Vancouver Startup Week returns Sept. 21-28 for another amazing and engaging set of activities, speakers, and networking events hosted by the startup community in and around Vancouver. Now in its fifth year (!!) Vancouver Startup Week has a lot of great returning events to check out. We speak with Vivian Chan, Co-Chair of Vancouver Startup Week, to find out what’s new and exciting for 2018.

Full disclosure: Vivian is also the Community Manager at Devhub Vancouver, which is a partner organization of Lighthouse Labs.

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1) Not just for tech startups anymore

Originally Vancouver Startup Week focused on tech startup companies, but they’ve expanded that focus! This year, companies that are involved in Vancouver Startup Week include local not-for-profit organizations and startups in the food and beverage industry. Attendees will also include not only tech entrepreneurs and investors and startup founders, but early graduates who are thinking of entrepreneurship. There will still be plenty of tech and tech-related companies in attendance and involved throughout the week.

2) More events for developers

This year, there are plenty of events catered specifically for developers including:

There will also be events focused on UX/UI, Robotics, AI, and Blockchain.

3) Cannabis events

With cannabis legalization coming to Canada on Oct. 17, the focus on cannabis-related businesses is starting to gain a lot of momentum. With that in mind, Vancouver Startup Week is hosting a variety of events related to the cannabis industry, including:

4) Techstars is back!

Techstars is returning to Vancouver Startup Week for the second time and will be hosting keynotes, panel discussions, and fireside chats as part of Techstars Presents. Techstar’s Startup Weekend has also pushed up their usual late fall date into September so that Vancouver Startup Week rolls right into their hackathon event.

5) Lots of other engaging new topics

What are Lighthouse Labs and Devhub Involved With?

A lot! Lighthouse Labs and Devhub are involved in numerous events, open houses, and networking throughout Vancouver Startup week, including:

  • Friday, September 21 - VanHacks Mingler: A private social event for the attendees of the VanHacks Hackathon hosted at Devhub Vancouver.

  • Saturday, September 22 & Sunday, September 23 - VanHacks: Lighthouse Labs’ very own Don Burks will be a judge for the hackathon. We are excited to be able to sponsor such an amazing event.

  • Monday, September 24 - Kick-Off Event Lighthouse Labs will have a booth - Hosted at Telus World of Science: Spend the evening meeting some cool local startups and VSW partners, networking with fellow entrepreneurs, investors and community friends, and enjoying delicious food and free drinks!

  • Tuesday, September 25 - Lunch&&Learn at Devhub: The Key Ingredient to a Successful Startup with Huan Ho: In this session, Huan will share his Silicon Valley startup journey and discuss how he was able to hire and retain top talent with only a startup budget.

  • Wednesday, September 26 - Recruitment Fair - Lighthouse Labs will have a booth - Hosted at Telus World of Science: Are you looking to hire great talent, or are looking for a job in some of Vancouver's hottest startups, this is where you want to be!

  • Thursday, September 27 - Community Crawl (AKA Startup Open House): A community event where attendees are welcomed into offices of Vancouver companies. Devhub and Lighthouse Labs will be opening their doors will be having a networking event with games to show off our new office at 401 W. Georgia St.

Looking for more details on all there is to see and do at Vancouver Startup Week? Check out their website which includes a full list of speakers, event details, and much more!