On April 6, 2010 I wrote a blog post about resurrecting a Montreal tech news site. And today, it’s launched.

Please visit NextMontreal >>

Along with the NextMontreal team (and in particular, Patrick Tanguay!) we’ve been working a ton to get the site ready. I’m very pleased with what we’ve accomplished in such a short time.

The goal of NextMontreal is to serve as a news and opinion hub for everything related to tech in Montreal. We’re broadening the focus to include big companies as much as startups, and other tech sectors like life sciences and gaming, just as much as those we spend our time working in, namely Web and mobile. Providing a primary hub for all tech news in Montreal is going to add a lot of value in terms of increasing awareness (inside and outside Montreal), cross-pollination of ideas across sectors and more.

Even before launching, we’ve brought on some fantastic sponsors: Beyond the Rack, Microsoft, Bridgescale and d’Astous Groupe Conseil. These people recognized the importance of what we’re trying to do and were willing to support us on day one. Thank you.

We’ve put together a great team of Featured Columnists. And more will join us. These are folks that are pushing Montreal forward in the world of tech, locally, but even more importantly, abroad. No city can survive on its own. Our markets are not local, they’re global. Some stories are local, and we hope to create real meaning at a local level, but we need folks on the outside – acquirers, big companies, talent, investors, etc. – looking in and paying attention. That’s part of NextMontreal’s mission.

I’m excited to keep pushing Montreal forward and using NextMontreal as a community platform for doing so. I hope you enjoy the site, read through the great content that’s already published, and stay tuned for much more.

Visit NextMontreal now!

The Art of Marketing is a conference being held in Montreal on September 30th. They’ve got a star-studded lineup, including:

• Seth Godin on Leadership & Creativity
• Jeffrey Gitomer on Customer Loyalty & Sales
• Avinash Kaushik on Brand Measurement & Analytics
• Mitch Joel on Digital Marketing & Social Media
• Max Lenderman on Experiential Marketing
• Andy Nulman on Strategy & Innovation

It’s rare to get all of these folks (even the Montrealers in the group!) in Montreal at one time, so if you’re interested in marketing, social media, analytics, etc. it’s worth checking out.

Two important notes:

1. Get a discount! Click this link to get $50 off the regular admission price. Cost will be $349 to sign up.
2. Wait for the contest! The folks at Art of Marketing have agreed to do a contest with NextMontreal.com (when we launch) to offer 2 FREE tickets.. We’re working on the contest and it will get launched immediately after the site is launched (which will be at some point in August, to allow for enough time before the conference).

You can learn more about the conference and the speakers at The Art of Marketing.

It’s been a few months since I instigated the return of a Montreal technology news site. And today I’m pleased to announce that things are actively moving forward on the project.

NextMontreal.com will be a news and opinion site for Montreal technology.

The site won’t be launched for awhile, but you can stay up-to-date by following NextMontreal on Twitter.

I’ve assembled an initial team including myself, Phil Telio, Sylvain Carle and Patrick Tanguay. I’m certain more people will join this team in the very near future. We need more people to join.

I’ve got great sponsors already on board (I won’t name them yet!) and more on the way. As I said in a previous post, it’s important to establish financial stability, so people that dedicate their time to NextMontreal on an active basis are compensated. We won’t be able to pay everyone — but we hope the community will rally to support NextMontreal and we’ll bring on great volunteers to cover events, stories, etc.

NextMontreal won’t be exclusively about Web and mobile startups. Certainly the team involved spends most of their time in that world, but we want to expand NextMontreal to cover a much broader range of technology: gaming, life sciences, etc. We won’t get perfect coverage – there’s just too much going on – but our goal is to get substantial coverage across multiple tech sectors and communities in Montreal.

The site will be news-driven, first and foremost. We’ll have op-ed pieces as well from great columnists in multiple tech sectors.

We’re also very pleased to have Heri involved from Montreal Tech Watch. We’ll be working with Heri to make sure his content gets added exposure through NextMontreal. We’ll be exchanging ideas, stories, and working to collectively connect the various tech sectors in Montreal and raise Montreal’s profile as a vibrant tech center.

I believe there are 3 key audiences we need to reach:

1. Grassroots Recruits: There are more and more students and young people that have yet to discover Montreal’s tech world. Startupifier is a group of students from various schools / universities in Montreal that have self-organized to help out. This is a key audience for NextMontreal. We want to draw grassroots recruits into the tech community.
2. The Community Itself: Truth be told it’s not really a community. There are too many people doing too many different things to lump everyone into one giant “tech community.” But it’s clear that people within each individual community aren’t even getting the news they need.
3. The Corporate World: Tech companies (of any kind) need customers, investors, partners, acquirers, etc. All of those entities are in “the corporate world” (versus “the startup world”). I’m making broad generalizations, but I’m sure you understand what I mean. The tech community, especially amongst startups, does itself a disservice if it doesn’t draw in investors, large corporations and other organizations that have an interest in what we’re doing. And this is both in Montreal and outside. We need the corporate world’s attention, and NextMontreal will drive that.

