New Tech Meetup - Entrepreneur Stories

New Tech Meetup brings Calgary’s vibrant startup, business, academic and investor communities together to connect and grow the tech ecosystem in our city. Join us the 2nd Thursday of the month to network and socialize, learn from the best and brightest local startups and tech entrepreneurs, and support or join an up-and-coming startup.

Cost: Free. Parking is provided.

Moderator: Kari Gordon, Startup Calgary

Kari is the Executive Director of Startup Calgary, a not for profit with a focus on the early stage entrepreneur. In addition to her work with the startup community, she has twenty plus years of experience in amateur sport wearing multiple hats including; coach, general manager and technical director. Kari is a successful community builder specializing in grassroots organizations. Her specialty is facilitating collisions of diverse people, skills and experiences to encourage and foster growth and development. Kari's passion for community and team is evident in her professional life and she is a proud member of the volunteer leadership team with the Calgary Stampede, currently sitting as the Chairman for the Grandstand Committee.

Guest entrepreneurs: Roger Bertschmann and Lucas McCarthy

Roger Bertschmann

Roger is a serial entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in wired and wireless communications and semiconductor design. In his previous position, he was Senior Director of Mixed Signal IP Development at PMC Sierra where he led a team developing mixed-signal IP cores for PMC's Enterprise Storage and Communication business units. Previous to PMC he was a co-founder of Rad3 Communications, a communications IP provider which was acquired by PMC Sierra in 2011. In addition, he also founded SiWorks Inc. (a leading wireless IP provider acquired by Nextwave Wireless) and Dynastream Inc. (acquired by Garmin). Roger is an advisor to iNovia Capital (https://inovia.vc/), an early-stage high-tech venture capital fund. Roger also worked at Novatel Wireless and the Telecommunications Design Center of Philips Semiconductor in Zurich, Switzerland where he was one of the principal engineers working on the design of highly integrated GSM and digital cordless baseband controllers. He holds a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo and a M.Sc. from the University of Calgary.

Lucas McCarthy

Lucas McCarthy is founder and CEO of startup ticketing solution Showpass, an all-in-one cloud-based event management system built that helps event organizers sell more tickets. He has steadily built Showpass since inception in 2014, attracted a diverse team and investors that believe in his vision and ability to lead the company, and won awards from the Lazardis Institute, Calgary Chamber of Commerce and EY. Lucas is a serial entrepreneur and was one of the top gamers in the world by the time he was in his early teens. As a top cyberathlete, he was offered positions on teams across the world, but instead used his entrepreneurial skills to create websites and brands for some of the best teams on the planet. He recognized a niche and started a company creating websites and designing logos for international teams of gamers. Lucas went on to sell his company and continue his entrepreneurial pursuits. Lucas is a native Calgarian and a graduate of The University of Calgary Haskayne School of Business.

Agenda:

6:00-6:30pm - Networking

6:30-6:45pm - Event logistics & introductions to our team, presenting entrepreneurs and startups, special guests, and sponsors.

6:45-7:30pm - Startup pitches/entrepreneur panel discussion

7:30-7:45pm - Community asks

7:45-8:30pm - Networking

8:30pm - Event wrap-up