UPDATE [Nov 27/13]: At the present time these priorities are on the back burner due to important priorities and focus areas for Mi6 Agency clients. I continue to be a supporter of Silicon Halton and am passionate about where the community can go and grow. My ongoing involvement and leadership on these will continue based on my availability and capacity to volunteer my time.
Since we founded Silicon Halton in November of 2009 our fundamental beliefs and values have not changed regarding the purpose of our community. Our purpose was and still is to be a catalyst that enables technology professionals to connect and build relationships, partnerships, products and learn from each other.
We believed and now have confirmed that the technology industry is vibrant and full of talented professionals and awesome technology companies. Some of which will be featured in 2014 via a spotlight series of posts and soft hat tech tours [please talk to me about this if you’re interested in sponsoring this initiative].
I wanted to begin the conversation with Silicon Halton members. Specifically, what are your priorities for Silicon Halton in 2014. Please don’t misread this as a challenge. Think of it as an opportunity. Silicon Halton is your community just as it is any other member. So, think about how your priorities for your career, your product idea or your company can dovetail into your community. Use the community to help you and others grow.
Here are my priorities for 2014 (yes, they are ambitious! But, members are stepping up to help. Let me know if you’re interested):
1) Technology Product Commercialization Peer to Peer Group (Twitter Tag: #TPCp2p)
2) Big Data & Analytics Hub
3) Technology Conference and Exposition
4) Funding for our community
If you’re interested in learning more about these priorities read on! Please note that these initiatives are exclusive to Silicon Halton members. SH members must physically work and/or live in Halton Region to qualify. We may change this condition at some point to include members from Silicon Peel.
Technology Product Commercialization Peer to Peer (#TPCp2p)
I am co-leading this with Silicon Halton member Josh Hagan, Managing Partner of One Motion Technologies who is extremely passionate about technology and startups. This program is for individuals, who on their own or through their company, have an idea for a technology product that they want to commercialize. The product idea can be software based (including SaaS), hardware based or a combination of both.
The p2p will have 8-12 people which will form our first “cohort”. Over the coming months we will learn and apply the Lean Startup methods and share and support each other on our paths to commercializing our product ideas. Think of it as a hands on workshop, accelerator, startups team and mastermind group all rolled into one! Contact Josh or myself if you’d like to learn more.
Big Data and Analytics Hub
Led by Silicon Halton member Guy Pearce, Managing Partner of REData and yours truly and in collaboration with the Big Data/Analytics peer to peer (#BDAp2p) group this is a brand new strategic initiative for us. What is a hub? A hub is defined as: “The central part of a wheel, rotating on or with the axle, and from which the spokes radiate. A place or thing that forms the effective center of an activity, region, or network.” The Big Data & Analytics Hub’s goal is to be a global centre for innovation, products, services, technologies, students and professionals in the areas of big data and analytics. Yes, this is ambitious, yes we may fail but you’d be surprised at how much is already happening in this space in Silicon Halton. The best way to learn more and get involved is to join our Big Data & Analytics Peer to Peer (p2p) group.
Technology Conference and Exposition
My agency, Mi6, will be producing this event in 2014. The core of this event will evolve around the people and companies that are making the Silicon Halton community an amazing ecosystem of talent, ideas, products and companies. I will be looking for participants, sponsors, suppliers, volunteers, funding and public support from politicians and municipalities. Let me know if you’re interested!
Funding for our community
I’ll be supporting and advising the team who is looking into incorporation and funding sources for Silicon Halton. I’ll do everything I can to put in place the right model that stays true to the spirit and values that have made Silicon Halton what it is today and what it can become tomorrow.
Thanks for taking the time to read this post. I will provide updates on this post when we have something meaningful to share in terms of our progress.
Take some time and reflect on how your priorities in 2014 might help both you and Silicon Halton. Remember, this is our community…let’s continue to shape it together!
Feel free to add your thoughts by commenting below or the members only Linkedin group here.
Chris Herbert is the founder of Mi6 Agency. Mi6 Agency is a B2B (Business to Business) marketing and business development agency dedicated to helping companies build their brands and develop commercial relationships. He is the co-founder of ProductCamp Toronto and the Hi-tech community Silicon Halton. He tweets under the handle @B2Bspecialist.