Montreal needs a central tech news hub – and our goal is to realize that through NextMontreal.com.

Over the next little while, here’s what we’ll be looking for:

• Contributors. If you believe you can contribute to NextMontreal in some way, please let me know. We’ll need volunteers to cover events. We’ll need people in various tech sectors (that we’re not experts in) to partner with us to find interesting stories, report the news, etc.
• Story Ideas. If you’ve got an interesting tech story, we’d like to hear it. Doesn’t matter if you’re in Web, mobile, gaming, security, hardware, or something else. We’re looking for all sorts of stories. We’ll be covering the investor world and bootstrapped businesses as well.
• Sponsors. One of my primary goals for NextMontreal is that it be sustainable (even if I get hit by a bus, NextMontreal must live on!) Anyone interested in reaching the broader tech community in Montreal should speak with me about how we can work together.

Getting to this point has already been a challenge. And the future isn’t entirely clear either. This is a major undertaking with quite a few moving parts, lots of varying interests, and a very important mandate. Montreal needs NextMontreal. It’s why I decided to instigate the project in the first place. And I’m certainly not the only one that believes in it. My hope – over the next month or so – is that we’re able to coalesce all the necessary pieces and launch something significant, meaningful and valuable. Stay tuned…

About 2 months ago I put out a suggestion that we bring Montreal Tech Watch back to life or something similar to it. The site helped people a lot, and I’d like to see that happen again. I’d like people to be able to discover the startup ecosystem in Montreal, find jobs, find co-founders, share news, attract people to events, etc. All of that was happening with Montreal Tech Watch. I did discuss Montreal Tech Watch with Heri, but nothing came of it. I certainly wish him the best!

Montreal Tech Watch succeeded at pointing a spotlight on the tech startups in Montreal. For that, we owe Heri a great deal.

Things are picking up in Montreal. There’s a lot going on. And now more than ever we need a site similar to Montreal Tech Watch – dedicated to reporting on the big and small tech startup stuff going on in Montreal on a consistent basis. With that in mind, along with Phil Telio, we’re launching a new tech startup site for Montreal. In order to do it properly, we need to hire a Chief Editor.

There’s still a fair amount of details to work out, but here’s how I see it going down:

• The Chief Editor will be paid. I don’t believe the site can succeed with volunteers alone.
• This won’t be a full-time job, so part-timers can apply, but I would expect it to take a few days per week at least, possibly more.
• Phil Telio and I will be responsible for raising the money needed to operate the site. We have a budget in mind. We’ll be looking to corporate sponsors to help out. If there are any corporate sponsors out there interested in owning some real estate on what will quickly become a Montreal startup focal point, get in touch!
• We will look for volunteers to help write stories, participate at events, promote the site, etc. One person can’t do this alone.
• The site will most likely be run as a non-profit.
• The budget will be used to pay the Chief Editor, potentially pay other writers, infrastructure (site design, hosting, etc.) And we may be able to do some other interesting things too.

This new site won’t be designed as a “ra ra” platform for Montreal. Certainly, we hope it will have a positive outlook and promote Montreal, but it also has to be as balanced and impartial as possible. We need the site to tell real stories about what’s going on. It can’t be a platform simply for patting ourselves on the back. We owe ourselves more than that.

We want to launch the site as soon as possible.

So what are we looking for in a Chief Editor?

• Strong writing abilities. English and French (if possible). When applying, please send some writing samples, or links to stuff you’ve written online.
• A strong understanding of the current tech and startup scene in Montreal. Ideally you’re already a member of the community, and you’re ready to stand out. Even if you’re not a current active member of the Montreal tech startup community, you want to be involved.
• You “get” startups. Maybe you’ve worked at a startup in the past. Or you’ve started companies in the past. Or you just love startups and know what’s going on.
• You have opinions and aren’t scared about publishing them. It’s important that the site not simply be a cheerleader for Montreal startups. It has to be more than that. And people are attracted to a voice that’s strong, purposeful and opinionated.
• Strong Web skills in terms of using WordPress (our platform of choice), blogging, social media, social networking, SEO, traffic building. If you can hack around a bit in PHP all the better. Having some Web/tech abilities is helpful, but I don’t want people to not apply due to a lack of Web tech skills.
• Ability to manage others. We hope (and think) we’ll have a strong group of volunteers ready to write guest posts, attend events, etc. So you need to be able to manage people effectively.
• Good networking skills. You’ll need to be out and about, attending events, meeting people, etc. You have to enjoy interacting and networking.
• Passion for the Montreal startup ecosystem. Simply put: you have to love startups. And you have to be very interested in being at the center of the ecosystem in Montreal.
• Opportunistic. Frankly, you shouldn’t do this for the money. Yes, we’ll be paying someone but you’re not going to be retiring in Maui off this gig. So you need to be opportunistic, and recognize the benefits of being in the public eye and how to leverage that for your own benefit (be it your own startup, consulting gig, network, etc.)

