Author, entrepreneur and lean startup architect Eric Ries joins OCE's Discovery 2015 as Day One keynote speaker

TORONTO, March 11, 2015 /CNW/ - Eric Ries, whose game-changing approach to entrepreneurship and innovation-driven business growth was documented in a New York Times bestseller on the lean startup movement will be Discovery 2015's first day keynote speaker.

Ries will appear in an interactive, moderated session remotely and give Discovery attendees a rare chance to learn and ask questions about the movement he pioneered.

"Having access to someone of Eric's caliber is an amazing opportunity," says Dr. Tom Corr, President and CEO of Ontario Centres of Excellence. "His insights and advice on how to build successful companies in the modern era will be of great interest to show attendees who are predominantly entrepreneurs and innovators."

Ries (@ericries) authored The Lean Startup: How Constant Innovation Creates Radically Successful Businesses in 2011 and the namesake movement it spawned has revolutionized the way business development is managed by effectively doing more with less and making smarter decisions.

He graduated from Yale University with a B.S. in Computer Science in 2001 founding his first start-up while still an undergraduate. In 2007, BusinessWeek named Ries one of the Best Young Entrepreneurs of Tech. Today he serves on the advisory board of a number of technology startups and venture capital firms. His Lean Startup methodology has been written about in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, Inc., Wired, Fast Company, and countless blogs.

"I'm looking forward to participating in Discovery as it celebrates 10 years of showcasing innovation and entrepreneurship in Ontario," Ries says. "Ontario entrepreneurs are already doing some bold, cool and exciting things and I believe the lean startup philosophy can help them be even more successful. I look forward to sharing that message with them."

Ries is part of the faculty of Singularity University, which is also represented at Discovery this year by Day One featured speakers Neil Jacobstein and David Roberts.

Ries, Jacobstein and Roberts will all appear as part of Discovery's opening session on April 27.

Named Canada's Best Trade Show 2010 and 2011 and now in its tenth year, OCE's Discovery is Canada's premier innovation showcase. It brings together the best and brightest minds in industry, academia, investment and government to showcase leading-edge technologies, best practices and research in the areas of energy, the environment, advanced health, digital media, information and communication technologies and advanced manufacturing. The annual conference and showcase attracts more than 2,600 attendees and 425 exhibitors.

For more on Discovery, visit www.ocediscovery.com

About Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Inc.

Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) drives the commercialization of cutting-edge research across key market sectors to build the economy of tomorrow and secure Ontario's global competitiveness. In doing this, OCE fosters the training and development of the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs and is a key partner with Ontario's industry, universities, colleges, research hospitals, investors and government ministries. A champion of leading-edge technologies, best practices and research, OCE invests in sectors such as advanced health, information and communications technology, digital media, advanced materials and manufacturing, agri-food, aerospace, transportation, energy, and the environment including water and mining. OCE is a key partner in delivering Ontario's Innovation Agenda as a member of the province's Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs (ONE). Funded by the Government of Ontario, the ONE is made up of regional and sector-focused organizations and helps Ontario-based entrepreneurs and industry rapidly grow their company and create jobs. For more information visit www.onebusiness.ca

SOURCE Ontario Centres of Excellence Inc.

Media contact: Stuart Green, Manager, Media Relations, 416-861-1092 x 1022, [email protected]