KWBuilds Is Now Builderloo, With a Forum for Waterloo Builders
I rebranded KWBuilds as Builderloo. It lists Waterloo Region startups and events, it has a forum for posting what you're building, and The Weekly is back.
I made a short about this. This is the longer version.
I created a new website. Well, actually I rebranded an old one that I wasn't really happy with. The new site is called builderloo.ca.
Why it exists
I created this website because I really wanted visibility into the Waterloo tech ecosystem. There's a lot of startups, there's a lot of events, there's a lot of people building really cool stuff, but there isn't a place to actually go and see it.
So I made that website, and originally it took the shape of kwbuilds.ca. But the site itself wasn't really engaging. It was very black and white. So with Builderloo, I wanted to go in a different direction. Builderloo has a bright, colourful theme that in my mind represents what Waterloo Region tech is.
kwbuilds.ca still works. Every old link sends you to the same page on builderloo.ca.
What's on it
On the website you'll find a list of startups that are local to the Waterloo Region, and the events taking place throughout the region. There are also news articles that mention startups operating here, and a jobs page.
On September 30 the site listed 698 local startups, 79 upcoming events and 114 open roles in the region.
The forum
All of that's great, but I wasn't really happy with just leaving it there. The American tech sector has their own platform. They have Hacker News. And it's very saturated in American content. There isn't really a place built for Canadian entrepreneurs and Canadian builders.
So I wanted to create a local forum where people could post about the stuff they're building, whether that's a startup or something as simple as a GitHub project. It's super simple. You post a link or a description of whatever you're working on, and you can get points and get visibility for your project.
Start a title with Show:, Ask:, Jobs: or Event: and it goes in that section.
The Weekly
I've also restarted the KWBuilds newsletter under Builderloo. Every Monday morning you'll get a report on the week before: the new startups that joined, the startups mentioned in the news, who's hiring, and a bunch of other numbers about the ecosystem we live in.
You can sign up on builderloo.ca.
If you're building something in Waterloo Region, post it on the forum.