OpenCal Opens Up About Centre4Growth

In September 2011, Centre4Growth client and Vancouver-born start-up, OpenCal, was acquired by daily deal giant, Groupon. (NASDAQ: GRPN)  Founded in 2009 by software designers Simon Vallee and Arash Shiva, OpenCal offers a simple and easy way for merchants to manage schedules and accept bookings, and has become the inspiration for Groupon Scheduler.

Months before this acquisition took place, OpenCal applied to Centre4Growth’s CEO-in-Residence (CIR) program.  In early 2011, Vallee and Shiva began working with CIR-turned-BCTIA President, Bill Tam, and later worked with experienced entrepreneur, and CIR, Sandra Wear.  The CIRs worked with Vallee and Shiva to continue to grow OpenCal and its value.  Part of that work included advice on channel development for reselling OpenCal’s flagship product.  That summer, Groupon was identified as a potential key channel partner, and the discussion quickly jumped from partnering to acquisition.   Due to their extensive and varied expertise, the CIRs were able to provide assistance every step of the way.

In his own words, Vallee says of OpenCal’s experience with Centre4Growth:

"When you're spending every waking hour thinking about and working on your own business, you can get trapped in your own echo chamber. When you talk to the CEOs-in-Residence at the Centre4Growth, they'll provide hard-earned context to your current situation. To us, they offered invaluable outside perspective and guidance that helped us make better business decisions at critical moments and as opportunities developed.

When we started talks to sell our company, their experience really shone through. They helped shape our negotiation strategy and were there with us every step of the way. You could spend $50k on an investment banker, or you could talk to Sandra. The investment bankers have enough money anyways.

Meeting with the Centre4Growth is bar none one of the best moves we made at OpenCal. The people at the Centre4Growth really know their stuff, and gave us their utmost attention. I feel like I can't oversell them."

With this exciting news, Vallee and Shiva join an increasing list of BC-based entrepreneurs who have taken their company to the next level by leveraging the experience of our CIRs and the many resources the Centre4Growth provides.

Are you looking to build and grow your company? Apply to meet with a CEO-in-Residence today!

Read more about OpenCal and their deal with Groupon in Business in Vancouver, Business Insider and TechCrunch.