Startupong 2015: Relive the Battle of the Paddles
On October 13th, the Toronto startup community got together at SPiN ping pong social club to hurl tiny white balls at each other, have a few beers, and connect with great people.
We called it Startupong!
And what a night it was.
Over 650 members of Toronto’s startup community attended the event. Among the attendees, 64 ping pong teams were formed from startups including 88Creative, Ritual, 500px, and many more. The sheer number of teams and attendees is proof that Toronto’s startup community is, in a word, thriving.
Of course, a strong ecosystem relies not just on the participants, but also on its supporters. Startupong couldn’t have happened without contributions from the likes of PwC Canada, Hired, and Nexonia.
This year, we were also fortunate to have some startups partner with us to host the event, including Clio, Cloud Elements, EventMobi, Hubba, Lennard Commercial Realty, StreetContxt, VarageSale and Wave.
This year’s event was also taken to the next level with in-kind sponsorships from Arc Media, Chris Javier, SmashScore, RIGHTSLEEVE, and Mill St. Brewery.
Best of all, we were able to give back to the community. Tournament entry fees raised a total of $2,500 to be donated to SickKids Hospital — what a win!
We love hosting Startupong as a way to cement the relationships between Toronto’s startups (and giving startuppers a chance to give their wrists a workout). Startups can learn a lot from each other, and it’s important to celebrate all members of the startup community, not just the founders.
Really into that 2nd #startupong floor. pic.twitter.com/2eEDQT5XQq
— Francois Mathieu (@francoismat) October 13, 2015
To hold you over until next year, relive the sweet victories of the night below!
Uberflip's founders kicked off the tournament in RIGHTSLEEVE style.
There was swag, on swag, on swag. Mill St. beer was best had with a clever Nexonia beer koozie.
As for the teams — they were ready...
Game on. #startupong pic.twitter.com/LLBbHd2IPi
— Uberflip (@Uberflip) October 13, 2015The Nymians were ready...
Taking care of some important business tonight as "The Nymians" represent at #Startupong @SPiN_Toronto pic.twitter.com/fC36YfGdbf
— Nymi (@nymiband) October 13, 2015The Lederbrosen were ready...
The SoapBabes were ready...
Sales for Life's team was ready to play...
#startupong we're ready to get our paddles on! pic.twitter.com/0xCKV66izL
— Sales for Life (@MySales4Life) October 13, 2015...and to watch.
Did we mention there was swag everywhere?
@uberflip #startupong getting crafty pic.twitter.com/mh1URuWxB9
— Zeallure (@ZeallureCA) October 14, 2015There were also balls everywhere.
And delicious Uberflip cupcakes!
WhatRunsWhere does #startupong
The tournament went on, but there could only be one winner...
The championship round! @apigarage vs. @Shopify #startupong pic.twitter.com/HrHCQzNsK8
— Uberflip (@Uberflip) October 14, 2015After an intense battle between Shopify and API Garage, API Garage ended up taking home the Startupong 2015 trophy. Congrats, guys!
But, the real victory of the night was connecting with great people who are passionate about technology and growing Toronto’s startup community.
We’d like to extend a huge thank you to all who attended Startupong, as well as another big thank to this year’s sponsors!