TORONTO, April 25, 2017 /CNW/ - It's said that Canadians
don't like to brag but when your country has some of the best entrepreneurial talent in the world coupled with a robust
technology ecosystem, it's OK to shout about it. C100 Association and RBC today announced a new collaboration aimed at promoting
Canadian innovators and entrepreneurs at home and abroad. Together they will embark on a joint content strategy dedicated to
giving a voice to the hundreds of diverse tech success stories, innovative ideas and ground-breaking advancements that help shape
Canada's future. As part of the agreement, RBC has also signed on as C100's first Charter
Sponsor.
"Scaling C100 through content is a top priority for us," says Laura Buhler Executive Director,
C100. "Our Charter Members and the incredible founders and startups we support are experts in their fields and the wisdom they
share at C100 events is influential and inspirational. I want to 'bottle' that wisdom to whatever extent possible to help amplify
their voices and reach a far broader audience in Canada," adds Buhler. "This increased
commitment from RBC will empower C100 to share and inspire Canadian entrepreneurs on a whole new level."
Starting this year, C100 and RBC will co-create compelling content aimed at entrepreneurs, tech mavens, startups and those
interested in learning more about the Canadian technology ecosystem. Distributed via RBC and C100 social media channels,
including a dedicated RBC Innovation hub, followers can expect engaging, multimedia content like video, podcasts, blogs, academic
research and access to industry events. The content will feature innovators from across Canada,
as well as profile the significant Canadian digi-diaspora made up of entrepreneurs and tech talent based in Silicon Valley,
ensuring they are plugged into the centre of the digital economy.
"Supporting entrepreneurs and Canada's technology ecosystem both at home and abroad is an
absolute priority for RBC," said John Stackhouse, senior vice president, office of the CEO at RBC.
"C100 is the perfect partner to help us in that mission. We're excited that this investment will help advance home-grown startups
and look forward to the opportunity to help tell Canada's innovation stories from around the
globe."
This is the latest step in RBC and C100's growing partnership, which helps to support the Canadian technology community
through knowledge-sharing events. The support of sponsors, like RBC, allows C100 to run programs throughout the year, designed to
help entrepreneurs and innovators gain access to the Valley's extensive community of Canadians dedicated to helping Canadian
startups succeed.
At the seed stage, C100 offers Valley 101: workshops to ask investors and successful founders for advice and feedback. For
early-stage startups, there is 48Hrs in the Valley which offers a formal Charter Member mentorship program. This program focuses
on building world-class companies, through hiring and maintaining talent, best practices for pitching, and advice for navigating
the investor world. Finally, at the growth-stage, C100 hosts an annual event addressing challenges associated with scaling, like
developing talent and interactions with other companies and industry leaders.
RBC also launched an Innovation Lab in San Francisco in June
2016, led by Lara Druyan, head of RBC's west coast lab to identify opportunities and work
alongside the Silicon Valley startup community.
About C100 Association
C100 is non-profit, member-driven association of Canadian business leaders based in the San
Francisco Bay Area. As successful entrepreneurs, investors, and senior corporate leaders we form a dynamic group of
citizens dedicated to giving back to the Canadian innovation economy and fostering the next generation of successful
entrepreneurs and innovative companies in Canada. We do so through programs, such as CEO Summit
and 48Hrs in the Valley, and through consultation with corporate leaders and policy-makers to provide key insights so Canadians
can build world class companies where we need them: in Canada. We bring "The Best of Silicon
Valley to Accelerate Canada's Innovation Economy". For more information, please visit http://www.thec100.org/.
About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada is Canada's largest bank, and
one of the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization. We are one of North
America's leading diversified financial services companies, and provide personal and commercial banking, wealth
management, insurance, investor services and capital markets products and services on a global basis. We have over 80,000 full-
and part-time employees who serve more than 16 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through
offices in Canada, the U.S. and 35 other countries. For more information, please visit
http://www.rbc.com/.
RBC helps communities prosper, supporting a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and
employee volunteer activities. For more information please see: http://www.rbc.com/community-sustainability/.
SOURCE RBC Royal Bank
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