Organizers of the second annual SaaS North conference, co-founded by Kanata-based SaaS accelerator L-Spark, say they’re expecting some 1,000 delegates and more than 80 speakers to convene at the Shaw Centre from Nov. 29-30.
The event is intended for operators of software-as-a-service companies at any stage of growth who are looking to pick up actionable tips from software industry leaders.
“Ottawa has been the birthplace and long-term home of global companies who dominate their respective categories,” Leo Lax, L-Spark’s executive managing director, told The Sociable.
“It’s no wonder we are poised to be Canada’s capital of SaaS.”
This year’s roster of speakers includes Harley Finkelstein, the chief operating officer of Shopify, Klipfolio president and CEO Allan Wille as well as Anastasia Valentine, the chief marketing officer of Versature.
Described as “Canada’s go-to SaaS hub for founders, executives, service providers, investors and their teams,” the conference will provide practical content in the form of keynotes, breakout sessions and panel discussions.
A major theme of the 2017 conference is artificial intelligence, and how SaaS founders can leverage its power to analyze data.
Speakers will cover a variety of topics including growth and marketing, sales, customer success, fundraising, and SaaS-specific metrics.
In addition, leaders in their respective functions, like marketers or business development pros will participate in roundtable discussions and speakers will participate in ‘Ask Me Anything’ sessions. There will also be an investor zone for companies to directly connect with venture capital firms.
Kanata SaaS
L-Spark graduates, as well as the broader Kanata tech community, have helped raise the city’s profile as a SaaS hub.
This year alone, L-SPARK alumni FileFacets and Legget-drive based Member365 raised $4 million and $1 million, respectively.
Elsewhere, Fusebill – which develops a cloud-based billing platform from its headquarters on Herzberg Road – secured $6 million in venture capital slightly more than a year ago.