3 different conferences – 3 different moods

In the wake of last week’s election in Ontario, anecdotal data is very much top of mind. If you’ve spent any time in active politics, you’ll know that anecdotes confirm what polls will show in the weeks that follow.

The feedback we’ve received on three recent VC conferences is, perhaps, telling of what is going on in various pockets of the venture capital sector:

Ottawa Venture & Technology Summit:
– companies that presented were very, very early stage; fewer deals will flow than in previous years
– despite a very robust Ottawa IPO market, not many i-bankers made the trip from Montreal or Toronto
– OCRI is as well oiled a machine as any regional development office in Canada

Banff Venture Forum:
– very positive mood
– angels are filling the Calgary venture capital void, taking swings on the angel round that look like a traditional Series A deal
– Cleantech at the forefront (more on that later)

BioFinance:
– “somber optimism”, according to one participant
– incredible corporate sponsorship support relative to the number of first and second round biotech financings of the past few years

MRM