Come meet the makers of tomorrow

I recently read a book that takes place in the near future. It was about people who grew tired of the wasteful industrial cookie-cutter manufacturing we’re used to today, and the steps they took to redefine design and create a modern, sustainable living community of active innovators who breathe new life into old technology and take back the role of unique invention.

That book is called Makers, and the culture depicted by author Cory Doctorow is feasibly close.

In many ways, entrepreneurs working with disruptive technologies like social media are the makers of today, and those like Marcel Lebrun are on the leading edge of Canadian innovation, envisioning a new way of life well ahead of the curve.

A serial entrepreneur, Lebrun was at the helm of Canadian social media monitoring company Radian6 when it was acquired earlier this year by business software giant Salesforce for a whopping $326 million, arguably one of the biggest plays ever made in the Canadian tech space. Lebrun has since stayed on as the Senior Vice President and General Manager of the newly formed Salesforce Radian6.

CIX takes place December 1 at MaRS Discovery District

The Canadian Innovation Exchange (CIX), Canada’s foremost one-day event for key leaders in the innovation economy, is proud to announce that Marcel Lebrun will be giving a keynote address at this year’s event in December, his first speaking engagement since the high-profile Salesforce acquisition.

In his informative talk, Lebrun will cover successful exit strategies for emerging companies, drawing on his experiences throughout his impressive career. From term sheet trends to closing guidelines, benchmark data to prevailing practices, Lebrun’s address will be a practical guide for investors, entrepreneurs and acquirers alike.

CIX takes place December 1 at MaRS Discovery District and offers a jam-packed day of valuable networking opportunities, workshops and discussions, as well as a showcase of Canada’s hottest innovative companies. It will also feature presentations by some of the biggest, most innovative companies in Canada such as Google Canada, bitHeads Inc., BlueCat Networks, Polar Mobile and more.

And heads up, since CIX is committed to highlighting innovative entrepreneurs, the CIX Innovator of the Year award will be announced shortly. Stay tuned to our Twitter account, @CIXCanada, for this widely anticipated announcement.

To see the full CIX schedule, the entire list of 2011 speakers and more, visit the CIX website.