Seed: Hacking Entrepreneurship in the Annapolis Valley

Seed is a documentary that follows an international group of programmer entrepreneurs at AngelHack: one of the most competitive global hackathons and digital business ideation competitions. Three minutes to pitch. One shot to fund their proposals.

Seed is also a gathering of our Annapolis Valley startup community. The event will feature the diversity of associations, businesses, and individuals who comprise our digital tech startup community. An assembly of our entrepreneurial family. Come mingle and build your network.

Introductory keynote address by Leanne Strathdee , Manager of Innovation and Incubation for the Acadia Entrepreneurship Centre .

Directed by Andrew Wonder and produced by Station Film and Something Different, Seed is a documentary feature film which dives head first into the thrilling and daunting world of Silicon Valley. The film tells the story of the new American Dream, where innovators from around the world come to Silicon Valley with the hope of turning their ideas into billion dollar valuations.

In a riveting behind-the-scenes look at the preparation behind an investor pitch, Seed follows an Uber driver from New York, three local high school kids, and five college students from Nairobi as they compete in a high profile hackathon for the seed money they need to turn their dreams into reality. The rollercoaster ride of sleepless nights and tough-love coaching culminates in a final presentation before a full audience of tech executives and tastemakers.

“Silicon Valley is a world where you only hear about big successes and IPOs, but never about the people who are fighting everyday to make their dreams a reality. I hope Seed can be an anthem for anyone who has gone down this path, successful or not, and show an honest look at what it takes to turn that app idea you had at dinner into a business that works,” Andrew Wonder says.

Andrew paints a vivid picture of the raw drive and passion that fuels each team. Their backstories come to life as the viewer watches each person experience both the lows from unexpected setbacks and highs when something finally goes right. Andrew captures these tensions, victories, and sacrifices through his organic observational approach; his keen eye draws out the humanity and spirit of each character’s unique story.

The film focuses on a hackathon competition hosted by AngelHack, a female-owned, female-majority company and the world’s largest and most diverse hacker community. “I’m grateful to AngelHack for the access they gave us and the teams for always being willing to share and let us in. It’s not easy to show how hard the path can be when all you want is for everyone else to see you as a success,” Andrew says of the partnership.

This event is supported by the amazing folks at the Valley Regional Enterprise Network via their Collective Impact Project.

Hosted by Refresh Annapolis Valley. All are welcome!