This week, Canada is getting a big tech injection. Elevate is a technical and innovation festival with a mission to showcase the country’s innovation ecosystem. Things actually ramped up on Friday and the speakers, events, and gatherings are on tap Tuesday through Thursday. In only its second year, Elevate is rising to the challenge.
Our Techfest Brings all the Boys to the Yard
In recent years, Canada has become a mecca for tech. In mid-September, Uber announced a new $200M engineering hub slated for Toronto. Global professionals, tech leaders, investors, and creatives are coming north to set up shop and take advantage of true north incentives.
The conference expects to host 10,000 guests in the form of startups, investors and corporations. There are 300 featured speakers on the roster and the event itself is spread across 250 city-wide venues. It’s a golden opportunity for students, job-seekers and young professionals to jump on the tech bandwagon.
Topics such as AI, retail, fintech, blockchain, health, and smart cities will be covered from a tech perspective. If you’re curious about the offices of some local startups, you can even check out the Startup Open House. The festival has a feature beer, too. Cheers!
Hackathon
Elevate kicked off on Friday with a Hackathon. This was a three-day event with an anticipated 500 participants. Divided into registered teams or paired with strangers, all groups were tasked with solving the same question: Which technologies will lead the way for Toronto to become a “smart city”? Hackers were asked to focus on the future of the smart economy, smart housing, and connected communities.
Up in Smoke
October 17 is a date Canada has marked on its collective calendar. It’s the day marijuana will be legalized and Elevate has its own take on the toke. In the next ten years, it’s projected that cannabis will generate a $29B economy. That’s a lot of green! The festival will examine key business opportunities, medical discoveries, and legal challenges over a full day at the Sony Centre.
A Former VP, a Dating Guru and a Fugee
Al Gore will be talking about tech and sustainability on Tuesday, but Gore is just the tip of the melting iceberg. Need some online dating tips? The founder of Tinder and Bumble, Whitney Wolfe Herd, will be on hand. If your taste runs more to music and tech, Wyclef Jean will also be speaking. Word has it that the Grammy winner and founding member of the Fugees (and tech nerd) is looking for undiscovered talent.
We Love Tech
Tech is a driving force for innovation and an increasingly important part of our economy. It’s nice to see Canadian tech being honoured. At Key West Video, we couldn’t work as efficiently as we do without the advances made in our industry. Maybe we should head downtown and see if Mr. Jean needs a video for his new project?
