We called this column View from the ‘Loo for an obvious reason – to signal that we’re sharing perspectives from inside Waterloo Region’s tech community.
At the same time, it’s always good to take in the view from outside the ‘Loo when the opportunity arises, since the way we view ourselves doesn’t always line up with how others see us.
Communitech’s annual Techtoberfest, held last Thursday and Friday, served up several such opportunities, thanks to a diverse slate of keynote speakers from near and far. If you missed it, you can review our live-blog archive of each keynote here.
I grabbed my video camera and separately cornered two of our speakers – Alexis Ohanian, the Brooklyn-based co-founder of Reddit, startup investor and author of the recently released Without Their Permission: How the 21st Century Will Be Made, Not Managed; and Saul Colt, a rockstar word-of-mouth marketer from Toronto with a gift for crafting memorably irreverent campaigns.
After we chatted about their work, I asked them some questions related to Waterloo Region’s place in the tech world. I won’t spoil it for you, but I found their answers illuminating, so I'll give Alexis and Saul the last word in the videos below.
Alexis Ohanian:
Saul Colt:
Anthony Reinhart is Communitech’s Director of Editorial Strategy and senior staff writer. View from the ‘Loo is a weekly look at the issues, people and events that shape Waterloo Region’s technology sector.
