Kelowna hosts Metabridge tech conference for 10th year

Start-up entrepreneurs, tech company CEOs and Venture Capitalists are mixing it up in Kelowna this weekend at the 10th annual Metabridge symposium.

Metabridge founder Steve Wandler said networking is the way small companies grow into large companies.

READ MORE:  Okanagan digital company will soon be hiring more employees

“They get funded because they’re having a one-on-one conversation with someone who’s interested specifically in them, so that’s where the value lies for a lot of these entrepreneurs,” Wandler said.

Over the weekend, the 150 or so participants alternate between having a good time together enjoying the Okanagan and attending interactive seminars and think tanks on topics such as attracting talent, growing sales, and raising capital.

“Oh, my gosh, everyone wants to come back every year,” said Meredith Powell, a board member of Metabridge said. “It’s challenging with so many people dying to come back, we have to consider how many we can accommodate. I’ve been coming for six years and it’s my favourite executive retreat.”

READ MORE:  Okanagan Centre for Innovation opens in Kelowna

Metabridge is a curated event, meaning executives, founders and CEOs have to apply to attend.

For those selected as a “Top 15 Company of the Year” there is no fee to attend.

These companies are automatically connected to top influencers, Silicon Valley mentors and Venture Capitalists.

Last year, Michael Brown’s company Swept was selected as a Top 15 company.

It has an app, developed in Nova Scotia, which connects cleaning companies to their staff.

“We raised all of our funding through connections we made here,” Brown said. “It’s been huge. We’ve tripled the company. We were eight people when I was here last year. We’re at 25 now and growing very quickly.”

Metabridge continues until Saturday.