The Chief Editor will be responsible for the editorial strategy and content behind the site. Phil and I won’t be dictating that in any way. We’ll be overseeing the budget and helping attract funds, and provide mentorship and guidance throughout the process. But the Chief Editor will be in charge.

So you in?

To apply, please email me at byosko@gmail.com. I’ll need writing samples (or links to stuff you’ve written), and a good sense of your current social media presence. And please focus on the points and skills described above. Thank you!

So here’s the scoop — I’m starting a new company. I can’t tell you the name (don’t have one), and can’t tell you what it’s about (not ready). I also can’t tell you who is involved (except for me, of course). I can tell you that it will have a strong mobile component.

I realize that’s not a lot of information. I don’t plan on doing this in stealth, but there are some reasons that I can’t announce much right now.

But I can tell you that I’m looking to hire a senior Ruby on Rails Developer.

Here are the details:

• I say “senior” because I need someone that has the potential of being a co-founder with me. I’m not really looking for “employee #1″ — that’s boring and just doesn’t fit into my plans (although we’ll see what happens.) You might not be ready to be a co-founder right off the bat, but I need you thinking that way.
• If you have experience with mobile development, especially on the iPhone, that will be helpful. If you don’t, that’s OK. But you’ll have to learn. And want to learn.
• You have to be in Montreal. You can relocate (I can’t pay for it), but you have to be working from here.
• You know who Eric Ries and Steve Blank are, although you don’t have to be a zealot of either. (I’m not interested in religious nuts. A smart, strong understanding of what those two are about will be helfpul.) Add Sean Ellis to that list.
• You’re not exclusively interested in coding in a dark room with lots of caffeine. If you want to live in a tech bubble or tech silo, you’re a code monkey and that’s no good for me. (And yes, I’m being obnoxious on purpose.)
• Ideally you’ve done A/B testing before, and used analytics properly. And you enjoyed both a great deal. You think. You test. You think. You act. In that order.
• You do recognize that a 9×5 job and workload just aren’t realistic for a startup. And even if they were, you wouldn’t want them because work = fun.
• Last, but certainly not least, you want to have a lot of fun in the SUPER-EARLY stages of a crazy startup. And this is as early as it gets.

Please don’t hesitate to ask me any questions you might have. In fact, I encourage them.

To apply, please email me: byosko@gmail.com. Send me whatever you think will catch my attention (No naked pictures, please!)

Montreal needs Montreal Tech Watch. When the site was active it provided a great deal of exposure to Montreal, and helped build a stronger community. There’s a lot going on in Montreal for tech startups and entrepreneurs, but without adequate reporting, too much of it doesn’t get the attention deserved.

This is not to blame Heri or anyone that was involved with Montreal Tech Watch. I can’t emphasize that enough. Heri did a lot for Montreal, more than most. And the site took a ton of work and there was no pay. I completely understand Heri’s dilemma. But Montreal needs Montreal Tech Watch.

I have some ideas for how to restore Montreal Tech Watch and/or start something in a similar vein. But it’s going to take a lot of support from Montreal entrepreneurs, investors, service providers, sponsors, etc.

I’d like to see who is interested in bringing back Montreal Tech Watch (or a similar site dedicated to the tech, entrepreneur and startup scene in Montreal). If you are interested, please comment on this blog post. Tell me (and everyone) what you liked, didn’t like, where you’d like to see Montreal Tech Watch (or a similar site) go, how you could help, etc. I’m going to be reaching out to people in a little while to see what we can do.

People of Montreal…you have been summoned!

There are a bunch of great new (and repeat) events coming to Montreal very soon. If you’re in a startup, thinking about it (hello students!), or just curious about the world of startups, you should attend:

