Bridges to Better Business 2024

Bridges to Better Business is an annual event that targets entrepreneurs and business professionals in the Sault Ste. Marie & Algoma Region and is hosted by the Millworks - Centre for Entrepreneurship.

Each year during, this event brings together businesses in various stages of development for an open exchange of ideas, advice and feedback. This year's theme is The power of small: Defying the odds.

The Top 2 businesses for this year’s Pitch Competition will have the opportunity to share their business idea with the audience and the judging panel. The audience will then get to vote for their favourite business idea and the winner will receive a Grand Prize valued at up to $15,000.

We're also proud to introduce as our Keynote Speaker this year!

Agenda

5:00 - 6:00 - Tradeshow & Networking

6:00 - 7:00 - Welcome & Dinner

7 :00 - 7:30 - Top 2 Pitch-Off

7:30 - 8:15 - Keynote Speaker, Erin Bury

8:15 - 8:30 - Winner & Closing

Tickets are $50 + HST/each or $375 + HST for a table of 8 (cash bar available). Tickets will not be available for purchase at the door.

If you wish to be invoiced for payment by cheque, please contact Jessica Maione at: [email protected]

Named one of Bay Street Bull’s “2021 Women of the Year”, Erin Bury is one of Canada’s top female entrepreneurs as the co-founder and CEO at . She is also a startup advisor and former marketer and technology journalist. Drawing on her experience, Bury shows audiences how to apply entrepreneurial skills to a business of any size, harness the latest digital and marketing trends for business success, and create a killer personal brand.

At Willful, an online estate planning platform, Bury drives the company’s mission to make it easier for Canadians to prepare for and deal with death in a digital age. She recently went head-to-head with CBC’s Dragons, securing a deal for her company in season 16 of Dragons’ Den. Willful was also named one of Bay Street Bull’s “Power 50” companies in 2021.

Prior to Willful, Bury spent six years as managing director of boutique marketing agency, Eighty-Eight, where she worked with big brands including Sony Pictures Television, Telus, and PayPal, as well as countless startups. Before joining Eighty-Eight, Bury was a tech journalist at startup publication BetaKit, and the director of communications at Sprouter, which was acquired by one of Canada’s largest media companies.

A journalism graduate, Bury is a former Financial Post columnist and CTV News tech commentator. She has also written for publications such as The Globe and Mail and TechCrunch, and comments frequently in the media on marketing and entrepreneurship. She has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, CBC, Toronto Star, and Inc. Magazine, and was named one of Marketing Magazine’s “Top 30 Under 30”.

Bury has spoken at conferences and events across North America, including Haste & Hustle, CTAConf, Content Marketing Conference, and the Profit W100. She is also a skilled event host, moderator, and interviewer. She has interviewed leading executives and entrepreneurs on-stage including Shark Tank investor Mark Cuban.

In her spare time, Bury is the co-founder of The County Wine Tours, a bicycle wine tour company based in Prince Edward County. She also advises multiple startups, including podcasting platform Quill. She serves on the board for Save the Children Canada and is co-chair of the #Tech4SickKids initiative for SickKids Hospital.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Machine Shop, 83 Huron Street, Sault Ste. Marie, Canada