The Next Web Canada at GROW in Vancouver

The Next Web will be represented at GROW 2011 today in Vancouver, where the best and brightest of the nation’s startup, business and tech community are converging.

Throughout the day, we’ll be reporting on some of the companies that are in attendance, including the four finalists who will be presenting pitches live on stage today, which include:

• Unbounce (Vancouver, BC)
• Tiipz (Squamish, BC)
• Summify (Vancouver, BC)
• RockeTR (Toronto, Ontario)

Last night the conference started off with a bang, as Launch@GROW enabled attendees to mingle amongst the fifteen startups that were competing for those four valuable slots, as well as to connect with each other. The party was presented by Launch Party, known for putting together vibrant and unique opening bashes that “launch” startups, and this one didn’t disappoint. Held at the Roundhouse, the event was a great icebreaker for those just introducing themselves to the Canadian startup scene (which included myself) and provided a great opportunity for past collaborators, business partners and old friends to catch up with what they’d been working on.

So you can expect several articles on The Next Web Canada as the day progresses, including discussions with several of the attendees, with further insights and impressions of the overall conference on Friday. I will also be tweeting from the conference floor, so follow me on Twitter (@mikevardy) to catch frequent updates and pearls of wisdom from GROW. To keep tabs on the conference on Twitter, the hashtag #GROWconf will keep you in the know.

I’m excited to be here…and if you’re at GROW 2011, be sure to stop and say hello. After all, that’s what these events are all about.