Comments on: To Pay or Not to Pay – That is the Question! http://thefusionforum.com/2009/10/to-pay-or-not-to-pay-that-is-the-question/ The Fusion Forum 2009 Thu, 12 Aug 2010 06:15:33 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: David Gratton http://thefusionforum.com/2009/10/to-pay-or-not-to-pay-that-is-the-question/comment-page-1/#comment-18 David Gratton Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:35:59 +0000 http://thefusionforum.com/?p=515#comment-18 There is no conflict of interest in NMBC charging fees. It is a non-profit that is working on behalf of new media companies and there are real costs associated with running this event. There is a serious conflict of interest where Angel Investors or those posing as such are asking start-ups to pay in order to pitch "their group". This is the major issue that I think is implied in Jason C's rant. I have attended both good and bad investor/start-up events in Canada and Vancouver in particular. Even the good ones are focused on start-ups not involved with digital media. Considering the vast cultural industry located in Vancouver, I find this incredibly disappointing. The Fusion Forum was a great event in the past when I attended. It is the ONLY event in Western Canada strictly focused on Digital Media start-ups, bio-tech need not apply. This event provides good value. Vancouver needs this event and more like them in my opinion. There is no conflict of interest in NMBC charging fees. It is a non-profit that is working on behalf of new media companies and there are real costs associated with running this event.

There is a serious conflict of interest where Angel Investors or those posing as such are asking start-ups to pay in order to pitch “their group”. This is the major issue that I think is implied in Jason C’s rant.

I have attended both good and bad investor/start-up events in Canada and Vancouver in particular. Even the good ones are focused on start-ups not involved with digital media. Considering the vast cultural industry located in Vancouver, I find this incredibly disappointing.

The Fusion Forum was a great event in the past when I attended. It is the ONLY event in Western Canada strictly focused on Digital Media start-ups, bio-tech need not apply. This event provides good value. Vancouver needs this event and more like them in my opinion.

]]> By: Brian Krueckl http://thefusionforum.com/2009/10/to-pay-or-not-to-pay-that-is-the-question/comment-page-1/#comment-16 Brian Krueckl Fri, 16 Oct 2009 04:52:13 +0000 http://thefusionforum.com/?p=515#comment-16 As an observer of this heated debate I can only comment on what I know. I have attended many New Media BC events over the last few years including the Fusion Forum. They were not free in the past as they are not now. It interests me why there is all this debate now going on via twitter and such. New Media BC is a not for profit and are thus only trying to cover costs for hosting such an event. Talking to someone involved in the event, it’s my understanding that none of the VC’s are being paid for attending. That means no startup is paying a VC for the opportunity to pitch! All the fees are related to hosting the event - the costs of hiring staff to seek out qualified VC’s, recruit speakers, rent space, organize and host the bootcamp and related activities. No organization can host an event like this for free. NMBC faces the same challenges as the rest of us do during tough economic times and to ask them to do it for free now, when they have been unable to so in the past, seems unrealistic to say the least. P.S. Any of the startups unable to attend due to cost are more then welcome, I’m sure, to look up the list of VC’s on the Fusion Forum website and pitch them independently. As an observer of this heated debate I can only comment on what I know. I have attended many New Media BC events over the last few years including the Fusion Forum. They were not free in the past as they are not now. It interests me why there is all this debate now going on via twitter and such. New Media BC is a not for profit and are thus only trying to cover costs for hosting such an event. Talking to someone involved in the event, it’s my understanding that none of the VC’s are being paid for attending. That means no startup is paying a VC for the opportunity to pitch! All the fees are related to hosting the event – the costs of hiring staff to seek out qualified VC’s, recruit speakers, rent space, organize and host the bootcamp and related activities. No organization can host an event like this for free. NMBC faces the same challenges as the rest of us do during tough economic times and to ask them to do it for free now, when they have been unable to so in the past, seems unrealistic to say the least.

P.S. Any of the startups unable to attend due to cost are more then welcome, I’m sure, to look up the list of VC’s on the Fusion Forum website and pitch them independently.

]]> By: Danny Robinson http://thefusionforum.com/2009/10/to-pay-or-not-to-pay-that-is-the-question/comment-page-1/#comment-15 Danny Robinson Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:20:09 +0000 http://thefusionforum.com/?p=515#comment-15 Hi Rochelle. We're all after the same thing: Making Vancouver a Global Startup Capital! I think together is the only way we will get there from here. Also, I apologize for the part that Bootup may have played in exacerbating this issue publicly. Bootup Labs and Bootup Entrepreneurial Society fully supports NMBC and the hard work that you guys are doing for our startup community. We remain open to talking more about how we can work together to get rid of those fees. Hi Rochelle. We’re all after the same thing: Making Vancouver a Global Startup Capital! I think together is the only way we will get there from here. Also, I apologize for the part that Bootup may have played in exacerbating this issue publicly. Bootup Labs and Bootup Entrepreneurial Society fully supports NMBC and the hard work that you guys are doing for our startup community. We remain open to talking more about how we can work together to get rid of those fees.

]]>