Product Powerhouse to host line-up of world-class speakers with first-ever "Elevate Product" Track, NewCo VIP Party, Connected Brand Launch Party
TORONTO, Sept. 19, 2018 /CNW/ - Connected, one of North America's fastest growing product development firms, has partnered with Elevate, Canada's largest tech and innovation festival, to host a line-up of programming and events that bring together some of the world's best product thinkers and makers for a rich day of exciting programming concerning all things "product." Connected will kick off the week by hosting Elevate Product on September 26, a track that explores how to create products people love in an era of rapidly evolving technologies and consumer expectations. Elevate Product will feature some of the industry's biggest thought leaders like Gibson Biddle, Former VP at Netflix; Satish Kanwar, GM & VP Channels at Shopify; and Catherine Ulrich, Managing Director at FirstMark Capital and former CPO at Shutterstock and WeightWatchers.
"We recently rebranded to Connected and are on an ambitious mission to be the leading product development firm by 2020," said Mike Stern, CEO, Connected. "Teaming up with Elevate to host the first-ever product-focused track, Elevate Product was a natural fit for Connected and provides us with the platform to discuss the white space that Connected is filling in the industry with our new type of consultancy. We know products can't succeed and can't be developed at the pace required in today's world without bringing strategy and execution closer together, and this is exactly what Connected believes in – this is how we drive business impact for our clients."
Elevate Product will explore modern-day product development at the intersection of technology, design and business. The two-part program will focus on the crucial role that continuous discovery and delivery plays in meeting customer demand, offering actionable insights at all stages of the product development lifecycle. The morning session will explore the fundamental characteristics of successful product organizations and will include presentations from such product experts as Seema Lakhani, Head of Product at Wattpad. The afternoon sessions will focus on the customer experience and will feature presentations by such experts as Brian Crofts, CPO at Pendo, as well as Netflix's former VP of Product, Gibson Biddle.
Elevate Product will be hosted in Connected's brand new 35,000-square-foot office and dedicated event space. Elevate Product will be the first time Connected opens its doors to the community as an event space and hub for the technology and product community.
Celebrating its second year, Elevate is a destination for global professionals, tech leaders, investors and creatives on a mission to elevate the Canadian tech and innovation ecosystem. The main stage on September 25 includes keynotes from global thought leaders like Al Gore on Technologies Capacity to Drive Global Change and Whitney Wolf Herd, Founder and CEO of Bumble on Building the Bumble Hive.
In addition to Elevate Product, Connected will be hosting and participating in a number of activities to connect and engage with the city's tech community. First, Connected's Co-founder and VP of Engineering, Damian McCabe will be a leading judge for the festival's ElevateR AI pitch taking place in the Sony Centre on September 25. With rich expertise in AI, McCabe will help determine which of the competitors is Canada's hottest up-and-coming AI company.
Following the Elevate Product track on September 26 (and as NewCo's official featured partner) Connected will be hosting the annual NewCo VIP cocktail reception party that celebrates Toronto's most innovative mission-driven companies. This exclusive party is attended by North America's senior business leaders from across the innovation ecosystem and kicks off NewCo activities.
Later that evening, Connected will be hosting their exclusive Brand Launch Party at Ricarda's and is bringing together some of the world's great product thinkers and makers for a night of gourmet food, drink, and epic performances from musical guests Dwayne Gretzky, Skratch Bastid, and DJ Bellosound.
Finally, on September 27, Connected will be hosting a NewCo session and opening its doors to the product community. Connected's Ally Contardi, VP, Operations will be giving a presentation followed by a panel discussion about how Connected translated its mission into a culture to become a two-time Top Small & Medium Employer in Canada as well as one of LinkedIn's Top 25 Startups in Canada.
To RSVP to any of Connected's activities, please see below for the links:
Elevate Product Track: [email protected] (Subject: "Elevate Product")
NewCo VIP Party: [email protected] (Subject: "NewCo VIP")
Ricarda's Party: [email protected] (Subject: "Connected Launch Party")
About Connected
Connected is a software product development firm that partners with ambitious companies across the product lifecycle to build products that drive impact. For more information, visit Connected.io.
About Elevate:
Elevate is Canada's largest technology and innovation festival made by the community, for the community. The not-for-profit organization brings together founders, ecosystem leaders, corporate innovators, senior government officials, youth, and community partners to raise the profile of the Canadian innovation ecosystem. More information on Elevate is available at elevatetechfest.com.
About NewCo:
NewCo celebrates business on a mission, connecting its audiences to the stories shaping business, politics, and culture – a shift beyond profit toward purpose-driven business. NewCo produces city-specific festivals hosted throughout North America, Europe, and Latin America. At NewCo's unique festivals, participants choose which organizations they want to explore and then gather inside the company's home office, experiencing firsthand how these inspiring organizations drive purposeful transformation in their industries through authentic, experiential offerings led by founders and executive leadership.
SOURCE Connected
For media inquiries, please contact: Sinéad Breen / 647-994-3106 / [email protected]
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