1. Startup Square Soiree: April 13, 6pm EDT. This is the launch event for a new organization run by students (from various schools). The group is called Startup Square and the event details are here: http://www.startupsquare.ca/node/8. I’ll be giving a quick presentation on how I started in the wild, wonderful world of entrepreneurship and there will be a host of other speakers too. This is a great way for entrepreneurs and students to meet each other.
2. Startup Lessons Learned Simulcast: April 23rd, 12pm-9pm EDT. This is taking place in San Francisco, but they’re going to be showing the full event live in a bunch of different cities. Barry Paquet got Montreal signed up. He’s looking for a location, and details are to be confirmed, but you can sign up here: http://leanstartupmontreal.eventbrite.com/. Tickets are limited!! If you want to see who will be speaking, check out the official conference site: http://www.sllconf.com/. It’s a kick ass group. Sign-up right now.
3. Startup Camp Montreal 6: May 6, 3pm-10pm EDT. Startup Camp is a mainstay of the Montreal tech and startup event scene. It’s organized by Embrase and Phil Telio. It’s a great event, one of the biggest we have. And this time around, there will be two amazing speakers — Dave McClure and Andy Nulman. There will also be a handful of startups presenting and remember — one lucky startup is going to be flown to Tokyo along with Dave McClure and a bunch of other startups for his “Geeks on a Plane” trip.
4. UXTalk Montreal: April 21, 5:30-8pm EDT. The UX, UI and design people in Montreal have put together this event, which happens on a regular (monthly?) basis. They get good turn out. I’ve heard good things about the event, and if you’re interested in UX/UI/design and connecting into that growing network of people in Montreal, this is the place to be. Sign up here: http://uxtalk-3.eventbrite.com/.

To keep up on everything that’s going on in Montreal, sign up for The Startup Digest. Just pick Montreal and you’re all set!

Things are picking up in Montreal. Now is the time to participate, get involved and push the startup ecosystem forward.

Many of you know this already, but I got the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go to the USA – Canada Gold Medal Hockey Game at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.

Words really can’t describe it. I wish I had taken more photos and videos, but it’s hard to do that and really soak it all in. Plus, the battery on my iPhone was dying. But I saw some incredible things. One of the funniest was outside Canada Hockey Place where cops (with guns) were playing street hockey with fans. Presumably they were doing their security duty, but it looked hilarious — and really spoke to the community spirit in Vancouver.

So, I did manage to snap a few photos and a couple of videos. The videos are all essentially the same – scattered, bumpy and loud. Yes, you’ll hear me screaming like a lunatic (and singing Oh Canada horribly out of tune). But you’ll get a glimpse at what it was like on the inside…

Here’s a picture of me, my mother-in-law (who got us the tickets!) and my friend (who is an American fan):

And here are the videos (unfortunately I think the last two are super-huge files and seem to be very slow to display):

On February 18th, 2010 I’ll be speaking at Internet Marketing Conference in Montreal.

My talk is at the end of the day. I’ll be expanding on my previous presentation on social media and inbound recruiting. Actually, since I know that the speakers before me will spend a good chunk of their time focused on social media marketing to drive sales, brand awareness and customer service, I can probably get on stage and say, “Do what they said, but for recruiting people. Thank you.” Maybe I’ll toss in a few examples too.

The Internet Marketing Conference (IMC) is a 2-day event. On February 17th they do a full day of training. The conference day with speakers is on the 18th. Please note: IMC does cost money ($395 for the conference, $295 for the training, with a discount if you pay for both days.)

I’m looking forward to presenting and expanding on my ideas around social recruiting.

As well, I have 1 free ticket (for the conference day) to give away. I have a super-secret code that I can give you to register with, and they’ll comp your conference day ticket. Without making things overly complex, I’d like to run a simple contest.

1. Please comment on this blog or tweet out a message with this hashtag (#benimc) to enter the contest.
2. Ideally it would be great if you shared with me (and others) why you’d like to attend.
3. Let’s stick with 1 comment and 1 tweet per person (so you can leave a comment and tweet if you’d like).
4. On Friday, September 12th, I’ll randomly select a winner.

See you there!

The next Montreal Tech Entrepreneur Breakfast is scheduled for Tuesday, June 9th at 8am.

Remember: The location is Boccacinos on McGill St.

And for the first time ever we have 2 sponsors! Both Nestor System and Sun Microsystems are sponsoring this event. (Both have sponsored previous breakfasts too!)

As a result of our sponsors combined generosity, breakfast is free. The menu will have a handful of items on it; the cost of breakfast (including tip) is covered by the sponsors.

Here are the important details:

• Who should attend? Anyone that’s into the tech and entrepreneur scenes in Montreal. That includes entrepreneurs, startup employees, angel investors, venture investors, service providers, students, etc. Every event sees new people, and hopefully the connections made turn into real value in the long-term.
• When and where? Tuesday, June 9th at Boccacinos on McGill St. (downtown) at 8am-10am.
• How do we connect? Stay connected using our Facebook Group.
• How do we RSVP? It would be great if you RSVP’d so we have a sense of how many people are coming. You can do so using the Facebook Event listing.
• Who is sponsoring? Nestor System and Sun Microsystems!

NOTE: The last event had far more people RSVP than showed up. This isn’t the end of the world, but please make an effort to attend if you RSVP (or update us before the event that you won’t be coming.) It helps us manage the seating arrangements, restaurant expectations, etc. Thank you!