Monthly Newsletter
September 2016
Introducing new AceTech CEO Jodi Kovitz
 
We are thrilled to announce that Jodi Kovitz will be joining the AceTech team as our new incoming CEO. Jodi will be joining us from Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt, a large national and cross-border law firm where she drove growth and innovation as a business development executive, growth strategist and coach. Jodi received her law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School and practiced law at a leading law firm in Toronto. Prior to practicing law, she obtained her business degree from the Richard Ivey School of Business and worked in marketing at a technology start up that ultimately IPOed.  Earlier in her career, Jodi worked in leadership development at one of Canada's largest banks and consulted for a top-tier global consulting firm. 
 
Jodi is a relationship builder, connector and innovator. She regularly speaks and writes on innovative business development strategies, networking and women's business development opportunities in Canada and the United States. She also regularly speaks and writes on building relationships that generate revenue (50 times in the last 3 years), how to make it rain, focused networking and power connecting. 

Click here to read more.  You can reach Jodi at [email protected] or 416-500-5634. She starts with AceTech on September 12th. 
In This Issue
Summit Series on Professional Service Excellence
   
On September 26 from 8am to noon, AceTech Ontario will be hosting Part 1 of the Fall Summit Series - Services.  The Fall Summit Series is designed to help each of our member CEO's improve different areas of their business. Kicking off the series will be our Professional Services Summit. This meeting is designed for all CEO and Executive Members.

We will begin with a presentation given by Pete Smith. Pete's goal is to frame the discussion for the morning by discussing the role of Professional Services in building a successful software company. He will share his thoughts on how to structure and manage your services organization, and will also share some of his bag of tricks that he has gained over the past 35 years. Given Pete's experience, the presentation will be engaging, entertaining and interactive.
Following a short break, we will reconvene with a panel of experts to answer your questions. We will be joined by Susan Hutt , Managing Director of Susan Hutt and Associates; Paul Lovell, VP of Professional Services at SAS Canada; Nick Noel, SVP of Customer Operations at PointClickCare; and Rick Vaughan, SVP of Customer Experience at Blueprint Software Solutions to share stories and experiences from their combined 125 years of experience.  
 
We will wrap up the morning with a networking session to once again allow you time for discussions with your peers and the speakers in an informal setting.

If you did not receive the invitation, please email Nomi at [email protected]. 
Fall Summit Series Part 2 on Finance and Risk

The Fall Summit Series is designed to help each of our members improve different areas of their business.   Part 2 will take place on October 21st from 8am to noon and will focus on Finance and Risk.   
 
This session be opened by Dave Millier, CEO of Uzado.  Dave has over 20 years of cyber security experience and is recognized as one of Canada's leading  authoritie s on Information Security. Dave founded and sold Sentry Metrics, is an industry leader in the MSSP space, and recently released Breached!, a novel about the challenges businesses face around cyber security and ways to effectively manage it. 
 
Dave will be followed by  Brian Cookson, President of RDP and Alex Dhanjal, Partner at KPMG speaking on "SRED and Government Assistance Programs:  Beyond the Basics".   They will be discussing important topics such as:
  • What companies can/should best take advantage of the programs
  • What mistakes are companies making?  Are they leaving money on the table?
  • Is the work associated with this program worth the money?
  • Are there companies that shouldn't be using these programs?  Are there disadvantages to taking this money when it comes to exits or acquisitions?
We will end with  a panel discussion on how good KBIs and Dashboards are not just rear looking but also forward looking and predictive to help make good business decisions.  Panelists will provide examples of their  holistic view of reporting, not just a focus on financial reporting.  By focusing on the right metrics the information can present a 360degree picture of your business.  
 
Save the date and stay tuned to hear more about the excellent lineup of speakers.

September Quarterly Dinner with Greg Crabtree
 
We are thrilled to have Guest Speaker Greg Crabtree joining us for our September 29th Quarterly Dinner.  Greg was one of the highest rated speakers at the ACETECH symposium in Vancouver this year!!.   Greg, CEO, author and speaker, will be speaking on "Simple Numbers" from his book Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits!.

Greg Crabtree is a speaker, author, entrepreneur and financial expert.  Crabtree has used his entrepreneurial skills to develop Crabtree, Rowe & Berger, PC, a CPA firm focused soley on the needs of entrepreneurs, helping them build the economic engine of their businesses. Working with entrepreneurs all over the country in a broad range of industries, Crabtree has simplified financial reporting and empowered all entrepreneurs to take ownership of their finances.  He has pioneered a revolutionary metric for driving business profitability: measuring labor efficiency and developing simple benchmarks for company, team and individual performance.

In 2011, Crabtree published his first book "Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits", in which he shares his core principles of how to turn your business into a wealth building engine.  He is currently working on his second book, "Simple Numbers 2.0."

If you did not receive an invitation, please email Nomi at [email protected]. 
 

Community Partners

CIX ( Canadian Innovation Exchange) registration is now open! Register today and you can be a part of the leading tech conference in Canada that brings in over 1200 of the most influential investors, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders in Canada's innovation economy. CIX is the 'must attend' event as it showcases Canada's most innovative and promising companies and helps facilitates meetings between start ups and funders. Ace Tech Ontario members are eligible for an exclusive discounted rate. To save 15% off the current Kick Off Rate, use promo code ' ACETECHKICKOFF' on our registration page ( cix.brunico.com/2016/register/ ). This limited time offer gives you access to the full three days of CIX.

Register now, the rate expires Sep. 6th. See you in November! 
AceTech Blog
See the links below to get a look at our most recent posts on our website blog. Our blog includes member profiles and contributions, news features, and sponsor highlights. If you have any feedback or would like to contribute, please contact our Community Manager, Nomi Cuneo ( [email protected]).
Members In The News