By: Shivani Persad, February 21 2024
CIX, powered by Elevate, is happening on March 26th and 27th at the Design Exchange! For more information on CIX 2024, tickets and more, click here.
For investors, CIX is where you’ll meet the top early-stage and scaling start-ups in Canada, mentor high-potential founders, and make deals with future unicorns.
If you’re a founder, you don’t want to miss the opportunity to meet with and learn from leading investors and industry experts. Come prepared, and you could receive valuable mentorship and advice from reputable investors. You may even walk away with an investment that could change the trajectory of your company.
Here are six tips to maximize your CIX 2024 experience:
Do your homework
Whether you’re an investor, advisor or founder, doing your “homework” before attending CIX is integral. The CIX Top 20 Early and Top 10 Growth Startup Award winners will be attending, presenting and ready to network. One of them could be your next partner! Review this list and determine which companies align with your interests and business goals – this is the best way to optimize your time. Once at the conference, seek out these companies, engage deeply with the research you’ve done and identify potential collaboration or investment opportunities.
Preview your schedule
At CIX, you’ll have a chance to listen to startups’ presentations, panel discussions, and keynote speakers like Vinod Khosla. It’s a good idea to assess the program beforehand and make note of the sessions that are more relevant to you and your business. If you want to put in the extra effort, do some deep thinning around the session topics and prepare questions. CIX is the perfect place to get your specific business, industry and investment questions answered by active decision-makers.
Speak up and network!
CIX is the perfect place to network casually and through planned opportunities. For more casual chats, founders should have their elevator pitch ready, complete with essential numbers, projections, and timelines investors need. These more casual networking opportunities will happen in our curated lounges, where more targeted networking will happen through pre-booked meetings. Both founders and investors should come ready to speak to specific people, bring specific questions and answers, and be prepared to discuss finances in detail.
Be sure to follow up!
Don’t forget that networking doesn’t end when the event ends. Did you have productive conversations? Make acquaintances? Maybe even made some deals? List everyone you’ve spoken to during the event, with notes about exactly what was discussed (even if it was casual). Your follow-up messages mustn’t be generic; they should be thoughtful and make it easy for your new connection to remember you! Follow up with everyone through email and connect with everyone you talked to on LinkedIn. This is a great way to ensure you’re not forgotten quickly and to start building a community of like-minded people you can easily stay in touch with. We recommend following up no later than one week after the event.
Share on social media (especially on LinkedIn!)
Start posting about CIX before the event date! Who are you excited to hear speak? Which investors are you excited to meet with? Start posting on LinkedIn, and you can meet others who may also be attending. Don’t be shy about posting pictures during the event: take selfies with new connections or post pictures of keynote speakers on stage. Post-event, make a post about what you learned, who you were able to connect with, and what this means for your future. Hashtag #ElevateCIX2024 and #ElevateTechCA to have the best engagement. Sharing your experiences on LinkedIn during CIX amplifies your presence. It creates opportunities for real-time engagement with other attendees, potentially leading to spontaneous meet-ups or discussions sparked by your posts.
Debrief with your teams post-event
Investors, advisors and founders should all debrief with their larger teams after CIX. What were the key takeaways? How can they be applied to your business? Translate your knowledge from CIX into actionable insights. Additionally, inform your team about who you networked with. What were the potential outcomes of these conversations and meetings? When are you following up, and what is your team’s role in these engagements? These debriefs will help to maximize the potential of new information and connections made at CIX. We recommend debriefing your time as soon as possible to keep the momentum going.
Are you ready to power new deals at CIX 2024?
CIX 2024 promises many opportunities to forge impactful connections, gain invaluable insights, and drive your business forward. Don’t miss out on this dynamic event – secure your spot today and be part of the conversation shaping the future of tech and investment in Canada. Click here to purchase your tickets and get ready to experience the power of networking and collaboration at CIX 2024!
