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BCBusiness + Innovate BC The summit, to be held March 11 to 13 at the Vancouver Convention Centre, is the largest annual tech conference in Western Canada
#BCTECHSummit is the largest annual tech conference in Western Canada
Chris Mowry, CEO of Burnaby-based General Fusion—a world leader in commercial energy fusion—says of the #BCTECHSummit: “It’s the premier gathering of the clean-energy sector in Western Canada, a terrific opportunity for companies such as ours to receive support and get widespread exposure for what we do.”
Indeed, exposure has helped General Fusion secure a $50-million investment commitment from Ottawa that will enable it to open a demonstration power plant in B.C. later this year—and achievements such as this are especially fulfilling to Tomica Divic, Vice-president, operations for Innovate BC, the Crown agency that’s organizing the 2019 #BCTECHSummit, to be held March 11 to 13 at the Vancouver Convention Centre (West).
“We’re the largest annual tech conference in Western Canada and delegates come to this to forge partnerships, hire talent, make new relationships and learn what is happening in this rapidly evolving sector,” Divic says. “We strongly support companies like General Fusion because they represent the enormous positive impact tech can have on society moving forward.”
But Divic stresses that the Summit is not exclusive to hi-tech companies. “Today, every company is a tech company, right down to the local hair salon that has an online booking system.
“Even if business people don’t fully grasp the extent to which tech informs their daily routine, they do understand that they need tech to stay competitive—and therefore this year’s summit will be all inclusive, with an opening-night party the general public can attend in order to experience what we’re all about.”
The theme of this year’s event is also relevant to the public interest given that the world is changing at an unprecedented rate. With new realities introduced every day, how can emerging technologies—from AI to Robotics, Quantum to Clean-tech, Blockchain to AR/VR—be used to solve the biggest problems facing B.C. and the world?
Addressing that theme will be a host of speakers, including Chris Mowry; Duncan Wardle (former head of innovation and creativity for Walt Disney); Anousheh Ansari (CEO of XPrize Foundation); and Eric O’Neill (attorney, cybersecurity expert and a former FBI counterterrorism and counterintelligence operative).
They and many other participants will preside over a host of provocative seminars: How Quantum Computing Will Change Your Life; Four Narratives for AI Adoption; Women in Tech; The Future of Food; and much more. On March 11, an all-day Investment Showcase will connect B.C.’s most promising startups with leading investors from around the world.
As Mowry and General Fusion move ever closer to opening their demonstration energy plant, he says of the exposure and networking opportunities that the 2019 #BCTECHSummit provides: “It’s so important for tech companies—especially startups—to get support, whether it be financial, government backing, or regulatory approval. #BCTECHSummit is a terrific venue, because everyone you could possibly want to meet and communicate with is under one roof.
“I look forward to speaking at the event and watching new business relationships being made.”