@kenbautista

 

I'm a creative and social entrepreneur that loves to talk about startups, games, and my city. Check out some of my projects and my thoughts. Interested in working together? Shoot me an email at ken@kenbautista.com.


Ken Bautista (B.Ed.'99) is Co-Founder/CEO of Startup Edmonton, a social enterprise working to amplify creative innovation and startups in Edmonton. Startup helps connect creators, innovators and entrepreneurs to start and scale bold new ideas through events, mentorship, workspace, and accelerators.

Ken has been an entrepreneur in the tech space for over 10 years, founding and growing two award-winning interactive companies, Hotrocket Studios and Rocketfuel Games.

Under his leadership, Ken's companies have been recognized with several awards including: Grand Prize Winner at TECVenturePrize (Alberta), Best in Show at the Fusion Digital Media Venture Forum (Vancouver), Pitch It! Winner at KidScreen Summit (New York) and Most Promising Company at the Canadian New Media Awards (Toronto). He has personally earned awards including "Top 40 Under 40" (Avenue Magazine), a Horizon Alumni Award (University of Alberta), and "50 Most Influential People in Alberta" (Alberta Venture).

Ken has been invited to jury and speak at international events including the Digital Entertainment Leadership Forum in Hong Kong, Banff World Television Festival and Canadian Arts Summit. He has been involved in committees including artsScene Edmonton, TEDxEdmonton, Alberta Film Advisory Council, Digital Alberta, and currently sits on the board of The Citadel Theatre and the President's Think Tank at the University of Alberta.

EVENTS + COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT


TEDxEDMONTON CONFERENCE
Sparking discussion and connection through TEDTalks and live speaker sessions.

LAUNCH PARTY, STARTUP WEEKEND
Cultivating a startup community of developers, entrepreneurs, investors, and creatives.

ARTSSCENE BEHIND THE SCENES
Inspiring interest and deepening young professionals' engagement in the arts.

FUTURE OF STORY WORKSHOP
Igniting the art of cross platform storytelling through hands-on workshops.

CREATIVE DIRECTION + GAME DESIGN


DISCOVERY KIDS: SEEK YOUR OWN PROOF
Cross platform game where kids investigate history through online games and mobile apps.

STREET SMARTS SCHOOL PATROL
Online game where kids explore safety, earn "street cents" and become "street wise".

TILLEY ADVENTURES IN READING
Interactive web stories and games that support literacy and language development.

ALBERTA EDUCATION LEARNING OBJECTS
Curriculum driven learning games focused on exploring career paths and finance.

TESTIMONIALS + RECOMMENDATIONS

Kevin Swan, Principal, iNovia Capital
"I have a lot of respect for Ken as an entrepreneur. He possesses all of the traits that you would look for in getting a vision and company off the ground; energetic, creative, charismatic, smart, strategic and one of the hardest workers I have seen. I have not seen many entrepreneurs in the tech space with as much creative talent as Ken."

Lynda Brown-Ganzert, Former President, New Media BC
"Ken is a national treasure, highly valued for his creativity, business acumen and passion for community-building. I have repeatedly appreciated his strategic approach to industry building and project development. Ken's brain is one of the first I tap when I need new insight on a complex problem."

Nichole Anderson, President & CEO, Business for the Arts
"Ken has shown incredible leadership in taking our artsScene program to new heights in Alberta. He has gone above and beyond as a volunteer to create an artsScene network that now includes hundreds of business professionals and creative professionals who are interested in becoming more engaged in the Alberta arts scene. He is exceptionally dedicated, passionate about what he does and extremely talented as a leader. He has also leant web-based strategic support that has helped us create broad awareness for our programming through social media. A true gem."

Shaheel Hooda, Executive In Residence, TEC Edmonton
"It has been a pleasure working with/mentoring Ken over the past year and solidifying the CIE business plan/model. Ken is always extremely energetic/creative and responds well to feedback that can impact the business he's trying to create. Excellent follow through on commitments he makes. Strong business sense and good attention to detail."

Trent Smith, Former New Media Manager, Telefilm Canada
"Ken stands apart in his knowledge and expertise gained through his humility, combined with his patience and perseverance in sticking to an original idea, yet adaptable enough to change his mind to suit reality. His open and forthright nature is always engaged in finding what works, yet consistently aligned with his integrity and sense of personal mission. I wholeheartedly recommend Ken and his efforts within the CIE universe."

Sean Embury, Senior Producer, CBC Television
"I've watched Ken's boundless creativity and endless energy bring a number of innovative, award winning, ideas to life. His greatest strength, however, may be his incredible ability to bring people together and get them excited about what's possible. Any chance you get to work with Ken, or even just hang out with him, take it."

Rene Smid, Executive Director, Digital Alberta
"I had the pleasure of working under Ken's leadership for approximately 1 year. I have worked for non-profits for 10 years so have gained a vast amount of experience working with a group of diverse Presidents in that time. I learned so much from Ken and continue to do so. His mind is so quick - outside of the box thinking, exponential, creative and he makes all of the pieces connect with purpose and passion. He created the momentum that has built and sustained the current vision of Digital Alberta. He is innovative and dynamic. He pushes the boundaries and creates positive and impactful change. He has his finger on the pulse of the digital media ecosystem and consistently identifies cohesive and collaborative solutions to meet the challenges the industry is facing. He is a true visionary, leader and innovator."