Startupfest cancelled: tech conference calls off 2020 event

Startupfest won’t have its annual tech conference event this summer. The news was confirmed by founder Phil Telio on Tuesday.

“We have taken the difficult yet responsible decision to not gather 1000’s of people at Startupfest this summer,” Telio told MTLinTECH. “We continue to be driven to support, educate and connect Startups to the resources they need, even more so in tough economic times like these. We’re taking the next few days to articulate our new 2020 plans, and look forward to sharing them.”

Now in its 10th year, Startupfest was ramping up for yet another action-packed event. The conference even announced headline speakers just weeks ago.

Startupfest cancelled for first time

However, on Monday Telio announced that the conference would make changes, before a full-out cancellation the next day.

“We’ve already cancelled upcoming regional events in San Francisco and London—and we’re taking a hard look at what July might bring. Most scientists agree that the epidemic will bring sweeping changes to everyday life, and we need to be prepared.

We are not currently expecting to run a large scale Startupfest July 15-17… But we want you to know that Startupfest, in some form, will happen this year. It may be virtual, or regional. While it would be far simpler to just postpone Startupfest, we have an obligation to help startups and founders survive the coming economic downturn.”

Within 24 hours, that message had changed.

While the news may be disappointing for some, it’s not surprising. Various governments and organizations around the world have already moved ahead to cancel large gatherings.

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Montreal in Technology

Startupfest cancelled: tech conference calls off 2020 event

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Startupfest cancelled for first time

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