main was in charge of content curation.

My team and I couldn’t be prouder of the story that this brief moment in time—the afternoon of July 12, 2023—will tell. People may not remember the date, or the colorful outfit worn by our host Louis-Félix Binette (see photo at the top of this post), but they will remember the essence of the discussions we’ll have that day.

and we will be certain that the discussions we had there were up to the challenges of our time.

People will probably remember the view of Montreal from the Montreal Port Tower, too.

The story we’ll be telling on July 12—we can feel it in our gut.
We started with some topics that seemed essential to us. Here’s a fairly accurate representation of our train of thought:
— “We absolutely need a panel on IP!
— A panel on data, too!
— “But IP and data—what for? IP isn’t an end in itself; it’s a means to an end. The same goes for data management.”

AS SIMON SINEK WOULD SAY: “START WITH WHY.”

We've gone back to basics. Is it IP or data that's changing the world? No.

It is entrepreneurs and their missions that change the world. And they do so by leveraging tools such as AI and data management.

We also have panels that are more than just gender-balanced, and we achieved that effortlessly. Every woman on the program was selected and invited based on her specific qualifications, not just to fill a slot on the schedule.

We also wanted to showcase some new faces who have come from far away to be with us. We have Caroline from Geneva, Marwan from Paris, Frances from New York, Chris from Edmonton, Joelle from Winnipeg…

First, we’ll take inspiration from Katy Yam of FounderFuel, who’ll probably be a little hungover after having “a few too many” the night before their legendary Demo Day. (Don’t miss that Demo Day, by the way.)

Then, we refocus with a panel of experts from all walks of life to remind ourselves of the world in which our startups —and, by extension, accelerators—operate. The goal is to step outside the walls of our accelerator so we can return to it with a perspective that may not be new, but one that takes a broader view of the bigger picture.

and last but not least, we'll be raising our voices, with a view to helping the accelerators present become (even) better, with people so talented we've had to reread their positive responses three times to convince ourselves they'll actually be with us. these eminences will be sharing their nuggets of knowledge in three discussions:

1. Taking care of people
   How can we be catalysts for change to reverse the alarming statistics on entrepreneurs’ mental health?
2. Taking Care of Tech
   How can we support profitable startups that attract partners, conquer foreign markets, and make the world a little better?
3. taking care of business (models)
   under what models and in what spaces do accelerators operate, and how do they co-exist in their various forms?

(I hope that last song has gotten this excellent classic stuck in your head—I’d never even heard of the band until now.)

A packed schedule, to be sure, but one that tells a story. Just as there was a “before” and an “after” Acceleratorfest 2018, there will be a “before” and an “after” Acceleratorfest 2023.

— Joyce McLean, Head of Summit and Community Relations @ main