An overview of the first corporate startup weekend in Canada that we put on at Torstar Digital earlier this year.

1. Candice Faktor,
VP, Strategy and New Ventures
Torstar Digital
How to Create an Entrepreneurial Muscle in Your
Organization
October 4, 2012

2. Torstar Corporation is a progressive media company with a long,
proud history in newspapers and book publishing and a passion for
embracing the opportunities created by the rapidly evolving world of
digital and mobile media.

3. Creating the next
generation of
digital businesses

4. Own the disruption

6. Startup Weekends are 54-hour events where developers, designers, marketers, product managers
and startup enthusiasts come together to share ideas, form teams, build products, and launch
startups!

7. http://vimeo.com/eighteeneighty/swtrailer

8. Toronto has hosted three Startup Weekends
At Toronto Startup Weekend, there are typically over 100 participants (always sold out).
2011 Winning team below:

9. Create the Next Great
Torstar Digital Venture
Turn Your Idea Into Reality
Limited Space Available – SIGN UP NOW!
$5000 CASH PRIZE
Hear from: Dan Debow, Founder of Rypple
& Chris Eben, Toronto StartUp Weekend Organizer

10. Adapted from StartUpWeekend.org

11. Adapted from StartUpWeekend.org

12. The Curriculum
How to Rock a Startup in 54 hours?

13. Text
Source: StartUpWeekend.org

14. Source: StartUpWeekend.org

15. Source: StartUpWeekend.org

16. Source: StartUpWeekend.org

17. Source: StartUpWeekend.org

18. saturday
Source: StartUpWeekend.org

19. Source: StartUpWeekend.org

20. The Results

21. 38 participants
(developers, designers, marketers, analysts, sales people, operations, finance)
16 ideas pitched
7 teams formed
1 winner

22. 2052 hours worked on the weekend!

23. 7 prototypes and pitches created!

24. Crowd Radio turns the internet into radio.

25. A digital app which allows you to book last-
minute deals for chic hotels, on-the-go.

26. A social media service that connects trusted tradespeople
to homeowners and homeowners to a tradesperson they
can count on. TradeConnect uses its unique ranking
system to ensure users will find the best person for the job!

27. KindPie <http://www.kindpie.com/> is a social
generosity site that promotes sharing of photos,
text, and video content related to random daily
acts of kindness.

28. Sports Catch is a social sports prediction
platform, providing a competitive
environment for crowd sourced content.
Print Bids is an online auction platform that allows
small businesses to bid in real-time on available ad-
space in major newspaper publications.

30. 1 Winner!

31. WarmFuzzy is an easy to use, multi-medium
(email, letter mail, mobile and social media)
business application that helps small businesses
form a human connection with their customers,
helping to build brand loyalty and drive repeat
purchases.

33. 1 Winning Team but Many Beers!

34. What did we learn?

35. Magic Can Happen In Immersive Experiences

36. Have Amazing Talent at Torstar Digital
"What a great way to leverage internal
talent and provide a means to seeing
an opportunity through. The quality of
innovation that Torstar employees
displayed this weekend was truly
refreshing and impactful. Torstar has
really set the bar high and I look
forward to seeing what their existing
talent will come up with in the future.”
- Matt Golden of Golden Venture Partners

37. Quality of Ideas Leading Edge
“I have been evaluating business proposals for
Torstar for over 10 years, and I was blown away
by the quality of proposals developed so
quickly by these teams. The process involved
in a Startup Weekend really is amazing at
focusing and sharpening new business ideas.
We will definitely be repeating this event and
encouraging even greater participation in the
future.”
- Tomer Strolight, President of Torstar Digital

43. “I participated to meet new people from different
areas of Torstar Digital. My favourite part of this
experience was the real world approach to
starting a business and working as a team to
adapt to all the changes that happen on the fly
(which were a lot). Also the time spent with the
mentors was invaluable and provided excellent
insight as to what it takes for a business to set
itself apart in the digital world.
Next year, I'm in!”
- jmadruga

46. “The most important thing I learned was
how crucial it is to validate your idea. It
might make sense to us, but does it
make sense to the consumer? the
supplier? industry experts? What
evidence is there to support this? We
also learned it is important to adapt
based on the feedback you receive!”
- Matthew Hudson, business analyst at Torstar Digital
property WagJag spoke of his experience.

47. “Loved the experience! Although it was
tiring, it was a great way to work with
different people across the company
that you normally wouldn't get to. It was
also a great way to see how fast you
can truly come up with a workable
business in just 54 hours!
Would do it again!”- meghgupta

48. Stand for Innovation
“Participating in Startup Weekend at
Torstar Digital was an awesome
experience that brought together
employees from disparate business
units, but it also proved that Torstar
Digital really believes in innovation. I
can't think of an activity that is more in
keeping with our corporate mandate. I
can't wait to participate again.”
- Jonathan Naymark of Torstar Digital’s
Strategy and New Ventures

49. What’s Next..?

50. 2014

54. Vision without action is
merely a dream. Action
without vision just
passes the time. Vision
with action can change
the world.
- Joel A. Barker

55. Thank You
Please get in touch!
Candice Faktor
VP, Strategy and New Ventures
Torstar Digital
email: candice.faktor@gmail.com
email: cfaktor@torstardigital.com
twitter: thecfaktor