Vancity Innovation House presented by Frontier Collective
Join us on May 28 for a day of curated content, high-value networking, and authentic West Coast hospitality as we explore the future of tech through insightful panels.
Doors Open at 10:00 AM
Pitch Competition
10:30 AM – Opening Remarks
Welcome, housekeeping, and pitch comp intro
Emcee: Jennah Dohms, Chief Product Officer, The Knowledge Society (TKS)
10:35 AM – $20K Pitch Competition
Watch 10 of Canada’s boldest frontier tech startups pitch live.
5 judges. 1 audience vote. 1 winner.
12:35 PM – Sponsor Recognition, Special Guests & Welcome Remarks
Emceed by:
• Anita Bathe, Senior Manager, Media Relations & Issues Management, TransLink
• Tina Lovgreen, Director of Communications, TransLink
Afternoon Panels
12:45 PM – Canada at a Crossroads: Innovation, Trade, and this Technological Revolution
• Lisa Graston, Director of Operations, National Angel Capital Organization
Moderator: Rob Kenedi, Founder & Host, Decelerator
• Chris Neumann, Early-Stage Investor (ex-Panache)
• Caty Tedman, CEO, Sipply
1:15 PM – Beyond Buildings: Placemaking, Third Spaces, and the Future of Innovation Ecosystems
Moderator: Theodora Jean, Founder & Managing Partner, Coldwater Communications
• Adam Mitchell, Senior Vice President, Low Tide Properties
• Dan Burgar, CEO & Founder, Frontier Collective
• Jan E. Odegard, Innovation District Advisor | Venture Partner, 62x Ventures
1:40 PM – Moving Forward: The Future of Transportation, Cities, and Human Mobility
• Jamie Shotton, Chief Scientist, Wayve
• Sonia Kandola, Sr. Director, Government Relations, Lime
• Ted Graham, Venture Investor / Head of Open Innovation, GM
Moderator: Anita Bathe, Senior Manager, Media Relations & Issues Management, TransLink
2:10 PM – Inventing Tomorrow: Innovation in an Age of Acceleration
• Dr. Danny Goel, Clinical Professor Founder & CEO, UBC PrecisionOS
• Handol Kim, CEO, Variational AI
• Soroush Karimzadeh, CEO + Co-Founder, Novarc Technologies
Moderator: Allison Butula, Head of Marketing, Metalab
2:40 PM – Capital in Motion: Fueling Today’s Innovation, Financing Tomorrow’s Economy
• Lu Zhang, Founder & Managing Partner, Fusion Fund
• Ka-Hay Law, Partner, TELUS Global Ventures
• Allison Braley, Partner, Bain Capital Ventures
Moderator: Jung Lee, Canada Country Director, Remitly
3:10 PM – Unicorn Builders: Lessons from the Frontier of Scale
• Max Lytvyn, Co-Founder, Grammarly
• Jack Newton, CEO & Founder, Clio
• Anna Sainsbury, Co-Founder & CEO, GeoComply
Moderator: Tanis Jorge, Author/Founder, The Cofounder’s Handbook/The Cofounder's Hub
3:40 PM – Redefining Human: AI Agents, Empathy, and the Future of Self
• Zach Coelius Managing Partner, Coelius Capital
• Anabel Maldonado, Founder & CEO, PSYKHE AI
• Anna Baird, Chief Customer Officer, Gen AI, Google
Moderator: Sharad Kharé, Founder, Human Biography
4:05 PM – The Human Equation: Balancing Act in AI Safety with Scale
• Shivam Kishore, Senior Advisor, Digital Transformation & Climate Investment, United Nations
• Natalie Monbiot, Founder, Virtual Human Economy
• Chinasa T. Okolo, Ph.D., Fellow, Center for Technology Innovation (Brookings)
Moderator: Gurpreet Jhaj, Vice President, Marketing, Vancity
Get hands-on with demos from Vancouver’s most promising startups, and catch a Pitch Competition you won’t want to miss!
Move next door for an exclusive Happy Hour session and continue the conversation before heading to our VIP Networking Reception to cap off the night with drinks and food from a local Vancouver chef!
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Learn more @ vancityinnovationhouse.com
Secure your spots now for our Happy Hour + VIP Reception – spots are limited!
Vancity Innovation House: Happy Hour @ 4:30PM - 6:30PM
Vancity Innovation House: VIP Networking @ 6:30PM - 10:00PM