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Anyone who reads this blog knows that I’m a transplant living in the Bay Area, along with the other million or so from-somewhere-else’s. But you also know that my heart – or at least part of it – remains in Montreal, when I was born, raised and lived for the first 30 years of my life.
This makes for only a fraction though of my excitement for the first (and annual, I hope) International Startup Festival (ISF) taking place this week in my home town. In my many travels I have been lucky to visit many a great place, but few have presented the pure energy and downright cool factor Montreal does, in the summer. The ‘in the summer’ part is an important distinction here; winter is cool but in a whole other way!
Seeing all these amazing startup leaders and media descend on Montreal for three days be part of a crowd that I expect will near 1000 will be special for me. But make no mistake; this Festival will be special for anyone who attends. Phil Telio, my longtime business partner and close friend, is the brains and brawn behind the ISF and this alone assures its success. Phil has amazed me in the last few years with his enormous knack for creating events that people don’t easily forget. Prior to the ISF, Phil created and nurtured StartupCamp Montreal into something that best depicts the accelerating growth of the entrepreneurial spirit in Montreal.
Back to the ISF. Relaxing poolside in Miami in February, the morning after the third and biggest installment yet of StartupCamp Comm, a pitch event focused on the emerging communications sector, Phil shared with me his yearning and vision for something bigger in Montreal. That was the beginning, and five short months later the first ISF is only days away – and wow what a line up. Three days of international networking (startups applied from 17 countries), a mix of highly sought after speakers from around the world, and my home town as the backdrop. I can’t wait.
Congratulations to Phil and all the locals who got behind him to make it happen. And for those looking for a last minute trip this week, just do it.
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Larry works with entrepreneurial companies in voice & visual communications to help them grow their business. 
